Book picks similar to
H-Hour by Bart Gauvin


war
military
alternate-history
alt-history

Armageddon: A Novel of Berlin


Leon Uris - 1964
    Captain Sean O'Sullivan distinguishes himself as a courageous soldier in the closing days of World War II, but what comes next tests his deepest reserves of strength and conviction. Sent to oversee the rebuilding of Berlin, O'Sullivan is exposed to the horrific truths of the Holocaust, a shattered and defeated society, and the new threat of Soviet power as the Iron Curtain begins to shadow the city. When Soviet forces blockade Berlin and the airlift begins, O'Sullivan is faced with profound moral dilemmas in an increasingly complicated world. Armageddon is one of the great fictional portrayals of Europe in the earliest days of the Cold War."Magnificent. The great drama of the Berlin airlift . . ." -The Columbus Dispatch"A vast panorama of people and places . . . dramatic moment after dramatic moment in a throbbing tempo." -New York Herald TribuneLeon Uris (1924-2003) was an author of fiction, nonfiction, and screenplays whose works include numerous best-selling novels. His epic Exodus (1958) has been translated into over fifty languages. Uris's work is notable for its focus on dramatic moments in contemporary history, including World War II and its aftermath, the birth of modern Israel, and the Cold War. Through the massive success of his novels and his skill as a storyteller, Uris has had enormous influence on popular understanding of twentieth-century history.

How I Won The War


Patrick Ryan - 1963
    

The War Planners, The War Stage, Pawns of the Pacific


Andrew Watts - 2017
    First, the U.S. government has been infiltrated with Chinese spies. Second, an inner circle of Chinese leaders have set in motion plans to do the unthinkable - to invade the United States of America. Lena Chou is one of the few U.S. officials who knows the truth. She must put together a top-secret task force to help America’s government prepare for what will come. Now, in order to covertly plan the U.S. defense, Lena has gathered a Red Cell, a group of experts that will plan how China could best attack it. David Manning is one of those experts. After he is abruptly taken to the covert island base where the Red Cell is being held, Lena presents the group with evidence of China’s imminent attack. But while the Red Cell plans for war, David suspects that something about this gathering of minds is terribly wrong…The War StageA US Navy destroyer sinks an Iranian patrol craft during a controversial exchange in the Persian Gulf. With tensions soaring between the two nations, an Iranian politician secretly contacts the CIA with a chilling revelation involving the Chinese. Chase Manning is a rugged ex-SEAL working for the CIA's Special Operations Group in the Middle East. Now, he is tasked with uncovering the truth behind the Iranian claims before it is too late. But in the midst of battling deadly assassins and uncovering the layers of intrigue, Chase discovers that his own brother, David Manning, is right at the heart of the conspiracy.Pawns of the PacificA nation on the brink of war. A conspiracy that threatens the globe. And one military family, caught in the middle, fighting for freedom.While the United States is preparing for war with Iran, Chinese billionaire Cheng Jinshan and his wicked spy, Lena Chou, are moving their pieces on the board. Deception and misinformation are everywhere. Now, in order to save America, the leaders in the CIA and Pentagon have set up a secretive task force at the CIA headquarters. Their mission: to thwart Jinshan's plans, and reveal the truth to the world.Each member of the Manning family has a critical role to play. David Manning is brought in to the CIA task force. Chase Manning is sent to team up with a US Marine Corps special operations unit. Admiral Manning leads the USS Ford Carrier Strike Group, filled with America's latest and greatest naval technology. And Lieutenant Commander Victoria Manning is the officer in charge of a helicopter detachment on the navy destroyer, the USS Farragut - the only ship that stands in the way of a Chinese onslaught.

Ice Station Zebra


Alistair MacLean - 1963
    Under the Polar Ice-Cap ....The atomic submarine 'Dolphin' has impossible orders: to sail beneath the ice-floes of the Arctic Ocean to locate and rescue the men of weather-station Zebra, gutted by fire and drifting with the ice-pack somewhere north of the Arctic Circle.But the orders do not say what the 'Dolphin' will find if she succeeds – that the fire at Ice Station Zebra was sabotage, and that one of the survivors is a killer…

X Platoon


Steve Heaney - 2015
    The forty men in its elite number were specially selected from across the Armed Forces, at which point they simply ceased to exist. X Platoon had no budget, no weaponry, no vehicles and no kit - apart from what its men could beg, borrow or steal from other military units.For the first time a highly decorated veteran of this specialised force - otherwise known as the Pathfinders - reveals its unique story. Steve Heaney became one of the youngest ever to pass Selection, the gruelling trial of elite forces, and was at the cutting edge of X Platoon operations - serving on anti-narcotics operations in the Central American jungles, on missions hunting war criminals in the Balkans, and being sent to spy on and wage war against the Russians.The first non-officer in the unit's history to be award the Military Cross, Steve Heaney reveals the extraordinary work undertaken by this secret band of brothers.

One Last Gasp


Andrew C. Piazza - 2012
    There, hidden deep in the snow-covered pines, they find an ancient manor house containing an inhuman evil that defies any sense of reality.Confronted with a supernatural evil inside the manor, and surrounded by enemy troops outside, the soldiers will have to unravel the mysteries of the creature called The Geist and face a nightmarish battle for body and soul if they are to survive.Part war story, part Lovecraftian horror story, One Last Gasp will hold you in its haunting grip from its explosive beginning to its mindbending conclusion.

Delta Blue


William H. Lovejoy - 1991
     A reunified Germany is pouring funds into developing its military capability. When a US space station spots unusual oil drilling activity in the seas around Greenland, their curiosity is piqued. Especially when they discover that the oil wells are owned by the mysterious Bremerhaven Petroleum Corporation, yet heavily guarded by German state military… Soon, astronaut Kevin McKenna – and the team of secret MakoShark rocket pilots he heads up – are embroiled in a covert plan to discover what is really going on. Caught up in the tensions of space-station life and an unlikely alliance with the Soviets, McKenna and his team embark on a series of challenging missions to unveil the true and chilling plans of the Germans. But as events escalate and the threat of World War 3 looms, skill, stamina and technology are all put to the test. Delta Blue is a thrilling ride into the world of space stations, military espionage, and geo-political tensions. It is the first book in the Colonel McKenna Adventure series. Praise for William H Lovejoy ‘Lovejoy has proven himself a master storyteller.’ - Clive Cussler William H Lovejoy is the author of twenty-five thriller, suspense, and mystery novels, including Delta Blue and Delta Green. A Vietnam veteran, he resides in Colorado and is Vice Chancellor Emeritus from Mohave Community College. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7

Stars and Stripes Forever


Harry Harrison - 1998
    navy warship stopped a British packet and seized two Confederate emissaries on their way to England to seek backing for their cause. England responded with rage, calling for a war of vengeance. The looming crisis was defused by the peace-minded Prince Albert. But imagine how Albert's absence during this critical moment might have changed everything. For lacking Albert's calm voice of reason, Britain now seizes the opportunity to attack and conquer a crippled, war-torn America.Ulysses S. Grant is poised for an attack that could smash open the South's defenses. In Washington, Abraham Lincoln sees a first glimmer of hope that this bloody war might soon end. But then disaster strikes: English troops have invaded from Canada. With most of the Northern troops withdrawn to fight the new enemy, General William Tecumseh Sherman and his weakened army stand alone against the Confederates. Can a divided, bloodied America defeat England, or will the United States cease to exist for all time?

The Sandpit: An Action-Packed Spider Shepherd SAS Novella


Stephen Leather - 2016
    Who was Dan 'Spider' Shepherd before he signed up as an undercover cop and began working for MI5? The Sandpit rewinds with an action-packed rollercoaster to his days in the SAS...Dan Shepherd and his SAS team are sent into the badlands of Afghanistan to train the rebels who are battling Taliban fanatics.But what starts as a training mission in The Sandpit turns into a life or death struggle with Shepherd and his team very much in the firing line.Soon they are caught up in an international intrigue that threatens the stability of the whole Middle East.

Mossad: The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service


Michael Bar-Zohar - 2010
    It is also the most enigmatic, shrouded in secrecy. Mossad: The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service unveils the defi ning and most dangerous operations that have shaped Israel and the world at large from the agency's more than sixty-year history, among them: the capture of Adolf Eichmann, the eradication of Black September, the destruction of the Syrian nuclear facility, and the elimination of key Iranian nuclear scientists.Through intensive research and exclusive interviews with Israeli leaders and Mossad agents, authors Michael Bar-Zohar and Nissim Mishal re-create these missions in riveting detail, vividly bringing to life the heroic operatives who risked everything in the face of unimaginable danger. In the words of Shimon Peres, president of Israel, this gripping, white-knuckle read "tells what should have been known and isn't--that Israel's hidden force is as formidable as its recognized physical strength."

The Wolf's Hour


Robert R. McCammon - 1989
    Able to change shape with lightning speed, to kill silently or with savage, snarling fury, he proved his talents against Rommel in Africa. Now he faces his most delicate, dangerous mission: to unravel the secret Nazi plan known as Iron Fist. From a parachute jump into occupied France to the lush corruption of Berlin, from the arms of a beautiful spy to the cold embrace of a madman's death machine, Gallatin draws ever closer to the ghastly truth about Iron Fist. But with only hours to D-Day, he is trapped in the Nazis' web of destruction....

Red Tide: The Chinese Invasion of Seattle


Chris Kennedy - 2013
    We were wrong.Analysts have long prophesized that China would go to war to reintegrate the province of Taiwan. It isn’t a matter of “if;” it’s a matter of “when.” For decades, the only thing that has restrained China from taking Taiwan by force of arms is the American promise to defend it, even if that means World War III. To date, China has not been ready to go that far. But what if China figured out a way to put the United States on the sidelines of their fight to regain Taiwan? Would they do it then? Drawn from today’s headlines, Red Tide: The Chinese Invasion of Seattle is set in a not-too-distant future where China decides to invade Seattle to use American citizens as high-stakes chips in a game of nuclear blackmail. Will the United States get Seattle back? Written by a former aviator with over 3,000 hours flying attack and reconnaissance aircraft for the United States Navy, including many missions supporting U.S. Special Forces, Red Tide: The Chinese Invasion of Seattle is a look at one possible future that isn’t as improbably as you might think. Events in it are not only possible, they’re already happening. Could China attack the United States to get back Taiwan?Yes.

Task Force Baum


James D. Shipman - 2019
    Shipman delivers a powerful, action-packed novel that illustrates the long-buried secrets and unending costs of war--based on the true story of General Patton's clandestine unauthorized raid on a World War II POW camp. March, 1945. Allied forces are battle-worn but wearily optimistic. Russia's Red Army is advancing hard on Germany from the east, bolstering Allied troops moving in from the west and north. Soon, surely, Axis forces must accept defeat. Yet for Captain Jim Curtis, each day is a reminder of how unpredictable and uncertain warfare can be.Captured during the Battle of the Bulge after the Germans launched a devastating surprise attack, Curtis is imprisoned at a POW camp in Hammelburg, Bavaria. Conditions are grim. Inmates and guards alike are freezing and starving, with rations dwindling day by day. But whispers say General Patton's troops are on the way, and the camp may soon be liberated.Indeed, fifty miles away, a task force of three hundred men is preparing to cross into Germany. With camps up and down the line, what makes Hammelburg so special they don't know, but orders are orders. Yet their hopes of evading the enemy quickly evaporate. Wracked by poor judgment, insufficient arms, and bad luck, the raid unravels with shattering losses. The liberation inmates hoped for becomes a struggle for survival marked by a stark choice: stay, or risk escaping into danger--while leaving some behind.For Curtis, the decision is an even more personal test of loyalty, friendship, and the values for which one will die or kill. It will be another twenty years before the unsanctioned mission's secret motivation becomes public knowledge, creating a controversy that will forever color Patton's legacy and linger on in the lives of those who made it home at last--and the loved ones of those who did not.

Blood Brothers


Charles W. Sasser - 2017
    Richard “Rip” Taggart used to lead this unit, until after seeing and experiencing too much on the battlefield he snaps and executes an American in cold blood in Afghanistan. Now, two years later, he has been exiled from his brothers in Six and works for a private security group in Nigeria until he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is captured by Boko Haram along with a group of Nigerian school girls.But the brotherhood of the SEALS runs deep. Once Rip’s unit finds out that he has been taken, they demand to be the ones to bring him back home. But as they mount their rescue operations, they find themselves squaring off against an enigmatic lieutenant of a rising terrorist group, someone who seems to have a particular interest in getting to Rip first.Based off the gripping new series from creators David Broyles, Special Operations veteran, and William Broyles, and inspired by the true stories and events involving SEAL Team Six, Six: Blood Brothers will give readers a visceral taste of what it means to be part of this squad, balancing their own personal demons and complications of family life with the need to serve their country and be there for their brothers-in-arms.