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Iraq’s Sunni Insurgency: Iraq's Sunni Insurgency (Adelphi series)
Par Ahmed S. Hashim. 2009
From 2003 to 2008, the Sunni Arab insurgency in Iraq posed a key challenge to political stability in the country…
and to Coalition objectives there. This paper explains the onset, composition and evolution of this insurgency. It begins by addressing both its immediate and deeper sociopolitical origins, and goes on to examine the multiple ideological strands within the insurgency and their often conflicting methods and goals. Despite organisational incoherence due to the existence of a large number of competing groups, the insurgency in Iraq sustained a particularly high tempo of operations between 2004 and 2006, causing considerable military and civilian casualties. Some insurgent groups focused on attempting to foment civil war between two of Iraq’s major communities, the Sunni and Shia Arabs and, by late 2006, they had come close to unravelling Iraq and presenting the Coalition with a major defeat. The adoption of a new approach by the US in 2007 helped reduce the level of violence in Iraq. In addition, deep fissures within the insurgency itself, between those fighting for more practical, immediate goals and the transnational Islamists and their local allies fighting for wider-reaching goals – including the promotion of sectarian strife – contributed to the insurgency’s diminution. It remains to be seen whether there will be a widespread recognition among Sunni Iraqis of the need to work with the Coalition to facilitate their community’s reintegration into the new Iraqi body politic.Incredible Victory: The Battle of Midway
Par Walter Lord. 1967
The &“remarkable&” New York Times bestseller about the battle in the Pacific that turned the tide of World War II—from…
the author of The Miracle of Dunkirk (Los Angeles Times). On the morning of June 4, 1942, doom sailed on Midway. Hoping to put itself within striking distance of Hawaii and California, the Japanese navy planned an ambush that would obliterate the remnants of the American Pacific fleet. On paper, the Americans had no chance of winning. They had fewer ships, slower fighters, and almost no battle experience. But because their codebreakers knew what was coming, the American navy was able to prepare an ambush of its own. Over two days of savage battle, American sailors and pilots broke the spine of the Japanese war machine. The United States prevailed against momentous odds; never again did Japan advance. In stunning detail, Walter Lord, the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Day of Infamy and A Night to Remember, tells the story of one of the greatest upsets in naval history. &“Graphic and realistic . . . not an impersonalized account of moves on the chessboard of war, [but] a story of individual people facing crucial problems.&” —The New York TimesThe Other Side Of Airfix: Sixty Years of Toys, Games & Crafts
Par Arthur Ward. 2013
Airfix is synonymous with plastic model kits. The brand name has virtually become a noun, occupying a special place in…
that lexicon of trade names alongside Hoover, Sellotape, Perspex and Aqua-Lung.Throughout the war years Airfix survived on government contracts for a whole range of plastic items and by virtue of Kove's tenancious apetitie for business and doing a deal. By the war's end Airfix was the market leader in plastic injection moulded combs in Britain. By the time Airfix had released its first proper construction kit, a tiny model of Drake's flagship Golden Hind, in 1952, the firm was well established as a leading toy brand. Indeed throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s Airfix invested heavily in developing new toys or manufacturing them under license for large US toy companies such as Hasbro. Very soon Airfix extended its activities beyond toys into games and arts and crafts and in short time famous names.Indeed so successful was Airfix at diversifying that by the 1970s the company had grown to such an extent that it had acquired other famous toy brands including Dinky Toys, Tri-ang, Meccano, and Romper Room. With its subsidiary Crayonne Airfix even harnessed the design talents of the then Terence Conranne in attempt to elevate plastic products to the rarified atmosphere of designer chic.So there's a lot more to Airfix than many might think and this book is the first attempt to document the myriad successful lines, outside of plastic kits, which contributed to the company's dramatic growth before a combination of factors forced it into brief liquidation in 1981. Written by someone with a lifetime's fascination for Airfix and who has written other books about the better known construction kit side of the business, The Other Airfix is a nostalgic trip down memory lane.Landmines in War and Peace: From Their Origin to Present Day (Danger Mines)
Par Mike Croll. 2009
Land mines and their antecedents have been used on the battlefield from ancient times, through the world wars, to the…
modern conflicts in the developing world. Their use in the developing world caused tens of thousands of civilian casualties, and the resulting international outrage transformed rapidly into a highly effective global movement to ban land mines and a multi million dollar mine action business. This book describes how technology and military tactics defined land mine development and deployment, why they are such an effective weapon of war, and how an unlikely alliance of soldiers, peace activists, development workers and celebrities succeeded in banning the use of antipersonnel mines. Comparisons are made between the post WW2 clearance of around 100 million land mines in Europe and contemporary efforts to clear a similar number in the developing world. By 1947 Europe was largely mine free, yet after nearly 20 years and expenditure of $4 billion the land mine crisis in the developing world continues. The elusive search for the easy way to clear mines is described. Despite experiments with machines, airships, rats and explosive clearance methods, mine clearance remains a hazardous, labor-intensive task undertaken by teams of deminers using metal detectors and needle-like probes.The Shelburne Escape Line: Secret Rescues of Allied Aviators by the French Underground, the British Royal Navy & London's MI-9
Par Don Douglass, Réanne Hemingway-Douglass. 2014
An account of WWII rescues that &“pays tribute to the audacity and heroism of the men and women of the…
French Resistance and Allied military personnel&” (Warship World). The Shelburne was one of the later escape lines that operated within Nazi-occupied Europe. It was established at the end of 1943 by two agents who worked for MI-9, the London-based military intelligence agency responsible for providing assistance to Allied servicemen stranded behind enemy lines. Working with the French Resistance, these agents arranged for groups of Allied airmen to be taken from &“safe houses&” in Paris to Brittany, where a Royal Navy motor gunboat picked them up from a secluded beach and delivered them back to England. Eight audacious evacuation operations were conducted between January and August, 1944, without the Shelburne Line ever being infiltrated by the Gestapo. Aspects of the Shelburne story have been told previously in memoirs by several of the participants, including the late MP Airey Neave, who was an MI-9 operative. However, Hemingway-Douglass expands the story to include recollections of some of the local Breton people who were involved with the Line. The second half of the book comprises personal stories of airmen and other individuals who were affiliated with the Shelburne Line or were otherwise caught up in the war in France. A lifelong Francophile, Hemingway-Douglass took eight years to research and write the book. She describes it as a labor of love that pays tribute to the heroism and courage of &“ordinary&” people, while reinforcing the fact that war touches everybody.&“Fascinating . . . A must read for military and espionage enthusiasts.&” —The Bulletin (Military Historical Society)Special Operations South-East Asia 1942–1945: Minerva, Baldhead & Longshank/Creek
Par David Miller. 2015
Many books have been written about Second World War special forces operations in Europe and the Middle East. Much less…
has been said about such operations in South-East Asia those launched against the Japanese in Sumatra and the Andaman Islands, and the Germans in Goa. These operations, and the exceptional men who took part in them, have been almost forgotten. David Miller, in this gripping account, sets the record straight. His book is based on extensive original research, including long-hidden family documents, revealing much information for the first time and his narrative is fascinating reading for anyone who is interested in special operations and the war against the Axis powers in South-East Asia. His history is the first general account of these operations - it is a landmark in the field.Agent Michael Trotobas and SOE in Northern France
Par Nick Nicholas, Stewart Kent. 2015
The exceptional exploits, courage and leadership of British SOE Agent Trotobas have long been recognised in France but not in…
his own country despite being recommended for the Victoria Cross.Captured on his first mission, Trotobas led a mass break-out from Mauzac Internment Camp and eventually returned to England. He immediately volunteered to return and established and ran a resistance group around Lille and the Pas de Calais for a year. As the Nazis closed in, he refused to leave the French men and women who had shown him complete loyalty. He paid the ultimate price, fighting to the death rather than undergo capture.As well as describing the operations of the Sylvestre-Farmer circuit, the authors record the rivalries and intrigues that sprang up culminating in betrayals and extraordinary demand for the court martial and execution of the Circuit's British second in command.This book is a major addition to the bibliography of the SOE and French Resistance.The Light Division in the Peninsular War, 1808–1811
Par Tim Saunders, Rob Yuill. 2020
This regimental history chronicles the legendary exploits of the British Army’s Light Division against Napoleon in Spain and Portugal.From the…
outset of the Peninsular campaigns in 1808, the Light Division achieved results way beyond their scant numbers. But it was during the epic winter retreat to La Corunna that they showed their metal. Returning to the Peninsula months later, the irascible Brigadier Robert Craufurd led the Light Brigade on a terrible march to meet General Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, at Talavera. The Light Division played significant roles in the Battle of the River Côa, where the riflemen fought hard to escape Marshal Ney’s trap; the Battle of Buçaco Ridge, the Battle of Salamanca, and many others. More than a simple series of battle scenes, however, this history of the Light Division provides a wider picture of campaigning during the Napoleonic Wars and sheds light on the life of a 19th century light infantry soldier.This WWII military study examines the combat experiences of three Allied divisions charged with spearheading the invasion of Normandy. To lead…
the charge into France after the Normandy landings, General Montgomery brought three veteran desert formations back from the Mediterranean. They were the 50th Infantry and 7th Armored divisions, plus 4th Armored Brigade. Their task beyond the beaches was to push south to Villers Bocage with armor on the evening of D-Day in order to disrupt German counter-attacks on the beachhead. Difficulties on 50th Division&’s beaches allowed time for German reinforcements to arrive in Normandy. As a result, 4th Armored Brigade was firmly blocked just south of Point 103 after an advance of less than five miles. A major counter-attack by Panzer Lehr failed, as did a renewed British attempt, this time by the vaunted 7th Armored Division, which was halted at Tilly sur Seulles. From here the fighting became a progressively attritional struggle in the hedgerows of the Bocage country south of Bayeux. More units were drawn into the fighting, which steadily extended west. Finally, an opportunity to outflank the German defenses via the Caumont Gap allowed 7th Armored Division to reach Villers Bocage. There then followed what the battalions of 50th Division describe as their &‘most unpleasant period of the war&’, in bitter fighting, at often very close quarters, for the &‘next hedgerow&’.Guthrie's War: A Surgeon of the Peninsula & Waterloo
Par Michael Crumplin. 2010
The precepts laid down are the result of the experience acquired in the war in the Peninsula, from the first…
battle of Rolia in 1808, to the last in Belgium, of Waterloo in 1815They have been the means of saving the lives, and of relieving, if not even of preventing, the miseries of thousands of our fellow-creatures throughout the civilized world.George James Guthrie is one of the unsung heroes of the Peninsular War and Waterloo, and of British military medicine. He was a guiding light in surgery. He was not only a soldier's surgeon and a hands-on doctor, he also set a precedent by keeping records and statistics of cases. While the innovations in the medical services of the French Republic and Empire have been publicized, a military surgeon of the caliber of Guthrie has been largely ignored by students of the period until now. Michael Crumplin, in this comprehensive and graphic study of this remarkable doctor, follows him through his career in the field and recognizes his exceptional contribution to British military medicine and to Wellington's army.The Vandals: The Vandals (Conquerors of the Roman Empire)
Par Simon MacDowall. 2016
An up-close look at the Germanic people who sacked Rome in the fifth century AD. On 31 December AD…
406, a group of German tribes crossed the Rhine, pierced the Roman defensive lines, and began a rampage across Roman Gaul, sacking cities such as Metz, Arras, and Strasbourg. Foremost amongst them were the Vandals, and their search for a new homeland took them on the most remarkable odyssey. The Romans were unable to stop them and their closest allies, the Alans, marching the breadth of Gaul, crossing the Pyrenees, and making themselves masters of Spain. However, this kingdom of the Vandals and Alans soon came under intense pressure from Rome&’s Visigothic allies. In 429, under their new king, Gaiseric, they crossed the straits of Gibraltar to North Africa. They quickly overran this rich Roman province and established a stable kingdom. Taking to the seas, they soon dominated the Western Mediterranean and raided Italy, famously sacking Rome itself in 455. Eventually, however, they were utterly conquered by Belisarius in 533 and vanished from history. Simon MacDowall narrates and analyzes these events, with particular focus on the evolution of Vandal armies and warfare.Carriers at War, 1939–1945: 1939-1945
Par Adrian Stewart. 2013
The author begins this fascinating book by tracing aircraft carrier development between the Wars. Eschewed by the Germans and Italians…
and with Britain squandering her early lead, the Americans and Japanese became front-runners.The Royal Navy learnt the hard way in the early stages of WW2 with the loss of HMS Courageous and Glorious but, following successes at Taranto and Matapan, the value of carriers was no longer in doubt. The sinking of Bismarck and the cataclysmic Pearl Harbor attack signaled the end of the Battleship era. Stung by such spectacular losses the US Navy threw its weight behind the carrier concept and the naval war in the Pacific (Guadalcanal, East Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz, Midmay and Leyte Gulf) revolved round carrier-borne aircraft.Meanwhile the carrier became pivotal in protecting vital convoys in the Atlantic, Arctic and Mediterranean. The author backs his arguments with copious examples of naval and air action.The 1914 Campaign: The 1914 Campaign (British Expeditionary Force)
Par Andrew Rawson. 2014
The book concentrates on the British Expeditionary Force's defensive actions during the retreat from Mons through to the advance to…
the River Aisne and the first days of trench warfare. Then moved north to Ypres, where it endured three long weeks of German attacks. By compiling information from the Official History and the printed histories we get an in-depth British account of each large battle and minor action.Together the narrative and over 60 maps provide an insight into the British Army's experience during those early days of the First World War. This is about the men who made a difference, the men who fought off many times their number, those who led the counterattacks and those who were awarded the Victoria Cross. Discover the real 1914 campaign fought by the British Army and learn how the brave soldiers of the BEF fought hard to achieve their objectives.The Americans from Normandy to the German Border: August to mid-December 1944 (Images of War)
Par Brooke S. Blades. 2019
Rare World War II photographs detailing the massive American contribution to the 1944 campaign in northwest Europe from August to…
mid-December. Following the dramatic breakout from the Normandy bridgehead, events moved fast with the liberation of Paris quickly following and the Allies closed in on the German border. But the apparent collapse of the Nazis was illusory. As lines of communication lengthened and German resistance stiffened, the Allied High Command was divided on the right strategy. The ill-fated Operation Market Garden brought home the reality that the war would continue into 1945. The Siegfried Line was penetrated, and Aachen fell. But the American First Army suffered heavy casualties in the Hurtgen Forest. As winter set in, the third Army crossed the Moselle River and into the Saar. The stage was set for the costliest battle in American history—The Bulge, to be covered in the third and final volume of this trilogy. With his superb collection of images and grasp of the historic significance of the actions so graphically described, Brooke Blades&’s latest book will be appreciated by all with an interest in the final stages of the Second World War.Warlords of Republican Rome: Caesar Versus Pompey
Par Nic Fields. 2008
The war between Caesar and Pompey was one of the defining moments in Roman history. The clash between these great…
generals gripped the attention of their contemporaries and it has fascinated historians ever since. These powerful men were among the dominant personalities of their age, and their struggle for supremacy divided Rome. In this original and perceptive study Nic Fields explores the complex, often brutal world of Roman politics and the lethal rivalry of Caesar and Pompey that grew out of it. He reconsiders them as individuals and politicians and, above all, as soldiers. His highly readable account of this contest for power gives a vivid insight into the rise and fall of two of the greatest warlords of the ancient world.T-54/55: The Soviet Army's Cold War Main Battle Tank (Images of War)
Par Anthony Tucker-Jones. 2017
The Soviet T-54/55 is probably the best-known tank of the Cold War, and it was produced in greater numbers that…
any other tank in history. It first went into service just after the Second World War and over 70,000 were made, and its design was so successful that it even outlasted its successor the T-62. For a generation it formed the backbone of the armored forces of the Warsaw Pact and it was exported all over the world, remaining in the front-line until the 1990s. This photographic history in the Images of War series by Anthony Tucker-Jones is the ideal introduction to it. In over 150 archive photographs and a detailed analytical text, he traces the design and development of the T-54/55 and records its operational history. He describes how it was conceived as a main battle tank, an all-rounder, contrasting with the light, medium and heavy tanks produced in the past, and it proved to be extraordinarily effective. It was as adaptable as it was long-lasting, different versions being produced by China, Czechoslovakia, Poland and Romania. Its relatively simple design also meant it was easy to maintain even in difficult conditions and it was used by armies across the Third World, in particular in wars in Angola, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Somalia. Anthony Tucker-Jones's history of this remarkable armored vehicle will be absorbing reading for tank enthusiasts and a valuable source for modelers.The offhand admission to the doctor at the recruiting centre that he suffered from asthma as a boy was enough…
to put an end to Michael Moynihan's military career even before it started. However, this unpropitious beginning was eventually to lead to a wartime career far more dramatic than anything he could have imagined had he been allowed to don the King's uniform. For, after a provincial grounding as a cub reporter in the North, he moved to London and soon became a war correspondent on the now long-defunct News Chronical, then one of the leading newspapers in Fleet Street. Prior to that he had acclimatised himself to a via de boheme in violent contrast to an upbringing largely centred around the near by Strict and Particular Baptist Chapel, and which gave him the opportunity to make the acquittance of the likes of Dylan Thomas, Tambimuttu, and his cousin Rodrigo, the painter. Then came D-Day and he is off to France. He is present at the Liberation of Paris. He covers the Arnhem fiasco from the air. He is in the American sector during the Battle of the Bulge He is sent to the Far East and flies the first dispatch from Hiroshima. And those are just a few of the highlights. From his own dispatches, many of which, in those space-starved days, were never published, from his on-the-spot diaries and letters to friends and relations, and from his won memories Michael moynihan has woven a tapestry which vividly brings to life the quite remarkable adventure of a man who was considered too unfit to fight for his country but who managed to serve it with as much courage as any who came home with a chest covered with medals.Wellington and the Siege of San Sebastian, 1813
Par Bruce Collins. 2017
Bruce Collins's in-depth reassessment of the Duke of Wellington's siege of San Sebastian during the Peninsular War is a fascinating…
reconstruction of one of the most challenging siege operations Wellington's army undertook, and it is an important contribution to the history of siege warfare during the Napoleonic Wars. He sets the siege in the context of the practice of siege warfare during the period and Wellington's campaign strategies following his victory at the Battle of Vitoria. He focuses on how the army assigned to the siege was managed and draws on the records of the main military departments for the first time to give an integrated picture of its operations in the field. The close support given by the Royal Navy is a key aspect of his narrative. This broad approach, based in fresh archive research, offers an original perspective on both San Sebastian's significance and the nature of siege warfare in this period.No Surrender in Burma: Operations Behind Japanese Lines, Captivity and Torture
Par Fred C. Goode. 2014
This British Commando&’s WWII memoir recounts his attempt to escape Japanese-occupied Burma and his harrowing experiences as a POW. This…
is the extraordinary story of Lance Corporal Fred Goode, a British Commando stationed in Burma in 1941. Cut off behind enemy lines the following year, Goode walked 2,000 miles towards India and freedom, but was betrayed to Japanese forces only 20 miles short of his destination. Tortured by the infamous Kempeitai—Imperial Japan&’s military police—Goode was then sent to Rangoon's notorious Central Jail, where he remained a prisoner of war until Japan&’s surrender. Goode was one of fifty men sent to Burma to support and train Chinese forces fighting in Japanese-occupied China. With Japan's entry into World War II in December of that year, their mission expanded to include destroying airfields and taking bullion to India. When they were overtaken by enemy forces before crossing the Irrawaddy River, their commanding officer instructed them to split into four groups and head for India or Yunnan. Of the original fifty, only eight survived.Rommel's Army in the Desert: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War)
Par Alistair Smith. 2013
When German General Rommel and the lead elements of what would become the Afrika Korps landed in Libya in February…
1941, nobody could have foreseen the legendary status they would achieve. Sent to support the faltering Italians, they were eventually able to drive the Allies to the very gates of Egypt. Fighting over hostile and rugged terrain, often outnumbered and outgunned, they were only finally undone by their defeat at El Alamein and Allied landings to their rear.This collection of photographs is taken from the albums of three members of the vaunted Afrika Korps. For the first time the daily reality of the North African campaign can be seen from the German point of view. With numerous photographs of vehicles and men at work, this collection paints a portrait of the rugged and dangerous conditions as well as the harsh and brutal nature of desert warfare.