Böcker utgivna av Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Walk in the tank tracks and footsteps of Major General Stanislaw Maczek and his 1st Polish Armoured Division (1PAD) soldiers who fought, fell or were wounded liberating the town of Ypres on 6th September 1944. Also revealed is the great support offered by local Resistance groups who supplied topographical assistance, information concerning enemy strong points and troop numbers, offered limited engagements, and finally assisted with the temporary gaoling of the many German prisoners of war. The book also commemorates those townsfolk including children who lost their lives over this period of short but intense fighting. Such was the cost of freedom for the beleaguered citizens of Ypres during WW2. Also remembered are those Czechoslovak officers attached to 1PAD from the Independent Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade Group commanded by Brigadier General Alois Liska, whose HQ was located at nearby Wormhout, France, in preparation for his own Battlegroup's 'Siege of Dunkirk' deployment.

By September 1944 the Western Allies had reached the approximate positions they had held back in September 1939 at the outbreak of war. It had taken more than four years to claw back the territory lost in 1940. It was four years in which the strategic bomber had failed to deliver the victory the bomber advocated had promised. With Allied armies converging on Germany from all directions, they were running out of time to prove that countries could be bombed into defeat.Baughen describes the fierce battles that were fought right up to the German surrender in May 1945. He also explores the equally fierce debates behind the scenes about how air power should be used to complete the Allied victory, and analyses the lessons learned from six years of war.Even before Germany's surrender, thoughts were turning to the new enemy. The wartime alliance between Communist East and Capitalist West had always been one of convenience. Within weeks of the German surrender hostilities between the wartime allies were already a possibility. The seeds for post-war defence policy were already being sown.Meanwhile, in the Far East Hiroshima and Nagasaki had become the victims of the first atomic bombs. Days later Japan surrendered. The bomber advocates appeared to have the proof that bombing could win wars. But how related were the two events?Using contemporary documents, Baughen describes the how British air policy evolved in the late 1940s. Would the atomic bomb change the way wars were fought? Would conventional armies have any role in future wars? In the new atomic age, were there any lessons to be learned from the Second World War? How would the emerging cruise and ballistic missiles and associated guidance systems affect defence policy? Was a conventional defence to Soviet aggression possible?This is the story of the contribution air power made in the final battles of the Second World War, how the lessons of that conflict were misinterpreted and how the policies developed to incorporate the atomic bomb into Cold War defence thinking was leading the country into grave danger.

Foot by foot Titanic's lifeboat No.11 slowly jerked its way down the sides of the great ocean liner as it slipped beneath the cold, dark waters of the Atlantic. For the fifty or so men, women and children crammed into the lifeboat, survival was all that mattered. Even then, though, the American fashion designer Edith Rosenbaum Russell ferociously clung to her pig-shaped music box until she was rescued, its tunes helping to quell the fears of the frightened children onboard. Unlike so many of those onboard Titanic that fateful night in April 1912, everyone in lifeboat No.11 would be rescued.Bridget McDermott had brought a new hat before she set off for America. Bridget climbed into one of the lifeboats, believed to be No.13, before realising she had left her precious purchase behind. She climbed out of the lifeboat, retrieved her hat from her cabin, ran back to the open deck and jumped fifteen feet from a rope ladder onto the lifeboat. Other garments played an important part in the survival of one of the lifeboats which sprung a leak, with the people onboard using clothes to plug the hole.Charles Joughin, the head baker aboard Titanic, floated in the near-freezing ocean for around two hours before being pulled out of the water onto one of the lifeboats. He had not succumbed to the cold due to the amount of alcohol he had drunk.Masabumi Hosono, a civil servant from Tokyo, was the only Japanese passenger onboard Titanic and, being a man, he accepted that the women and children first policy had sealed his fate. However, when a crew member shouted that there were two spaces left in a lifeboat, No.10, Hosono jumped in. As Japanese honour considered it far better for a man to suffer an honourable death than to survive in a shameful manner, when he reached his homeland he was ostracized by his family and lost his job.When it sailed, Titanic carried twenty lifeboats that, between them, could accommodate 1,178 people, a little over half of the 2,209 on board the night the liner sank. Eighteen of these life-saving craft were used that night, but tragically only 706 people found a space in them. This is the dramatic and moving story of the men, women and children who made it into the lifeboats that fateful night in April 1912.

When Allied forces landed on D-Day, the Jedburgh teams went into action behind German lines. These usually three-man teams, often composed of one British, one American and one from the country into which they were sent to operate, spread chaos and confusion in the enemy's rear. Working with the marquis and other resistance groups, mainly in France, but also later in the Low Countries, the Jedburgh teams, each of which included a radio operator, were the vital link between the local groups and Allied high command. Their other main function was to organise airdrops of arms and equipment from the Special Operations Executive, via the RAF, to the resistance forces.This official history details the formation and the selection of these all-volunteer teams. It also details how the men were trained in parachuting, amphibious operations, skiing, mountain climbing, radio operations, Morse code, small arms, navigation, hand-to-hand combat, explosives, and espionage tactics.It also spells out the objectives of the Jedburghs. This was to impede the movement of the enemy's reserves to the battle front; to disrupt the enemy's lines of communication in the rear areas; and to compel the Germans to hold large reserves back from the front to contain the resistance operations. They provided leadership to resistance groups who had lost their own leaders and helped focus efforts against the Germans where the Allied forces were meeting stiff opposition.The effect the Jedburgh teams had on Operation Overlord was enormous and this history details the objectives of each Jedburgh team and their successes. This section of the book also lists the personnel of each team. In addition to their offensive actions, the Jedburghs set up hospital installations in the rear areas and mopped-up any remaining enemy positions by-passed by the main Allied forces.The Jedburgh teams also cooperated with the resistance forces in the south of France in Operation Dragoon, while four Jedburgh teams were also deployed in the Market element of Operation Market Garden.Supreme Allied Headquarters estimated that the contribution made by the Jedburghs and the groups they supplied and assisted was the equivalent of 'at least' one army division in the landings in and in the liberation of France.

A fresh exploration of the Titanic disaster reveals how class, gender, and racial prejudices shaped contemporary responses.When it set sail on its ill-fated maiden voyage, RMS Titanic was a marvel of modern technology and the latest in luxury, providing a gilded setting and false sense of security for its passengers to act out their imagined ideal lives in a reflection of pre-First World War society. When disaster struck in the form of an iceberg four days into its maiden voyage, that society was frozen in a moment of time, revealing class, gender and racial discrimination that pervaded contemporary social attitudes.Kevin Brown takes a fresh approach in exploring the social attitudes to class, manliness, heroism and cowardice, social redemption, the proper role of women and the social, religious and racial prejudices revealed by the sinking. He re-evaluates the code of women and children first, revealing how attitudes glorifying manliness influenced the behaviour of passengers and crew during the sinking, as well as suggesting a narrative of chivalry and self-sacrifice to create heroes from the victims and brand the surviving men as cowards; an interpretation that is challenged here.Eyewitness accounts evoke the horror of the night and reveal the underlying ideas of the day. They also show that women played a less passive role than expected of them. The responses to the sinking by politicians across the spectrum, the labour movement and suffragettes, suffragists and anti-suffragists is explored to show more critical contemporary responses to the disaster that challenge the heroic narrative. It was a world that was never so confident in modernity after the disaster but yet still held on to illusions of chivalry.

With the ending of the Second World War, Lief Bangsboll, after distinguished service with the O.S.S. behind enemy lines in Denmark, prepared himself for a life of peace and hopefully love with the young Canadian girl he had met while training at Camp X during the war. But the United States War Department and the Office of Strategic Services had other plans for the young soldier/agent.In September 1945, Lieutenant Bangsboll was secretly sent into Soviet-occupied Germany to assess and report upon Russian military activities in and around Berlin. In December 1945, a deadly incident occurred in which a KGB agent was killed, and Leif and his O.S.S. team were forced to escape back into the American sector of Germany. With his O.S.S. identity compromised and himself now target of the KGB, Lieutenant Bangsboll was re-assigned to the regular U.S. Army and became a member of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. With the outbreak of the Korean War, Leif was part of the first airborne operation in which he and the 187th Airborne Regiment Combat Team parachuted into North Korea as part of the US/United Nations force confronting the North Korean invasion.During his year of combat in Korea, Captain Bangsboll, the platoon leader for the Headquarters Intelligence & Reconnaissance platoon, worked under Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Bank, also a former OSS agent. During that assignment Leif led numerous special operations missions behind enemy lines, including a mission to recover a large cache of American gold bullion which had been left behind when the U.S. 8th Army was overrun during a North Korean offensive. He also led a secret parachute mission to rescue American /United Nations' prisoners of war held in North Korea and a daring assault on a North Korean base which earned him the Silver Star for 'extraordinary courage in combat'.Captain Bangsboll played a crucial role in the develop of the United States' first Special Forces unit and was appointed as one of the initial Company Commander of a Green Beret/Special Forces unit. Then, as the Army Liaison Officer to the 302nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing in Sembach, West Germany, he flew as an observer, reporting on Soviet troop movements over Warsaw Pact held territory and instructed American pilots the skills of escape and evasion. As a Company Commander with the 10th Special Forces Group in Ulm, West Germany, he stood his ground, facing Soviet and East German combat troops poised to invade Western Europe during the tense days during the U2 spy plane incident and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

These are the memories of a man who had been a young Jewish boy in Central Poland. His 9th birthday came in mid July 1939. Less than two months later they are his memories of the Nazi era, from the very beginning of WWII until he was liberated by the Russians on the 8th May 1945. This age of death when Nazis attempted the absolute annihilation of all Jews in Europe regardless of age, character or gender, is now referred to as the Holocaust.These memories include those of his vibrant family life in Poland before the war. They are his homage and his memorial to his parents, his little sister and numerous uncles, aunts and cousins who were wiped out by the Nazis along with centuries of their culture.Arriving in the UK on 14th August 1945 he was in the first group of Concentration Camp child survivors brought into England at the invitation of King George VI. The story of these children's arrival and initial rehabilitation in the Lake District is told in the 2020 BBC film The Windermere Children.His memories conclude with some glimpses of his life immediately after liberation, and later when he was settled in the UK.From dozens of known relatives, he and his elder brother thought for a long time that they were the only family members to have survived from their town. Later they discovered there was a third survivor, an even younger cousin.The author married the Holocaust survivor of this memoir. He wanted the tale of how they met to be told and the book begins with this. All the material concerning life in Poland, life during the war and vignettes of post war life have simply been written down by the author. Everything was read and re-read by the survivor who felt that these recollections were true to what he remembered.

Explores the evolution, use, and technical details of the German Sturmgeschütz assault guns during World War II, focusing on the Eastern Front.From their introduction in 1940, the German army's Sturmgeschütz assault guns played a vital role in the campaigns of the Blitzkrieg era, the gargantuan struggles in Russia and the final defensive battles. Evolving from a mobile bunker-buster, armed with a short-barrelled howitzer, the Sturmgeschütz III was up-armoured and up-gunned and by 1943 its tank killing abilities were widely recognised. In 1944, largely as an emergency quick-fix, the Sturmgeschütz IV entered service and over 10,000 examples of both versions had been built by the end of the war. Although not as well known as the Tiger or Panther tanks, they were among the most frequently encountered German armoured vehicles and as the Wehrmacht's resources continued to decline, the assault guns were thrown into every operation and increasingly substituted for gun tanks in official unit establishments. In the second volume in the TankCraft series to examine the Sturmgeschütz, Dennis Oliver employs official documentation and unit histories to investigate the formations that operated these vehicles and uses archive photos and extensively researched colour illustrations to examine the markings, camouflage and technical aspects of the Sturmgeschütz III and Sturmgeschütz IV that served on the Eastern Fronts during what was almost certainly the pivotal year of the campaign. A key section of his book displays available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined, providing everything the modeller needs to recreate an accurate representation of these historic vehicles.

The 1980s transformed Britain with Thatcher's leadership, technological innovations, and key RAF aircraft developments amidst economic challenges.Britain changed more in the 1980s than in almost any recent decade, as readers will recall with differing emotions. A decade dominated by the rise of the City and the fall of the Unions, the wider retreat of the left and the return of military confidence, it also featured an energy of entrepreneurialism, but with entrenched unemployment - more than twice as high in the mid-1980s boom as when Margaret Thatcher took office in 1979. Innovation and technology reigned in the decade that spawned mobile telephones and the World Wide Web: where would the younger generation be without these items in their lives today?To many, it was more simply seen as the decade of Margaret Thatcher, yuppies, chunky mobile telephones, and BMX bikes - although in reality it featured so much more, including the little matter of not one, but two royal weddings, and the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands in 1982. With little apparent diplomatic alternative, Britain set about creating a task force to recover the islands - effectively declaring war on Argentina.During the 1980s, only a few aircraft types were completely withdrawn from the RAF, most of them hardly creating a whimper. These included the Whirlwind HAR.10 helicopter, the Devon C.1, the Pembroke C.1, and some of the earlier Jet Provost T.3, T.4 and T.5 aircraft. However, during the decade, the RAF said farewell to a pair of military icons - the Avro Vulcan in 1984, and the English Electric Lightning in 1988.Aircraft arriving into RAF service included the Tornado GR.1 in the strike/attack role, an aircraft that had been developed as the Multi-role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) by a multi-national organisation from Italy, Germany, and the UK. It was soon followed into service by the Tornado F.2 and F.3 interceptor variants in the Air Defence role. Other new aircraft and helicopters to enter service during the decade included the Chinook HC.1, the Harrier GR.5, the British Aerospace BAe 146 CC.1, and the Tucano T.1.The 1980s was something of a decade of 'mend and make do: the RAF purchased a batch of former US Navy F-4J Phantom aircraft as an air defence stop-gap, converted six Vulcan B.2 aircraft into AAR tanker platforms, and later, converted six Hercules C.1 aircraft into single-point C.1K tankers, initially for use on the Falklands Air Bridge. Further second-hand purchases included a number of former airline Lockheed Tristar and Vickers VC10 aircraft; once converted, these aircraft would later provide the backbone of the RAF's strategic and tactical tanking force for the foreseeable future.Keith Wilson takes up from where he left off with RAF in Camera 1970s, continuing the journey through another significant decade. All of the landmark events are covered in this thorough, well-researched and image-packed publication.Each chapter focuses on a specific year, detailing all of the highlights and events that characterised it. As with previous volumes in this series, this new addition to the In Camera series is sure to be regarded as a collector's edition and a real enthusiast's favourite.

In 1940, Captain Charles Knight and his golden eagle survived a German torpedo attack on the Dutch steamship Volendam.As the Battle of the Atlantic raged, on Thursday 29 August 1940, the Dutch steamship Volendam set sail from Liverpool bound for Canada via New York. With a German invasion of Britain imminent, on board were 321 children or 'sea-vacs' and over 500 other passengers, including a 56-year-old naturalist, filmmaker and falconer by the name of Captain Charles Knight. Travelling with him was his showbiz partner, a golden eagle with a six-foot wingspan. His name was Mr Ramshaw and he had made Knight a celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic.At 11 pm the next night, a huge explosion tore through the ship which soon began to list badly. The German submarine, U-60, had fired two torpedoes at the Volendam, who was abandoned to her fate. In the chaos left behind was Knight's golden eagle, Mr Ramshaw, and a 9-year-old boy called Robert. Miraculously both survived, Knight being reunited with Mr Ramshaw days later while the British government produced a classic Gaumont film about the attack called 'Children torpedoed by Nazis'.The amazing life of Captain Charles Knight and his golden eagle, Mr Ramshaw, reads like an adventure from The Boy's Own Paper. It is the story of how Knight rose, from working in a tobacconist's shop in Kent before the First World War, to become one of the most famous naturalists, filmmakers and falconers in the world.

Explore The Who's groundbreaking albums, tracing their evolution from 1960s pioneers to rock legends.One of the British Invasion bands of the mid 1960s, The Who would soon go on to help revolutionise rock music, evolving from a pop band into the first generation of stadium rock giants. During their golden period, they would undergo changes in style and become one of the key protagonists in the transformation of popular guitar-based music from a casual singles market to a serious artform defined by the LP.Although The Who's album output was not as vast as some of their contemporaries, they would break new ground with a series of iconic releases that advanced the notion of what a rock album could be, and still stand the test of time today.In this book, we will look back at each of The Who's studio albums, exploring the historical context surrounding them, as well as looking into the recording process itself. Tackling each album song by song and examining the composition, production and the stories behind them, this book aims to give a detailed overview of The Who's albums from the 1960s up to their most recent and possibly final album, 2019's Who.This book contains notes on subsequent re-releases and remixes, comparing the key the differences and offering a concise, yet in depth respective, featuring both factual and critical analysis that will be valuable reading to all those interested in The Who and the history of classic rock albums.

A fully illustrated guide to sixty top multiplayer titles, offering game details, facts, and tips for competitive play.Video games can be truly rewarding experiences whether you're knocking Bowser into a fiery inferno, scrapping seconds off a lap time around Silverstone to turn it into a record breaker, or solving a head-scratching Picross puzzle after a quiet and focused half hour. When that accomplishment happens to involve besting a friend sitting on the very same couch or a stranger (or ninety-nine for that matter) halfway round the world it's made all the more sweeter. Knowing you've bested not just the video game, but another hungry competitor too.So put on your meanest game face as The Best Competitive Multiplayer Games guides you through sixty of the best multiplayer titles around. From burning rubber across Rainbow Road to deceiving and hunting your friends aboard a space ship, there's plenty of ways to flex your gaming skills (not to mention ample chance to celebrate with your favourite victory dance). Featuring games released over the past thirty years and covering all sorts of genres including online shooters, face kicking fighters, score-chasing puzzlers and a few unexpected surprises too, this fully illustrated guide includes detailed explanations of every entry, fascinating facts and what makes them a top candidate to settle a score with friends or rivals.

Boris Karloff, Peter Cushing, and Christopher Lee's shared history and impact on horror films through social upheavals and fame.Boris Karloff, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee: three middle-class Englishmen whose names are synonymous with the history of the horror movie. Karloff was born in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, and Lee, the youngest, died in 2015, when Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning British monarch.Most books about movie stars focus solely on the films but this ingeniously linked biography of Karloff, Cushing and Lee describes the cataclysmic social and political upheavals which shaped them along with the film industries of Britain and Hollywood. During their lifetimes they saw magnificent theatres repurposed as cinemas, which were in turn transformed into bingo halls as television became the medium which posed a threat to the movies, but would ultimately save their careers and make their classic films accessible to younger generations.The three had much in common. They were born within a few miles of each other - Karloff in Camberwell, Cushing in Croydon and Lee in Belgravia. None of them had a happy childhood and they struggled at school. They all wanted to act, which was not the sort of career that their backgrounds had equipped them for. Curiously, they were all middle aged before they became not simply well known, but world famous.All three are forever associated with the two key stories from which the horror genre emerged - Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Bram Stoker's Dracula - stories with universal and contemporary resonance. They knew that they were typecast and, with some reservations, accepted it and never stopped working. They knew that while we smile at horror films they play into our deepest anxieties about the modern world. Since their deaths, the horror film - often written off - has seen a resurgence and a critical appreciation which, in part, relies on the worldwide affection for these three great stars of the screen.

William Phipps, a self-made treasure hunter and royal governor, rose to prominence but faced controversy in seventeenth-century Boston.William Phipps' rise to fame and fortune was meteoric. His short and hectic life was punctuated with many unlikely achievements, of which raising treasure from the wreck of a Spanish galleon was the most famous. For this, he was knighted. Locating his Spanish prize was no fluke. Phipps had worked on the project for years. As in all his endeavours, success was achieved mainly by force of character. His determination and drive saw him become, in turn, a shipwright, a mariner, treasure hunter, merchant, general, an admiral, an Indian fighter and a reforming royal governor.Born a backwoodsman, Phipps became one of the wealthiest and most influential men in seventeenth-century Boston. He mixed with members of the colony's most prestigious families, whose members were clerics, magistrates, merchants, and lawmakers. But he was never fully accepted as their equal.Boston was a victim of its own ultra-Puritan origins. Its ruling families were entrenched and committed to its drawn-out (and until this point largely unsuccessful) campaign for independence from England and English laws. Appointed by an English king to govern the province of Massachusetts Bay, Phipps brought his pugnacious, overbearing, no-nonsense approach to bear. He had his admirers, but he also made many enemies. These included his own deputy governor, who thought himself belittled when Phipps put a stop to the hanging of Salem's 'witches'.There were sufficient detractors to persuade the Lords of Trade to investigate, and Phipps was recalled to London to answer his critics. There was no investigation and no hearing. Phipps did not survive long enough. He died in London, his life ended by a flu-like infection. He was just forty-four. Phipps had been a champion for his ungrateful New England colony and even after death an inspiration for a new generation of English inventors and investors. He ignited interest in diving and diving bells, and in new means of finance and investment.

A comprehensive guide to the actors who played companions, featuring biographies, interviews, and show history.The Doctor wouldn't be half the Time Lord they are, without some assistance. But how much do you know about the people who played the companions?This book is the first of its kind. It's your comprehensive guide to the actors who have played Doctor Who companions over the years.Inside, you will find biographies of every companion actor who has been in Doctor Who. There are complete chronologies of companion arrivals and departures through the show's history, enriched with original interviews with some of the cast.As an encyclopaedia, it is packed with dates, details and knowledge, a valuable reference source for any Doctor Who fan.As a guide, this book also offers a personal perspective on the show and explores what these talented, hard-working professionals brought to the show. The author traces its origins in 1963, through the ensuing decades, and takes you right up to the most recent serials. Doctor Who: An Encyclopaedia of Companion Actors is a testament to the actors and a meticulously-crafted love-letter to the show.

Explores the history and decline of branch railways in north Wales, focusing on their construction, operation, and eventual closures.This book complements the author's previous book on the Chester and Holyhead Railway and completes the story of railways associated with the London and North Western Railway in north Wales. It does so by breaking down developments to three districts working from east to west across the region. The book examines the background to the construction of the branch lines in the context of relevant wider railway developments. It provides an account of the operation of each of the lines with reference to significant incidents on the railway and the relationship of the branch to the communities it served.The dominance of railways peaked around 1914 so the book analyses the process of decline from that status. That decline was relatively rapid and featured several rounds of closures of stations and branches, culminating in the notorious Beeching cuts of the 1960s that eventually left north Wales with fewer than fifty miles of branch railways - under 20% of the original total.The book has maps and tables that provide an overview of the detail contained in the text and the 150 photographs. The book concludes with an overview of the railway system in north Wales. It reflects on how reductions might have been made without depriving so much of the region of a presence on the network, and how the railway policies adopted by private companies and the later nationalized industry paid too little attention to the relationship between the region and its trains.

Explores the Parthian period, detailing their cavalry-dominated forces, tactics, and victories against Rome.Throughout most of the classical period, Persia was one of the great superpowers, placing a limit on the expansion of its Western rivals. Until the conquest by Alexander the Great, the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the greatest the world had yet seen, stretching from the Mediterranean to the Himalayas. After the collapse of Alexander's empire and that of his Seleucid successors, the Parthians once more established Persia as an independent power and it remained the most formidable rival to the Roman empire for the next seven centuries, until Persia, by then under the Sassanids, was overwhelmed by the Islamic conquests. Yet, the armies of ancient Persia have received relatively little detailed attention, certainly in comparison to those of Rome. This long-awaited second volume of Dr Kaveh Farrokh's comprehensive trilogy on Persian armies focuses on the Parthian period. An acknowledged expert on the military history of ancient Persia, the author draws on the latest research and archaeological evidence.In the late third and early second centuries BC, the Parni, a semi-nomadic tribe of Iranian herdsmen, ejected the Seleucids from the province of Parthia, and from that power base expanded to dominate the region. Led by the Arsacid dynasty, their cavalry-dominated armies proved a match for Rome's legions, most notably humiliating them at Carrhae in 53 BC. Relying chiefly on the winning combination of swift horse-archers and heavily-armoured cataphracts, they thwarted repeated Roman attempts at eastward expansion over the next two and half centuries. Kaveh Farrokh examines in unprecedented detail their weapons, armour and equipment, the composition of their armies, their tactics and strategies. A rich array of illustrations complements the text to present a complete portrait of one of the ancient world's great military powers.

A detailed biography of Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas, exploring his military reforms, campaigns, and influence on Byzantine success.Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas: TheWhite Death of the Saracens is the first ever English-language biography of the man who broke the stranglehold of Islam over Byzantine Rome so that by the year 968 his forces could invade the Muslim lands virtually unopposed. This was the result of his military reforms and remarkable gifts as a military commander. The text provides thorough analysis of how he reformed military equipment, tactics and strategy to achieve this. The ambushes, battles and military campaigns are discussed in unprecedented detail. Special attention is also paid to the influence of the ascetic Christian lifestyle of Nikephoros on the morale of the armed forces.In spite of his religiosity, Nikephoros was a military man through and through, and the civilian population of the Empire were constantly reminded of this. Soldiers were billeted in Constantinople and showered with favours and Nikephoros even pressured the Church to declare soldiers who died in combat as martyrs. Ilkka Syvänne meticulously explores the relationship between the Church and armed forces in the emperor's policies. Of course Nikephoros had his human weaknesses which led to his untimely assassination. Why and how this happened is also analysed in detail. The assassination of Nikephoros deprived the Byzantine Romans of their 'Bearer of Victory', but his military reforms and campaigns had paved the way for Byzantine Rome to reach its apogee under his immediate successors.

It seems fair to suggest that Bernard Law Montgomery remains a controversial and divisive figure, even fifty years after his death. Some see him as the greatest military commander and strategist of his generation, others as a deeply flawed character, solely responsible for all the ills that befell the troops under his command. In some estimates he was responsible for ponderous and overly cautious campaigning where he was unable or unwilling to admit to anything that might be construed as a failure. In others that he brilliantly conserved meagre manpower resources whilst overwhelming a series of consummate opponents.Added into the mix is Montgomery's singular character. He seems able to engender some form of adoration in some and the deepest loathing in others. Certainly, he could come across as abrasive and egotistical, abrupt and inclined toward condescension. At the same time, he was a committed and dedicated professional soldier who was widely respected and adept at nurturing junior officers. This account, then, is an opportunity to look in-depth at the three pivotal years that took him from El Alamein to the Baltic and projected him to world attention. To achieve this the reader is guided through the environment in which his tactical headquarters operated, its organisation and equipment whilst overlaying the campaigns it fought and, most particularly, the sometimes fractious relationships on which much of the history that is handed down is based.

Explore the evolution of Britain's roads, from ancient trackways to modern highways like the M1 and M25.Highways of Britain. The M1, the M6 and M25. How did we end up in this position? Chris Cooper takes us through the evolution of our road system starting with iron age track ways and moving on via Roman roads, medieval roads, turnpikes and the coaching era to something we might recognise today. We go from trying to plot a trackway from one hill fort to another, to following the entire course of a Roman road. We use a coaching era timetable to get from London to rural North Yorkshire and we follow the course of a 17th century strip map. Turnpike toll booths, stagecoaches and coaching inns all feature. Up to more modern times, what to look for to tell if your road was once different. This book also gives detailed explanations of many of the things we see on many of today's roads.

In July 1936 a military revolt brought civil war to Spain; it erupted into a bitter political contest and a brutal land war which have been well covered by historians - a less appreciated dimension of the conflict was the crucial role played by the navies of both sides. This new book describes and explores the naval operations that played out over thirty-eight months and spread well beyond the seas of Spain. Spanish guns thundered off the English coast and as far south as the Bay of Guinea. Submarines lurked in the Aegean, waiting to torpedo ships bringing supplies from the Black Sea. To the west, operations extended into the Atlantic as warships searched for blockade runners and moved between the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean. The book begins by describing of the Spanish navy pre-war, then covers the generals' revolt of July 1936 and its effect in the fleet. Subsequent chapters deal with the naval war as it unfolded. It describes Franco's attempts to move the battle-hardened Spanish troops in Africa to the Spanish mainland, then shifts focus to the northern Spanish coast, where an isolated Republican enclave depended on the sea to receive weapons, food, and fuel. The author then pursues a split narrative, interweaving developments in the north and the Mediterranean and following the war to its conclusion. Significant actions fought between the two navies are all covered in detail. In addition, the book describes the crucial roles played by the British, French, German, and Italian navies in the Spanish struggle. Throughout, the author challenges the common view that the Republican navy was incompetent and inert. Based on primary as well as secondary sources, in both the English and Spanish languages, this book sheds genuinely new light on the Spanish navies of this civil war era and brings into focus their significance in the broader struggle.

Dorothy L. Sayers: the name conjures images of Lord Peter Wimsey's sleuthing adventures, and masterful translations of Dante. Yet, she was more than a literary luminary of the interwar Golden Age of crime fiction; she was a trailblazer, a feminist, and a scholar, whose influence resonates to this day. In this new biography, delve into the complexities of Sayers' life and legacy. From her iconic status as one of the 'Queens of Crime' alongside Agatha Christie, Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh, to her thought-provoking explorations of feminism and Christian philosophy. Through thematic analysis of Sayers' writings and beliefs, the author illuminates the depth and breadth of her influence. From her incisive fiction and scholarly interests to her contributions as an advertising copywriter where she penned the line, 'Guinness is good for you', Sayers left an indelible mark on literature and beyond. As a crime writer, historian, and poet, Wade brings his own passion and expertise to this rich investigation. Join him on a journey through the life and works of Dorothy L. Sayers, and discover the enduring legacy of a true literary icon whose influence is rich and productive, mainly in her fiction, but also in many other areas of life.

Explores how gravestones offer valuable genealogical and social history insights, aiding family research and uncovering hidden stories.Everyone dies, it's the one certainty in life. Whilst burials have been taking place for thousands of years, the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw the start of the gravestone boom as public graveyards became commonplace and personalised gravestones became more financially viable. The information provided on gravestones and monuments make them a valuable primary source for anyone wanting to trace their family history. They can provide details that are not available in the official records, holding clues to break down brick walls, but also work hand in hand with original records and documents.Taking an in depth look at what our ancestors left behind on their gravestones and monuments, Amanda Leedham advises the reader how to record this information, and explores how it can aid family research and paint a picture of our ancestors' lives. From exploring the types of occupations listed, to how family ties are portrayed, and from child mortality, to the perception of women, this book is also a great insight into social history. In addition, the author looks into the beliefs and fears of the period in terms of burial, such as bodysnatchers and being buried alive, and how the depiction of death changed and burial traditions developed. The evidence that the graves give us for how people died, from illness to things such as accidents or murder, is also explored.With meticulous research into military graves, the author looks at the different types of military gravestones and the difference between personal graves and the Commonwealth War Graves in Britain. There is also large case study on how graves can help with our ancestors' sense of place and belonging. All of this is complemented with official documents, records, and extensive use of the national and local newspapers to show how important gravestones can be.

Presents a compelling case for Lechmere as Jack the Ripper, challenging long-held theories with modern analysis.Investigating Charles Lechmere: Was he Jack the Ripper? takes readers on a journey back to the chilling Autumn of 1888, when the streets of London were gripped by fear as Jack the Ripper stalked his victims through the shadows of the East End. But amidst the fog of history and speculation, one new name comes to light: Charles Lechmere.In this meticulously researched book, Neil Norman unveils a compelling case for Lechmere as the infamous Ripper, challenging conventional wisdom and overturning decades of speculation. Drawing on modern profiling techniques and historical context, the author paints a vivid portrait of late Victorian London, where poverty and desperation provided fertile ground for a killer to thrive.With its blend of historical insight, forensic analysis, and relentless pursuit of the truth, this book is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the enigma of Jack the Ripper and the dark underbelly of Victorian society. With hundreds of suspects put forward over the decades, could the Ripper have been hiding in plain sight all along?

Embark on a fascinating journey with The History of Handheld Game Consoles, a thorough exploration of the history, impact and legacy of handheld gaming. Featuring consoles that revolutionised the way we play, this book not only charts the evolution of iconic devices from the humble Game Boy to modern technical marvels such as the Steam Deck, but it also offers a deep dive into the technical workings that made each system a beacon of innovation in portable gaming.The book includes a unique collection of photographs, contributed by a passionate global community of passionate gamers. These real, unseen images provide an authentic glimpse into the world of handheld gaming, capturing moments of joy, competition, and the sheer love of gaming. Explore detailed examinations of classic games for each handheld console, offering insights into their development, impact, and legacy.From the pixelated adventures of Mario on the Game Boy to the immersive experiences on the Nintendo Switch and the innovative ground-breaking capabilities of the Steam Deck, The History of Handheld Game Consoles delves into how these portable powerhouses have shaped the gaming landscape. Join us on this journey through gaming's portable evolution and celebrate the handheld consoles that have brought endless hours of entertainment into the palms of our hands.

In 1969, Elton John and Bernie Taupin gave the world Empty Sky, a heady mix of rock, folk, rhythm and blues, jazz, psychedelia, and classicism that announced the arrival of one of the most potent creative teams in the history of popular music. In the fifty-five years since that release, Elton's astounding output of thirty-one studio albums, nine soundtrack albums (ten if you count the unreleased Lestat!), and three collaboration albums has enchanted new generations, as grandparents who grew up with "Your Song" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" on their turntables have shared their love of Elton with parents who played "Sacrifice" and "The One" on their cd players who in turn are sharing it with their children who know The Lion King soundtrack by heart and dance to "Cold Cold Heart" in their bedrooms through Spotify playlists and YouTube remixes.Elton John: Album by Album takes you on a guided journey through those forty-four albums that have engaged three full generations of music lovers, exploring the history behind the production of each, uncovering the hidden stories and meanings of each track, and delving into the musical nuts and bolts of Elton John's unique gift for conveying the meaning of Bernie Taupin's lyrics through his unrivalled and almost otherworldly sense of tonal architecture.Whether you have been spinning Elton records since the days of "Lady Samantha", or found your way to his work in the post-Rocketman revival of appreciation for his legendary career, Elton John: Album by Album has what you need to navigate your way through the vast richness of his recorded catalogue, allowing you to answer such questions as "How did Ray Cooper make a gong sound like a spaceship?", "Why is "Ego" in Lokrian mode anyway?" and "Just what is the Pilot, and why would anybody want to be taken there?"