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This book provides a detailed analysis of the attack of the Comte dâEUR(TM)ErlonâEUR(TM)s French I Corps, and the subsequent allied counterattack, at the Battle of Waterloo. This assault by 20,000 men and eighty guns in the early afternoon of 18 June 1815 came as close as any to winning the battle for Napoleon. It was eventually repulsed âEUR" just âEUR" by two stretched Allied infantry divisions and two brigades of cavalry and was, in the words of the Duke of Wellington himself, âEURœone of the most serious attacks made by the enemy.âEUR? Until now, there has been surprisingly little in-depth analysis of this crucial moment in the battle âEUR" something that this book seeks to remedy. Graeme Callister combines a detailed narrative with a thorough analysis of how the event unfolded. All aspects of the attack are covered; from the grand tactics to the human experience of being in the firing lines, considering the soldiersâEUR(TM) experience, morale, leadership, condition and cohesion. Using rarely before analysed material from the French regimental registers, it examines the service records of individuals involved in the action, alongside the first-hand accounts and reminiscences of those who left them. The book begins with an assessment of the background of each of the forces: their composition, command structures, and the condition of their men. It then discusses how they found themselves to be in their positions on the battlefield, exploring the grand tactics, terrain, and wider strategic situation. The main part of the analysis focuses on the attack itself, looking at the formations and direction of the attacking forces (the four divisions of Quiot, Donzelot, Marcognet, and Durutte, plus the grand battery and supporting cuirassier brigade) and the tactical approach of the men set to meet them. Based on a wide range of primary sources, including those in French, English, Dutch and German, this book offers fresh perspectives on a crucial part of the Waterloo story, and helps us to understand why men advanced or stood, fought or ran, and lived or died amidst the maelstrom of battle.

Much has been written about the historical persecution of Catholics. Priests in particular became prime targets during the heightened tensions of the Armada and the Gunpowder Plot. But those whom they relied on for shelter have received little attention - until now. The underground network of lay supporters, the Catholic Resistance, mostly comprised courageous women of the great (and sometimes not so great) families of England, and their houses riddled with priest holes. These women fought a cat-and-mouse game with spymasters like Walsingham and Cecil and their spider's web of clandestine informants, knowing that one slip might lead to arrest, torture and execution. The indomitable Anne Vaux and her sister Eleanor provide the focus of this story but there were others, including their niece Frances, who as an 11-year-old boldly confronted armed raiders in search of priests; and Margaret Clitherow of York, arrested during a similar search and ultimately pressed to death. To escape the clutches of Elizabeth's brutal torturer Richard Topcliffe and others like him, men like Father John Gerard, whose 'zipwire' escape from the Tower of London is the stuff of Tom Cruise films, and genius priest-hole creator 'Little John', turned to these Sisters of Mercy.

The sequel to _The Hospitaller Knights of Saint John at Rhodes 1306-1522_, this volume covers the period 1523âEUR"1565. This volume opens with the relocation from Rhodes to Malta during the years following the OrderâEUR(TM)s heart-rending loss of Rhodes to Ottoman Sultan Suleiman. This loss was also that of 4,000 non-belligerent Christians choosing to abandon their homes and livelihoods and to accompany the Order in its search for a new home. Volume II further deals with the first thirty-five years of Hospitaller residence at Malta including operations from there along the coast of North Africa, with major sieges of Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers, with penetrating exposÃ(c)s of corsair admirals such as Kheir-ed-Din Barbarossa and Dragut, and with giants of Christian history such as Andrea Doria. Finally, this volume deals with the Ottoman EmpireâEUR(TM)s 1565 attempt to eradicate the Order with that yearâEUR(TM)s Great Siege of Malta. The author draws on the work of the OrderâEUR(TM)s official historians, Giacomo Bosio and his successor Bartolomeo dal Pozzo. He transcribes their writings for the modern reader, while also presenting new information revealed in the 400 years of scholarship since BosioâEUR(TM)s death in 1627. While initial chapters focus on Philippe Villiers de lâEUR(TM)Isle-Adam, 44th Grand Master of the Hospitaller Knights of Saint John, this history also brings to light the contributions of properly identified lieutenants, allies and opponents. This Volume is believed to be the only continuous history since Bosio of the Hospitallers during the period 1523 through 1565, and is certainly the only such history in English.

Everybody remembers where they were the day John F. Kennedy died. The presidentâEUR(TM)s assassination shocked the world and raised questions that have still not been answered today. Almost as shocking is attempted assassination âEUR" the bullet that missed; the bomb that did not go off; the poison that did not work. _Dodging the Bullet_ looks at the most spectacular of these, from attempts on royals like George II and Queen Victoria, where dysfunctional men with unreliable guns lurked in the shrubbery of parks to the astonishing 634 attempts to kill and/or discredit Fidel Castro. Anybody in the public eye is a potential victim for an assassin. Anybody with access to the most easily obtained weapons is a potential killer. The fascination lies in the mix of these two âEUR" the random meeting of the famous and the deranged. _Dodging the Bullet_ has professional hitmen working for sinister organizations and governments. It has security services who are nothing of the sort. It has arrogant and complacent rulers of states who believe in their own immortality âEUR" âEUR¿Honey, I forgot to duck,âEUR(TM) as President Ronald Reagan said. Why the bullet missed is one of the imponderables. Another is; what difference would it have made if it had not?

This first volume on the LNER 4-4-0 locomotives describes the design, construction, history, operation and performance of the Great Northern, Great Central and Great Eastern examples, classified by the LNER at the Grouping as classes, D1 - D4, D5 - D12 and D13 - D16 respectively. It covers from their emergence in the late nineteenth century to their demise in the mid or late 1950s and their performance at their peak operation times, mainly in the inter-war years of LNER ownership. It also includes the former Midland & Great Northern Railway engines that were later absorbed by the LNER as classes D52 - D54.

On 3 April 1832, a twelve-year-old girl visited her grandfather's house, a public house known as Bill's o'Jack's on the edge of Saddleworth Moor, only to find her uncle dying on the floor of a room saturated with blood. Upstairs, her grandfather lay in his bed having suffered mortal injuries. Neither man lived long enough to explain what had happened. The story of the murders of William and Thomas Bradbury quickly spread throughout the local area and beyond, precipitating a frantic hunt for suspects. No-one was ever charged and the case remains unsolved, but the story never quite went away, becoming a legend that long outlived those directly affected. The Bill's o'Jack's Murders took place at a time of great change, and the background to the case encompassed many issues, including political reform, enclosure and the growing influence of newspapers. It was a crime very much of its time, shaped by contemporary issues and concerns. Yet the legend took on a life of its own, removed from any historical context, and continued to grow for almost a hundred years before settling down into a final form that only vaguely reflected reality. Bill's o'Jack's itself, made infamous by the events of 1832, became an integral part of the local community and thrived on its notoriety until it was demolished in 1937. This book follows the story from that first morning and traces its transmutation into legend. It examines the events leading up to the death of William and Thomas Bradbury and the aftermath of the murders; it describes the lives of those affected âEUR" the families, the suspects and the journalists âEUR" and places everything within the context of the tumultuous Georgian era.

It might have ended 80 years ago, but we still have a warm, nostalgic relationship with the Second World War, due in no small part to the love we have for the entertainment from those turbulent times. Singers like Vera Lynn âEUR" the âEUR¿Forces SweetheartâEUR(TM) âEUR" Gracie Fields, Anne Shelton, and the Andrews Sisters, bandleader Glenn Miller whose fate is still a mystery, films like _Gone With The Wind_, _Casablanca_, _Mrs Miniver_, _In Which We Serve_, _Goodbye Mr Chips_, and morale-boosting radio programmes like _ITMA_, _Music While You Work_ and _Hi Gang!_ all helped Britain to stay calm and carry on as it sheltered from the bombs, worked long hours in munitions factories, and prayed that its menfolk fighting on land, sea and in the air to bring about victory would one day return home safely. _Wartime Entertainment: How Britain Kept Smiling Through the Second World War_ relives the wartime years, looking at the songs and the singers, at the role that the BBC âEUR" âEUR¿AuntieâEUR(TM) âEUR" played not only in entertaining the nation but also in keeping it informed, at how West End theatre survived the Blitz, and at the bands that played both the big dance venues and the village halls to raise spirits and, for a few hours at least, lighten the mood of those dark and dangerous days. The book considers the work of the Crown Film Unit that made short information and documentary films as well as longer drama-documentaries and even a few straight drama productions for the public in Britain and abroad, and at ENSA âEUR" the Entertainments National Service Association âEUR" that provided entertainment for British armed forces personnel both at home and abroad.

An alternative history of success rather than decline anf fall. The actual history is set out and the alternative history with Old Time Lines (OTL) for reference. It is a vivid narrative, deeply researched, full of events and people, great and minor igur6es who come to life. It is a story of division and controversy concerning imperial and dynastic ambition and struggle, often caustic family relationships, cultural and religious disputes with surviving paganism and the classical philosophy of Neo-Platonism, and exandng Christianity in church and state in both Empires. The Empires are expanding in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Division and crisis is followed by restoration, more division but finally re-unification.

One nation in turmoil, another seeking aggrandizement, smaller states jostling for security, mercenary expeditions, and political and racial armed struggles breaking out. In 1835 the northern Mexican state of Texas declared its independence and won it after defeating General Santa AnnaâEUR(TM)s forces at the Battle of San Jacinto. A few years later, as a larger and looming war with the United States approached, the gulf state of Yucatan did the same by claiming itself a separate republic. For Mexican authorities, the existence of breakaway republics on its periphery represented an existential crisis and an opportunity for U.S. and European interests. For many on both sides, the US-Mexican war officially beginning in 1846 after the Republic of Texas was annexed to the United States was merely a continuation of a conflict that began ten years earlier. Adding to the turmoil, the uprising in Yucatan by indigenous Maya against a criollo minority in 1847 and the contemplated military intervention and annexation of that republic by American leadership towards the end of the war sheds light on a conflict with ethnic, national, and international dimensions. In his second transnational history of the Mexican-American War, historian Benjamin J. Swenson examines the breakaway republics of Texas and Yucatan and demonstrates how the war was not only a manifestation of American expansionism and internal Mexican disunion, but a geostrategic contest involving European states seeking to curtail a nascent imperial powerâEUR(TM)s dominance in North America.

The small group of enthusiasts and photographers who had braved the winter weather and gathered on the slopes of the Lake DistrictâEUR(TM)s iconic valleys on Wednesday, 9 January 2019, were witnesses to the end of an era. The RAF Tornado GR.4 that raced past them, in some cases at a lower altitude than the onlookers, made the last ever low-level flight by this aircraft in the United Kingdom Low Flying System. Never again would the âEUR¿Mighty FinâEUR(TM), an aircraft that had been a familiar sight among the valleys of the UK for around forty years, provide such a spectacle. First flown in August 1974, the Tornado arguably become of the RAFâEUR(TM)s most important aircraft of the Cold War. Indeed, the Tornado was the mainstay of RAF strike aircraft, from its early days as a nuclear capable low-level interdiction strike fighter (the GR.1 in RAF service), through to its retirement as a more versatile medium to high-level strike fighter, the GR.4\. Along with the shorter-lived Air Defence Variant, the F.2/F.3, the Tornado was without doubt one of the best loved aircraft types amongst photographers and crews with the sheer number of the initial GR.1s allowing them to populate eleven front-line squadrons as well as the training units of the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment and the Tornado Weapons Unit. Altogether, over twenty units flew variants of the type in the RAF alone. The Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment also catered for the other partner nations of Germany and Italy with all crews finding their way into the United Kingdom Low Flying System on a regular basis. It was, in fact, the impending introduction of the Tornado and the resulting increase in low-level activity that forced a restructuring of the UKLFS in 1979\. In this book, Scott Rathbone provides a pictorial record of the Tornado in its element, that of low-level. With images dating back to the 1980s, almost all variants are accounted for, as are the majority of RAF squadrons and units from other nationsâEUR(TM) air arms. Colour is in abundance, with various camouflage patterns and special schemes as seen and photographed in the UKLFS and elsewhere, including the United States of America, over four decades. This, then, is a unique tribute to a remarkable aircraft.

Early 1943 marked a turning point in the battle on the Eastern Front. After the devastating defeat at Stalingrad, the German army was no longer able to take the initiative and control the battle. In the following years, despite tactical victories, the German army would be gradually pushed back until Soviet units eventually reached Berlin and captured the Reichstag. In the meantime, both enemies had learned a great deal and new weapons were rapidly introduced onto the battlefield. On 8 May 1945, this bloody confrontation between the two giants ended in the unconditional surrender of Germany and a new geopolitical equilibrium was created. This titanic battle is illustrated with witness accounts from generals, soldiers and civilians. Attention is not only paid to the course of the battle, but also to the tactics and organisational dimensions of the armies involved, the challenges of the vastness of the country, the dilemmas for civilians caught between the fighting parties and the flight of millions of Germans to the West in an attempt to escape from the atrocities of the Soviet army. The book also considers the role of the Reichsbahn in the field of logistics, and the importance of the innovation and production capacity of both armies. In also pays attention to the origins of the Cold War that was to follow this confrontation and which would last until 1989.

At 7.15pm on Sunday August 29th 1819, the village of Ashow, Warwickshire was shook to its core by a young girl's scream at Dial House Farm. Thirteen-year-old Mary Dormer found her mother, Sarah Dormer's, slain body lying in Sarah's bedroom. Sarah's 21-year-old maidservant, Ms Ann Heytrey was charged, arrested, and imprisoned at the County Town Gaol at Warwick, where she would remain until the following year when she was tried at Warwick Assizes for Sarah's murder. After being found guilty, Ann was publicly hanged two days after outside of Warwick Gaol, the last woman to be publicly executed at Warwick. After being cut down, her lifeless body was taken to nearby Kenilworth where she was dissected that evening in the back garden of the local Surgeon. This is the first book ever to be dedicated to reinvestigating the truth, of what really happened on that fateful evening which led to a 59-year old woman to be almost decapitated in her own home, and if Ms Heytrey was really guilty of such a crime. David John Eason explores the family's history, as well as all those involved in the case and trial and the social events of that time, including the massacre at St Peter's Field (Peterloo) in Manchester, which occurred only thirteen days prior to Sarah's apparently unmotivated murder.

The centuries that followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476 saw the formation of numerous Romano-Germanic kingdoms from the fusion between different Germanic communities and the Roman population. In time the Frankish Kingdom came to dominate over all the others and conquered most of continental Europe under the guidance of the famous Carolingian royal family. In the book we will follow the military ascendancy of the warlike Franks from 613 to 987. The greatest protagonist of this bloody period was Charlemagne, probably the greatest military commander of the Early Middle Ages. He transformed the Frankish kingdom into a large state âEUR" the Holy Roman Empire âEUR" that dominated most of continental Western Europe for almost a century. Charlemagne spent his long reign (768-814) fighting against a multitude of warlike enemies who lived on the frontiers of his dominions: Arabs, Basques, Bretons, Frisians, Vikings, Saxons, Thuringians, Slavs, Avars, Bavarians and Lombards. He obtained some spectacular victories over the latter, but also suffered some humiliating defeats like the famous one of Roncevaux Pass. Gabriele Esposito follows the evolution of the Frankish Army from the rise of the FranksâEUR(TM) under the Merovingian monarchs to the dissolution of the Carolingian royal family, reconstructing the most important military campaigns in detail. All the major troop types are covered, providing information on the organization and equipment of each contingent. The enemies of the Franks are also considered. The clear text is illustrated with dozens of stunning colour photographs depicting replica weapons and equipment of the period in use.

During his years as executioner between 1901 and 1924, John Ellis hanged over 200 men and women. Among them were some of the most infamous killers of the 20th century including Dr Crippen, John Dickman 'The Railway Murderer', George Smith 'The Brides in the Bath' murderer, Henry Jacoby, poisoners Frederick Seddon and Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong. Ellis also hanged Sir Roger Casement for treachery and carried out the execution of Edith Thompson, one of the most controversial hangings in the history of capital punishment. British executioners kept their own legers recording brief details of those they hanged, John Ellis maintained just such a leger too but he is believed to be the only British executioner to have kept an additional scrapbook of his personal accounts of those he executed and their crimes and as such it is a unique volume in the annals of British crime and punishment. Rediscovered after being lost for decades, John Ellis' scrapbook - its cuttings, manuscript texts, and annotations - have now been diligently transcribed and we can now read the book Ellis envisaged in his own words, and in doing so, we gain a remarkable insight into the life and executions one of Britain's most notable but least-known hangmen.

Throughout history women, from the lowliest of the working classes to the highest echelons of society have been accused of crimes ranging from witchcraft and vampirism to treason and mass murder. Such accusations stuck particularly when it came to women who held power âEUR" the names that we most associate with maligned women today include those that we will all have heard of. The infamy of women such as Lucrezia Borgia and Elizabeth Bathory have come down to us throughout the centuries and even in the modern world, many women are needlessly and falsely vilified. But just how true were these accusations? _The Most Maligned Women in History_ takes a look at the lives of a number of women whose crimes have been seen as some of the most heinous, just how true the rumours were and whether their reputations are deserved.

Englandspiel Nordpol, or Operation North Pole, was a successful Second World War counterintelligence operation conducted by Germany's military intelligence (the Abwehr) between 1942 and 1944. On the night of 6-7 November 1941 two SOE agents, Huub Lauwers and Thys Taconis were parachuted into the Netherlands and dropped over Stegerveld, near Ommen. Lauwers was captured on 6 March 1942, whilst Taconis was captured 3 days later on 9 March. Lauwers was persuaded to send messages back to London by the Germans, in which he intentionally left out two security checks. This should have automatically sounded 'alarm bells' with those who received the messages, but for some inexplicable reason, it did not. Whether this was just a genuine mistake or something more sinister has never been fully ascertained. After all, security checks were in place to ensure that messages received from agents in the field were genuine and were part of the SOE's own transmission protocol.âEUR'âEUR'âEUR'As no one in London realised messages being received from SOE agents in the Netherlands were being sent under the control and direction of German military intelligence, more and more agents and equipment followed unabated for more than 18 months. Of the 54 SOE agents sent to the Netherlands from England during Operation North Pole, 50 died or were executed whilst being held prisoner by the Germans.

Arms for Russia and the Naval War in the Arctic, 1941-1945 fundamentally reassesses the operations by the Western Allies to deliver war supplies to Russia via the Arctic sea route between 1941 and 1945. It explores the motives underpinning Western aid, its real impact on the Soviet war effort, and its influence on wider Allied and German strategy as the war developed. It brings to life key participants, political and military, describes the interaction of intelligence with high policy and tactics, and brings a fresh perspective to key events, including the notorious convoy PQ 17. It also emphasizes that the Arctic conflict was not framed solely by the supply convoys, important though they were. British, German and Russian operations in a theater - defined by Adolph Hitler in early 1942 as the "zone of destiny" - were shaped by other perceived opportunities and threats. For instance, Germany concentrated its fleet in Norway to forestall a potential British attack while attempting land offensives to cut Russia's links with its northern ports. It also had vital raw materials to protect. Britain explored potential operations with Russia to dislodge Germany from the Arctic coast and sever her access to important resources. The book disputes the long-standing view that aid to Russia was essentially discretionary, lacking military rationale and undertaken primarily to meet political objectives, with only a minor impact on Soviet war potential. It shows that aid was always grounded in strategic necessity, with the Arctic supply route a constant preoccupation of British and American leaders, absorbing perhaps twenty percent of Royal Navy resources after 1941 and a significant share of Allied merchant shipping badly needed in other theaters. The Soviet claim, determinedly promoted through the Cold War, that aid was marginal, still influences attitudes in Vladimir Putin's Russia and contemporary Western opinion. It even resonates through the present war in Ukraine. Andrew Boyd demonstrates that in reality, Western aid through the Arctic was a critical multiplier of Soviet military power throughout the war and perhaps even enabled Russia's very survival in 1942; and he makes plain that the British contribution to the aid effort was greater than generally acknowledged. Elegantly written and incorporating many new perspectives on the Arctic theater, this new work should find a place on the shelves of every historian, scholar and enthusiast whose interests extend to the Russian dimension of the Second World War.

This is a comprehensive study of every aircraft type ordered for the Royal Navy since 1908. It includes fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, rigid and non-rigid airships, unmanned aircraft and pilotless target aircraft together with many designs that were ordered but not built so that the importance placed on them by the Naval Staff or their potential technological impact on carrier design and operations can be explained. Every type - even unsuccessful single prototypes - is described; the majority are illustrated by photographs, many of which come from the author's own collection, and the fifty most significant aircraft have detailed drawings. The Australian and Canadian Fleet Air Arms operated RN aircraft types for many years after their formation and these are included together with other types they have operated subsequently to give a more complete overview. The book describes over 400 different types of aircraft built by over 100 different manufacturers to offer the most detailed coverage of RN aircraft ever produced. Research for the book took over forty years and reference material included Admiralty Archives and an array of material in the public domain including manufacturers' data, individual aircraft pilot's notes and a wealth of published sources. David Hobbs is uniquely well-placed to write this book having served in the RN for thirty-three years and retired with the rank of commander. He flew both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft and his log book contains 2300 flying hours with 807 day and night deck landings. He served in seven British aircraft carriers and spent four years within RN Director General (Aircraft) Department where he was closely involved with Sea Harrier carrier trials and introduced new visual landing aids for night recoveries and liaised with the USN on carrier operating techniques.

THIS BOOK COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE! If you are planning to travel back to the England of Anglo-Saxon times and begin a new life without technology, how will you manage? If you were a king, a thegn or even a slave, what rights do you have under the law? Are women treated well by their husbands, and if you become sick, what are your chances of recovery? How might you earn your living, and the biggest worry: what to do about those fearsome Vikings?All these questions and more are answered in this self-help guide for time-travellers. It explores the difficulties you may encounter and the problems that might occur, especially as you are a newcomer in this very different world. Fear not: keep this little volume by you; it will help you find your place in society, learn the language and make friends. You will also meet some of the celebrities of the day, from Alfred the Great to the Venerable Bede, and more humble folk such as Tatberht of Lundenwic and Ardith the local baxter. Learn how to make bread and tell a great story; enjoy the mead, and the beauties of Anglo-Saxon art and jewellery. And if you do find yourself involved in a Viking attack, at least you will know your assailants are well groomed - and afterwards, both sides know how to have a great time in the mead-hall. So join in, but keep this book handy, just in case.

During the Second World War over 200,000 British prisoners of war were detained by the Third Reich. A large proportion of these PoWs were members of the Royal Air Force, or airmen who served in it. A number of them have been immortalized in the many books and movies that have portrayed their valiant exploits and escapes, none more so than the events surrounding the Great Escape in 1944.The names of camps such as Stalag Luft III, at Sagan, and Colditz Castle are well known to the general public, the prisoners incarcerated there often being held in high regard. But there were a few PoWs whose loyalty to the cause and their fellow prisoners might not have been as strong.The names of Pilot Officer Railton Freeman, Sergeant Jack Alcock and Sergeant Raymond Hughes are among those found in that inglorious group of alleged traitors, for all three men betrayed their colleagues and the nation. The trio assisted the Nazi regime in making radio broadcasts, or even joining the British Frei Korps, a unit of the dreaded SS. One gave information about the Monica radar system to the Luftwaffe, and others got fellow prisoners to divulge information on fake Red Cross forms.Other prisoners such as Flight Lieutenant Julius Zuromski and Squadron Leader Robert George Carpenter also came under suspicion when reports began to arrive at MI9 in London. Inquiries were subsequently undertaken by the RAF Special Investigation Branch and MI5 - investigations that would ultimately lead to the imprisonment of some and the release of others.What these men did and why some were prosecuted, and others were released without charge, is examined by the author. Why one man in particular, an ardent Nazi and traitor, was not sentenced to death, having liaised with the likes of the infamous William Joyce, also known as 'Lord Haw Haw', and even Josef Goebbels, is a mystery to this day.Sadly, not all our aviators were heroes. But there has long been debate that some of them might have actually been working for the Security Services. So, were these men traitors who collaborated with Hitler's Third Reich, or agents working for the British State?

A remarkable read, detailed, hour-to-hour and 'immediate' account of action, a personal but modest story, and the author and shipmates of all ranks come to life. There are excellent accounts of training, action-stations, gunnery, tactics ad strategy, officer- and ratings- relationships, and leadership, and all told in objective and authentic, and readable language. This is no 'gung-ho' account but sober and serious history with full grasp of tactics and strategy. It shows how capital ships - battleships, battle-cruisers, heavy cruisers - are vulnerable to U-Boat and E-Boat attack while 'little ships', destroyers, light cruisers and frigates, are at sea constantly and protecting convoys. The account is from personal experience of service on the strategic position of England's East Coast and North Sea, with fear of German naval power, E-Boats and U-Boats, and the value early radar. There are graphic accounts of sea conditions, moving picture of a merchant captain and loss of ship, plus vital importance of mine-sweeping. Readers might be shocked by German battleships in the English Channel and quotes from German sources. There is a powerful account of the naval role at 'action-stations' of the Allies-Axis war-effort and encounters with top commanders, naval and military, and Mediterranean campaign of Admiral Cunningham - and invasion of Sicily and Italy, and Normandy D-Day preparation.

From the mid-sixteenth to the early nineteenth centuries, Barbary corsairs from North Africa swarmed the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, seizing enormous amounts of booty and tens of thousands of captives, hauling them back to the slave markets in their home ports and auctioning them off to the highest bidder. The conflict between these Barbary corsairs and Europe was military, but not just that; religious, but not just that; social and economic, but not just that either. Above all, it was a human conflict, with all the confusion, blurred lines, and inherent messiness of such things, and the narratives it generated were more complicated than simple swashbuckling pirate tales. _Corsairs & Captives_ presents a collection of these narratives, all based directly on primary-source documents, a number of which are translated into English for the first time. They include biographies of four renegade corsair captains (Europeans who converted to Islam and became corsairs), descriptions of sea battles by those who were there, accounts of ransomed captives, the report of a French Trinitarian friar who led a ransoming expedition to Algiers, even the transcript of a trial held by the Canary Islands chapter of the (in)famous Spanish Inquisition. These narratives bring to life a world much rougher than our own but no less complicated, in which people with the ordinary human fears and aspirations we are familiar with today struggled to endure. It is not the world most people expect when they think of Barbary corsairs. It is more interesting than that.

It could happen in your town, in your street or on your doorstep. Would you watch and try to help or would you run?Set in a rural village in North Yorkshire criminal associates from John Duffield's distant past seek recompense for his neglected debts. Duffield is brutally murdered which is witnessed by innocent bystander, Kate. The hunt begins for Kate as the criminal group attempts to eliminate her in order to protect themselves. A police enquiry team investigates Duffield's death and DI Rachel Barnes is called upon to rise to the challenge of protecting Kate, in a game of strategy, where lives hang in the balance and mistakes are harshly punished.

Winston Churchill is handed down the generations, reinvented in the process to suit current controversies. He has been many things: presently a talisman of the political right, a war-hero of conservative outlook who saved his country; on the left, he is a reactionary imperialist, a warmongering oppressor of the workers. Both sides would be surprised by a time trip to the sensation-filled years of 1910 and 1911. They would find a modernist progressive, cordially loathed by the Tories, carrying through programs of social reform and making the prison system more humane: declaring to Parliament that even convicted offenders have rights and that how a state treats them determines the level of its civilization. A long-serving Permanent Under-Secretary at the Home Office reckoned that Churchill's policies (which his successors continued) halved the prison population. During the last third of the twentieth century and into the next, rehabilitation has gone into reverse. Prison numbers have soared, as the punitive approach has reasserted itself, now laced with political populism. This book looks at that story in the context of the paradoxical career of Churchill the Liberal Reformer.

Behind Everest embarks on a captivating exploration that intertwines the remarkable life of Ruth Mallory, wife of legendary Everest climber George Mallory, with a parallel journey a century later. Through examining Ruth's attitude to danger a century ago, Kate Nicholson explores our evolving attitudes towards risk and responsibility. Kate's quest to understand Ruth takes her to forgotten corners of archives in the UK and USA, to conversations with the few remaining people who knew both George and Ruth and into private recollections and precious, private collections. Using two decades of research, the author unveils the real story behind Ruth and George Mallory's marriage, shedding light on George's relationships with women such as Jelly d'Aranyi, Mary Ann O'Malley, and Stella Cobden-Sanderson. Stella, like Ruth, hailed from Arts and Crafts 'royalty,' both women were daughters of strong feminists but only Ruth chose to climb. Ruth was a natural and accomplished climber, a founder member of the first all female rock climbing club in the UK, the Pinnacle Club. As Kate experiences the challenges and triumphs of rock climbing with that still thriving club, she discovers not only the elusive 'key' to George Mallory but also an inspiring and resilient companion in Ruth. This book goes beyond expeditions to Everest, offering readers a profound glimpse into the 'real' story of the Mallorys. Through Ruth's lens, the book explores the complexities of marriage, the indomitable spirit of early female climbers, and the enduring impact of the First World War, the League of Nations and the Empire on individual lives. This is a non-fiction masterpiece that intertwines personal and historical narratives, inviting readers to scale the heights of human experience.

The Brienne/Beaumonts, a noble family originally from Champagne, spread across Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean in the Middle Ages. Their story begins with John de Brienne (c. 1175/78-1237), who was the emperor of Constantinople, became king of Jerusalem by marriage, and claimed the throne of a kingdom in modern-day Turkey called Armenian Cilicia. His life, his children and his grandchildrenâEUR(TM)s lives were remarkably international. His daughters were born in Italy and what is now Lebanon; one of his sons, who grew up in Constantinople, France and Spain, was the stepfather of the king of Scotland; one of his grandchildren was the king of Germany, Italy and Sicily; and several other grandchildren settled in England, where one married a Scottish heiress and was the great-grandfather of a king of England and an English-born queen of Portugal. The Beaumonts tells the story of the places where the Brienne/Beaumont family settled and held influence between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. It begins in the Crusader states and moves to the Latin Empire of Constantinople, the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, France, Scotland, and England.

How did ordinary citizens become soldiers during the First World War, and how did they cope with the extraordinary challenges they confronted on the Western Front? These are questions Ian Isherwood seeks to answer in this absorbing and deeply researched study of the actions and experiences of an infantry battalion throughout the conflict. His work gives us a vivid impression of the reality of war for these volunteers and an insight into the motivation that kept them fighting. The narrative traces the history of the 8th Battalion The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment), a Kitchener battalion raised in 1914\. The letters, memoirs and diaries of the men of the battalion, in particular the correspondence of their commanding officer, reveal in fascinating detail what wartime life was like for this group of men. It includes vivid accounts of the major battles in which they were involved - Loos, the Somme, Passchendaele, the German Spring Offensive, and the final 100 Days campaign. The battalion took heavy losses, yet those who survived continued to fight and took great pride in their service, an attitude that is at odds with much of the popular perception of the Great War. Ian Isherwood brings in the latest research on military thinking and learning, on emotional resilience, and cultural history to tell their story.

The watery, heavily vegetated marshlands of the Mekong Delta served as a formidable natural defense for Viet Cong units in the region, and the waterways served as the transportation corridor for Communist forces.. The Mobile Riverine Force formed the bulk of what came to be known as the Brown Water Navy, and was key to American efforts in the region. Elsewhere in Vietnam, dense jungle growth also presented barriers for rapid movement of allied troops, resulting in helicopters taking increasingly important roles with the military, serving as troop transports, cargo carriers, medical evacuation units, and even aerial gunships.

Ancient accounts of battle often neglected the role of lightly-armed infantry, presenting the deeds of the heavy infantry, such as Greek hoplites or Roman legionaries, or dashing cavalry charges as the decisive battle winners. This bias was partly due to the light infantry typically being drawn from the poorer sections of society, who could not afford to equip themselves with armour and because they generally fought from a distance, killing from afar with missile weapons, not bravely face-to-face like heroes worthy of recording. Modern research has generally followed this bias. Dr Jean Charl Du Plessis argues that while light infantry might have had a subordinate role in pitched battles, such clashes were relatively rare occurrences. Most ancient campaigns consisted mostly of foraging, raiding and pillaging of enemy territory, minor skirmishes and ambushes, all roles in which light infantry excelled. In particular they were indispensable for an army traversing mountainous or forested terrain. Moreover, he shows that even in pitched battles they were far from useless and made a valuable contribution, typically harassing the enemy as they deployed and screening friendly battle lines from similar treatment. Some, such as Cretan archers or Balearic slingers were highly sought-after specialists. Uniquely, the author draws on years of practical experimentation to demonstrate and test the various weapons used: slings, bows and javelins, including the use of the amentum throwing strap. This yields fresh evidence and insights into matters such as range, penetrative power and the level of skill and practice required. Overall, this is a valuable study of these forgotten heroes of ancient warfare.