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'A deed of glory intimately involved in high strategy' Winston Churchill A vivid account of the famous St Nazaire Raid that demonstrates the sheer bravery of the British Commandos and the Royal Navy. An essential read for fans of James Holland, Ant Middleton and Cornelius Ryan. St Nazaire, 1.22 a.m. 28 March 1942. HMS Cambeltown, supported by seventeen wooden motor launches, approached the German-held port intending to smash into the lock gates of the largest dock in the world, the Normandie Dock - Operation Chariot was in full swing. Against vicious Nazi gunfire the commandos stormed the docks and within half an hour succeeded in their chief demolition objectives but in the heat of battle the Royal Navy had lost nearly all of its small vessels intended to carry them back to England. With their route home closed off the men were forced to fight through the town in a bid to escape German forces. C. E. Lucas Phillips' The Greatest Raid of All draws upon numerous British, French and German eyewitness reports to uncover the astounding true story of one of the most daring attacks of World War Two in which no fewer than five Victoria Crosses were awarded. 'Exciting and moving account of a great epic' Observer 'Having been associated with practically all combined operations, from two-man raids to the planning for Normandy, I have no hesitation in saying that the finest and most profitable of the lot was your raid on St Nazaire.' Lord Mountbatten to Lieutenant Charles Newman 'told with clarity, precision, and its share of the famous British understatement.' Kirkus Reviews

The final instalment of Colonel David Smiley''s fascinating autobiographical trilogy.This book fills the gaps that were left by his two previous memoirs, uncovering his service in World War Two before and after being parachuted into Albania as well his thoughts on the conflicts that he was involved in through the twentieth century.Colonel David Smiley was no ordinary soldier.Through the course of his life he saw conflict in the Balkans, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.After being commissioned into the Household Cavalry in 1936 and seeing action in the Middle East, he subsequently trained and fought with the Commandos, was recruited into Churchill''s Special Operations Executive, co-operated with MI6 and the SAS, and provided aid to resistance movements across the globe.Even his service within the regular army was never ordinary; he was frequently the first to be called upon by superiors to lead dangerous missions in Syria and Persia and later served in lightly-armoured dummy tanks in the Western Desert facing German Stukas and powerful Axis tanks.From Syria to Thailand, Smiley''s bravery, abilities in clandestine warfare, and leadership unified the men he led and caused havoc to enemy forces.His autobiography, which covers from his entrance into the military before the Second World War to his return to Albania in 1992 after the fall of Communist rule, records a remarkable life spent fighting in regular forces as well as in cloak-and-dagger operations and demonstrates how varied conflict was during the twentieth century."Smiley''s latest book completes a trilogy of memoirs of times of war and troubled peace and provides setting for his previous books Arabian Assignment and Albanian Assignment." The RUSI Journal

Albanian Assignment is one of the finest special forces memoirs to come out of the Second World War. Readers of Damien Lewis, Ben Macintyre and Patrick Leigh Fermor will be enthralled by this book. In 1940 Winston Churchill established the Special Operations Executive to "set Europe ablaze." Three years later David Smiley and Billy McLean were parachuted into northern Greece and crossed the border into Albania to do just that. For the next eight months Smiley mediated between the competing resistance factions and organised them to conduct ambushes and acts of sabotage on fascist armies and infrastructure. His actions were rewarded with an immediate Military Cross, yet his work in Albania was not done. Soon after he had left the country tensions between the Albanian resistance movements had deteriorated into open conflict meaning that Smiley and McLean were once again forced to parachute into the country to reconcile the guerrilla forces whilst continuing the fight against the Nazi forces. Smiley's account of his time in Albania is a remarkable book that uncovers the operations and its difficulties of an SOE agent in one of the forgotten fronts of World War Two. "David Smiley, a regular officer of the Blues, was an early arrival in the country. His memoir of the time he spent there deserves to become one of the classics of special operations literature" John Keegan, The Sunday Times "wartime memoirs are often exaggerated and boastful, and sometimes the authors' roles can safely be halved. But the writer here is an extremely modest man and the opposite precaution will be a help." Patrick Leigh Fermor "This engrossing memoir recounts British intelligence agent Smiley's two missions in 1943 and 1944 to Albanian resistance fighters." Library Journal "David Smiley's tale of his war-time escapades in the SOE in Albania should have a broad appeal with its racy, comic and serious political aspects" Financial Times

A pilot's captivating autobiography that traces the development of night-flying from the early days of the Battle of Britain to the final triumph over Germany. Perfect for fans of Geoffrey Wellum, Eric Brown and Norman Hanson. What was it like to soar through the night sky fighting enemy aircraft in the Second World War? After completing intensive training Roderick Chisholm was thrust into the height of the Blitz to protect his country in the black of night. Guided by rudimentary radar he, along with his fellow pilots of 604 Squadron, developed the art of night-fighter operations. Fog, friendly-fire, disorientation, a Messerschmitt surprising you from behind - night-flying was a terrifying experience, even for skilled pilots, and Chisholm provides vivid insight into the hopes and fears of these men as they endeavoured to do their best in difficult conditions. Cover of Darkness records in fascinating detail how night-fighting progressed through the course of the war, initially through the use of radar, and later when Chisholm served in 100 Group Bomber Command developing radio counter-measures and organising fighter support for the bombers raiding Germany by night. "The very real merit of this book lies not so much in its most interesting account of night-fighting and night bombing during Hitler's war, as in its careful and impressive analysis of a pilot's mental reactions when flying at night on operations ... convincing and moving." Air Chief Marshal Sir Philip Joubert "This story ... continually impresses and satisfies. ... [Chisholm] can admirably describe to the layman, with intelligence and without heartiness, what his work is about and what it meant to him ... A most intelligent and articulate book, charming and modest..." H. E. Bates

A dramatic account of some of the most notorious figures of medieval and Renaissance history who ruled from the Eternal City. It is sure to grip readers of John Julius Norwich, Tom Holland and Peter Ackroyd.The papal tiara has been worn by a number of infamous men through the course of its history.Some have been accused of murder, many have had mistresses, while others sold positions in the church to their followers or gave land and wealth to their illegitimate children.E. R. Chamberlin examines the lives of eight of the most controversial popes to have ruled over the Holy See, from the reign of Pope Stephen VI, who had his predecessor exhumed, put on trial and thrown in the Tiber, in the ninth century, through to Pope Clement VII, the second Medici pope, whose failed international policy led to the Sack of Rome in 1527.The Bad Popes explains how during these six centuries the papal monarchy rose to its greatest heights, as popes attempted to assert not only their spiritual authority but also their temporal power, only for it to come crashing down."A magnificent piece of historic research and description" Los Angeles Times"A vital and important book" Washington Post"[Chamberlin] writes well, even elegantly. One fancies echoes now and then of Tacitus and Gibbon ... an interesting historical essay" Daily Telegraph"One is sincerely grateful to Mr Chamberlin for a vivid book" Catholic Herald"Mr Chamberlin''s book strikes me as being as near to the ideal as is reasonably possible: scrupulously fair, meticulously documented and written with style, liveliness and wit" The Bulletin