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From Dogfight to Diplomacy: A Spitfire Pilot's Log, 1932–1958
by Donald MacDonellMacDonell's service career began in the 1920s. Shortly before the war he became a Squadron Leader and worked at the Air Ministry during the Phoney War. When hostilities commenced he became CO of No 64 Squadron, carrying out convoy support operations and eventually fighting in the Battle of Britain. Awarded a DFC, he was given command of a squadron at Leconfield to train urgently required pilots. Eventually he was shot down over the English Channel and rescued by a U-boat, this resulted in a lengthy period as a PoW in camps throughout enemy occupied Europe and Germany. During this period he was involved with the famous 'Wooden Horse' escape and was eventually freed by advancing Russian troops.Upon his return to the UK he was promoted Wing Commander and worked on the Cabinet Office staff before moving to Headquarters Flying Training Command. He was then appointed Chief Flying Instructor at Cranwell before successfully applying for the post of British Air Attach in Moscow.
From Down Under To Nippon: The Story Of Sixth Army In World War II
by General Walter KruegerA fascinating view of the Pacific War by the victorious commander of the US Sixth Army, who led his men through the islands and jungles against the Imperial Japanese Army to final victory in recapturing the Philippines.“ALTHOUGH NEARLY EIGHT YEARS have passed since the end of the war with Japan, the story of the conspicuous part Sixth Army played in it remains to be told. Instead of publishing my personal reminiscences of the events in which I participated, I decided to write the story of Sixth Army. I felt that I owed this to all who served under me there—in particular to the many thousands who laid down their lives.The result is an unadorned narrative of the long trek of Sixth Army “from Down Under to Nippon”; of much bitter fighting; of hardships and shortcomings, as well as outstanding performances; of luck and of victory. The story is based upon my own official reports and those from my subordinate units, and upon my own notes and recollections. It stresses the bold and brilliant strategic plans of our Commander in Chief, General Douglas MacArthur, which charted our course to victory in the Southwest Pacific and which were effectively carried out by his Army-Navy-Air Forces team, of which Sixth Army formed an essential part.”—From author’s Foreword“History has not given him due credit for his greatness. I do not believe that the annals of American history have shown his superior as an Army commander. Swift and sure in the attack, tenacious and determined in defense, modest and restrained in victory—I do not know what he would have been in defeat, because he was never defeated.”—General MacArthur
From Dunkirk to Benghazi
by Strategicus“This book is a sequel to The War for World Power (1940) and proceeds on the same method. It is an attempt to select, now, what will prove to be the significant features of the war and, dealing with them episodically, to group about them the events which are logically connected with them. It carries the story of the war from the tragedy and glory of Dunkirk across the Libyan desert to Benghazi, where the latent promise of Dunkirk justified itself.“Its theme has almost a secular importance. In the months it covers, Hitler’s threat to the present world economy was more openly disclosed. In them, too, was fought out the most novel battle in the history of the world, a long-drawn out, skilful and most pitiless attack upon this country, by means of the weapon upon which the real architect of Germany’s armed might had lavished all his great powers of organization and upon which he depended for success in the enslavement of Europe and ultimately the world. A memorable conflict, summed up memorably by the Prime Minister.“This aspect of the war is more difficult to describe than any other. It seems to carry the art of warfare back to the barren matter of machines, mass and momentum which, in the teaching of all the great masters, are subsidiary to the real dominant, morale, upon which the decision of this battle turned. When all credit is paid to the honest craftsmanship and the old-fashioned prejudice for solid work, it must be admitted that it was the human skill and the human courage of a comparatively small number of men that proved decisive. They very rarely fought, if at all, except at great odds, and they never failed to inflict more damage than they received. If only for that episode, this would, indeed, deserve to be recorded as Britain’s most perfect hour.” (Strategicus)
From Dunkirk to the Rhineland: The Rhineland via Normandy and Brussels
by C.N. MurrellCharles (Charlie to his comrades) Murrell kept detailed diaries of his service with the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards throughout the Second World War as Guardsman (later Sergeant).This book starts on 10 May 1940 with the Blitzkrieg on Arras and the retreat to Dunkirk. The Dunkirk beaches and his own undignified evacuation are described in some detail and occasional humor.The second part begins on 20 June 1944 when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards set sail for Normandy and they take part in the Battle for Caen with engagements at Cheux, Cagny and Colombelles and thence to the Bocage country with a particularly bloody fight at Montchamp.The final element covers the race for and liberation of Brussels, a fiercely fought engagement at Hechtel Operation MARKET GARDEN, Nijmegen and the Island, winter in Belgium and Holland and the Rhineland Battle.As a member of the Intelligence Section, the Author was aware of the big picture. Very observant, he has a literary style and ability unusual in a ranker. He often writes in his trench whilst under mortar or shell fire and one experiences the fear that he (and millions of others) felt. He describes several near death experiences and the casualties and deaths of his comrades and other horrors of war, sometimes in graphic detail. There are descriptions of hair-raising motorcycle rides, the fanaticism of the SS, the sadness of lettering crosses of his dead comrades, the ecstatic receptions in liberated villages and towns, culminating in the liberation of Brussels, the uneasy relationship with American troops, the importance of alcohol in his (and others) war and the joy of returning to England.The many sketches are an important accessory to the journals.
From Duty to Daddy
by Sue MacKaySwapping the firing line...Army medic Marshall Hunter has never been able to get beautiful Charlie Lang out of his head, but despite their unforgettable fling his commitment to the forces leaves no time for relationships. Two years on he's unable to pass up one last opportunity to see Charlie again! Except the little girl playing in her garden proves that she's been able to move on even if he hasn't.......for fatherhood!Only, Charlie has a life-changing surprise in store for Marshall....
From East of Suez to the Eastern Atlantic: British Naval Policy 1964-70 (Corbett Centre for Maritime Policy Studies Series)
by Edward HampshireExploring British naval policy during the first two governments of Harold Wilson (1964-70), this book analyses how the Navy Department of the Ministry of Defence and the Navy's professional leadership dealt with six years of defence reviews, retrenchment and strategic re-orientation. This period witnessed a dramatic blow to the service's self image and self confidence as a result of the cancellation of the large CVA-01 aircraft carrier, and a gradual process of realignment, reorientation and adaptation to the changed political environment, resulting in a recovery of self-confidence, a new strategy and the approval in principle of a class of small aircraft carriers. Taking advantage of the recently released official records, the study highlights for the first time just how in practice Mountbatten managed to dominate the Chiefs of Staff machinery, and how his power was undermined and diminished. It also demonstrates that, contrary to widespread historical opinion, Denis Healey was not necessarily set against carrier air power from his arrival in office and was willing to consider the procurement of a medium carrier for the navy. Furthermore, the work highlights the importance of the Mediterranean in the rehabilitation and renewal of self-confidence by the navy in the late 1960s. Although focusing primarily on policy and strategic matters, the book incorporates wider historical consideration, reviewing other factors that influenced policy-making such as foreign policy, financial resources, materiel, manpower and recruitment, in addition to the administrative machinery and the cultural environment of the time. In so doing, Dr Hampshire offers a vivid insight into the interactions of government and military at a critical juncture in the changing nature of Britain's global role.
From Eton To Ypres: The Letters And Diaries Of Lt Col Wilfrid Abel Smith, Grenadier Guards, 1914-15
by Charles SmithRegarded as one of the most outstanding commanding officers on the Western Front, Wilfrid Abel Smith commanded an elite unit of 1,000 of the finest soldiers in the British Army. Educated at Eton and Sandhurst, Smith was a career soldier who led his battalion of Grenadiers with distinction through the First Battle of Ypres and the winter trench warfare of 1914–15. He died of wounds received at the Battle of Festubert in May 1915.The letters and diaries provide a vivid, first-hand account of the fighting and suffering on the front line, written by a compassionate commander and affectionate family man. Most of his brother officers were Old Etonians, including his brigade commander, Lord Cavan, and his second-in-command, George ‘Ma’ Jeffreys. Smith’s account offers a poignant insight into the way in which the privileged world of a Guards officer responded, with the highest sense of duty and courage, to the unprecedented demands of industrial warfare.From Eton to Ypres is edited by his great-grandson, Charles Abel Smith.
From F-4 Phantom to A-10 Warthog: Memoirs of a Cold War Fighter Pilot
by Colonel Steve Ladd Steven K. LaddThis behind-the-scenes account of a USAF career is “an absorbing read, written with the classic humor fighter pilots seem to have” (Flight Line Book Review). From Baron von Richthofen to Robin Olds, the mystique of the fighter pilot endures. The skill, cunning, and bravery that characterizes this distinctive band of brothers is well known, but there are other dimensions to those who take to the skies to do battle that have not been given the emphasis they deserve—until now.You don’t have to be an aviation aficionado to enjoy Colonel Steve Ladd’s fascinating personal tale, woven around his twenty-eight-year career as a fighter pilot. This extremely engaging account follows a young man from basic pilot training to senior command through narratives that define a unique ethos. From the United States to Southeast Asia, Europe to the Middle East, the amusing and tongue-in-cheek to the deadly serious and poignant, this is the lifelong journey of a fighter pilot.The anecdotes are absorbing, providing an insight into life as an Air Force pilot, but, in this book, as Colonel Ladd stresses, the focus is not on fireworks or stirring tales of derring-do. Instead, this is an articulate and absorbing account of what life is really like among a rare breed of arrogant, cocky, boisterous, and fun-loving young men who readily transform into steely professionals at the controls of a fighter aircraft.“This book will appeal to a variety of readers with its Vietnam War combat stories and accounts of flying the Warthog in Cold War Europe. Fun, flying, international experiences—you won’t want to put it down.” —Aviation News
From Flintlock to Rifle: Infantry Tactics, 1740-1866
by Steven T. RossThis is a comprehensive study of the major changes in infantry tacticts from the time of Frederick the Great to the beginning of what many see as the era of modern war, in the 1860s. Ross lays social and political change side by side with technical change. He argues that the French revolution, due to the fervour and loyalty it inspired in its participants, led to huge citizen armies of devolved command which were able to make use of new tactics that swept the poorly paid and poorly treated professional armies of their enemies from the field. Shortly after the Napoleonic wars other European countries experienced similar social change and by the middle of the Nineteenth Century these massive conscript armies were equipped with breech-loading rifles and more powerful artillery. The battlefield of the late 1860's had become a place where close infantry formations could not survive for long in the linear formations of the past.
From Forecastle to Cabin: Seafarers' Voices
by Samuel SamuelsThis is the autobiography of an American who ran away to sea at the age of 11 and charts his rise from the lowliest seaman (berthed under the forecastle) to the command of his own ship and the occupation of the luxurious after cabin. In the course of an action-packed career spanning half a century, he experienced almost all of the vicissitudes of life in the nineteenth-century merchant service: storm and shipwreck, famine and disease, press-gangs and desertion, piracy, violence and mutiny this last, at different times, as both mutineer and victim. Like many a sailor he was often in more danger ashore than afloat, but many of his adventures make excellent stories not least his romantic, but foolhardy rescue of a Christian woman from the harem in Constantinople. In this case the story did not quite follow the script, as she married his accomplice in the rescue. Samuels is best known for his later career, as captain of the packet ship Dreadnought, a ship built especially for him and under his direction. Known as The Wild Boat of the Atlantic in the 1850s this ship was reckoned the fastest vessel on the New YorkLiverpool service, and regularly beat even the steamers on this route. This success was largely down to Samuels hard-driving style as master, and much of the latter part of the book is taken up with the resulting crew troubles, culminating in a full-blown mutiny that he put down with characteristic forcefulness.
From Fury to Phantom: An RAF Pilot's Story, 1936–1970
by Richard Haine"Richard 'Dickie' Haine first went solo in a de Havilland Gipsy Moth during August 1935, after only one week of tuition. He joined the RAF shortly afterwards as a Direct Entry Sergeant Pilot and left the service in 1970 as a Group Captain, OBE, DFC. During his long career he flew an extraordinary variety of aircraft types, starting with small biplanes that were designed upon the philosophy gained during World War I and finishing with Britain's V Bomber force and American-designed fighters at the very edge of space.His first posting was with No 25 Squadron flying Hawker Demons and Gloster Gladiators during 1936 until the unit was re-equipped with Bristol Blenheims and undertook a night-fighter role. These were difficult days during which the primitive radar system made it all but impossible to locate incoming enemy aircraft, but the squadron were also sent on several offensive missions over the recently invaded European countries. Haine was lucky to escape when his aircraft was brought down and crash-landed on a small Dutch island after an abortive raid on German occupied Walhaven airfield. After a hazardous journey on foot through the increasingly threatened lowlands he escaped on a RN Frigate. During the Battle of Britain he continued in the night-fighting role flying from Manston in Kent.Now a Commissioned officer, he was given command of No 96 Squadron, flying Boulton Paul Defiants in the night defense of the industrial heartland of England. The, after a spell as a Staff Officer at Bentley Priory, he took command of No 448 (New Zealand Squadron) who were equipped with the superlative de Havilland Mosquito. During this period the squadron had an enviable score sheet in downing enemy aircraft during many night operations. In 1945 the author was dispatched by ship to take charge of a newly formed wing to aid those forces still at war with Japan. However, whilst still at sea, the war ended and Haine found himself in Hong Kong with the task of getting Kai Tak airport operational immediately after its liberation.His post-war flying was heavily involved in the development of jet-powered fighters and sophisticated new weaponry. He spent a long period as Wing Commander in Habbinya and Akrotiri and ended his career training the navigators of the V-Bomber nuclear Force."
From Gallipoli To Baghdad [Illustrated Edition]
by Reverend William Ewing MCIncludes Gallipoli Campaign Map and Illustrations Pack -71 photos and 31 maps of the campaign spanning the entire period of hostilities.The epic story of a Chaplain attached to the 4th Battalion the Royal Scots during the First World War; ministering to his flock amid the shot and shell of the bloody failures at Gallipoli and onward to the victorious march to Baghdad."British (Scottish) author and clergyman. He was born at Corsock, near Kircudbright in the South-West of Scotland, the second son of John Ewing and Marion McCulloch, and was educated at the Universities of Glasgow and Leipzig. Following his ordination, he served as a minister in Palestine, Birmingham, and his native Scotland, He was married twice, both times to women from Hartlepool in County Durham; firstly, in 1888, to Margaret Jane Park, and, secondly, in 1896, to Elizabeth Mary Black, with whom he had one son and two daughters. In 1910, he was appointed Territorial Chaplain to the 4th. Battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment, and served as Chaplain to the Forces on Gallipoli for eight months including the evacuation, for which he was awarded the Military Cross and was mentioned in despatches. Later in the War, he was at the Suez Canal for three months and in Mesopotamia for a year, in the course of which which he was wounded at Baghdad and, again, mentioned in despatches, and a third such mention occurred with the Egyptian Expeditionary Force in the advance from Gaza to Jerusalem. After the Armistice, he became the Chaplain of St. Andrew's Church in Jerusalem. He was the author of seven books, most of which, such as "Arab and Druze at Home" (1907) and "Cedar and Palm" were concerned with the Middle East. The final line of his inscription reads, "A comforter of many.""-Memorial
From Gaza to Jerusalem: The Campaign for Southern Palestine 1917
by Stuart HadawayThe Palestine campaign of 1917 saw Britain’s armed forces rise from defeat to achieve stunning victory. After two failed attempts in the spring, at the end of the year they broke through the Ottoman line with an innovative mixture of old and new technology and tactics, and managed to advance over 50 miles, from Gaza to Jerusalem, in only two months. As well as discussions of military strategy, Stuart Hadaway’s gripping narrative of the campaign gives a broad account of the men on both sides who lived and fought in the harsh desert conditions of Palestine, facing not only brave and determined enemies, but also the environment itself: heat, disease and an ever-present thirst.Involving Ottoman, ANZAC, British and Arab forces, the campaign saw great empires manoeuvring for the coveted Holy Land. It was Britain’s victory in 1917, however, that redrew the maps of the Middle East and shaped the political climate for the century to come.
From Governess to Countess (Matches Made in Scandal #1)
by Marguerite KayeThe scandalous truth about the count’s new mistress! A Matches Made in Scandal story Count Aleksei Derevenko has hired governess Allison Galbraith for her skills as a herbalist, not a mistress! But when rumors spread, Allison is more shocked by her wanton reaction to Aleksei—inscrutable and impossibly handsome, his icy blue eyes promise white-hot nights of sin. She knows too well how fragile her reputation is, but will the price of their passion be worth paying? “Readers will be seduced by the passionate natures of the protagonists, and the fast-paced, thrilling adventure” — RT Book Reviews on The Harlot and the Sheikh “Fairytales do come true … There is plenty of action and adventure to captivate all readers” — RT Book Reviews on Sheikh’s Mail-Order Bride Matches Made in Scandal miniseries Book 1 — From Governess to Countess Book 2 — From Courtesan to Convenient Wife — coming soon
From Here to Eternity: The Restored Edition (The World War II Trilogy #1)
by James JonesA novel of army life in the calm before Pearl Harbor: A New York Times bestseller, a National Book Award winner, and &“one of the great books of our time&” (Newsday). At the Pearl Harbor army base in 1941, Robert E. Lee Prewitt is Uncle Sam&’s finest bugler. A career soldier with no patience for army politics, Prewitt becomes incensed when a commander&’s favorite wins the title of First Bugler. His indignation results in a transfer to an infantry unit whose commander is less interested in preparing for war than he is in boxing. But when Prewitt refuses to join the company team, the commander and his sergeant decide to make the bugler&’s life hell. An American classic now available with scenes and dialogue considered unfit for publication in the 1950s, From Here to Eternity is a stirring picture of army life in the months leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. This ebook features an illustrated biography of James Jones including rare photos from the author&’s estate.
From Here to You (Crash and Burn #1)
by Jamie McGuireDiscover a new series from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster: a "heartbreaking and hopeful, raw and sexy" tale about a woman on the run who encounters a stranger with a secret (Lauren Blakely, author of Part-Time Lover). As Darby Dixon sits in a tiny Texas church bathroom on her wedding day holding a positive pregnancy test, she realizes that marrying her fiancé would be the worst decision of her life. She's never been very good at standing up for herself, but she'll sure as hell stand up for her baby. With very little cash and a ton of courage, she flees town to take a new name and start a new life.As a Marine, Scott "Trex" Trexler worked in the most treacherous, corrupt, war-torn places on earth. With his new top-secret security job, he finally has a chance to return to the one place he's felt at peace: Colorado Springs, Colorado.The moment Trex checks in at the hotel where she's working, Darby knows he's dangerous. He may want her to think he's another hotshot firefighter, along with all the others battling the nearby mountain blaze, but something doesn't add up. No way will she get involved with another man she can't fully trust - and Trex clearly isn't telling her everything. As Darby's ex gets closer and closer to finding her, both she and Trex will soon find out that what you don't know can hurt you."Jamie McGuire writes with no holds barred ... real and addictive." -USA Today"Jamie McGuire is masterful at emotional romance!" -Lauren Blakely, #1 New York Times bestselling author
From History's Shadow (Star Trek: The Original Series)
by Dayton WardAn original novel set in the universe of Star Trek: The Original Series!2268: Following the encounter with the mysterious Gary Seven in the twentieth century, the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise is startled by two intruders who have transported through space and time from Earth circa 1968. Incredibly, one of the infiltrators is a Vulcan, who asserts that he&’s lived among Earth&’s population for over a decade. The other represents a little-known race, and reveals to Captain James T. Kirk that she has spent the last twenty years working to bring about humanity&’s destruction. It is then that Gary Seven&’s young protégée, Roberta Lincoln, arrives seeking Kirk&’s help... 1947: In the wake of the infamous &“Roswell Incident&” involving a crashed alien craft and beings from another world, Captain James Wainwright finds himself recruited as one of the first members of Majestic 12, a secret organization with two goals: Collect evidence of extraterrestrial activity on Earth, and develop strategies to combat alien invaders. And it is this very mission that will consume Wainwright&’s life for the next two decades, driven by the knowledge that the danger is as real as the aliens living among us...
From Hitler's U-Boats to Khruschev's Spyflights: Twenty Five Years with Flight Lieutenant Thomas Buchanan Clark, RAF
by Chris ClarkeThis book tells the tale of the illustrious Royal Air Force career of Tom Clark, a World War Two gunner and post-war signaller in action during some of the most pivotal events of the twentieth century. Lovingly penned by his son, it provides an authentic insight into this dynamic period of world history.From work as an air gunner, involved in the daunting task of taking on the might of Hitler's U-boat fleet, to post-war involvement in an Intelligence capacity during the dramatic events surrounding Khrushchev and the atomic threat of the late 1950s, Clark's career was dramatic and varied to say the least. Having joined the RAF as an aircraft man just before the Second World War, Clark was destined to take part in a whole range of wartime operational engagements. His career featured involvement in the famous 1941 hunt for the elusive Bismarck, the dangers of life as part of an Air Sea Rescue squadron in conflicted waters, and the experience of training as a gunnery leader (later an instructor), training air gunners for the famed Desert Air Force. His career also took in a fraught period behind enemy lines, when his crew of four were shot down in enemy territory in Northern Italy. Seven weeks in a safe house in Florence are relayed in engaging and dramatic style, as are a raft of other personal and professional achievements, set within the context of the wider conflict. Here is a career that deserves to be recorded and celebrated, and there is perhaps no-one better placed than the subject's son to act as custodian to his thrilling story.
From Horse to Helicopter: Transporting the British Army in War and Peace 1648–1989
by John Walker John SuttonThis is a pictorial history of Army transportation. The book outlines the development of the three modes of transport used in supporting the British Army on land, in water and in air, from the horse to the helicopter. Both the authors are retired officers who served in the Royal Corps of Transport.
From Hot War to Cold
by Jeffrey G. BarlowThis book discusses the role of the U. S. Navy within the country's national security structure during the first decade of the Cold War from the perspective of the service's senior uniformed officer, the Chief of Naval Operations, and his staff. It examines a variety of important issues of the period, including the Army-Navy fight over unification that led to the creation of the National Security Act of 1947, the early postwar fighting in China between the Nationalists and the Communists, the formation of NATO, the outbreak of the Korean War, the decision of the Eisenhower Administration not to intervene in the Viet Minh troops' siege of the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu, and the initiation of the Eisenhower "New Look" defense policy. The author relies upon information obtained from a wide range of primary sources and personal interviews with important, senior Navy and Army officers. The result is a book that provides the reader with a new way of looking at these pivotal events.
From Hunter to Hunted: The U-Boat War in the Atlantic, 1939–1943
by Bernard EdwardsThe author of Churchill’s Thin Grey Line shares case histories from World War II’s Battle of the Atlantic featuring the German U-boat.In the early stages of World War II, Donitz’s U-boats generally adhered to Prize rules, surfacing before attacking and making every effort to preserve the lives of their victims’ crews. But, with the arming of merchantmen and greater risk of damage or worse, they increasingly attacked without warning.So successful was the U-boat campaign that Churchill saw it as the gravest threat the nation faced. The low point was the March 1943 attack on convoys SC122 and HX229 when 44 U-boats sank 22 loaded ships.The pendulum miraculously swung with improved tactics and technology. In May, 1943, out of a force of over 50 U-boats that challenged ONS5, eight were sunk and 18 were damaged, some seriously. Such losses were unsustainable, and, with allied yards turning out ships at ever increasing rates, Donitz withdrew his wolf packs from the North Atlantic.Expert naval author and historian Bernard Edwards traces the course of the battle of the Atlantic through a series of thrilling engagement case studies.Praise for From Hunter to Hunted “Expertly written, it portrayed the perils and dramas of warfare in the North Atlantic between the convoys and German U boats . . . Reading [Edwards’s] accounts made me feel as though I was present. A cracking and informative read— I will definitely read more by Captain Edwards and I highly commend it.” —Adrian Greaves, author of The Zulus at War
From Ice Floes to Battlefields: Scott’s ‘Antarctics’ in the First World War
by Anne StrathieFebruary 1912: Harry Pennell and his Terra Nova shipmates brave storms and ice to bring supplies to Antarctica. They hope to celebrate Captain Scott’s conquest of the South Pole, but are forced by ice to return north before Scott’s party returns. In New Zealand a reporter tells them that Roald Amundsen reached the Pole first. Returning to Antarctica in early 1913, they learn that Scott’s party reached the Pole but died on the ice shelf. Back in Britain memorial services, medal ceremonies, weddings and resumed careers are abruptly interrupted by the First World War. Fit and able men, Scott’s ‘Antarctics’ trade one adventure for another. By 1919 Scott’s ‘Antarctics’ have fought at Antwerp, the Western Front, Gallipoli, in the Channel, at Jutland and in Arctic Russia. They serve on horseback, in trenches, on battleships and hospital ships, in armoured cars and flimsy aircraft; their brothers-in-arms include a prime minister’s son and poet Rupert Brooke. As in Antarctica, life is challenging and dangerous. As on the ice, not all survive.
From Immigrant to Inventor: and Pioneer of Electrical Transmission and the Long-Distance Telephone Line
by Michael Idvorsky PupinFrom Immigrant to Inventor is the inspiring autobiography of Michael Idvorsky Pupin, chronicling his extraordinary journey from a modest childhood in rural Serbia to becoming a distinguished scientist, inventor, and professor in the United States. Originally published in 1923, the book offers a personal and reflective narrative of perseverance, intellectual discovery, and the immigrant experience during a transformative era in American history.Pupin begins with memories of his upbringing in a Serbian village, where curiosity about the natural world first sparked his lifelong passion for learning. He then recounts his emigration to the United States as a young man, arriving with little more than determination and dreams of an education. The narrative unfolds with his struggles to adapt to a new culture, working tirelessly to fund his studies and overcome the challenges of poverty.Central to the story is Pupin’s education at Columbia University and further scientific training in Europe, where he immersed himself in physics, mathematics, and engineering. The book traces his groundbreaking inventions in telecommunication and electrical transmission—work that played a pivotal role in advancing wireless communication and earning him numerous patents and accolades, including the Pulitzer Prize for this very memoir.Beyond recounting his personal achievements, Pupin reflects on the broader themes of science, innovation, and the opportunities available to immigrants in America. He emphasizes the importance of education, hard work, and resilience, inspiring readers with his belief that adversity can be a catalyst for greatness.A blend of memoir, science, and philosophy, From Immigrant to Inventor offers a timeless exploration of the immigrant spirit and the transformative power of knowledge. It is a compelling read for those interested in the history of technology, the immigrant experience, and the life of one of the most influential inventors of the 20th century.
From Imperial Splendour to Internment: The German Navy in the First World War
by Nicolas WolzThis important new work describes how the Imperial German Navy, which had expanded to become one of the great maritime forces in the world, second only to the Royal Navy, proved, with the exception of its submarines, to be largely ineffective throughout the years of conflict.The impact of this impotence had a far-reaching effect upon the service. Germany, indeed most of Europe, was in the grips of a spirit of militant nationalistic fervour, and the inactivity of the great Imperial Navy caused deep frustration, particularly among the naval officers. Not only were they unable to see themselves as heroes, they were also ridiculed on the home front and felt profoundly humiliated. With the exception of the one sea battle at Jutland, their ships saw little or no action at sea and morale slowly collapsed to a point where, at the end of the war, the crews were in a state of mutiny. The seemingly ludicrous order that forced the fleet to go to sea against the British in 1918 was driven by a sense of humiliation, but coming at the war's end it triggered a revolution because the German sailors wanted no part in such madness. The internment at Scapa Flow was the ultimate shaming. This is a fascinating and perceptive analysis of a whole era, and it contributes substantially to our understanding of the war and its consequences consequences, sadly, that helped pave the way for the Third Reich.
From Information to Intrigue: Studies in Secret Service Based on the Swedish Experience, 1939-1945 (Studies In Intelligence Ser.)
by C.G. McKayThis volume offers an account of some key activities of the Allied secret services and their German counterparts in Sweden during World War II. It also describes in some detail Swedish wartime legislation and Swedish organizations concerned with internal security and intelligence.