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How to Lose a War at Sea
by Bill FawcettAn engrossing compendium of high-seas military disasters From the days of the Spanish Armada to the modern age of aircraft carriers, battles have been bungled just as badly on water as they have been on land. Some blunders were the result of insufficient planning, overinflated egos, espionage, or miscalculations; others were caused by ideas that didn't hold water in the first place. In glorious detail, here are thirty-three of history's worst maritime mishaps, including: The British Royal Navy's misguided attempts to play it safe during the American Revolution The short life and death of the Imperial Japanese Navy The scuttling of the Graf Spee by a far inferior force The sinking of the Nazi megaship Bismarck "Remember the Maine!"—the lies that started the Spanish-American War Admiral Nelson losing track of Napoleon but redeeming himself at the Nile The ANZAC disaster at Gallipoli Germany's failed WWII campaign in the North Atlantic Kennedy's quarantine of Cuba Chock-full of amazing facts and hilarious trivia, How to Lose a War at Sea is the most complete volume of nautical failures ever assembled.
How to Lose the Civil War: Military Mistakes of the War Between the States
by Bill FawcettA fascinating and fact-filled collection of the greatest and dumbest missteps of America's bloodiest conflict. For four years in the middle of the nineteenth century, brother fought brother on American soil. No American war ever had higher stakes than, or changed a nation as profoundly as, the terrible conflict between the Union and the Confederacy. A dark historical panorama populated by a remarkable cast of colorful characters, the War Between the States was indelibly marked by both brilliant military maneuvers and mind-boggling battlefield blunders that gravely threatened the continuation of the American Experiment. With suitable irreverence, Bill Fawcett chronicles the unbelievably disastrous decisions made by both sides in this monumental clash, including: The Second Battle of Bull Run, where Robert E. Lee looks smart beating a remarkably stupid general; How the Union's shortsighted Colonel James Ripley's bad decision arms the Confederate Army better than his own; Lincoln's roller-coaster search for competent commanders, a long-running dark comedy of tragic errors; A golden opportunity squandered: General Lee fails to exploit a vulnerable Union and capture Washington, D.C.; Pickett's disastrous charge and the many, many Confederate command failures at Gettysburg; Lincoln's contentious draft policy that nearly burns New York City to the ground; and more.
How to Lose WWII: Bad Mistakes of the Good War
by Bill FawcettAn engrossing and fact-filled collection of the great screwups of the Great War. Never had there been a war on the scale of World War II--a global conflict so widespread and involving so many different military organizations from such a diverse pool of combatant countries that the consequences of every decision, both the brilliant and the bad, were multiplied one hundredfold. Bill Fawcett, popular chronicler of monumental military mistakes and truly boneheaded battlefield blunders now looks closely at the historic errors that ultimately determined the course of post-WWII history. A cornucopia of catastrophic missteps, including: An unprepared Poland is caught napping as the Nazis storm in virtually unopposed; Germany misses a golden opportunity to take Britain out of the war at Dunkirk; Russia plays Goliath to Finland's David; Four valuable months are wasted as Allied forces sit trapped on the beaches of Anzio; Germany squanders its costly development of jet power; The secret 1942 battle Marshal Zhukov lost, along with half a million soldiers; Battles lost that should have been won, including Moscow, Stalingrad, and D-Day.
How to Plan a Crusade: Religious War In The High Middle Ages
by Christopher TyermanA spirited and sweeping account of how the crusades really worked—and a revolutionary attempt to rethink how we understand the Middle Ages. The story of the wars and conquests initiated by the First Crusade and its successors is itself so compelling that most accounts move quickly from describing the Pope's calls to arms to the battlefield. In this highly original and enjoyable new book, Christopher Tyerman focuses on something obvious but overlooked: the massive, all-encompassing and hugely costly business of actually preparing a crusade. The efforts of many thousands of men and women, who left their lands and families in Western Europe, and marched off to a highly uncertain future in the Holy Land and elsewhere have never been sufficiently understood. Their actions raise a host of compelling questions about the nature of medieval society. How to Plan a Crusade is remarkably illuminating on the diplomacy, communications, propaganda, use of mass media, medical care, equipment, voyages, money, weapons, wills, ransoms, animals, and the power of prayer during this dynamic era. It brings to life an extraordinary period of history in a new and surprising way.
How to Prevent Coups d'État: Counterbalancing and Regime Survival
by Erica de De BruinIn this lively and provocative book, Erica De Bruin looks at the threats that rulers face from their own armed forces. Can they make their regimes impervious to coups?How to Prevent Coups d'État shows that how leaders organize their coercive institutions has a profound effect on the survival of their regimes. When rulers use presidential guards, militarized police, and militia to counterbalance the regular military, efforts to oust them from power via coups d'état are less likely to succeed. Even as counterbalancing helps to prevent successful interventions, however, the resentment that it generates within the regular military can provoke new coup attempts. And because counterbalancing changes how soldiers and police perceive the costs and benefits of a successful overthrow, it can create incentives for protracted fighting that result in the escalation of a coup into full-blown civil war.Drawing on an original dataset of state security forces in 110 countries over a span of fifty years, as well as case studies of coup attempts in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, De Bruin sheds light on how counterbalancing affects regime survival. Understanding the dynamics of counterbalancing, she shows, can help analysts predict when coups will occur, whether they will succeed, and how violent they are likely to be. The arguments and evidence in this book suggest that while counterbalancing may prevent successful coups, it is a risky strategy to pursue—and one that may weaken regimes in the long term.
How to Profit from Car Boot Sales
by Fiona ShoopThe star of Car Boot Sale Challenge and a keen car booter, Fiona Shoop shares her expertise on how to make the best from car boot sales for both buyers and sellers. Whether youre selling your goods as a one-off to clear the house or buy and sell at car boots to make extra money, Fionas top tips will help make the experience easier, more profitable and even more enjoyable. Fiona also worked as a consultant on several antiques programs where the goods were sold at car boot sales, including Life Laundry and helped the contributors to make as much money and sell as many goods as possible. Fiona also buys and sells at car boot sales in her spare time when not writing the How to Profit from.. series for Remember When.
How To Rule An Empire and Get Away With It: The Siege, Book 2
by K. J. ParkerThis is the story of how the City was saved, by Notker the professional liar, written down because eventually the truth always seeps through.The City may be under siege, but everyone still has to make a living. Take Notker, the acclaimed playwright, actor and impresario. Nobody works harder, even when he's not working. Thankfully, it turns out that people appreciate an evening at the theatre even when there are large rocks falling out of the sky.But Notker is a man of many talents, and all the world is, apparently, a stage. It seems that the Empire needs him - or someone who looks a lot like him - for a role that will call for the performance of a lifetime. At least it will guarantee fame, fortune and immortality. If it doesn't kill him first.This is the story of Notker, an occasionally good man and a terrible liar. With razor-sharp prose and ferocious wit, K.J. Parker has created one of fantasy's greatest heroes, and he might even get away with it.
How To Rule An Empire and Get Away With It: The Siege, Book 2
by K. J. ParkerThis is the story of how the City was saved, by Notker the professional liar, written down because eventually the truth always seeps through.The City may be under siege, but everyone still has to make a living. Take Notker, the acclaimed playwright, actor and impresario. Nobody works harder, even when he's not working. Thankfully, it turns out that people appreciate an evening at the theatre even when there are large rocks falling out of the sky.But Notker is a man of many talents, and all the world is, apparently, a stage. It seems that the Empire needs him - or someone who looks a lot like him - for a role that will call for the performance of a lifetime. At least it will guarantee fame, fortune and immortality. If it doesn't kill him first.This is the story of Notker, an occasionally good man and a terrible liar. With razor-sharp prose and ferocious wit, K.J. Parker has created one of fantasy's greatest heroes, and he might even get away with it.
How to Stage a Military Coup: From Planning to Execution
by Ken ConnorFed up with taxes? Angered and disappointed by corrupt leaders? How to Stage a Military Coup lays down practical strategies that have proven themselves around the globe. David Hebditch and Ken Connor examine, with a critical eye, successful as well as failed coup attempts throughout the twentieth century with the aim of showing their readers just what it takes to swiftly and soundly overthrow a government. Exploring coups from Nigeria, to Cuba, to Iraq, and with true stories of SAS combat written by Ken Connor, the book gives an insightful glimpse into this violent and rarely-seen world of shifting power. How to Stage a Military Coup is a unique textbook for the armchair revolutionary, as well as a practical guide for the idealist with a soft spot for the sound of artillery fire. From evaluation of the political climate and investigation of potential allies, to recruiting and training personnel, to strategies for ensuring timely transfer of power, the book leaves no aspect of the coup unexamined. This new edition features a new introduction from the authors and a new foreword from an expert in the field, and also includes appendixes, notes, and a world map of coups.
How to Stage a Military Coup: From Planning to Execution
by Ken Connor David HebditchFed up with taxes? Angered and disappointed by corrupt leaders? How to Stage a Military Coup lays down practical strategies that have proven themselves around the globe. David Hebditch and Ken Connor examine, with a critical eye, successful as well as failed coup attempts throughout the twentieth century with the aim of showing their readers just what it takes to swiftly and soundly overthrow a government. Exploring coups from Nigeria, to Cuba, to Iraq, and with true stories of SAS combat written by Ken Connor, the book gives an insightful glimpse into this violent and rarely-seen world of shifting power. How to Stage a Military Coup is a unique textbook for the armchair revolutionary, as well as a practical guide for the idealist with a soft spot for the sound of artillery fire. From evaluation of the political climate and investigation of potential allies, to recruiting and training personnel, to strategies for ensuring timely transfer of power, the book leaves no aspect of the coup d'état unexamined. The book also includes appendixes, notes, and a world map of coups d'état.
How to Survive a Chemical or Biological Attack
by Hamish de Bretton-GordonThis is an extract from the book Chemical Warrior: Syria, Salisbury and Saving Lives at War by Hamish de Bretton-Gordon (Headline Publishing Group, 2020).
How to Survive a Crisis: Lessons in Resilience and Avoiding Disaster
by David OmandFrom the former Director of GCHQ comes an invaluable guide to surviving crises - how to spot them early and lessen their devastating consequences - using the latest intelligence strategies'David Omand is exactly the man you need in a crisis' RORY STEWARTWe never know when a crisis might explode. Some 'sudden impact' events, such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters, blow up out of a clear blue sky. Other 'slow burn' crises smoulder away for years, often with warning signs ignored along the way until, as if from nowhere, the troops storm the palace.In How to Survive a Crisis, Professor Sir David Omand draws on his experience in defence, security and intelligence, including as Director of GCHQ and UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator, to show how you can detect a looming crisis and extinguish it (or at least survive it with minimum loss).Using gripping real-world examples from Omand's storied career, and drawing lessons from historic catastrophes such as Chernobyl, 9/11, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the WannaCry ransomware cyberattack, this empowering book is filled with practical advice on how to survive the multiplying crises of the future. Not every crisis need tip into disaster - if we have invested in personal, business and national resilience.This is an essential toolkit for our turbulent twenty-first century, as well as an exhilarating read for anyone interested in the state of our world - and how we might improve it.'This book is the instruction manual we all need' SIR ALEX YOUNGER, CHIEF OF MI6
How to Talk So People Listen: The Real Key to Job Success
by Sonya HamlinAt a time when it's harder than ever to get and keep people's attention, we could all use some help. Enter Sonya Hamlin, author of the now classic How to Talk So People Listen (1988), and one of the country's leading communication experts. In this revised and updated edition, Sonya Hamlin, arguably America's leading communication expert, shows us how to successfully capture people's attention so that they listen, understand, and are persuaded by your message –– especially in the plugged–in, fast–paced, visually–driven atmosphere that is today's workplace. Whether making a presentation to a large audience or dealing one–on–one with a client or colleague, or communicating by E–mail, Hamlin teaches us that one of the keys to making people listen is to think about and respond to what motivates them – namely, self–interest. She then provides tools to assess others' self–interest and use it to get them to listen to your message. Hamlin also explains how to capitalize on the latest visual aids we have at our disposal today. We learn to determine what information needs or lends itself to visual presentation, and how to make visuals active, so that they serve as an extension of the speaker. In How To Talk So People Listen, you'll also find practical information on how to understand your audience, how to encourage your listeners to trust you, and how to be yourself when you're on the podium.
How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide to Foreign Policy (Ancient Wisdom For Modern Readers Ser.)
by Thucydides Johanna HaninkAn accessible modern translation of essential speeches from Thucydides’s History that takes readers to the heart of his profound insights on diplomacy, foreign policy, and warWhy do nations go to war? What are citizens willing to die for? What justifies foreign invasion? And does might always make right? For nearly 2,500 years, students, politicians, political thinkers, and military leaders have read the eloquent and shrewd speeches in Thucydides’s History of the Peloponnesian War for profound insights into military conflict, diplomacy, and the behavior of people and countries in times of crisis. How to Think about War presents the most influential and compelling of these speeches in an elegant new translation by classicist Johanna Hanink, accompanied by an enlightening introduction, informative headnotes, and the original Greek on facing pages. The result is an ideally accessible introduction to Thucydides’s long and challenging History.Thucydides intended his account of the clash between classical Greece’s mightiest powers—Athens and Sparta—to be a “possession for all time.” Today, it remains a foundational work for the study not only of ancient history but also contemporary politics and international relations. How to Think about War features speeches that have earned the History its celebrated status—all of those delivered before the Athenian Assembly, as well as Pericles’s funeral oration and the notoriously ruthless “Melian Dialogue.” Organized by key debates, these complex speeches reveal the recklessness, cruelty, and realpolitik of Athenian warfighting and imperialism.The first English-language collection of speeches from Thucydides in nearly half a century, How to Think about War takes readers straight to the heart of this timeless thinker.
How to Train a Cowboy (Texas Rescue #6)
by Caro CarsonLESSONS IN LASSOINGThough marine hero Benjamin Graham doesn’t know the first thing about ranching, his new job is the lifeline he desperately needs. Without the help of feisty cowgirl Emily Davis, though, he’s lost—in more ways than one. But as their attraction turns combustible, the hardened battle vet turns away from the gorgeous college coed. She might know every inch of her family’s homestead, but Graham doesn’t want her to know his pain. Even if the world is Emily’s oyster, all she’s ever wanted is the family ranch. And though rugged new ranch hand Graham seems like an unlikely trainee, he is taking her dreams of running the ranch more seriously than anyone else. As they grow closer during hot days—and nights—working the range, Emily starts to think that maybe the ranch is only a piece of her dream…
How to Win: 36 Ancient Strategies for Success
by Eva WongPotent advice on how to think and act strategically in business, politics, and relationships--drawn from classic Chinese military and political expertise.The ancient strategies of war and politics have much to offer us in navigating the complicated challenges we face today--and to help us wisely and effectively meet our business, political, and relational goals. Here, eminent Chinese scholar and Taoist teacher Eva Wong unpacks the wisdom of The Thirty-Six Strategies, a collection of advice encoded in sayings, steeped in Chinese history and culture. She explores strategies attributed to renowned military philosophers such as Sun Tzu and Zhuge Liang (aka "The Sleeping Dragon"), along with other less-known advisors, that were implemented during three of the most chaotic eras of Chinese history--the Spring and Autumn Period, the Warring States Period, and the Three Kingdoms. Covering three categories of strategy--proactive, reactive, and desperate--Wong expertly connects the words of ancient military philosophers with timeless advice, as useful today as it was in the Tang dynasty (618-906) when this collection was originally gathered. In Chinese military philosophy and political theory, the thirty-six strategies are considered "yin" or "shadow" in nature, meaning that they operate best in darkness and concealment. As Wong writes, "Desperate times call for desperate measures, and since the thirty-six strategies rose out of times of war and conflict, it is inevitable that they were used to win wars, triumph over opponents, take advantage of situations, and survive when defeat is imminent."
How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror
by Reza AslanA cosmic war is a religious war. It is a battle not between armies or nations, but between the forces of good and evil, a war in which God is believed to be directly engaged on behalf of one side against the other.
How to Win on the Battlefield: The 25 Key Tactics Of All Time
by Rob Johnson Mike Whitby John FranceThe essential military tactics that have enabled commanders from Alexander the Great to General Giap to achieve victory on the battlefield. This groundbreaking book examines battle tactics that have achieved victory through the ages. Drawing on examples of battles on land, at sea, and in the air, the authors reveal the enduring value of each tactic in clear and compelling descriptions and analysis. How can you draw your enemy off-balance? When is the best moment to deliver a counterattack? What is the effect of shock action or defense in depth? This book shows how certain tactical concepts have stood the test of time. It illustrates how General Robert E. Lee, although heavily outnumbered, achieved a remarkable victory through an audacious flanking maneuver at Chancellorsville in 1863, and how the same bold move had been used effectively in Europe more than 600 years before by the king of France at Bouvines. It examines how Allied armies seized and retained the initiative through the airborne landings in Normandy in 1944, and how Soviet General Zhukov pierced enemy lines using Blitzkrieg tactics in Mongolia in 1939. The book features evocative photographs, illustrations, and paintings, and 28 specially commissioned battle plans.
How to Write About the Holocaust: The Postmodern Theory of History in Praxis (Routledge Approaches to History)
by Theodor PelekanidisHow to Write About the Holocaust is a contribution to ongoing debates in historiography and Holocaust studies. More specifically, it combines the theoretical framework that has developed in historiography in the last half a century with the demands of Holocaust representation. The first part of the book analyzes the newest trends in theory of history, focusing especially on postmodernism, starting from the works of the American historian and theorist Hayden White and tracing the genealogy of the postmodern influence in history both from an epistemological and from a political perspective. The second part continues by incorporating these theoretical developments into specific written examples on the Holocaust. By analyzing major works about it, including Saul Friedländer’s and Dan Stone’s histories of the Holocaust, the book attempts to answer questions like: what is the most appropriate way to write about the Holocaust and what can theory teach us about the practice of history? To conclude, the volume explores the connection between history and literature and asks if the distinction between fact and fiction has become outdated.
How War Begins
by John KeeganAn eBook short.From the dean of modern military historians, John Keegan: a key selection from his masterpiece, The First World War. The road to World War I, from the death of the archduke to the first salvos of battle, an incredibly thorough and straightforward account of how a supposedly rational liberal Europe became engulfed by war.Everyone remembers the powder keg, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife by Serbian national Gavrilo Princip; but what about the fact that a full month elapsed between Princip's deed and the actual beginning of war? Or that the German Kaiser spent much of that time on his imperial yacht Hohenzollern, on his annual cruise in the Norwegian fjords? John Keegan explains in careful and fascinating detail how exactly the war began, taking the reader through this fateful and exciting month of diplomatic back and forth, last-minute near-saves, and ultimate failure.
How War Might Spread to Europe (Routledge Library Editions: Cold War Security Studies #27)
by Miroslav NincicThis book, first published in 1985, examines the Cold War risks of superpower confrontations, mainly in the Third World, resulting in war in Europe. European security is usually analysed in the context of East-West relations in Europe, where though tensions often ran high, actual war seemed remote. The risks of war were much greater in other parts of the world, where the United States and the Soviet Union confronted each other using proxies. This book analyses these proxy confrontations, and the risks that they posed to the security of Europe.
How Wars Are Won: The 13 Rules of War--from Ancient Greece to the War on Terror
by Bevin AlexanderFrom ancient Greece to the war on terror, the author of the acclaimed "How Hitler Could Have Won World War II" identifies the 13 rules of war that have determined victory and defeat from ancient times through the 21st century.
How Wars End
by Dan ReiterThe author helps solve some of the most enduring puzzles in military history, and argues that two central factors shape war-termination decision making: information about the balance of power and the resolve of one's enemy.
How Was It Possible?: A Holocaust Reader
by Peter HayesAs the Holocaust passes out of living memory, future generations will no longer come face-to-face with Holocaust survivors. But the lessons of that terrible period in history are too important to let slip past. How Was It Possible?, edited and introduced by Peter Hayes, provides teachers and students with a comprehensive resource about the Nazi persecution of Jews. Deliberately resisting the reflexive urge to dismiss the topic as too horrible to be understood intellectually or emotionally, the anthology sets out to provide answers to questions that may otherwise defy comprehension. This anthology is organized around key issues of the Holocaust, from the historical context for antisemitism to the impediments to escaping Nazi Germany, and from the logistics of the death camps and the carrying out of genocide to the subsequent struggles of the displaced survivors in the aftermath. Prepared in cooperation with the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, this anthology includes contributions from such luminaries as Jean Ancel, Saul Friedlander, Tony Judt, Alan Kraut, Primo Levi, Robert Proctor, Richard Rhodes, Timothy Snyder, and Susan Zuccotti. Taken together, the selections make the ineffable fathomable and demystify the barbarism underlying the tragedy, inviting readers to learn precisely how the Holocaust was, in fact, possible.
How We Are Changed by War: A Study of Letters and Diaries from Colonial Conflicts to Operation Iraqi Freedom
by D.C. GillThe prolonged conflict in Iraq has shown us war’s transformative effect. Civilians rivet themselves to events happening halfway around the world, while young soldiers return home from battlefields, coping with the memories of those events. How We Are Changed by War examines our sense of ourselves through the medium of diaries and wartime correspondence, beginning with the colonists of the early seventeenth century, and ending with the diaries and letters from Iraqi war vets. The book tracks the effects of war in private writings regardless of the narrator’s historical era allowing the writers to ‘speak’ to each other across time to reveal a profound commonality of cultural experience. Finally, interpreting the narratives by how the writers conveyed the content adds a richer layer of meaning through the lenses of psychology and literary criticism, providing a model for any society to examine itself through the medium of its members’ informal writings.