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Northern Thunder: A William Parker Mission (A Will Parker Thriller #1)
by Anderson HarpINTO THE LION&’S DEN North Korea. For Kim Jong-un, the time has come to position his country atop the world&’s pecking order. To do so, he has invested his nation&’s resources in one rogue scientist. Peter Nampo is a nanotech specialist who has developed a nuclear missile not only capable of reaching the heart of Los Angeles, but also capable of knocking out America&’s eyes in the skies—the GPS satellites overseeing the Korean Peninsula. Jong-un has funded Nampo&’s secret laboratory somewhere in a valley of the Taebaek Mountains. Marine recon veteran and small town prosecutor William Parker has a history with Peter Nampo—and is the only one who can identify him. Recruited into a joint CIA and Pentagon Dark Ops Taskforce, Parker must infiltrate the Hermit Kingdom, find Nampo, and end the scientist&’s threat. But there&’s more to this mission than Parker knows, and what he discovers is a danger far greater than being trapped behind enemy lines . . . Praise for RETRIBUTION &“I seldom come across a thriller as authentic and well‑written as Retribution. Andy Harp brings his considerable military expertise to a global plot that&’s exciting, timely, and believable . . . to say that I&’m impressed is an understatement.&”—David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of The Protector &“Retribution is a stunner: a blow to the gut and shot of adrenaline. Here is a novel written with authentic authority and bears shocking relevance to the dangers of today. It reminds me of Tom Clancy at his finest.&”—James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of Bloodline &“Outstanding thriller with vivid characters, breakneck pacing, and suspense enough for even the most demanding reader. Harp writes with complete authenticity and a tremendous depth of military knowledge. A fantastic read—don&’t miss it!&”—Douglas Preston, #1 bestselling author of Impact
Northmen: The Viking Saga, 793–1241 AD
by John HaywoodThis sweeping medieval history follows the Vikings from Finland to Newfoundland, from Jelling to Jerusalem, and from paganism to Christendom.In AD 800, the Scandinavians were just barbarians in longships. Though they held sway in the north, their status was based on their ability to pillage and plunder. As these Norse warriors left their strongholds to trade, raid, and settle across wide areas of Europe, Asia, and the North Atlantic, their violent and predatory culture left a unique imprint on medieval history. But in time, contact with these new territories would leave an indelible mark on the Vikings as well.By the year 1200, what remained of the Vikings’ pagan origins floated beneath the surface and the strong, strange territories of the north had become a part of Latin Christendom. In Northmen, medieval historian John Haywood chronicles this transformation, paying homage to what was lost and celebrating what was won. Focusing on key events, including the sack of Lindisfarne in 793 and the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066, Haywood recounts the saga of the Viking Age, from the creation of the world through to the dwindling years of halfhearted raids and elegiac storytelling in the thirteenth century.
Northrop Flying Wings
by Graham M. SimonsThe aviation historian and author of Memphis Belle presents an authoritative analysis of the groundbreaking, post-WWI series of military aircraft. In the years following the First World War, a new imperative arose in aviation technology: stealth, speed, and precision. American aircraft designer Jack Northrop developed a streamlined craft that did away with superfluous appendages, including the weighty fuselage and tail units. This was an extreme measure, but Northrop was determined to push aircraft design to a new level. Eliminating both the fuselage and tail meant placing the pilot, the engines, and the payload entirely within the wing envelope. The resulting craft, Northrop&’s flying wings, were some of the most spectacular machines ever to grace the skies. With barely any vertical surfaces at all, they looked like something from the realm of science fiction. Indeed, one even appeared in the film version of H.G. Wells&’ War of the Worlds. Written off by many as a mere novelty, the development of these unique bombers provided aeronautical innovations that paved the way for a raft of new designs. During the 1970s, when the United States needed a new strategic bomber to replace the B-52 Superfortress, the flying wing design was brought to the fore once again. The B-2 Spirit was born out of this, continuing the legacy of this stealthy design. This craft, along with the B-35, the eight-engined YB-49 and the YRB-49A, are all highlighted in this authoritative history. Detailed analyses of each design, set within a wider historical context, make for a compelling record of this landmark design.
Norwich Blitz: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War)
by Martin W. BowmanNorwich, in common with most English cities, suffered enemy air attack and during a period of almost three and a half years bombs were dropped in every part of the city. The first German raid occurred on Tuesday 8 July 1940; the last on 6 November 1943. The total number of Alerts during 1943 was 95 with a total duration of 54 hours. The Crash Warning was sounded 50 times with a total duration of 19 hours 8 minutes. There was no large devastated area but throughout the city considerable damage was caused. All sections of life were affected and factories, railway stations, shops, schools, hospitals and churches sustained damage and many buildings were totally ruined. Of the citys 35,569 houses in 1939, 2,082 were destroyed entirely, 2,651 were seriously damaged and 25,621 were moderately damaged. In human toll 340 people were killed and 1,092 injured, over three-quarters of these casualties occurring in 1942 when the enemy carried out what became known as the Baedeker Raids upon Cathedral cities and historic and administrative capitals of the provinces.
Norwich in the Great War (Your Towns & Cities in the Great War)
by Stephen BrowningOn the eve of the Great War, Norwich was very much a city on the rise an industrial and commercial powerhouse. It was certainly not, however, without its problems, not least the extreme poverty of some areas, such as the notorious Norwich Yards. This meticulously researched book looks at Norwich on the eve of conflict and charts, in detail, everyday life in the city, year on year, extensively drawing on original material from the period much of it never before published in book form. It largely focuses on how it felt to live in the city: on the joys and trials, on the changes to peoples lives, on the courage and humour, as well as the pride and determination shown by the people of The Fine City. Both dramatic events and the details of daily life are illustrated by many rare and fascinating photographs taken at the time. The massive contribution that Norwich's industry made to the war effort especially in supplying hundreds of thousands of pairs of the perfect marching boot and in building the Sopwith Camel on Riverside is celebrated. As are the incredible deeds of the heroes who travelled from Norwich to the fields of conflict, some of whom gained the Victoria Cross and the many more brave men who did not. Usefully, an At a Glance section outlines the main world events against which home life unfolded. It concludes with a view of the city as the surviving troops finally came home. A separate appendix gives the route for a fascinating 'Great War Walk' around the city centre, taking in many of the places discussed throughout this book.
Nos robaron la juventud: Memoria viva de la Quinta del biberón
by Victor AmelaNos robaron la juventud narra las historias de los biberones que combatieron en el Ebro, de los voluntarios que se alistaron siendo apenas adolescentes (tanto en el ejército republicano como en el de Franco), de los que sobrevivieron y (algunos) continuaron su lucha en la Segunda Guerra Mundial, de los que fueron encarcelados y de los que fallecieron en el campo de batalla. Hacia el final de la Guerra Civil, 27.000 muchachos nacidos en 1920 fueron llamados a filas. Se los conoció como la Quinta del Biberón y muchos ni siquiera tenían dieciocho años cuando perdieron la vida en la sangrienta batalla del Ebro. Los supervivientes acabaron en penales y en cárceles franquistas, en campos de concentración o en batallones disciplinarios, y debieron cumplir luego un largo servicio militar. Todos conservaron de por vida el terrible recuerdo de esa guerra en la que combatieron en alpargatas y sin cartucheras. La sarna, los piojos, la sed, las caminatas, la metralla. Las voces quebradas de los chiquillos moribundos en el campo de batalla llamando a sus madres. Los compañeros muertos, enterrados a centenares en la Venta de les Camposines. Una pesadilla repetida noche tras noche a lo largo de los años en el momento de cerrar los ojos. La certeza de que les habían robado la juventud. Víctor Amela ha recopilado el valioso testimonio de veinticinco supervivientes y ha reconstruido con una minuciosa investigación la memoria de esos muchachos que vivieron uniformados de los diecisiete a los veinticinco años. Y estas conmovedoras historias humanas se alzan -gracias al rigor periodístico del autor y a su pasión al narrar los hechos- en el debido y sentido homenaje a los héroes anónimos de la Quinta del Biberón cuando se cumple el centenario de sus nacimientos.
Not All of Us Were Brave
by Stanley ScislowskiThis is the story of a young man’s journey through World War II. It covers a wide cross section of the strengths and weaknesses of young men not attuned to killing, and not mentally prepared to face the horror of seeing their close friends die violent deaths in battle. The story is about the hopes, the prayers, the fears, the daily miseries and even the lighter moments that the aspiring heroes of the Perth Regiment experienced on the Italian front as part of 11th Infantry Brigade, 5th Canadian Armoured Division.As the title suggests, from his first battle inoculation Private Stan Scislowski realizes he is not destined for the heroic role to which he once aspired. His fears affect him deeply: his burning dream of returning home a national hero becomes more and more improbable, and his attempts to come to terms with his un-heroic nature make the war as much a mental battle as a physical one. His story is much like that of the overwhelming number of Canadians who found themselves in the cauldron of war, serving their country with all the strength they could find, even when that strength was fading fast.Not All of Us Were Brave focuses not on the heroes, but on the ordinary soldiers who endured the mud, the misery, the ever-present fear, the inspiration, and the degradation. The narrative holds nothing back: the dirty linen is aired along with the clean; the light is shown alongside the dark. It shows what war is all about.
Not Even My Name: A True Story
by Thea Halo“The harrowing story of the slaughter of two million Pontic Greeks and Armenians in Turkey after WWI comes to vivid life. . . . eloquent and powerful.” —Publishers WeeklyNot Even My Name exposes the genocide carried out during and after WWI in Turkey, which brought to a tragic end the 3000-year history of the Pontic Greeks (named for the Pontic Mountain range below the Black Sea). During this time, almost 2 million Pontic Greeks and Armenians were slaughtered and millions of others were exiled.Not Even My Name is the unforgettable story of Sano Halo’s survival, as told to her daughter, Thea, and of their trip to Turkey in search of Sano’s home seventy years after her exile. Sano Halo was a 10-year-old girl when she was torn from her ancient, pastoral way of life in the mountains and sent on a death march that annihilated her family. Stripped of everything she had ever held dear, even her name, Sano was sold by her surrogate family into marriage when she was fifteen to a man three times her age.Not Even My Name follows Sano’s marriage, the raising of her ten children in New York City and her transformation from an innocent girl to a nurturing mother and determined woman in twentieth-century New York City.“An important and revealing book.” —Library Journal“What illuminates the writing is Halo’s heartfelt love for her brave mother. An unforgettable book.” —Booklist
Not Even Past: How the United States Ends Wars
by David Fitzgerald John M. Thompson David RyanVietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan: Taken together, these conflicts are the key to understanding more than a half century of American military history. In addition, they have shaped, in profound ways, the culture and politics of the United States—as well as the nations in which they have been fought. This volume brings together international experts on American history and foreign affairs to assess the cumulative impact of the United States’ often halting and conflicted attempts to end wars. It offers essential perspectives on the Cold War and post-9/11 eras and explores the troubling implications of the American tendency to fight wars without end.
Not Forgotten: The Great War and Our Modern Memory
by Neil OliverThere are 37,780 First World War memorials in Britain, listing names from all walks of life - estates, villages, places of work. They stand as landmarks to a defining period in British history - and yet one which is in danger of slipping away from popular memory. NOT FORGOTTEN is a revealing look at the untold stories that lie behind these lists of names - stories of the impact of World War One on British society, the echoes of which can still be felt today. More than a conflict overseas, it was the catalyst for an extraordinary period of rapid and radical change to the social, cultural and political fabric of the nation. Social restrictions on women were revolutionised, from jobs and the vote to new freedoms in dress, behaviour and sexuality. The class system was thrown into disarray, both at home and on the front lines; roles were reversed in family life for a large part of the population, through bereavement, evacuation and children put to work in munitions factories. And as the state took drastic measures to cope with this turmoil, so the foundations were laid for the society in which we live today.
Not Forgotten: The Great War and Our Modern Memory
by Neil OliverThere are 37,780 First World War memorials in Britain, listing names from all walks of life - estates, villages, places of work. They stand as landmarks to a defining period in British history - and yet one which is in danger of slipping away from popular memory. NOT FORGOTTEN is a revealing look at the untold stories that lie behind these lists of names - stories of the impact of World War One on British society, the echoes of which can still be felt today. More than a conflict overseas, it was the catalyst for an extraordinary period of rapid and radical change to the social, cultural and political fabric of the nation. Social restrictions on women were revolutionised, from jobs and the vote to new freedoms in dress, behaviour and sexuality. The class system was thrown into disarray, both at home and on the front lines; roles were reversed in family life for a large part of the population, through bereavement, evacuation and children put to work in munitions factories. And as the state took drastic measures to cope with this turmoil, so the foundations were laid for the society in which we live today.
Not Going Home Alone
by James J. KirschkeExperience the pain, the pride, and the triumph of the Marine Corps All the members of 1st Lt. James J. Kirschke’s mortar platoon and then rifle platoon knew the stakes: the Marines are America’s military elite, expected to train harder, fight longer, sacrifice more. Kirschke led by example in the hotly contested zone just south of the DMZ and in the dangerous AnHoa region southwest of DaNang. There Kirschke’s units, with resources stretched to the limit, saw combat almost daily in some of the fiercest fighting of 1966. Sustained through the toughest firefights and bloodiest ambushes, the men’s morale proved a testament to Kirschke’s leadership and his dedication to what the U. S. Marines stand for. Those beliefs, and the faith of his men, in turn helped Kirschke through his long recovery after he was wounded by the triple explosion of a box mine rigged to an anti-tank rocket round and a frag grenade. The Marines’ legend and reputation are based on the blood, courage, and discipline of warriors like Jim Kirschke. Sparing no one, he has written a powerful chronicle of the deadly war his Marines fought with valor.
Not I: Memoirs of a German Childhood
by Joachim C. FestA portrait of an intellectually rigorous German household opposed to the Nazis and how its members suffered for their political stance<P> Few writers have deepened our understanding of the Third Reich as much as German historian, biographer, journalist, and critic Joachim Fest. His biography of Adolf Hitler has reached millions of readers around the world. Born in 1926, Fest experienced firsthand the rise of the Nazis, the Second World War, and a catastrophically defeated Germany, thus becoming a vital witness to these difficult years. <P> In this memoir of his childhood and youth, Fest offers a far-reaching view of how he experienced the war and National Socialism. True to the German Bildung tradition, Fest grows up immersed in the works of Goethe, Schiller, Mörike, Rilke, Kleist, Mozart, and Beethoven. His father, a conservative Catholic teacher, opposes the Nazi regime and as a result loses his job and status. Fest is forced to move to a boarding school in the countryside that he despises, and in his effort to come to terms with his father’s strong political convictions, he embarks on a tireless quest for knowledge and moral integrity that will shape the rest of his life and writing career.
Not Me
by Michael LavigneNot Me is a remarkable debut novel that tells the dramatic and surprising stories of two men-father and son-through sixty years of uncertain memory, distorted history, and assumed identity. When Heshel Rosenheim, apparently suffering from Alzheimer's disease, hands his son, Michael, a box of moldy old journals, an amazing adventure begins-one that takes the reader from the concentration camps of Poland to an improbable love story during the battle for Palestine, from a cancer ward in New Jersey to a hopeless marriage in San Francisco. The journals, which seem to tell the story of Heshel's life, are so harrowing, so riveting, so passionate, and so perplexing that Michael becomes obsessed with discovering the truth about his father. As Michael struggles to come to grips with his father's elusive past, a world of complex and disturbing possibilities opens up to him-a world in which an accomplice to genocide may have turned into a virtuous Jew and a young man cannot recall murdering the person he loves most; a world in which truth is fiction and fiction is truth and one man's terrible-or triumphant-transformation calls history itself into question. Michael must then solve the biggest riddle of all: Who am I?Intense, vivid, funny, and entirely original, Not Me is an unsparing and unforgettable examination of faith, history, identity, and love.From the Hardcover edition.
Not Me
by Michael LavigneNot Me is a remarkable debut novel that tells the dramatic and surprising stories of two men–father and son–through sixty years of uncertain memory, distorted history, and assumed identity. When Heshel Rosenheim, apparently suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, hands his son, Michael, a box of moldy old journals, an amazing adventure begins–one that takes the reader from the concentration camps of Poland to an improbable love story during the battle for Palestine, from a cancer ward in New Jersey to a h...
Not Ordinary Men: The Story of the Battle of Kohima (Pen And Sword Military Classics Ser. #Vol. 26)
by John ColvinHaving driven the British and Indian Forces out of Burma in 1942, General Mutaguchi, Commanding the 15th Japanese Army, was obsessed by the conquest of India. In 1944 the British 14th Army, under its commander General Slim, drew back to the Imphal Plain, before Mutaguchis impending offensive. To the north, however, the entire Japanese 31 Division had crossed the Chindwin and, on April 5, arrived at the hill-station and road junction of Kohima, cutting off Imphal except by air, from the supply point at Dimpapur.Kohima was initially manned by only 266 men of the Assam Regiment and a few hundred convalescents and administrative troops. They were joined, on April 5, by 440 men of the Fourth Battalion of the Royal West Kent Regiment, straight from the Battle of Arakan.In pouring rain, under continual bombardment, this tiny garrison held the assaults of thirteen thousand Japanese troops in hand-to-hand combat for sixteen days, an action described by Mountbatten as probably one of the greatest battles in history ... in effect the Battle of Burma, naked, unparalleled heroism, the British/Indian Thermopylae.
Not Playing the Game: Sport and Australia's Great War
by Xavier FowlerWar remembrance and sport have become increasingly entwined in Australia, with AFL and NRL Anzac Day fixtures attracting larger crowds than dawn services. National representative teams travel halfway around the world to visit battle sites etched in military folklore. To validate their integration into this culturally sacred occasion, promoters point to the special role of sport in the development of the Anzac legend, and with it, the birth of the nation. The air of sombre reflection that surrounds each Anzac Day is accompanied by a celebratory nationalism that sport and war supposedly embody. But what exactly is being remembered, and indeed forgotten, in these official commemorations and tributes? In Not Playing the Game, Xavier Fowler reveals that the place of sport in the Great War was highly contested. Civilian patriots and public officials complained that spectator sport distracted young men from enlisting and wasted public finances better spent elsewhere. Sport's defenders argued it was a necessary escape for a population weary of the pressures of war. These competing views often reflected differences of class, politics and ethnicity, and resulted in ferocious, sometimes violent, clashes. Not Playing the Game challenges the way our memories of the war are influenced by the fervour of sport, painting a picture not of triumph but immense turmoil and tragedy.
Not So Quiet...: A Novel (Women And Peace Ser.)
by Jane Marcus Helen Zenna SmithThis story offers a rare, funny, bitter, feminist look at war from women actively engaged in it. Published in London in 1930, Not So Quiet...(on the Western Front) is a novel in autobiographical guise that describes a group of British women ambulance drivers on the French front lines during World War 1. As Voluntary Aid Detachment workers, the women pay for the privilege of driving the wounded through shell fire in the freezing cold, on no sleep and an inedible diet, under the watchful eye of their punishing commandant, nicknamed Mrs. Bitch.
Not So Wild A Dream
by Eric Sevareid"For anyone even remotely interested in American literature and journalism, Not So Wild a Dream is a must-read, and a joy."– Dan RatherIn this captivating first-person account, Eric Sevareid describes in thrilling detail his time as a journalist covering international affairs during World War II. From a young man in North Dakota to an instrumental figure in establishing CBS as an international news organization, Sevareid witnessed the shaping of America’s journalistic landscape. His experiences provide an invaluable glimpse into the trials and tribulations of a dogged reporter. With current distrust of the press on the rise, Sevareid’s insight is poignant and all the more necessary."The book is an excellent sketch of the war's progress, and a thoughtful personal record of Mr. Sevareid's adventures--one of the most far ranging war correspondent journals yet published."– Library Journal
Not Thinking Of Death
by Alexander FullertonWorld War Two is almost upon them. But first the submariners must face another danger…As the shadow of Nazism descends on Europe, Britain at last begins to prepare her defences. Trials start for a new class of submarine in the mouth of the Clyde.Royal Navy submariner Rufus Chalk, on board as an observer, has misgivings. There are technical problems, small enough in themselves but together possibly dangerous.On this first dive in the open sea, with numerous observers on board, if there were an accident the precious air supply would last only half as long as normal…Written by acclaimed naval veteran Alexander Fullerton and based loosely on the tragic loss of H.M. Submarine Thetis in Liverpool Bay in 1939, Not Thinking Of Death is an unputdownable novel, perfect for fans of Anthony Trew, Alan Evans and Max Hennessy.Praise for Alexander Fullerton‘The scene of battle is quite overpowering’ Sunday Times‘His action passages are superb, and he never puts a period foot wrong’ Observer ‘What le Carré is to the spy genre, Fullerton is to naval warfare’ South Wales Echo
Not Untrue & Not Unkind: A Novel
by Ed O'LoughlinA Man Booker Prize–nominated novel that &“vividly re-creates the life of a foreign correspondent&” (Booklist). Owen Simmons is working an easy gig at a Dublin newspaper, having left behind the life of war reporting. Then he finds an old photo, taken in Africa in the era of the Rwandan genocide. It will transport him into a wave of intense memories of dead bodies, orphans, the ravages of wartime epidemics—as well as a woman he once loved, and a shattering event in his past. From an author who covered Africa for the Irish Times, this is a &“gripping&” novel of friendship, rivalry, and betrayal among a group of journalists and photographers in the thick of danger and far from home (Daily Mail). &“This atmospheric book authentically carries the sounds and flavors of a Graham Greene novel, reading at times like a memoir with the seamless underbelly of a gritty Hemingwayesque tale.&” —New York Journal of Books &“A fine, darkly authoritative novel.&” —Joseph O&’Neill, author of Netherland &“A book that far transcends the usual literary efforts of the former combat reporter. It stands as an elegy not only for Simmons&’s band of colleagues but for a golden era of journalism.&” —The New York Times Book Review
Not a Gentleman's War: An Inside View of Junior Officers in the Vietnam War
by Ron MilamWars are not fought by politicians and generals--they are fought by soldiers. Written by a combat veteran of the Vietnam War,Not a Gentleman's Waris about such soldiers--a gritty, against-the-grain defense of the much-maligned junior officer. Conventional wisdom holds that the junior officer in Vietnam was a no-talent, poorly trained, unmotivated soldier typified by Lt. William Calley of My Lai infamy. Drawing on oral histories, after-action reports, diaries, letters, and other archival sources, Ron Milam debunks this view, demonstrating that most of the lieutenants who served in combat performed their duties well and effectively, serving with great skill, dedication, and commitment to the men they led. Milam's narrative provides a vivid, on-the-ground portrait of what the platoon leader faced: training his men, keeping racial tensions at bay, and preventing alcohol and drug abuse, all in a war without fronts. Yet despite these obstacles, junior officers performed admirably, as documented by field reports and evaluations of their superior officers. More than 5,000 junior officers died in Vietnam; all of them had volunteered to lead men in battle. Based on meticulous and wide-ranging research, this book provides a much-needed serious treatment of these men--the only such study in print--shedding new light on the longest war in American history.
Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda
by Sean NaylorAward-winning combat reporter Sean Naylor reveals how close American forces came to disaster in Afghanistan against Al Qaida--after easily defeating the ragtag Taliban that had sheltered the terrorist organization behind the 9/11 attacks.At dawn on March 2, 2002, over two hundred soldiers of the 101st Airborne and 10th Mountain Divisions flew into the mouth of a buzz saw in Afghanistan's Shahikot Valley. Believing the war all but over, U.S. military leaders refused to commit the extra infantry, artillery, and attack helicopters required to fight the war's biggest battle-- a missed opportunity to crush hundreds of Al Qaida's fighters and some of its most senior leaders. Eyewitness Naylor vividly portrays the heroism of the young, untested soldiers, the fanaticism of their ferocious enemy, the mistakes that led to a hellish mountaintop firefight, and how thirteen American commandos embodied "Patton's three principles of war"--audacity, audacity, and audacity--by creeping unseen over frozen mountains into the heart of an enemy stronghold to prevent a U.S. military catastrophe.
Not for King or Country: Edward Cecil-Smith, the Communist Party of Canada, and the Spanish Civil War (G - Reference, Information And Interdisciplinary Subjects Ser.)
by Tyler WentzellNot for King or Country tells the story of Edward Cecil-Smith, a dynamic propagandist for the Communist Party of Canada during the Great Depression. Born to missionary parents in China in 1903, Cecil-Smith came to Toronto in 1919 where he joined the Canadian militia and lived a happy life ensconced in the Protestant missionary community of Toronto. He became increasingly interested in radical politics during the 1920s, eventually joining the Communist Party in 1931. Worried by the growing strength of fascism around the world, particularly in China, Germany, Italy, and Spain during the summer of 1936, Cecil-Smith quietly departed Canada and became among the first volunteers to fight for the Republic in the Spanish Civil War. Cecil-Smith was motivated to fight not out of any sense of traditional patriotism (“for king or country”) but out of a sense that the onward march of fascism had to be stopped, and Spain was where the line had to be drawn. Not for King or Country is the first biography of a Canadian commander in the Spanish Civil War, and is also the first book to critically analyse the major battles in which the Canadian and American volunteers fought. Drawing upon declassified RCMP files, records held in the Russian Archives in Moscow, audio recordings of the volunteers, a detailed survey of maps, and battle records, as well as and the Communist Party press, Not for King or Country breaks down the battles and the Party's activities in a way that will be accessible to interested readers and scholars alike.
Not in Vain: A Rifleman Remembers World War II
by Leon C. StandiferGrowing up in a small college town in central Mississippi in the 1930s, Leon C. Standifer knew little of the trauma of war. But by the time he was nineteen, World War II had made war a reality for him. Standifer volunteered for and was accepted by a special army program that would send him to college for technical training; he sometimes hoped and some-times feared that the war would end before the training did. Events turned out quite otherwise. A serious shortage of trained riflemen needed for the invasion of Normandy meant that Standifer and more than one hundred thousand other young men were taken from the program and sent into battle as combat infantrymen. Not in Vain: A Rifleman Remembers World War II looks at American involvement in the war from the firsthand perspective of this nineteen-year-old soldier. As an infantryman in France and Germany during the latter part of the war, Standifer experienced the numbing boredom of daily routine and the adrenaline-pumping excitement of combat. He re-calls the anguish of losing friends in battle and the decisive moment when he slit the throat of an enemy soldier, memories that haunt him still. But Not in Vain is far more than a conventional soldier’s memoir. Although he recounts in vivid detail his personal experiences, Standifer also makes a far broader inquiry into the forces that turned a sheltered young man from a religious, small-town back-ground into an effective soldier. Growing up in the Baptist church, Standifer thought he had learned the differences between good and evil, right and wrong. But after his days in battle, moral distinctions were no longer as clear.Not in Vain documents Standifer’s lifelong debate with himself over the justification for war by considering not only his reactions during combat but also the feelings that have remained with him for life. He describes these intense emotions in his account of a trip taken to Europe many years after the war and of his recent reunion with some of the former members of his rifle company. Written in an effort to come to terms with his involvement in the war, Not in Vain is a probing and timely study of a citizen’s dedication to his country.