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The Attack on Pearl Harbor (Cornerstones of Freedom, 2nd Series)
by Tom McgowenExplores the relationship between the United States and Japan that led to the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941, and to the United States' entry into World War II.
The Attack on Pearl Harbor: Strategy, Combat, Myths, Deceptions
by Alan D. Zimm<p>“Uses modern methods of operational analysis to determine exactly how the Japanese planned and executed the great raid . . . a worthy, useful analysis” (Naval History).<p> <p>The December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor has been portrayed by historians as a dazzling success. With most American historians concentrating on command errors and the story of participants’ experiences, the Japanese attack has never been subjected to a comprehensive critical analysis of the military side of the operation.<p> <p>This book presents a detailed evaluation of the attack on the operational and tactical level. It examines such questions as: Was the strategy underlying the attack sound? Were there flaws in planning or execution? How did Japanese military culture influence the planning? How risky was the attack? What did the Japanese expect to achieve, compared to what they did achieve? Were there Japanese blunders? What were their consequences? What might have been the results if the attack had not benefited from the mistakes of the American commanders?<p> <p>The book also addresses the body of folklore about the attack, assessing contentious issues such as the skill level of the Japanese aircrew; whether mini submarines torpedoed Oklahoma and Arizona, as has been recently claimed; whether the Japanese ever really considered launching a third-wave attack—and the consequences for the Naval Shipyard and the fuel storage tanks if it had been executed. In addition, the analysis has detected for the first time deceptions that a prominent Japanese participant in the attack placed into the historical record, most likely to conceal his blunders and enhance his reputation.<p>
The Attack on Troy
by Rodney Castleden“A most insightful treatment of the seemingly mythic events that make up part of the foundation of Western history . . . an excellent book.” —The NYMAS Review Thirty-three hundred years ago, Agamemnon, king of Mycenae in Greece, attacked the city of Troy in western Anatolia. The bloody siege that followed gave rise to one of the most famous legends of the ancient world, and the search for the truth behind the legend has intrigued scholars ever since. In this fascinating new investigation, Rodney Castleden reconsiders all the evidence in order to establish the facts and give a historical basis to the most potent myth of ancient warfare.
The Attack on the Liberty
by James ScottThe definitive account of the infamous 1967 attack on the USS Liberty by Israeli forces and the continuing controversy over what really happened. * Notorious incident: In 1967, Israeli fighter jets and torpedo boats attacked the spy ship uSS Liberty in international waters during the Six-Day War. Thirty-four sailors were killed and more than 170 wounded, many critically injured. Israel claimed mistaken identity, which a U.S. naval court of inquiry confirmed, but that explanation is contradicted by the facts of the case. * Based on new revelations: James Scott has interviewed Liberty survivors, senior u.S. political and intelligence officials, and examined newly declassified documents in Israel and the united States to write this comprehensive, dramatic account. He reveals that officers in Israel's chain of command were aware of the Liberty's identity and shows how events in Vietnam prompted the American government to deemphasize the attack despite widespread disbelief of Israel's story. * Journalist and son of an attack survivor: Scott's father, John, was an officer and engineer aboard the Liberty who was awarded the Silver Star for helping to save the ship from sinking.tt documents, for the first time, the fact that the ship was correctly identified by at least one of the pilots prior to the attacks. His descriptions of the crew under fire and their frantic work to save the ship are dramatic and unforgettable. Scott takes readers into the conference rooms at the White House where the most senior officials in the government debated how to respond to the attack and then eventually devised a plan to protect Israel from public outrage. The Attack on the Liberty is the finest account yet of this tragedy and a remarkable tale of men under fire in an incident that remains bitterly disputed after more than forty years.
The Audacious Crimes of Colonel Blood: The Spy Who Stole the Crown Jewels and Became the King's Secret Agent
by Robert HutchinsonThe gripping story of one of the most enigmatic and alluring figures in British history: a dangerous double agent and Irish rogue in King Charles II's court One morning in May 1671, a man disguised as a parson daringly attempted to seize the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. Astonishingly, he managed to escape with the regalia and crown before being apprehended. And yet he was not executed for treason. Instead, the king granted him a generous income and he became a familiar strutting figure in the royal court's glittering state apartments. This man was Colonel Thomas Blood, a notorious turncoat and fugitive from justice. Nicknamed the 'Father of all Treasons,' he had been involved in an attempted coup d'etat in Ireland as well as countless plots to assassinate Charles II. In an age when gossip and intrigue ruled the coffee houses, the restored Stuart king decided Blood was more useful to him alive than dead. But while serving as his personal spy, Blood was conspiring with his enemies. At the same time he hired himself out as a freelance agent for those seeking to further their political ambition. In The Audacious Crimes of Colonel Blood, bestselling historian Robert Hutchinson paints a vivid portrait of a double agent bent on ambiguous political and personal motivation, and provides an extraordinary account of the perils and conspiracies that abounded in Restoration England.
The August Offensive: At Anzac, 1915 (Australian Army Campaigns Series #10)
by David W. CameronThe August offensive or Anzac Breakout at Gallipoli saw some of the bloodiest fighting since the landing as Commonwealth and Turkish troops fought desperate battles at Lone Pine, German Officers' Trench, Turkish Quinn's the Chessboard, the Nek, Chunuk Bair, the Farm, Hill Q and Hill 971.
The Auschwitz Escape
by Joel C. RosenbergA terrible darkness has fallen upon Jacob Weisz's beloved Germany. The Nazi regime, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, has surged to power and now hold Germany by the throat. All non-Aryans-especially Jews like Jacob and his family-are treated like dogs. When tragedy strikes during one terrible night of violence, Jacob flees and joins rebel forces working to undermine the regime. But after a raid goes horribly wrong, Jacob finds himself in a living nightmare-trapped in a crowded, stinking car on the train to the Auschwitz death camp. As World War II rages and Hitler begins implementing his "final solution" to systematically and ruthlessly exterminate the Jewish people, Jacob must rely on his wits and a God he's not sure he believes in to somehow escape from Auschwitz and alert the world to the Nazi's atrocities before Fascism overtakes all of Europe. The fate of millions hangs in the balance.
The Auschwitz Photographer: The Forgotten Story of the WWII Prisoner Who Documented Thousands of Lost Souls
by Luca Crippa Maurizio OnnisThe Nazis asked him to swear allegiance to Hitler, betraying his country, his friends, and everything he believed in.He refused.Poland, 1939. Professional photographer Wilhelm Brasse is deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and finds himself in a deadly race to survive, assigned to work as the camp's intake photographer and take "identity pictures" of prisoners as they arrive by the trainload. Brasse soon discovers his photography skills are in demand from Nazi guards as well, who ask him to take personal portraits for them to send to their families and girlfriends. Behind the camera, Brasse is safe from the terrible fate that so many of his fellow prisoners meet. But over the course of five years, the horrifying scenes his lens capture, including inhumane medical "experiments" led by Josef Mengele, change Brasse forever.Based on the true story of Wilhelm Brasse, The Auschwitz Photographer is a stark black-and-white reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust. This gripping work of World War II narrative nonfiction takes readers behind the barbed wire fences of the world's most feared concentration camp, bringing Brasse's story to life as he clicks the shutter button thousands of times before ultimately joining the Resistance, defying the Nazis, and defiantly setting down his camera for good.
The Auschwitz Sonderkommando: Testimonies, Histories, Representations (The Holocaust and its Contexts)
by Nicholas Chare Dominic WilliamsThis book is the first to bring together analyses of the full range of post-war testimony given by survivors of the Sonderkommando of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Auschwitz Sonderkommando were slave labourers in the gas chambers and crematoria, forced to process and dispose of the bodies of those who were murdered. They have been central to a number of key topics in post-war debates about the Shoah: collaboration, moral compromise and survival, resistance, representation, and the possibility of bearing witness. Their testimony however has mostly met with a reluctance to engage in depth with it. Moving from testimonies produced within the event, the Scrolls of Auschwitz and the Sonderkommando photographs, to testimonies given at trials and for video archives, and to the paintings of David Olère and the film Shoah by Claude Lanzmann, this book demonstrates the importance of their witnessing in the post-war memory of the Holocaust, and provides vital new insights into the questions of representation, memory, gender, and the Shoah.
The Auschwitz Volunteer: Beyond Bravery
by Norman Davies Witold Pilecki Jarek Garlinski Rabbi Michael Schudrich Chief Rabbi Of PolandIn 1940, the Polish Underground wanted to know what was happening inside the recently opened Auschwitz concentration camp. Polish army officer Witold Pilecki volunteered to be arrested by the Germans and reported from inside the camp. <P><P> His intelligence reports, smuggled out in 1941, were among the first eyewitness accounts of Auschwitz atrocities: the extermination of Soviet POWs, its function as a camp for Polish political prisoners, and the final solution for Jews. Pilecki received brutal treatment until he escaped in April 1943; soon after, he wrote a brief report. This book is the first English translation of a 1945 expanded version. <P>In the foreword, Poland s chief rabbi states, If heeded, Pilecki s early warnings might have changed the course of history. Pilecki s story was suppressed for half a century after his 1948 arrest by the Polish Communist regime as a Western spy. He was executed and expunged from Polish history. Pilecki writes in staccato style but also interjects his observations on humankind s lack of progress: We have strayed, my friends, we have strayed dreadfully. . . we are a whole level of hell worse than animals These remarkable revelations are amplified by 40 b&w photos, illus. , and maps. "
The Australian Army Uniform and the Government Clothing Factory: Innovation In The Twentieth Century
by Anneke Van MosseveldThis book reveals the business history of the Australian Government Clothing Factory as it introduced innovative changes in the production and design of the Australian Army uniform during the twentieth century. While adopting a Schumpeterian interpretation of the concept of innovation, Anneke van Mosseveld traces the driving forces behind innovation and delivers a comprehensive explanation of the resulting changes in the combat uniform. Using an array of archival sources, this book displays details of extensive collaborations between the factory, the Army and scientists in the development of camouflage patterns and military textiles. It uncovers a system of intellectual property management to protect the designs of the uniform, and delivers new insights into the wider economic influences and industry linkages of the Government owned factory.
The Australian Army in World War I
by Robert Fleming Mike ChappellThe Australian contribution to the Allied war effort during World War I is worthy of celebration. Some 400,000 Australians volunteered for active duty, an astonishing 13 per cent of the entire (white) male population, a number so great that the Australian government was never forced to rely on conscription. Casualties were an astonishing 52 per cent of all those who served, ensuring that the effects of the war would be felt long after the armistice. In particular, their epic endeavours at Gallipoli in 1915 became the nation's founding legend, and the ANZACs went on to distinguish themselves both on the Western Front, and in General Allenby's great cavalry campaign against the Turks in the Middle East. Their uniforms and insignia were also significantly different from those of the British Army and will provide the inspiration for a unique set of artwork plates.
The Australian Army in World War II
by Mark Johnston Carlos ChagasOsprey's examination of the Australian army and its involvement in World War II (1939-1945). The Australian infantry were amongst the Commonwealth's toughest and most widely traveled infantry, serving in campaigns including Syria, Greece, Cyprus, Crete, Libya, Egypt, New Guinea, and the South West Pacific. Their fearsome fighting reputation was earned first against the Afrika Corps in the Libyan Desert, and then in the hellish conditions of New Guinea, where they held out against the Japanese invasion.Written by a leading expert on the subject and coupled with previously unpublished photographs from private collections and specially commissioned artwork, this book gives a comprehensive overview of the organization, units, uniforms, and insignia of the Australian "Diggers."
The Australian Security Intelligence Organization: An Unofficial History (Studies in Intelligence)
by Frank CainThis book traces the history of Australia's highly secret Intelligence Security Organisation. Established in the early days of the Cold War, like most intelligence organisations working under covert conditions, it exceeded the vague powers entrusted to it. It has been the subject of two Royal Commissions in Australia and in recent times several acts of Parliament have been passed in order to make it more accountable to Australia's government and its citizens.
The Australian Victories In France In 1918 [Illustrated Edition]
by Lieutenant-General Sir John MonashContains 9 maps and 30 photo illustrationsThe Australian Corps gained a towering reputation as a fighting force during the First World War; firm in defence and nigh-on unstoppable in attack. Their men were all volunteers who had travelled from the furthest reaches of the Empire to serve in Europe; following on from the badly managed campaign at Gallipoli the Australians formed a heterogeneous corps on the Western Front in 1916. Their record in the fighting during 1916 and 1917; including the capture of Bullecourt, the battles of Passchendaele and Messines Ridge were noteworthy in themselves. However their performance in 1918 was beyond all praise; foremost in blunting the German Spring offensives and then hurling themselves on the retreating Germans with savage abandon as the spearhead of the entire British Army.It is only fitting that the author of this story of Australian Glory is Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash, their hugely successful commander. He writes with passion, verve and highlights the performance of his men even down to the performance of individual officers and soldiers with great pride.A fantastic book celebrating the victories and sacrifices of the Australian soldiers on the Western Front in the last year of World War One.
The Autobiography Of Eppa Hunton
by Brigadier General Eppa Hunton IIEppa Hunton II (1822-1908), was a prominent figure in Virginia throughout his career as a lawyer, soldier and Congressman. Although his autobiography was written mainly for his family it contains much to interest the general reader and Civil War historian alike.In 1861 Hunton was among the delegates to the Virginia Succession Convention and voted for secession; immediately thereafter he was commission as a colonel in the 8th Virginia Infantry. He saw much action in the early years of the war, at First Bull Run and the battle of Ball's Bluff; he commanded a brigade in Longstreet's Corps under Pickett. His memories of Pickett's charge in which he was wounded are among the ever written, having recovered he served in the Army of Northern Virginian as a Brigadier General at Cold Harbor and the defence of Petersburg. He was again wounded at the battle of Sayler's creek and captured by Union forces.A gem of a Civil War memoir.
The Autobiography Of Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Smith, Baronet of Aliwal on the Sutlej, G.C.B.: Edited with the addition of some supplementary Chapters by G. C. Moore Smith M.A.
by G. C. Moore Smith Pickle Partners Publishing Lieutenant-General Sir Harry [Henry] George Wakelyn Smith G.C.B. Bart.This ebook is purpose built and is proof-read and re-type set from the original to provide an outstanding experience of reflowing text for an ebook reader. The autobiography of Sir Harry Smith, 1st Baronet of Aliwal, is as exciting, varied and adventurous as the epic life that he led. He joined the British army in the 1st battalion of the 95th Rifles, whose dark green uniform he was proud to wear and despite an inauspicious posting along with the disastrous expedition to Montevideo in 1807 his talents began to emerge. These talents were to be brought to bear on three other continents in the service of the British. A contemporary of, and good friend of, other famed writers of the Rifles, such as Sir John Kincaid, Major George Simmons, and Jonathan Leach. These characters appear in their varied guises throughout the narrative to give it a distinctly Rifle Brigade feeling. The autobiography was originally published in two parts, however in terms of phases or major periods of his life it is best to describe them in three distinct eras; The Napoleonic Period covers Sir Harry's career in the 95th through-out the Peninsular War, fighting in the Light Division from victory to victory. His Peninsular Medal , when issued in 1847, came with 12 clasps: Coruna, Busaco, Fuentes d'Onoro, Ciudad Rodrigo, Badajoz, Salamanca, Vittoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Nive, Orthez, Toulouse to represent the hard fought and glorious victories he had participated in. However perhaps his most fortuitous discovery during this period was Juana, his wife who having seen all here property destroyed in Badajoz came to the British lines to seek protection. Sir harry also participated in the Waterloo campaign in 1815 and provides a number of vivid anecdotes and flashes of action. The second period was in the emergent British Empire in India, where he trained and fought alongside native forces in the First Anglo-Sikh war. His victory at Aliwal on the Sutlej, in which he was outnumbered almost two to one, is widely regarded as the turning point of the war and led to further expansion what would become the Raj. Of the battle itself, the following quote might serve "Mr. B. Genn, late of the 15th Hussars, who had served under him in India in 1846, and who had fired over his grave. As soon as I had opened the door, a fine engraving of Sir Harry greeted me. It had been bought at a sale. The old veteran spoke of his commander always as the "dear old man." When I asked him if he thought him a good General, he fired up quickly, "Why, think of the battle of Aliwal! Not a mistake anywhere." Smith's next major positing was to the South Africa, where he played a major role in shaping the form of the colony. The evident differences between the natives, Boers and the administration that would flare up over the forty years since the ending of Smith's time, are littered amongst the pages of his writing. Of lasting fame can still be found here in the naming of numerous towns, not least of which the city of Ladysmith named after his wife Juana. A passionate man, often wild of temper, but brilliant and balanced nevertheless; an anecdote reported in his autobiography gives a little flavour of the man; "It was a common habit with Sir Harry Smith to threaten to jump down people's throats,-boots, spurs, and all; and he once on a field of battle sent a message, seasoned with some fearful expletives, to a colonel that if he kept his regiment so much to the front, he'd have him knee-haltered. But the fine old General drew a line at swearing and never allowed of personal abuse." Text taken, whole and complete, from the 1902 edition, in one volume, published in London by John Murray, Original 800+ pages. Author - Lieutenant-General Sir Harry [Henry] George Wakelyn Smith BART, G.C.B. (1787-1860) Editor - George Charles Moore Smith (1858-1940) Linked TOC and 16 Illustrations.
The Autobiography of Admiral Dewey: Admiral of the Navy
by Admiral of the Navy George DeweyOne of America's best known naval heroes whose life straddled two centuries and several stages of naval development, tells his own story.-Print ed.George Dewey was born on December 26, 1837 in Montpelier, Vermont. Upon his graduation from the Naval Academy in 1857, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in 1861. During the Civil War he served with Admiral Farragut during the Battle of New Orleans and as part of the Atlantic blockade. From 1871 until 1896, Dewey held a variety of positions in the Navy. In 1897 he was named commander of the Asiatic Squadron, thanks to the help of strong political allies, including Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt.Roosevelt's help was also essential in supplying Dewey with guns, ammunition, and other needed supplies so that his fleet would be prepared if war broke out with Spain. An aggressive commander, Dewey ignored China's neutrality and took on coal for his fleet at Mirs Bay. He was forced to leave Hong Kong on April 25, but not before the U.S.S. Baltimore had arrived from Honolulu with needed ammunition.Thus prepared for battle, Dewey launched his attack, through mined waters and firing shore batteries, on Admiral Patricio Montojo's slow, outmoded, under-supplied Spanish squadron at Cavite in Manila Bay. On May 1, he engaged the Spanish forces and demolished them, inflicting very heavy casualties. His troops occupied the bay and Manila itself alone until General Wesley Merritt's soldiers arrived in August.News of the victory in the Battle of Manila Bay reached President McKinley on May 7 and soon Dewey became a national hero. Congress awarded him a promotion to real admiral and handed out citations to members of his fleet. Although he thought about running for president, he settled for writing accounts of his famous victory and publishing his autobiography in 1913.
The Autobiography of Sergeant Lawrence - A Hero of the Peninsular and Waterloo Campaigns [Illustrated Edition]
by Pickle Partners Publishing Sergeant William Lawrence George Nugent BankesThis ebook is purpose built and is proof-read and re-type set from the original to provide an outstanding experience of reflowing text for an ebook reader. Sergeant William Lawrence's account of his life is an interesting addition to the memoirs of the Napoleonic period, not for the style and grace of the prose, as Lawrence was not a highly educated man, although highly observant. What is often missing from other memoirs of the period is that mostly, they are written by the officers, and with some notable exceptions do not give a feel for the way of life for the ranker and the N.C.O.. This autobiography goes some way to fill the gap in the record. Such instances as rations, the occasional pig of dubious provenance, "cyder", footsore marches lacking boots, and floggings are juxtaposed with the battles and skirmishes. Lawrence served in the 40th regiment of foot, in both the Peninsular war and the Waterloo campaign, ascending from private to Sergeant. Describing the storming of Badajoz, the battles of Vittoria and Waterloo in his turn he was rightly proud of his achievements and the Waterloo medal he wore, he died in his native Dorset in 1867 leaving a descendant to publish this book. Text taken from 1886 edition, full and complete, includes 10 additional maps to illuminate the text. All maps taken from Napier's History of the War in the Peninsular and the South of France, 1888 edition apart from 10. Which is taken from Captain Batty's An Historical Sketch of the Campaign of 1815, Illustrated by Plans of the Operations and of the Battles of Quatre Bras, Ligny, and Waterloo. 1 - The Battle of Vimiero, 21st August 1808 - Vol. I 2- Explanatory Sketch of the Campaign in Portugal August 1808- Vol. I 3- Battle of Talavera, 28th July 1809- Vol. II 4 - Operations on the Mondego and the Battle of Busaco - Vol. III 5 - The Lines of Torres Vedras - Vol. III 6 - Battle of Albuera, 16th May 1811 - Vol. III 7 - The Siege of Badajoz - 1812 - Vol. IV 8 - Battle of Vittoria and Operations leading up to it. - Vol. V 9 - Battle of Orthez and Soult's retreat to Aire. - Vol. VI 10- Map of the Battle of Waterloo, 18th June 1815. $ Author - William Lawrence [1791-1867] Editor - George Nugent Bankes [????-????]
The Autobiography: The Kindness of Strangers
by Kate AdieKate Adie's story is an unusual one. Raised in post-war Sunderland, where life was 'a sunny experience, full of meat-paste sandwiches and Sunday school', she has reported memorably and courageously from many of the world's trouble spots since she joined the BBC in 1969. THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS encompasses Adie's reporting from, inter alia, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Tiananmen Square and, of course, the Gulf War of 1991. It offers a compelling combination of vivid frontline reporting and evocative writing and reveals the extraordinarily demanding life of the woman who is always at the heart of the action. Although an intensely private person, Kate Adie also divulges what it's like to be a woman in a man's world - an inspiration to many working women.
The Autobiography: The Kindness of Strangers
by Kate AdieKate Adie's story is an unusual one. Raised in post-war Sunderland, where life was 'a sunny experience, full of meat-paste sandwiches and Sunday school', she has reported memorably and courageously from many of the world's trouble spots since she joined the BBC in 1969. THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS encompasses Adie's reporting from, inter alia, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Tiananmen Square and, of course, the Gulf War of 1991. It offers a compelling combination of vivid frontline reporting and evocative writing and reveals the extraordinarily demanding life of the woman who is always at the heart of the action. Although an intensely private person, Kate Adie also divulges what it's like to be a woman in a man's world - an inspiration to many working women.
The Autumn of the Ace
by Louis de Bernieres'De Bernieres is a singular, cherishable voice' Mail on SundayFrom the master of historical fiction, this book follows war hero Daniel Pitt and his unforgettable family after the Second World War.Some bonds are hard to break...Daniel Pitt was an RAF fighter in the First World War and an espionage agent for the SOE in the Second. Now the conflicts he faces are closer to home.Daniel's marriage has fractured beyond repair and Daniel's relationship with his son, Bertie, has been a failure since Bertie was a small boy.But after his brother Archie's death, Daniel is keen for new perspectives. He first travels to Peshawar to bury Archie in the place he loved best, and then finds himself in Canada, avoiding his family and friends back in England. Daniel and Bertie's different experiences of war, although devastating, also bring with them the opportunity for the two to reconnect.If only they can find a way to move on from the past...For more adventures with flying ace Daniel Pitt, see The Dust That Falls From Dreams and So Much Life Left Over.
The Avar Siege of Constantinople in 626: History and Legend (New Approaches to Byzantine History and Culture)
by Martin HurbaničThis book examines the Avar siege of Constantinople in 626, one of the most significant events of the seventh century, and the impact and repercussions this had on the political, military, economic and religious structures of the Byzantine Empire. The siege put an end to the power politics and hegemony of the Avars in South East Europe and was the first attempt to destroy Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. Besides the far-reaching military factors, the siege had deeper ideological effects on the mentality of the inhabitants of the Empire, and it helped establish Constantinople as the spiritual centre of eastern Christianity protected by God and his Mother. Martin Hurbanič discusses, from a chronological and thematic perspective, the process through which the historical siege was transformed into a timeless myth, and examines the various aspects which make the event a unique historical moment in the history of mankind – a moment in which the modern story overlaps with the legend with far-reaching effects, not only in the Byzantine Empire but also in other European countries.
The Avars: A Steppe Empire in Central Europe, 567–822
by Walter PohlThe Avars arrived in Europe from the Central Asian steppes in the mid-sixth century CE and dominated much of Central and Eastern Europe for almost 250 years. Fierce warriors and canny power brokers, the Avars were more influential and durable than Attila's Huns, yet have remained hidden in history. Walter Pohl's epic narrative, translated into English for the first time, restores them to their rightful place in the story of early medieval Europe.The Avars offers a comprehensive overview of their history, tracing the Avars from the construction of their steppe empire in the center of Europe; their wars and alliances with the Byzantines, Slavs, Lombards, and others; their apex as the first so-called barbarian power to besiege Constantinople (in 626); to their fall under the Frankish armies of Charlemagne and subsequent disappearance as a distinct cultural group. Pohl uncovers the secrets of their society, synthesizing the rich archaeological record recovered from more than 60,000 graves of the period, as well as accounts of the Avars by Byzantine and other chroniclers.In recovering the story of the fascinating encounter between Eurasian nomads who established an empire in the heart of Europe and the post-Roman Christian cultures of Europe, this book provides a new perspective on the origins of medieval Europe itself.
The Avatar
by Poul AndersonAnd through the shimmering gates they left for us, there are stars beyond stars: universes to be discovered on a voyage more awesome, an adventure more incredible, than anything humankind has ever dared to dream before!