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The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson: The Mortal Wounding of the Confederacy's Greatest Icon (Emerging Civil War Series)
by Chris Mackowski Kristopher D. WhiteAn exhaustive look at the final hours of the Confederacy’s most audacious general. May 1863. The Civil War was in its third spring, and Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas Jonathan Jackson stood at the peak of his fame. He had risen from obscurity to become “Old Stonewall,” adored across the South and feared and respected throughout the North. On the night of May 2, however, just hours after Jackson executed the most audacious maneuver of his career and delivered a crushing blow against an unsuspecting Union army at Chancellorsville, disaster struck. The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson recounts the events of that fateful night—considered one of the most pivotal moments of the war—and the tense vigil that ensued as Jackson struggled with a foe even he could not defeat. From Guinea Station, where Jackson crosses the river to rest under the shade of the trees, the story follows Jackson’s funeral and burial, the strange story of his amputated arm, and the creation and restoration of the building where he died (now known as the Stonewall Jackson Shrine). This newly revised and expanded second edition features more than 50 pages of fresh material, including almost 200 illustrations, maps, and eye-catching photos. New appendices allow readers to walk in Jackson’s prewar footsteps through his adopted hometown of Lexington, Virginia; consider the ways Jackson’s memory has been preserved through monuments, memorials, and myths; and explore the misconceptions behind the Civil War’s great What-If: “What if Stonewall had survived his wounds?” With the engaging prose of master storytellers, Chris Mackowski and Kristopher D. White make The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson a must-read for Civil War novices and buffs alike.
The Last Days of the High Seas Fleet: From Mutiny to Scapa Flow
by Nicholas C. Jellicoe&“Much fresh material . . . an excellent historical narrative of the events leading up to the Great Scuttle, the terrible day itself and its aftermath.&” —Warships: International Fleet Review On June 21, 1919, the ships of the German High Seas Fleet—interned at Scapa Flow since the Armistice—began to founder, taking their British custodians completely by surprise. In breach of agreed terms, the fleet dramatically scuttled itself, in a well-planned operation that consigned nearly half a million tons, and 54 of 72 ships, to the bottom of the sheltered anchorage in a gesture of Wagnerian proportions. This much is well-known, but more than a century after the &“Grand Scuttle&” many questions remain. Was von Reuter, the fleet&’s commander, acting under orders or was it his own initiative? Why was June 21 chosen? Did the British connive in or even encourage the action? Could more have been done to save the ships? Was it legally justified? And what were the international ramifications? This new book analyzes all these issues, beginning with the fleet mutiny in the last months of the war that precipitated a social revolution in Germany and the eventual collapse of the will to fight. The Armistice terms imposed the humiliation of virtual surrender on the High Seas Fleet, and the conditions under which it was interned are described in detail. Meanwhile the victorious Allies wrangled over the fate of the ships, an issue that threatened the whole peace process. Using much new material from German sources and a host of eyewitness testimonies, the circumstances of the scuttling itself are meticulously reconstructed, while the aftermath for all parties is clearly laid out. The story concludes with &“the biggest salvage operation in history&” and a chapter on the significance of the scuttling to the postwar balance of naval power. This is an important reassessment of the last great action of the First World War.
The Last Debutantes: A Novel
by Georgie BlalockA troubled debutante contemplates her future in the glittering world of English society and one of the last debutante seasons on the eve of World War II.Perfect for fans of The Kennedy Debutante and Next Year in Havana.“A perfect Downton Abbey-esque story to get swept away in.” —Stephanie Marie Thornton, USA Today–bestselling author of And They Called It CamelotWhen Valerie de Vere Cole, the niece of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, makes her deep curtsey to the King and Queen of England, she knows she’s part of a world about to end. The daughter of a debt-ridden father and a neglectful mother, Valerie sees firsthand that war is imminent.Nevertheless, Valerie reinvents herself as a carefree and glittering young society woman, befriending other debutantes from England’s aristocracy as well as the vivacious Eunice Kennedy, daughter of the U.S. Ambassador. Despite her social success, the world’s troubles and Valerie’s fear of loss and loneliness prove impossible to ignore.How will she navigate her new life when everything in her past has taught her that happiness and stability are as fragile as peace in our time? For the moment she will forget her cares in too much champagne and waltzes. Because very soon, Valerie knows that she must find the inner strength to stand strong and carry on through the challenges of life and love and war.“An exciting and compelling view inside the glamorous lives of debutantes coming out in the 1930s before WWII . . . Georgie Blalock brings to life not only the glitz of the aristocracy but the sometimes ugly gossip behind the scenes in this fascinating tale of family, friendship, betrayal, and survival.” —Eliza Knight, USA Today–bestselling author of The Mayfair Bookshop“A fascinating portrayal of London high society overshadowed by the threat of World War II. . . . Atmospheric, moving and compelling, The Last Debutantes is a must read!” —Christine Wells, author of Sisters of the Resistance
The Last Decade of the Cold War: From Conflict Escalation to Conflict Transformation (Cold War History)
by Olav NjølstadThe 1980s was a period of almost unprecedented rivalry and tension between the two main actors in the East-West conflict, the United States and the Soviet Union. Why and how that conflict first escalated and thereafter, in an amazingly swift process, was reversed and brought to its peaceful conclusion at the end of the decade is the topic of this volume.With individual contributions by eighteen well-known scholars of international relations and history from various countries, the book addresses the role of the United States, the former Soviet Union, and the countries of western and eastern Europe in that remarkable last decade of the Cold War, and discusses how particular events as well as underlying political, ideological, social, and economic factors may have contributed to the remarkable transformation that took place.
The Last Deployment: How a Gay, Hammer-Swinging Twentysomething Survived a Year in Iraq
by Bronson LemerIn 2003, after serving five and a half years as a carpenter in a North Dakota National Guard engineer unit, Bronson Lemer was ready to leave the military behind. But six months short of completing his commitment to the army, Lemer was deployed on a yearlong tour of duty to Iraq. Leaving college life behind in the Midwest, he yearns for a lost love and quietly dreams of a future as an openly gay man outside the military. He discovers that his father’s lifelong example of silent strength has taught him much about being a man, and these lessons help him survive in a war zone and to conceal his sexuality, as he is required to do by the U.S. military. The Last Deployment is a moving, provocative chronicle of one soldier’s struggle to reconcile military brotherhood with self-acceptance. Lemer captures the absurd nuances of a soldier’s daily life: growing a mustache to disguise his fear, wearing pantyhose to battle sand fleas, and exchanging barbs with Iraqis while driving through Baghdad. But most strikingly, he describes the poignant reality faced by gay servicemen and servicewomen, who must mask their identities while serving a country that disowns them. Often funny, sometimes anguished, The Last Deployment paints a deeply personal portrait of war in the twenty-first century.
The Last Detail: A Novel
by Darryl PonicsánUnlike other branches of the armed services, the Navy draws it police force from the ranks, as temporary duty called Shore Patrol. In this funny, bawdy, moving novel set during the height of the Vietnam War, two career sailors in transit in Norfolk, Virginia—Billy Bad-Ass Buddusky and Mule Mulhall—are assigned to escort eighteen-year-old Larry Meadows from Norfolk to the brig in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he is to serve an eight-year sentence for petty theft. It's good duty, until the two old salts realize the injustice of the sentence and are oddly affected by the naive innocence of their young prisoner. In the five days allotted for the detail, they decide to show Meadows something of the life he doesn't yet know, to help him survive the long ordeal ahead and to purge their own shame. What follows is an unlikely road trip by bus and train up the Eastern seaboard and an indelible journey of initiation and discovery, filled with beer-soaked wisdom, big city lights, revelry, brawls, debauchery, love, and surprising moments of tenderness.
The Last Ditch: Britain's Secret Resistance and the Nazi Invasion Plan
by David LampeIn 1940 Britain faced its biggest threat since the Spanish Armada. Hitler's invasion plans were in full swing and Britain had to quickly assemble a secret resistance force. This compelling study reveals the intentions of both side, from Hitler's strategies for Operation Sea Lion and subsequent occupation, to Britain's secret plans for resistance. German decrees show that the occupation would have been severe, with mass deportation for all able-bodied men as well as widespread arrests, as revealed in the notorious Gestapo Arrest List. In telling this story Lampe relates one of World War II's best kept secrets and offers insight into what would have been a brutal future.
The Last Ditch: Britain's Secret Resistance and the Nazi Invasion Plans
by David LampeNovelists, historians, and theorists have often toyed with the question: what would have happened if the Germans had occupied Britain in 1940? Based on years of persistent detective work, The Last Ditch investigates the German plans and the countermeasures undertaken through the specially formed British Resistance Organization. The very existence of this Resistance movement remained a secret for more than two decades until the silence was finally broken by Lampe. Few would have escaped oppression and inevitable gruesome consequences would have followed. There was to be mass deportation; wholesale appropriations of the country’s agricultural, mineral, and industrial produce; and widespread arrests, as revealed in the notorious Gestapo Arrest List—reprinted here in full.Lampe captures the mood of the post-Dunkirk period, setting the tone and immersing the reader in the challenging physical and psychological environment of those critical weeks and months. Although they never went into action, the Resistance was ready and waiting: the last ditch of Britain’s defense. So successful was their organization that they became the model for the Resistance and underground movements that were to arise all over occupied Europe. Included within are chilling interviews with key players that modern works cannot duplicate. In telling their story, Lampe relates one of the best-kept secrets of World War II and presents insight into what might have been.
The Last Division: Berlin, the Wall, and the Cold War
by Ann Tusa Raymond Seitz“A brilliant paper chase—an excellent book.”—Library JournalJFK, Khrushchev, Reagan, and a city divided. Berlin has played a major role in world politics since the Nazi era and continues to be in the spotlight today as the once-again-great capital of Germany. Ann Tusa presents an engaging chronicle of the Cold War partitions of this historic city, from the political strife and administrative division by the victors against Hitler, through the building and eventual destruction of the Wall. Using newly available documents, she offers by far the fullest account to date of the political, diplomatic, and military affairs of the city, with vivid characterizations of central figures like Konrad Adenauer, Nikita Khrushchev, and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Tusa's account also displays the full drama surrounding the building of the Wall, from its ramifications for world politics (including John F. Kennedy's famous response that “a wall is a hell of a lot better than a war” and Ronald Reagan’s iconic “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”) to the experiences of ordinary Berliners and the personal tragedies they experienced as the Wall severed a living city and sundered families for generations. The result is a startling combination of historical detail and lucid style, a story that The Sunday Times of London has hailed as “not only painstakingly researched but eminently readable.”
The Last Dragon's Voyage (e-short story): A dramatic novella of danger at sea
by M. K. HumeThe legend of King Arthur lives on..M.K. Hume's exclusive short story The Last Dragon's Voyage is an untold adventure from The Ice King (Twilight of the Celts Book III). The perfect read for fans of Ian Ross and Simon Scarrow. 'Hume brings the bloody, violent, conniving world vividly to life...will appeal to those who thrill to Game of Thrones and other tales of intersecting, ever-warring, noble lineages' - Kirkus ReviewWhen Arthur, the illegitimate son of King Arthur, embarks on a dangerous voyage across the uncharted, frozen seas off the coast of Norway, the hazardous ice forces him to shelter in a fjord during the winter. But Arthur and his crew are soon confronted with an even greater danger when an enormous blue whale enters the fjord and starts attacking the natives' vessels. They must risk their lives in a death-defying mission to slay the whale before it destroys them all...What readers are saying about M.K. Hume's novels: 'I love the way [M.K. Hume] breathes life into the characters, giving each individual traits that in the whole make them stronger whilst their own personal foibles allow a vulnerability''Well drawn characters with the right balance of plot and action. A great addition to historical fiction''M.K. Hume brings not only her characters to life but also the sights and sounds of battle'
The Last Dress from Paris: The glamorous, romantic dual-timeline read of summer 2022
by Jade BeerA sweeping dual-narrative love story sweeping from 1950s Paris to the V&A Museum in London, told through eight couture dresses that reunite three generations of women.Each Dior dress tells a story...London, 2017. When her beloved grandmother, Sylvie, sends her to Paris to retrieve a dress she wore decades before, Lucille sees the perfect opportunity to briefly escape the pressures of her own life. But not everything is as it seems, and the long-buried secrets she discovers, hidden in a collection of priceless Dior gowns, could change everything.Paris, 1952. Postwar France is full of glamour and privilege, and Alice Ainsley is in the middle of it all. As the wife to the British ambassador to France, her life is a whirlwind of jewels, banquets and couture dresses, but beneath the glittering facade, Alice is suffocating in a loveless marriage. So when a new face appears in her drawing room, Alice finds herself yearning to follow her heart . . . no matter the consequences.Deliciously evocative and achingly romantic, sweeping from 50s Paris to the V&A museum in London, The Last Dress from Paris is the perfect read for fans of Natasha Lester, Fiona Valpy and Gill Paul'A delightful fashion treasure hunt involving some of my favorite Dior gowns made this book a winner for me! The present day and 1950s narratives weave seamlessly together, the dresses dance from the pages, and Paris is resplendently depicted'-Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Secret(P) 2022 Penguin Audio
The Last Emperor of Mexico: The Dramatic Story of the Habsburg Archduke Who Created a Kingdom in the New World
by Edward ShawcrossThe true operatic tragedy of Maximilian and Carlota, the European aristocrats who stumbled into power in Mexico—and faced bloody consequences.In the 1860s, Napoleon III, intent on curbing the rise of American imperialism, persuaded a young Austrian archduke and a Belgian princess to leave Europe and become the emperor and empress of Mexico. They and their entourage arrived in a Mexico ruled by terror, where revolutionary fervor was barely suppressed by French troops. When the United States, now clear of its own Civil War, aided the rebels in pushing back Maximilian&’s imperial soldiers, the French army withdrew, abandoning the young couple. The regime fell apart. Maximilian was executed by a firing squad and Carlota, secluded in a Belgian castle, descended into madness.Assiduously researched and vividly told, The Last Emperor of Mexico is a dramatic story of European hubris, imperialist aspirations clashing with revolutionary fervor, and the Old World breaking from the New.
The Last Emperox (The Interdependency #3)
by John ScalziThe Last Emperox is the thrilling conclusion to the award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling Interdependency series, an epic space opera adventure from Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi.The collapse of The Flow, the interstellar pathway between the planets of the Interdependency, has accelerated. Entire star systems—and billions of people—are becoming cut off from the rest of human civilization. This collapse was foretold through scientific prediction . . . and yet, even as the evidence is obvious and insurmountable, many still try to rationalize, delay and profit from, these final days of one of the greatest empires humanity has ever known. Emperox Grayland II has finally wrested control of her empire from those who oppose her and who deny the reality of this collapse. But “control” is a slippery thing, and even as Grayland strives to save as many of her people form impoverished isolation, the forces opposing her rule will make a final, desperate push to topple her from her throne and power, by any means necessary. Grayland and her thinning list of allies must use every tool at their disposal to save themselves, and all of humanity. And yet it may not be enough. Will Grayland become the savior of her civilization . . . or the last emperox to wear the crown? The Interdependency Series1. The Collapsing Empire2. The Consuming Fire3. The Last EmperoxAt the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Last Enemy (Agents of Influence #1)
by Christian BeckAn Agents of Influence BookHighly decorated Delta Force operator and Iraq war hero Simon Monk loses everything when his romantic partner defects to Beijing after being caught selling US secrets to Chinese Intelligence. Monk is drummed out of the Army from the blowback but gets a second chance at a career when he is recruited into a covert group within the CIA. Years later Monk's latest assignment sends him to Cairo, where the head of station has disappeared amid a highly publicized sex scandal. But things are not what they seem. When the base chief turns up dead and the Egyptian government looks the other way, Monk and his team hunt down the assassin. All roads lead to a ruthless and lethal cult from Egypt's ancient past who discard every unwritten rule of espionage to win. Monk is forced to take to the shadows to find and destroy his most dangerous adversaries yet, as a chain of events threatens to ignite war in the Middle East.
The Last Enemy [Illustrated Edition]
by Flt.-Lt. Richard HillaryIncludes the Aerial Warfare In Europe During World War II illustrations pack with over 200 maps, plans, and photos.The Last Enemy, is an autobiographical book by Spitfire pilot Richard Hillary. Hillary was born in Sydney, Australia in 1919 but was educated at Shrewsbury School in England and Trinity College, Oxford. He joined the Royal Air Force at the start of World War II. The book, written in New York whilst recovering from surgery, covers his training and his experiences in the RAF, the Battle of Britain and his ordeal after suffering severe burns to his face and hands after a crash. He underwent plastic surgery, by the famous pioneering surgeon Archibald McIndoe and returned to flying at RAF Charterhall in November 1942. He was lost on night training when his Blenheim crashed on the 8th January 1943."The Last Enemy rapidly acquired the aura of a book that says something vital, whose importance goes beyond what it literally describes"--Sebastian Faulks"This slim volume of Hillary's seems to have a weight which makes it sink into the depths of one's memory, while tons of printed bulk drift as flotsom on its surface"--Arthur Koestler"One of the classic books of World War Two"--Philip French, London Review of Books"Rivetingly well told...It will still speak to anyone who cares for the romance and tragedy of a lost hero."--Godfrey Smith, Sunday Times"Elegantly affecting memoir"--David Horspool, The Times
The Last Enemy: The Centenary Collection (G - Reference,information And Interdisciplinary Subjects Ser.)
by Richard HillaryThe Last Enemy is the story of Richard Hillary, one of Sebastian Faulks' three 'fatal englishmen'. In this extraordinary account, the author details his experiences as a fighter pilot in the Second World War, in which he was shot down, leading to months in hospital as part of Archibald McIndoe's 'Guinea Pig Club', undergoing pioneering plastic surgery to rebuild his face and hands. The Last Enemy was first published in 1942, just seven months before Hilary's untimely death in a second crash and has gone on to be hailed as one of the classic texts of World War Two.
The Last Enemy: The Centenary Collection (The Centenary Collection)
by Richard HillaryIn 1918, the RAF was established as the world's first independent air force. To mark the 100th anniversary of its creation, Penguin are publishing the Centenary Collection, a series of six classic books highlighting the skill, heroism and esprit de corps that have characterised the Royal Air Force throughout its first century.The Last Enemy is Richard Hillary's extraordinary account of his experience as a Spitfire pilot in the Second World War. Hillary was shot down during the Battle of Britain, leading to months in hospital as part of Archibald McIndoe's 'Guinea Pig Club', undergoing pioneering plastic surgery to rebuild his face and hands. The Last Enemy was first published in 1942, just seven months before Hilary's untimely death in a second crash and has gone on to be hailed as one of the classic texts of World War II.
The Last Escaper: The Untold First-Hand Story of the Legendary World War II Bomber Pilot, "Cooler King" and Arch Escape Artist
by Peter Tunstall&“A remarkable memoir of a British lad&’s salad days flying bombers against the Nazis and then repeatedly escaping their prison camps&” (Kirkus Reviews). The product of a lifetime&’s reflection, The Last Escaper is Peter Tunstall&’s unforgettable memoir of his days in the British Royal Air Force and as one of the most celebrated British POWs of World War II. Tunstall was an infamous tormentor of his German captors. Dubbed the &“cooler king&” on account of his long spells in solitary, he once dropped a water &“bomb&” directly in the lap of a high-ranking German officer. He also devised an ingenious method for smuggling coded messages back to London. But above all he was a highly skilled pilot, loyal friend, and trusted colleague. Without false pride or bitterness, Tunstall recounts the hijinks of training to be a pilot, terrifying bombing raids, and elaborate escape attempts at once hilarious and deadly serious—all part of a poignant and human war story superbly told by a natural raconteur. The Last Escaper is a captivating final testament by the &“last man standing&” from the Greatest Generation. &“Right up there with Stalag 17 and The Great Escape.&” —New York Post &“The historical account of behind-the-scenes drama makes this a valuable addition to the period literature.&” —Publishers Weekly &“The stark reality of war is ever present in his detailed accounting of life as a prisoner of war. We are taken through the highs and lows of not only each failed attempt but the psychological effects of imprisonment on himself, others in the camps and ultimately how it changed each person involved.&” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Last Fashion House in Paris
by Renee RyanIn the heart of occupied WWII Paris, an elegant fashion house is the unlikely headquarters of a daring resistance network. Behind closed doors, courageous women vie to save loved ones and strangers alike from the Nazis in this powerful story of survival, friendship and second chances.France, 1942 Once, Paulette Leblanc spent her days flirting, shopping and drawing elegant dresses in her sketch pad. Then German tanks rolled into France, and a reckless romance turned into deep betrayal. Blaming herself for her mother&’s arrest by the Gestapo, Paulette is sent away to begin a new life in Paris, working as apprentice to fashion designer Sabine Ballard. But Maison de Ballard is no ordinary fashion house. While seamstresses create the perfect couture gowns, clandestine deals and secrets take place out of sight. Mademoiselle Ballard is head of a vast network of resistance fighters—including Paulette&’s coworker and friend Nicolle Cadieux—who help escort downed military men and Jewish families to safety. Soon Paulette is recruited as a spy. Working as a seamstress by day, gathering information at glamorous parties by night, Paulette at last has a chance to earn the redemption she craves. But as the SS closes in, and Nicolle goes missing, Paulette must make life-and-death decisions about who to trust, who to love and who to leave behind…
The Last Fighter Pilot: The True Story of the Final Combat Mission of World War II
by Don Brown Capt. Jerry Yellin*On the Publisher's Weekly bestseller list!*The New York Post calls The Last Fighter Pilot a "must-read" book. <P><P>From April to August of 1945, Captain Jerry Yellin and a small group of fellow fighter pilots flew dangerous bombing and strafe missions out of Iwo Jima over Japan. Even days after America dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9, the pilots continued to fly. Though Japan had suffered unimaginable devastation, the emperor still refused to surrender. <P><P> Bestselling author Don Brown (Treason) sits down with Yelllin, now ninety-three years old, to tell the incredible true story of the final combat mission of World War II. Nine days after Hiroshima, on the morning of August 14th, Yellin and his wingman 1st Lieutenant Phillip Schlamberg took off from Iwo Jima to bomb Tokyo. <P><P>By the time Yellin returned to Iwo Jima, the war was officially over—but his young friend Schlamberg would never get to hear the news. The Last Fighter Pilot is a harrowing first-person account of war from one of America's last living World War II veterans.
The Last Flight: A Novel
by Gregory P. LieferSet against the harsh beauty of Alaska, a veteran helicopter pilot is torn between ending his own embattled life and rescuing survivors from a mountain plane crash.Last Flight is the heroic story of Gil Connor, a senior Army helicopter pilot and aging Vietnam vet, as he struggles with an impending terminal illness and the desire to pull off one last daring rescue. Connor finds himself in a constant battle against his internal demons during his quest to reach the survivors of a remote, civilian commuter-plane crash deep in the Alaskan mountains-a rescue that perhaps only he can pull off.The stranded plane’s captain, Scott Sanders, takes charge after the crash, in spite of his injuries and the realization that his dream of flying for a major airline is destroyed. One of the passengers, a retired school teacher, assists him while barely holding herself together; her husband was killed in a fiery plane crash years before. They soon realize that time is not on their side in the Alaskan polar climate.Connor, who’s haunted by the horrors of war and a turbulent past, is torn between ending his life before the inevitable and saving the marooned crash victims before it’s too late. His underlying intentions are unknown, even to himself, until the very end. Aided by an untested protégée and a mysterious young girl found at the crash site, Connor struggles in a desperate gamble to achieve the near impossible. Amid the turmoil of an approaching storm and almost certain failure, his flying skills and drive for redemption are the only hopes that remain.Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade, Yucca, and Good Books imprints, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction-novels, novellas, political and medical thrillers, comedy, satire, historical fiction, romance, erotic and love stories, mystery, classic literature, folklore and mythology, literary classics including Shakespeare, Dumas, Wilde, Cather, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
The Last Four Months; How the War Was Won [Illustrated Edition]
by Major-General Sir Frederick MauriceIncludes the First World War Illustrations Pack - 73 battle plans and diagrams and 198 photosThe epic story of the last campaign of the Allied armies that shattered the German Army on the Western Front in 1918 bringing the First World War to a close. Renowned military writer Major-General Sir Frederick Maurice brings together the stories of the victorious armies who advanced from the Belgian coastline to the Swiss frontiers in vivid detail."WHO won the war? is a question that has been often asked. In the countries of all the great Allied Powers there have been found those who answered it to their own satisfaction as patriots, because it is easy to demonstrate that the war would not have been won, as and when it was won, had any of those countries failed to do what it actually achieved. Most of us, however, are agreed that victory was the result of combination, and I am convinced that that opinion will grow stronger the better the story is known...In this book I have sought to give a picture of Foch's great campaign and to sketch in due proportion the parts which went to make up the whole. I have reduced my descriptions of the battles to the simplest terms, because my object is to explain the broad causes of success and of failure, and there is danger, in entering into details of operations on so vast a scale, of losing sight of the wood for the trees. As no story of a campaign can be complete unless it describes the intentions, aims and feelings of the enemy, at least at the most critical periods, I have collected the best information available on these points from captured documents or from publications in Germany. Fortunately, there has in that country been considerable public discussion between Hindenburg, Ludendorff and their critics as to the conduct of the former during the period with which I am here chiefly concerned, and material has not been lacking."-Author's Preface.
The Last Frontier
by Sergey KonyashinThe action of the historical novel “The Last Frontier” takes place on the ruins of Novorossiysk - a small town on the Black Sea shore, almost completely swept away the face of the earth in the result of fierce battles with the fascist invaders in 1942-1943. This is a very difficult time for Russia that is drastically drained after a whole line of crushing defeats. Each of the heroes experiences it in his own way. Some of them demonstrate unparalleled heights of resilience and courage, others try to settle old scores in order to save their lives through deception and betrayal. But for all of them, as well as for the Wehrmacht’s - many times superior - troops, rapidly rushing to the Caucasus, the fierce battles at cement plants on the eastern outskirts of Novorossiysk are in some way their own last frontier, on which they must make a difficult choice - to die or to win. The storyline is based on the fate of two completely dissimilar friends, fighters of the 305th Soviet marine battalion - Andrey Novitsky (a native of Novorossiysk) and Endel Mari (the Estonian). They, miraculously survived in the deadly battle at Balka Adamovicha, do not hesitate to respond to the proposal of their commander, major Caesar Kunikov, to go to an even more fierce battle - in a daring night landing on the western shore of Tsemesskaya Bay, on the now legendary Malaya Zemlya armplace. Sometimes the novel is scary in describing the Nazi atrocities and the horrors of war. The author equally does not spare either his heroes or readers, successively, page by page, exposing the terrible price of the great victory, which no heroism and no achievements of top military leaders will ever justify. This book is a reminder not only of why and thanks to whom we have a clear sky over our heads, but also rather that it should never happen again.
The Last Full Measure
by Jeff ShaaraIn the Pulitzer prize-winning classic The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara created the finest Civil War novel of our time, an enduring bestseller that has sold more than two million copies. In the bestselling Gods and Generals, Shaara's son, Jeff, brilliantly sustained his father's vision, telling the epic story of the events culminating in the Battle of Gettysburg. Now, Jeff Shaara brings this legendary father-son trilogy to its stunning conclusion in a novel that brings to life the final two years of the Civil War.As The Last Full Measure opens, Gettysburg is past and the war advances to its third brutal year. On the Union side, the gulf between the politicians in Washington and the generals in the field yawns ever wider. Never has the cumbersome Union Army so desperately needed a decisive, hard-nosed leader. It is at this critical moment that Lincoln places Ulysses S. Grant in command--and turns the tide of war.For Robert E. Lee, Gettysburg was an unspeakable disaster--compounded by the shattering loss of the fiery Stonewall Jackson two months before. Lee knows better than anyone that the South cannot survive a war of attrition. But with the total devotion of his generals--Longstreet, Hill, Stuart--and his unswerving faith in God, Lee is determined to fight to the bitter end. Here too is Joshua Chamberlain, the college professor who emerged as the Union hero of Gettysburg--and who will rise to become one of the greatest figures of the Civil War.Battle by staggering battle, Shaara dramatizes the escalating confrontation between Lee and Grant--complicated, heroic, deeply troubled men. From the costly Battle of the Wilderness to the agonizing siege of Petersburg to Lee's epoch-making surrender at Appomattox, Shaara portrays the riveting conclusion of the Civil War through the minds and hearts of the individuals who gave their last full measure.Full of human passion and the spellbinding truth of history, The Last Full Measure is the fitting capstone to a magnificent literary trilogy.
The Last Full Measure: How Soldiers Die in Battle
by Michael StephensonIn this brilliantly researched, deeply humane work of history, Michael Stephenson traces the paths that have led soldiers to their graves over the centuries, revealing a wealth of insight about the nature of combat, the differences among cultures, and the unchanging qualities of humanity itself. Behind every soldier's death lies a story, a tale not just of the cold mathematics of the battlefield but of an individual human being who gave his life. What psychological and cultural pressures brought him to his fate? What lies--and truths--convinced him to march toward his death? Covering warfare from prehistory through the present day, The Last Full Measure tells these soldiers' stories, ultimately capturing the experience of war as few books ever have. In these pages, we march into battle alongside the Greek phalanx and the medieval foot soldier. We hear gunpowder's thunder in the slaughters of the Napoleonic era and the industrialized killing of the Civil War, and recoil at the modern, automated horrors of both World Wars. Finally, we witness the death of one tradition of "heroic" combat and the construction of another in the wars of the modern era, ranging from Vietnam to America's latest involvements in Iraq and Afghanistan. In exploring these conflicts and others, Stephenson draws on numerous sources to delve deep into fascinating, period-specific detail--tracing, for instance, the true combat effectiveness of the musket, the utility of the cavalry charge, or the vulnerabilities of the World War II battle tank. Simultaneously, he examines larger themes and reveals surprising connections across both time and culture. What does the medieval knight have in common with the modern paratrooper? What did heroism and bravery mean to the Roman legionary, or to the World War I infantryman--and what is the true motivating power of such ideals? How do men use religion, friendship, or even nihilism to armor themselves against impending doom--and what do we as human beings make of the undeniable joy some among us take in the carnage? Combining commanding prose, impeccable research, and a true sensitivity to the combatant's plight, The Last Full Measure is both a remarkably fresh journey through the annals of war and a powerful tribute to the proverbial unknown soldier.