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Victory: 100-gun First Rate 1765 (ShipCraft #29)
by Kerry JangThe ‘ShipCraft’ series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warships. Previously, these have generally covered plastic and resin models of 20th century subjects, but this volume is a radical departure – not only a period sailing ship but one for which kits are available in many different materials and scales. This requires some changes to the standard approach, but the main features of the series remain constant. Victory, Nelson’s flagship at Trafalgar, is probably the world’s most famous sailing warship, and survives in restored form at Portsmouth. With lavish illustration, this book takes the modeller through a brief history of the ship, highlighting differences in appearance over her long career. Detailed color profiles reveal decorative detail and changes to paint schemes over 250 years, and outline some of the debatable features experts still disagree about. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit, including the complexities of rigging. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and coverage concludes with a section on research references – books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites. Following the pattern of the series, this book provides an unparalleled level of visual information – paint schemes, models, line drawings and photographs – and is simply the best reference for anyone setting out to model this imposing three-decker.
Victory 1945: Western Allied Troops in Northwest Europe
by Peter Dennis Gordon L. RottmanEven when Western Allied troops gained a foothold in Normandy, World War II in Europe was far from over. The route to Germany's interior and the Nazis final surrender was long, arduous and blood-stained. The Wehrmacht's stubborn resistance and the shocking losses suffered by US, British, Canadian and 'Free European' troops meant that the Allies had to adapt and refine small-unit tactics, battle-drills, and their use of weapons and munitions. The troops who finally met up with the Red Army in Germany were a very different fighting force to the one that struggled up the beaches of northern France. This book offers a comprehensive guide to the late-war Allied troops, exploring their uniforms, equipment, organization and tactics. Detailed description and accurate color pictures illustrate the means by which the Allied troops on the ground evolved to the point of winning the war on the Western Front.
Victory Against Japan 1944-1945: (WW2 #12) (The Ladybird Expert Series #18)
by James HollandBOOK 12 OF THE LADYBIRD EXPERT HISTORY OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, FROM AWARD-WINNING HISTORIAN JAMES HOLLANDFeaturing stunning illustrations from Keith Burns, bringing the story to life in vivid detailWhy did Japan decide to attack at Pearl Harbour?What was the Japanese vision of a Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere?How did the American strategy turn the tide against Japanese offensives?Uncover the complexities of the brutal war against Japan.From the surprise attack on Pearl Harbour, Oahu, to the Philippines Campaign, the Allies were finally able to turn the tide against the onslaught of Japanese forces.Ending in Japanese surrender after the devastating atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the war in Japan was eventually won, but at the cost of civilian lives.THE WAR THAT LED TO TWO ATOMIC BOMBINGSWritten by historian, author and broadcaster James Holland, Victory Against Japan is an essential introduction to the tactics that finally brought an end to the Second World War.__________Discover the full Ladybird Expert WW2 series:BlitzkriegThe Battle of BritainBattle of the AtlanticThe Desert WarThe Eastern FrontThe Pacific WarThe Bomber WarThe War in ItalyThe Battle for NormandyThe War in BurmaVictory in EuropeVictory Against Japan
Victory and Honor (Honor Bound #6)
by William E. Butterworth IV W.E.B. GriffinMay 1945: Just weeks after Hitler's suicide, Cletus Frade and his colleagues in the Office of Strategic Services are fighting several new and deadly battles. <P><P>The first is political--with every department from Treasury to War to the FBI grabbing for OSS covert agents and assets. The second is military--with the OSS having smuggled Germans into Argentina for years because of their knowledge of Soviet KGB agents in America's atomic bomb program. The third concerns what might be the next world war against Red Joe Stalin and his voracious ambitions. <P> To get an early advantage, Frade has been conducting a secret and daring operation against the Communists. But to do it undetected, he and his men must walk a perilously dark line. Because all it takes is one slip--and everyone becomes a casualty of war. .
Victory at Any Cost: The Genius of Viet Nam's Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap
by Cecil B. CurreyMany people do not understand why America lost the Viet Nam War. Author Cecil B. Currey makes one primary reason clear: North Viet Nam's Senior Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap. Victory at Any Cost tells the full story of the man who fought three of the world's great powers—and beat them all.
Victory at Gallipoli, 1915: The German-Ottoman Alliance in the First World War
by Klaus Wolf&“The author delivers in fine detail, supported by excellent appendices and notes, the role of officers and men in the defense of the Dardanelles.&” —Michael McCarthy, Battlefield Guide The German contribution in a famous Turkish victory at Gallipoli has been overshadowed by the Mustafa Kemal legend. The commanding presence of German General Liman von Sanders in the operations is well known. But relatively little is known about the background of German military intervention in Ottoman affairs. Klaus Wolf fills this gap as a result of extensive research in the German records and the published literature. He examines the military assistance offered by the German Empire in the years preceding 1914 and the German involvement in ensuring that the Ottomans fought on the side of the Central Powers and that they made best use of the German military and naval missions. He highlights the fundamental reforms that were required after the battering the Turks received in various Balkan wars, particularly in the Turkish Army, and the challenges that faced the members of the German missions. When the allied invasion of Gallipoli was launched, German officers became a vital part of a robust Turkish defense—be it at sea or on land, at senior command level or commanding units of infantry and artillery. In due course German aviators were to be, in effect, founding fathers of the Turkish air arm; while junior ranks played an important part as, for example, machine gunners. This book is not only their missing memorial but a missing link in understanding the tragedy that was Gallipoli.&“A great addition to any Gallipoli library.&” —The Western Front Association
Victory at Gettysburg: An Excerpt from Gettysburg Heroes
by Glenn W. LaFantasieA collection of personal accounts from key figures in the battle of Gettysburg.The Civil War generation saw its world in ways startlingly different from our own. Glenn W. LaFantasie examines the lives and experiences of several key personalities who gained fame during the war. As a turning point in the war, Gettysburg had a different effect on each person. Victory at Gettysburg captures the human drama of the war and shows how this group of individuals endured or succumbed to the war and, willingly or unwillingly, influenced its outcome. At the same time, it shows how the war shaped the lives of these individuals, putting them through ordeals they never dreamed they would face or survive. The battle of Gettysburg is the thread that ties these Civil War lives together.“Glenn LaFantasie is one of the finest writers in the field of Civil War history. His prose is accessible, pleasurable to read, and always insightful and provocative . . . this book should excite a lot of interest.” —Joan Waugh, editor of The Memory of the Civil War in American Culture
Victory At Midway
by Lt.-Cmdr. Griffith Baily CoaleThe fascinating account of a war artist at work in the U.S. Navy Pacific command after the "Day of Infamy" attack on Pearl Harbor."IN THE autumn of 1942, three young Combat Artists were commissioned to add their records in drawings and paintings of the Navy's tremendous effort in this war. I had been on active duty for just a year, with two oversea duties that took me from Iceland and the North Atlantic Patrol before Pearl Harbor, to Oahu and Midway last spring and summer. Therefore I could share their enthusiasms for their first sea duty as Naval artists, their burning desire to give the best they had to the Navy, and their gratitude to our commanding officer, Captain Leland P. Lovette, Director of Public Relations, for ordering them overseas. At this writing all three are still away. Lieutenant (j.g.) Dwight Shepler is in the Solomon area, where he has seen and depicted much hot action, as it took place close about the ships in which he was serving. Lieutenant (j.g.) William Draper is in the Aleutian area, and Ensign Mitchell Jamieson is in European waters.The Battle of Midway covered a vast area and no one saw it all. I asked permission to go to Midway on June 2nd, and my orders to fly there were given me on June 6th--"Stand by on a half hour's notice." The word came by telephone that evening to leave by a bomber at 6.30 A.M. the next morning, June 7th. Sketching all day and fascinated in the evening by listening to first hand experiences from many different sectors of the battle, the five days on Midway flew by with the speed of a skimming sea bird."--Author's Foreword]
Victory at Poitiers: The Black Prince and the Medieval Art of War (Campaign Chronicles Ser.)
by Christian Teutsch&“Evokes the blood and mud and terror of combat . . . A good primer of the Battle of Poitiers . . . with prose that is by turns professional and passionate.&” —De Re Militari On September 13, 1356, near Poitiers in western France, the small English army of Edward the Black Prince crushed the forces of the French King Jean II in one of the most famous battles of the Hundred Years&’ War. Over the centuries, the story of this against-the-odds English victory has, along with Crcy and Agincourt, become part of the legend of medieval warfare. And yet in recent times this classic battle has received less attention than the other celebrated battles of the period. The time is ripe for a reassessment, and this is the aim of Christian Teutsch&’s thought-provoking new account. &“Teutsch describes in vivid detail the Black Prince&’s experiences that led to his horse charge across the countryside of southwest France, and the critical actions of Romorantin and Chatellerault that made Poitiers possible. His narrative culminates with the prince&’s daring ride to draw the French king Jean into battle and the drama of the combat itself. Combined with a selection of over 15 battlefield maps showing the orders of battle, this informative and highly readable account is a compulsive purchase for all with an interest in medieval history.&” —The Lance and Longbow Society
Victory at Sea: Naval Power and the Transformation of the Global Order in World War II
by Paul KennedyA sweeping, lavishly illustrated one-volume history of the rise of American naval power during World War II &“Engrossing. . . . Kennedy convincingly shows that World War II was won, ultimately, by superior American industrial capacity.&”—Brendan Simms, Wall Street Journal &“A brilliant and gripping book by a master historian working at the top of his powers.&”—Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University In this engaging narrative, brought to life by marine artist Ian Marshall&’s beautiful full‑color paintings, historian Paul Kennedy grapples with the rise and fall of the Great Powers during World War II. Tracking the movements of the six major navies of the Second World War—the allied navies of Britain, France, and the United States and the Axis navies of Germany, Italy, and Japan—Kennedy tells a story of naval battles, maritime campaigns, convoys, amphibious landings, and strikes from the sea. From the elimination of the Italian, German, and Japanese fleets and almost all of the French fleet, to the end of the era of the big‑gunned surface vessel, the advent of the atomic bomb, and the rise of an American economic and military power larger than anything the world had ever seen, Kennedy shows how the strategic landscape for naval affairs was completely altered between 1936 and 1946.
Victory at Vimy: Canada Comes of Age, April 9-12, 1917
by Ted BarrisNational Bestseller At the height of the First World War, on Easter Monday April 9, 1917, in early morning sleet, sixteen battalions of the Canadian Corps rose along a six-kilometre line of trenches in northern France against the occupying Germans. All four Canadian divisions advanced in a line behind a well-rehearsed creeping barrage of artillery fire. By nightfall, the Germans had suffered a major setback. The Ridge, which other Allied troops had assaulted previously and failed to take, was firmly in Canadian hands. The Canadian Corps had achieved perhaps the greatest lightning strike in Canadian military history. One Paris newspaper called it "Canada’s Easter gift to France." Of the 40,000 Canadians who fought at Vimy, nearly 10,000 became casualties. Many of their names are engraved on the famous monument that now stands on the ridge to commemorate the battle. It was the first time Canadians had fought as a distinct national army, and in many ways, it was a coming of age for the nation. The achievement of the Canadians on those April days in 1917 has become one of our lasting myths. Based on first-hand accounts, including archival photographs and maps, it is the voices of the soldiers who experienced the battle that comprise the thrust of the book. Like JUNO: Canadians at D-Day, Ted Barris paints a compelling and surprising human picture of what it was like to have stormed and taken Vimy Ridge.
Victory at Vimy: Canada Comes of Age, April 9-12, 1917
by Ted BarrisAt the height of the First World War, on Easter Monday April 9, 1917, in early morning sleet, sixteen battalions of the Canadian Corps rose along a six-kilometre line of trenches in northern France against the occupying Germans. All four Canadian divisions advanced in a line behind a well-rehearsed creeping barrage of artillery fire. By nightfall, the Germans had suffered a major setback. The Ridge, which other Allied troops had assaulted previously and failed to take, was firmly in Canadian hands.The Canadian Corps had achieved perhaps the greatest lightning strike in Canadian military history. One Paris newspaper called it "Canada's Easter gift to France." Of the 40,000 Canadians who fought at Vimy, nearly 10,000 became casualties. Many of their names are engraved on the famous monument that now stands on the ridge to commemorate the battle. It was the first time Canadians had fought as a distinct national army, and in many ways, it was a coming of age for the nation. The achievement of the Canadians on those April days in 1917 has become one of our lasting myths. Based on first-hand accounts, including archival photographs and maps, it is the voices of the soldiers who experienced the battle that comprise the thrust of the book. Like "JUNO: Canadians at D-Day", Ted Barris paints a compelling and surprising human picture of what it was like to have stormed and taken Vimy Ridge.
Victory at Yorktown: A Novel (George Washington Series #3)
by Newt Gingrich William R. ForstchenNew York Times bestselling authors Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen pen the triumphant conclusion to their George Washington series-a novel of leadership, brotherhood, loyalty, and the victory of the American Revolutionary cause.1781. After three years in a bitter stalemate, General Washington decides to embark on one of the most audacious moves in American military history. He will take nearly his entire army out of New Jersey and New York and force march it more than three hundred miles in complete secrecy. He must pray that the French navy is successful in blockading Chesapeake Bay, so that he can fall upon British General Cornwallis at Yorktown. It is a campaign laden with "Ifs" but the deadlock must be broken, otherwise the American spirit, after six long years of war, will crumble.A tour de force narrative of one of America's most important heroes, Victory at Yorktown vividly portrays Washington's unparalleled courage, determination, and patriotism as he leads his professional army, once a "rabble in arms," to the heat of the Battle of Yorktown to execute the Revolution's most decisive contest.
Victory at Yorktown: The Campaign That Won the Revolution
by Richard M. KetchumFrom "the finest historian of the American Revolution"(Douglas Brinkley) comes Richard M. Ketchum's Victory at Yorktown, the definitive account of the battle and unlikely triumph that led to American independence.In 1780, during the Revolutionary War, George Washington's army lay idle for want of supplies, food, and money. All hope seemed lost until a powerful French force landed at Newport in July. Then, under Washington's directives, Nathanael Greene began a series of hit-and-run operations against the British. The damage the guerrilla fighters inflicted would help drive the enemy to Yorktown, where Greene and Lafayette would trap them before Washington and Rochambeau, supported by the French fleet, arrived to deliver the coup de grâce. Richard M. Ketchum illuminates, for the first time, the strategies and heroic personalities--American and French--that led to the surprise victory, only the second major battle the Americans would win in almost seven horrific years. Relying on good fortune, daring, and sheer determination never to give up, American and French fighters--many of whom walked from Newport and New York to Virginia--brought about that rarest of military operations: a race against time and distance, on land and at sea. Ketchum brings to life the gripping and inspirational story of how the rebels defeated the world's finest army against all odds.
The Victory Campaign (May 1944 - August #1945)
by StrategicusOriginally published in 1947, “This volume is the last of the series in which I have attempted to write the history of the war while it is actually taking place. It does not appear during the war for the best of reasons; but it is unduly late because of a number of personal mischances and because it covers much more ground than the earlier volumes. The battle-piece it attempts to portray is, in fact, the greatest in the history of the world. Never before have campaigns of the size and scope taken place. In the numbers engaged, in the amount of material used, in distances covered, in the novelty of the tactics and in the almost incredible brutality of some of the methods used, the campaigns of this period from May 1944 to the middle of August 1945 are unique.”Richly illustrated throughout with maps.
Victory City: A History of New York and New Yorkers during World War II
by John StrausbaughFrom John Strausbaugh, author of City of Sedition and The Village, comes the definitive history of Gotham during the World War II era. New York City during World War II wasn't just a place of servicemen, politicians, heroes, G.I. Joes and Rosie the Riveters, but also of quislings and saboteurs; of Nazi, Fascist, and Communist sympathizers; of war protesters and conscientious objectors; of gangsters and hookers and profiteers; of latchkey kids and bobby-soxers, poets and painters, atomic scientists and atomic spies.While the war launched and leveled nations, spurred economic growth, and saw the rise and fall of global Fascism, New York City would eventually emerge as the new capital of the world. From the Gilded Age to VJ-Day, an array of fascinating New Yorkers rose to fame, from Mayor Fiorello La Guardia to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Langston Hughes to Joe Louis, to Robert Moses and Joe DiMaggio. In VICTORY CITY, John Strausbaugh returns to tell the story of New York City's war years with the same richness, depth, and nuance he brought to his previous books, City of Sedition and The Village, providing readers with a groundbreaking new look into the greatest city on earth during the most transformative -- and costliest -- war in human history.
The Victory Dogs
by Megan RixThe Victory Dogs is the incredible story of two puppies who become heroes of the blitz.A heartwarming story for 9+ readers who are fans of Michael Morpurgo's War Horse and Lauren St John. BARK and HOWL are two puppies, born on the London undergroundSHEBA is an elderly one-eared catWhen the Blitz begins, how will they survive?It's the start of the Second World War and Bark and Howl are lost in the dark maze of tunnels under London.With Sheba's help, they learn how to survive. But when the bombs begin to fall, the puppies become separated. As the attacks continue, Bark and Howl are frightened, but they know the tunnels so well - they're the only ones who can lead hundreds of trapped people out of danger. Will Bark and Howl find each other - and be victorious in leading Londoners to safety?'If you love Michael Morpurgo, you will enjoy this' Express 'A moving tale told with warmth, kindliness and lashings of good sense that lovers of Dick King-Smith will especially appreciate' The Times'Every now and then a writer comes along with a unique way of storytelling . . . Meet Megan Rix . . . her novels are deeply moving and will strike a chord with animal lovers.' LoveReadingAbout the author:Megan Rix lives in England with her husband, and their adorable dogs, Traffy and Bella. Also available by Megan Rix:The Great Escape
Victory Fighters: Winning the Battle for Supremacy in the Skies Over Western Europe, 1941–1945
by Stephen DarlowA collection of eyewitness accounts of the struggle that raged in the skies over occupied Europe after the Battle of Britain during World War II. Expertly selected and interwoven by Stephen Darlow, Victory Fighters centers on the stories of six pilots and one navigator, the telling of which covers every aspect of this battle over land and sea. The author describes and analyzes the relevant command decisions from the highest level down, and against this background the men give their accounts from the start of their flying careers through to the preparations for operation Overlord, the invasion itself, the liberation of France, the crossing of the Rhine, to the end of the war in Europe on VE-Day. Through their eyes, the reader is introduced to a series of different tasks and situations, a multitude of aircraft types—Sunderlands, Mustangs, Tempests, Typhoons, Spitfires, Whirlwinds, Mosquitoes—and a great many squadrons. Having conducted numerous interviews and undertaken diligent research of documents, diaries and correspondence, the author has produced a fitting testament to these men and the countless others they represent.
Victory for Hire: Private Security Companies' Impact on Military Effectiveness
by Molly DuniganPrivate security contractors (PSCs) have had a larger presence in Iraq and Afghanistan than US troops. This book assesses the impact of PSCs, as distinct from other private military forms, and analyzes the ramifications of the use of PSCs for both tactical and long-term strategic military effectiveness. The book begins with an overview of the types of private military and security companies, then frames the problem in terms of theories of the state, military effectiveness, the democratic advantage, and the structure-identity dichotomy in the social sciences. The rest of the book examines different cases of modern and historical privatized force deployment, such as PSCs deployed alongside the national military during Operation Iraqi Freedom, PSCs hired in place of national militaries in Croatia and Sierra Leone, and the American Revolution. The book concludes with policy and regulatory recommendations and ways to prevent abuses. Dunigan is affiliated with the International Security Policy Group at the RAND Corporation. Stanford Security Studies is an imprint of Stanford University Press. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Victory for the Bluebird Girls: Brimming with nostalgia, a heartfelt wartime saga of friendship, love and family
by Rosie ArcherThe heartwarming final chapter in the Bluebird Girls series. As war finally draws to a close and the lights come back on across Europe, what will victory and peacetime bring for the south coast's favourite singing trio?In their rise to fame over the course of the war, Bea Herron, Ivy Sparrow and Rainey Bird have faced down bombs and looked tragedy in the eye. They have also found love, created their own families and had careers that they never thought possible. With peace finally on the horizon, what will the new world hold for them?(P)2020 Quercus Editions Limited
Victory for the East End Angels: A nostalgic wartime saga about love and friendship during the Blitz (East End Angels)
by Rosie HendryAs the war comes to an end, can the East End Angels keep the home fires burning? Meet The East End Angels, the newest members of Station Seventy-Five's ambulance crew . . .Frankie's fiance, a doctor, is away looking after the troops in Europe - will he return safely home?Winnie has a happy secret - but can she carry on at Station Seventy-Five when she's going to have a baby?Bella is intrigued by her new friend, a Polish airman.As the war ends and victory is in sight, what next for the girls of Station Seventy-Five?The fourth and final instalment in the acclaimed East End Angels series, following Bella, Winnie and Frankie and their lives as members of Station Seventy-Five's ambulance crew. Perfect for fans of Sheila Newberry and Katie Flynn.Readers love the East End Angels series . . . 'Wonderfully written by one very talented author . . . highly recommended''I loved reading this book . . . so looking forward to the next in the series''Reminded me of Call the Midwife''Absolutely brilliant for recreating life in London during the Blitz''A very well-written and researched, warm-hearted book . . . with a bit of romance!'*Don't miss Rosie Hendry's brand new novel, THE MOTHER'S DAY CLUB, coming 18th February 2021 and available now to pre-order*t>
Victory for the East End Angels: A nostalgic wartime saga about love and friendship during the Blitz (East End Angels)
by Rosie HendryAs the war comes to an end, can the East End Angels keep the home fires burning? Meet The East End Angels, the newest members of Station Seventy-Five's ambulance crew . . .Frankie's fiance, a doctor, is away looking after the troops in Europe - will he return safely home?Winnie has a happy secret - but can she carry on at Station Seventy-Five when she's going to have a baby?Bella is intrigued by her new friend, a Polish airman.As the war ends and victory is in sight, what next for the girls of Station Seventy-Five?The fourth and final instalment in the acclaimed East End Angels series, following Bella, Winnie and Frankie and their lives as members of Station Seventy-Five's ambulance crew. Perfect for fans of Sheila Newberry and Katie Flynn.Readers love the East End Angels series . . . 'Wonderfully written by one very talented author . . . highly recommended''I loved reading this book . . . so looking forward to the next in the series''Reminded me of Call the Midwife''Absolutely brilliant for recreating life in London during the Blitz''A very well-written and researched, warm-hearted book . . . with a bit of romance!'*Don't miss Rosie Hendry's brand new novel, THE MOTHER'S DAY CLUB, coming 18th February 2021 and available now to pre-order*t>
Victory Girls, Khaki-Wackies, and Patriotutes: The Regulation of Female Sexuality during World War II
by Marilyn E HegartyA study of how the U.S. government&’s World War II fight against venereal disease transformed into a war against women.Victory Girls, Khaki-Wackies, and Patriotutes offers a counter-narrative to the story of Rosie the Riveter, the icon of female patriotism during World War II. With her fist defiantly raised and her shirtsleeves rolled up, Rosie was an asexual warrior on the homefront. But thousands of women supported the war effort not by working in heavy war industries, but by providing morale-boosting services to soldiers, ranging from dances at officers&’ clubs to more blatant forms of sexual services, such as prostitution. While the de-sexualized Rosie was celebrated, women who used their sexuality—either intentionally or inadvertently—to serve their country encountered a contradictory morals campaign launched by government and social agencies, which shunned female sexuality while valorizing masculine sexuality. This double-standard was accurately summed up by a government official who dubbed these women &“patriotutes&”: part patriot, part prostitute. Marilyn E. Hegarty explores the dual discourse on female sexual mobilization that emerged during the war, in which agencies of the state both required and feared women&’s support for, and participation in, wartime services. The equation of female desire with deviance simultaneously over-sexualized and desexualized many women, who nonetheless made choices that not only challenged gender ideology but defended their right to remain in public spaces.
Victory Has a Thousand Fathers: Detailed Counterinsurgency Case Studies
by Colin P. Clarke Beth Grill Christopher PaulA collection of the 30 most recent resolved insurgencies, covering the period 1978 to 2008, along with a bank of 76 factors that helped or hindered the COIN force in each case and in each phase of each case, supplements an analysis of historical and contemporary insurgencies, providing valuable lessons for U.S. engagement in and support for COIN operations.
Victory in Defeat
by Gregory J. UrwinTold here for the first time in vivid detail is the story of the defenders of Wake Island following their surrender to the Japanese on December 23, 1941. The highly regarded military historian Gregory Urwin spent decades researching what happened and now offers a revealing look at the U.S. Marines, sailors, soldiers, and civilian contractors in captivity. In addition to exhaustive archival research, he interviewed dozens of POWs and even some of their Japanese captors. He also had access to diaries secretly kept by the prisoners. This information has allowed Urwin to provide a nuanced look at the Japanese guards and how the Americans survived three-and-a-half years in captivity and emerged with a much lower death rate than most other Allied personnel captured in the Pacific.In part, Urwin says, the answer lies in the Wake Islanders' establishment of life-saving communities that kept their dignity intact. Their mutual-help networks encouraged those who faltered under physical and psychological torture, including what is today called water boarding. The book notes that the Japanese camp official responsible for that war crime was sentenced to life imprisonment by an American military tribunal. Most Wake Islanders spent the war at two camps just outside Shanghai, one of the few places where Japanese authorities permitted the Red Cross to aid prisoners of war. The author also calls attention to the generosity of civilians in Shanghai, including Swiss diplomats and the American and British residents of the fabled International Settlement, who provided food and clothing to the prisoners. In addition, some guards proved to be less vicious than those stationed at other POW camps and occasionally went out of their way to aid inmates. As the first historical work to fully explore the captivity of Wake Island's defenders, the book offers information not found in other World War II histories.