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V-1 Flying Bomb 1942-52: Hitler's infamous "doodlebug"
by Steven J. Zaloga Jim LaurierThe first deployment of the V-1 was in June 1944 when, following two years of tests, Hitler gave the order to attack England. Known to the Allies as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, the V-1 was the world's first cruise missile. This book explores the V-1 in detail, from its initial concept, first use in 1944, the various Allied counter-measures, and the later use of the V-1 during the Battle of the Bulge. The major foreign derivatives, including the US copy JB-2 Loon and numerous post-war Soviet variants, are also covered.
V-2 Ballistic Missile 1942-52
by Steven Zaloga Robert CalowThe German A-4 ballistic missile, better known by its propaganda name of V-2, was the world's first successful ballistic missile, breaking through the atmosphere to reach its target quicker. It was a forerunner of Cold War ballistic missiles and its combat use in 1944-45 set the pattern for the use of Scud ballistic missiles in recent decades. The V-2 offensive lasted from September 1944 until March 1945 with over 3,000 rockets being launched. This book examines the combat record of the V-2 in World War II, with a special focus on how a German missile battalion actually prepared and fired its missiles.
V-3
by Ib MelchiorThe specter of Armageddon looms in Melchior's eighth novel Its agent is the V-3, a poisonous exsiccating gas developed by Hitler to succeed the V-1 and V-2 rockets. In the present, aging but still fanatic Nazis plan to unleash the gas and kill millions. Army intelligence reactivates chemist Einar Munk, who, as a wartime operative for the OSS, first learned of the gas&’s manufacture. His orders: Find it and contain it. In this desperate mission, Einar is aided by his wife, Birte. Einar discovers the V-3 in a sunken U-boat, the canisters dangerously near final corrosion and each of them booby-trapped.
V1 Flying Bomb Aces
by Chris Davey Andrew ThomasShortly after the Allied landings in France the Germans unleashed the first of their so-called 'revenge weapons' against London, the V1 flying bomb. Launched from specially constructed sites in northern France, the fast, small, pulse-jet powered and pilotless aircraft were aimed at London with the intent of destroying civilian morale in order to force the British government to negotiate a peace. This dangerous new threat drew an immediate response, and the Air Defence of Great Britain (as Fighter Command had been temporarily renamed) established layers of defence that included a gun line and balloon barrage. The main element, however, were standing patrols by the first fighter wings of the highest performance fighters available - the new Tempest V and Griffon-powered Spitfire XIV. Other types were allocated too, most notably the Polish Mustang wing, while night defence was left in the capable hands of several dedicated Mosquito squadrons. Although pilotless, the V1 was no easy foe thanks to its speed, powerful warhead and sheer unpredictability. It required a high degree of flying skill and cool courage to bring one down, for if the pilot fired at too close a range the missile's warhead could explode, with catastrophic results for the chasing fighter. Many hundreds of V1s were fired throughout the summer of 1944, giving pilots plenty of opportunity to achieve five or more successes to become a V1 ace. Many already established aces also made claims against this new weapon. In total, 154 pilots became V1 aces, 25 of whom were also aces against manned aircraft. In addition, a further 35 RAF and nine USAAF aces also made some claims against V1s.
V2: A novel of World War II
by Robert HarrisThe gripping new thriller from the bestselling author of Munich and Fatherland."The first rocket will hit London in five minutes. You have six minutes to stop the second."Rudi Graf has dreamt since childhood of sending a rocket to the moon. Instead, along with his friend Werner von Braun, he has helped create the world's most sophisticated weapon--the V2 ballistic missile, capable of delivering a one-ton warhead at three times the speed of sound.In a desperate gamble to avoid defeat, Hitler orders 10,000 to be built. Now, in the winter of 1944, Graf finds himself in a bleak seaside town in Occupied Holland. Haunted and disillusioned, he's tasked with firing the V2s at London. Nobody understands the volatile, deadly machine better than he does.Kay Caton-Walsh is an officer in the WAAF. She has experienced at first-hand the horror of a V2 strike. As the rockets rain down, she joins a unit of WAAFs on a mission to newly-liberated Belgium. Armed with little more than a slide rule and a few equations, the hope is that Kay and her colleagues can locate and destroy the launch sites.But at this stage in the war it's hard to know who, if anyone, you can trust.For every action on one side, there is an equal and opposite reaction on the other. As the death toll soars, the separate stories of Graf and Kay ricochet off one another, until in a final explosion of violence their destinies are forced together.
V2: A novel of World War II
by Robert HarrisThe first rocket will take five minutes to hit London.You have six minutes to stop the second.From the best-selling author of Fatherland and Munich comes a WWII thriller about a German rocket engineer, a former actress turned British spy, and the Nazi rocket program.It's November 1944--Willi Graf, a German rocket engineer, is launching Nazi Germany's V2 rockets at London from Occupied Holland. Kay Connolly, once an actress, now a young English Intelligence officer, ships out for Belgium to locate the launch sites and neutralize the threat. But when rumors of a defector circulate through the German ranks, Graf becomes a suspect. Unknown to each other, Graf and Connolly find themselves on opposite sides in the hunt for the saboteur. Their twin stories play out against the background of the German missile campaign, one of the most epic and modern but least explored episodes of the Second World War. Their destinies are on a collision course.
V: The Second Generation
by Kenneth W. JohnsonAt last: the climactic conclusion of the V television miniseries saga readers will never forget!
VC10: BOAC, Boeing and a Jet Age Battle
by Lance Cole&“An excellent account of the political battles and the commercial skulduggery . . . and its outstanding service as a transport and tanker with the RAF.&” —Firetrench The VC10 was the nation&’s biggest jet airliner of its age and regarded as the world&’s best-looking airliner. It was safe, fast, and designed to take off from short runways in Africa and Asia, at the request of its main operator BOAC—the airline that would later go on to become today&’s British Airways. The VC10 and the larger Super VC10 were beloved by pilots and passengers alike and became icons of the 1960s. They were hugely popular all over the world. Yet the VC10 was eclipsed by Boeing&’s 707 which sold by the hundreds, despite the fact that the 707 was less capable and could not initially operate from the runways of the Commonwealth and old British Empire routes, as the VC10 undoubtedly could. This book blends the story of VC10 development with a well-researched tale of corporate and political power play. It asks; just what lay behind the sales failure of the VC1O? Politics played an important part of course, as did BOACs tactics, and a whodunnit cast of politico-corporate events and machinations at the highest level of society during the dying days of Empire in 1960s Britain. Key players in the story, from Tony Benn to famous test pilot Brian Trubshaw (Concorde), are cited and quoted. By exploring this historical period in depth and highlighting all the various impediments that stood in the way of success for the VC10, Lance Cole adds an important layer to our understanding of twentieth century history.
VCs Handbook: The Western Front 1914-1918
by Gerald GliddonOn the Western Front during the First World War, 490 men won the British Empire's highest award for gallantry, the Victoria Cross. A companion for any visitor to the First World War battlefields in France and Flanders, this reference book lists every VC recipient from 1914 to 1918 in alphabetical order.
VCs of the First World War: Passchendaele 1917 (VCs of the First World War)
by Stephen SnellingOf all the costly campaigns fought across the Western Front during the First World War, none strikes a more chilling chord than Passchendaele. Even now, more than ninety years on, the very mention of the name is enough to conjure up apocalyptic images of desolation and misery on a quite bewildering scale – humanity drowning in a sea of mud. Passchendaele has come to serve as a symbol of the folly and futility of war, chiefly remembered for its carnage and profligate waste of human lives. It also stands as testament to the endurance and extraordinary courage displayed by men of all ranks and nationalities. During the 3 ½ month long struggle, which claimed the lives of more than 60,000 British and Commonwealth servicemen, 61 men were adjudged to have performed deeds worthy of the Empire’s highest award for valour – the Victoria Cross. Men from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa were among their number, alongside men from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They came from all walks of life, counting humble privates and, for the first time, a general among their ranks. This is a lasting memorial to a body of men who deserve to be numbered among the bravest of the brave.
VCs of the First World War: Spring Offensive 1918
by Gerald GliddonAt the end of 1917, after three years of trench warfare on the Western Front, the Allied armies of Britain and France, and those of their main opponent, Germany, had reached a point of exhaustion and hibernation. On March 21 1918, the German Army launched a massive assault on the Western Front, hurling fifty-nine divisions into battle against the British Fifth Army, smashing through British lines and advancing 40 miles per week. More offensives were to follow throughout the spring, including at Aisne and Marne, with the aim of ending the war before American forces could reach the Continent and reinforce the Allied lines. Nevertheless, although the German Army left the British Army reeling, the Tommies retreated in good order and fought all the way. It was during these bloody battles, which lasted until July 1918, that fifty-seven men stood out for acts of extraordinary daring and bravery. To these men the highest military honour was awarded – the Victoria Cross. This book reveals the true extent of their bravery, their backgrounds and their lives after the war.
VCs of the First World War: The Air VCs
by Peter F. Batchelor Peter G. CooksleyOf more than 600 Victoria Crosses awarded to British and Empire servicemen during the First World War, nineteen were awarded to airmen of the newly formed Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. Of these, four were posthumous awards and all but one of the total were to officers. Some of these valorous airmen were from humble backgrounds and with limited education, others were collegiate men from wealthy families, but in the words of one senior officer they all had in common ‘the guts of a lion’.
VCs of the First World War: The Naval VCs
by Stephen SnellingHere is a complete record of almost fifty men who won the Victoria Cross while serving in the Royal Navy during the First World War. They include the conflict’s youngest and oldest winners in operations ranging from the Atlantic to the coast of Africa, from the Straits of Otranto to the rivers of Mesopotamia. These awards were won in all manner of fighting ships, from disguised schooner to light cruiser, motor launch to submarine, and river steamer to battle cruiser. Following the established series style, The Naval VCs charts the lives and careers of the recipients and presents graphic accounts of the VC actions based on original material, much of it from eyewitness sources.
VCs of the First World War: The Road to Victory 1918
by Gerald GliddonBy August 1918 fortune was on the side of the Allies: America was increasing its contribution of troops and equipment substantially; the morale of the German Army was sinking as it failed to deliver the desired ‘knock out blow’; and Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig found a new confidence, firmly believing that the Allies could at last push the Germans out of France and Belgium. This volume of the best-selling VCs of the First World War series covers the fifty days of the Allied advance from 8 August to 26 September 1918. Arranged chronologically, it tells the story of the sixty-four VC winners during this period. The recipients came from many countries, including Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand; some never lived to know that they had been awarded for their extraordinary bravery, while others returned home to face an uncertain future. This is their story.
VCs of the North: Cumbria, Durham & Northumberland
by Alan WhitworthToday the Victoria Cross remains the supreme British award for bravery. It takes precedence over all other awards and decorations. During its 160-year history, since the first medals were given for gallantry during the Crimean War in the 1850s, 1,357 of these medals have been won, and almost fifty of them have gone to the soldiers of Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland . Alan Whitworth, in this carefully researched and revealing account, describes in graphic detail the exploits and the lives of this elite band of heroes. Within this group of Northern VC recipients are a number of outstanding names, including Richard Annand who gained the first VC of the Second World War and Roland Bradford who was one of only four sets of brothers to have secured the VC. He also had the distinction of becoming the youngest general in the British army. But among the roll of the brave whose gallantry and self-sacrifice are celebrated in these pages the reader will find the names and extraordinary deeds of many other men who were either born or bred or lived and died in the North. They will also find the story of the youngest Victoria Cross recipient who won his award aged just nineteen.The stories of these ordinary individuals who have 'performed some signal act of valour or devotion to their country' will be fascinating reading for anyone who is interested in military history in general and in the long military tradition of the North of England.
VCs of the Second World War
by John Frayn TurnerPublished for the first time in a single volume, VCs of the Second World War consolidates the accounts of the actions of every recipient. The medal of this ultimate honor is inscribed with the simple words For Valour and this cross of courage was awarded to a total of 180 men - many posthumously.As these stories of bravery are unfolded, they reveal varied exploits of incredible individual actions. And they frequently form part of larger-scale operations, whether on land, in the air, at sea or under the sea. In so doing, the book becomes a unique chronological cross-section of the crucial British and Commonwealth contribution to the war as a whole from Norway; the Battle of Britain; North Africa; the Battle of the Atlantic; the Burma campaign; the Mediterranean theater; the air assault on Germany; Normandy; to victory in Europe and the Far East.
VCs of the Second World War: Ten Stories of Bravery & Courage
by Stephen WynnDramatic accounts of ten Victoria Cross recipients and what they did to earn this highest of honors during WWII.During the Second World War, the Victoria Cross—the highest honor to be given to British or Commonwealth forces—was awarded on 182 occasions to 181 recipients, 85 of which were bestowed posthumously.Presented here are ten examples of those who showed the utmost gallantry and bravery “in the presence of the enemy,” with each individual case and the circumstances in which the award was won examined in close detail. One example is the story of Charles Upham, 2nd Division, New Zealand Expedition Force, who was the only recipient of two Victoria Crosses: the first awarded during the Battle of Crete in 1941, and the second during fighting at El Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt, in 1942. Others include Premindra Singh Bhagat of the Indian Army, who rapidly cleared fifteen minefields despite close enemy fire and personal injury, and RAF pilot Leonard Cheshire, who received the honor after his fourth tour of duty. These and other rousing and dramatic stories are true profiles in courage.
VD: The Australian Army's Experience of Sexually Transmitted Diseases During the Twentieth Century
by Ian Howie-WillisSexually transmitted diseases, for centuries lumped together as ‘Venereal Disease’, or ‘VD’ for short, have always marched in lock-step with soldiers from all armies wherever they have served. During the twentieth century at least 125,000 Australian soldiers contracted VD while serving in overseas deployments — the equivalent of six World War I infantry divisions. Until the advent of penicillin in the mid-1940s, the two most common and most devastating sexually transmitted diseases were gonorrhoea and syphilis. During the overseas deployments of the Australian Army during the twentieth century, these two debilitating, disfiguring, embarrassing and potentially lethal diseases put tens of thousands of soldiers out of action for weeks at a time. Gonorrhoea and syphilis weakened the Australian Army, seriously reducing its operational capability. These two diseases also incurred huge financial costs for Australian citizens, whose taxes went into recruiting and training whole cohorts of new troops to replace those hospitalised by VD and effectively lost to the Army for months on end. In addition, sexually transmitted diseases imposed enormous strain on the Army’s usually over-stretched health services. Essentially preventable and self-inflicted, they diverted resources that could otherwise have been devoted to treating and rehabilitating soldiers wounded in action. There were social costs as well because the soldiers who contracted VD were the menfolk of Australian women. The soldiers were largely inexperienced young men who were far from home and faced an uncertain future. The women they left behind would have been appalled to know that the soldiers they had lovingly farewelled would spend months in hospital being treated for diseases that were so taboo they could not be discussed around the family dinner table. In this honest, courageous book, Ian Howie-Willis tells the perplexing story of how two microscopic sexually transmitted organisms, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Treponema pallidum, the bacteria causing gonorrhoea and syphilis, wreaked enormous havoc among Australian troops in all their wars, from South Africa in 1898–1902 to Vietnam in 1962–1973 and beyond.
VE Day: A Day to Remember
by Craig Cabell Allan RichardsThe authors have compiled a collection of memories and anecdotes from celebrities and members of the public covering their experiences of the Second World War and the day that Victory over the Nazis was declared. We hear from not only those in the Armed Forces but civilians.The book catches the mood of jubilation and exhilaration yet also the great sadness of the huge waste of human life and resources. Hard times still lay ahead.
VE Day: The People's Story
by Russell MillerDrawing from first-hand interviews, diaries and memoirs of those involved in the VE Day celebrations in 1945, VE Day: The People’s Story paints an enthralling picture of a day that marked the end of the war in Europe and the beginning of a new era. VE Day affected millions of people in countless ways, and the voices in this book – from both Britain and abroad, from civilians and service men and women, from the famous and the not-so-famous – provide a valuable social picture of the times. Mixed with humour as well as tragedy, rejoicing as well as sadness, regrets of the past and hopes for the future, VE Day is an inspiring record of one of the great turning points in history.
VF-11/111 'Sundowners' 1942-95
by Barrett Tillman Tom TullisFighting Squadron 11 was established at San Diego in August 1943, beginning a half-century record that spanned aerial combat in three wars from the piston to the jet age. First deployed to Guadalcanal, the 'Sundowners' flew Grumman Wildcats and completed its tour as the Navy's third-ranking F4F squadron in terms of aerial victories. Upon returning home, the 'Sundowners' transitioned to Hellcats in preparation for a second combat deployment. In 1944-45 the squadron flew from USS Hornet (CV-12), participating in the fast carrier strikes against the Philippines, Formosa and the Asian mainland. It finished the war as the Navy's 11th ranking fighter squadron with 158 credited victories. Redesignated VF-111 in 1948, the 'Sundowners' converted to F9F Panthers and scored history's first jet-versus-jet victory over Korea in 1950. After the armistice, the squadron flew FJ-3 Furies and F11F Tigers, before receiving the world-class F8U Crusader in 1961. During the long Vietnam War, the 'Sundowners' logged six deployments, scoring MiG kills in both F-8s and F-4 Phantom IIs. From 1978 to disestablishment in 1995, the 'Sundowners' flew F-14 Tomcats from USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and Carl Vinson (CVN-70), completing a record of 37 deployments from 17 flattops in its 52-year career. From World War 2 until after the Cold War, the 'Sundowners' established an unsurpassed record 'at the tip of the spear' in naval aviation history.
VOLVER A MATAR (EBOOK)
by Juan B. YofreVolver a matar es la historia de una época terrible de la República Argentina. Narra el inicio de la "guerra popular prolongada" que las organizaciones terroristas declararon a todos los estamentos del Estado Nacional, bajo la inspiración del castro-comunismo. Pero el libro se ocupa, fundamentalmente, de la forma en que el Estado argentino las combatió con la ley en la mano a partir de julio de 1971, cuando creó la Cámara Federal en lo Penal de la Nación. El tiempo de esta Cámara "a la que la subversión llamó despectivamente "Camarón" o "Cámara del terror" fue muy corto, duró hasta el 25 de mayo de 1973, día en que con violencia se abrieron las rejas de las cárceles y los presos volvieron a sus organizaciones clandestinas para sembrar la muerte, aún en una época de gobierno constitucional. Por primera vez el lector conocerá algunos de los numerosos casos que trató el alto tribunal, compuesto por jurisconsultos de larga trayectoria. Ellos triunfaron pero también perdieron. Impusieron la ley, no hubo represión ilegal, pero luego, con el gobierno de Héctor J. Cámpora, fueron perseguidos, degradados, sufrieron atentados o tuvieron que exiliarse. Tras la ley de amnistía "amplia y generosa", José Alberto Deheza, ex ministro de Justicia y de Defensa de Isabel Martínez de Perón, declaró: "No soy contrario a la ley del olvido, pero una ley que libera a simples asesinos que sembraron el terror matando a mansalva en nombre de ideales revolucionarios, importa una grave irresponsabilidad. En la mayor parte de los casos, se trataba de componentes de bandas clandestinas que emboscaban a sus víctimas para ultimarlas con perversidad". Volver a matar se sumerge en un archivo secreto que muchos intentaron destruir, pero que fue salvado para las generaciones futuras. Testimonios inéditos y documentos confidenciales desconocidos hasta hoy abonan lo afirmado. Una vez más, como lo hiciera en "Nadie fue" y en "Fuimos todos", Juan B. Yofre brinda aquí un aporte fundamental a nuestra historia reciente y rinde su homenaje a la memoria completa de los argentinos.
Vacancy
by Lucius ShepardA washed-up actor, a mysterious motel and a Malaysian "woman of power" form the central elements in a riveting account of a rootless man forced to confront the impossible - but very real- demons of his past.
Vaccine A: The Covert Government Experiment That's Killing Our Soldiers -- and Why GI's Are Only the First Victims
by Gary MatsumotoIn this provocative look at the US military from the Persian Gulf War through the 2003 invasion of Iraq, investigative journalist Gary Matsumoto contends that an anthrax vaccine dispensed by the Department of Defense was the cause of Gulf War Syndrome and the origins of a massive cover-up. Matsumoto calls it the worst friendly-fire incident in military history. A skillfully-woven narrative that serves as a warning about this man-made epidemic, Vaccine A is a much needed account of just what went wrong, and why.
Vagabond: A Novel (Grail Quest #2)
by Bernard CornwellFrom internationally bestselling author Bernard Cornwell comes the eagerly anticipated sequel in his acclaimed Grail Quest series, in which a young archer sets out to avenge his family's honor on the battlefields of the Hundred Years' War and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail.1347: a year of war and unrest. England's army is fighting in France, and its absence encourages the Scots to invade the old enemy. Thomas of Hookton, sent back to England to follow an ancient trail that suggests his family once owned the Holy Grail, instead becomes embroiled in the savage fight when the Scots come to Durham. Out of the horror he finds a new companion for the quest but also discovers a new and sinister enemy in a Dominican Inquisitor.All Europe wants the grail. Many may doubt it even exists, but no one would willingly allow an enemy to find Christendom's most precious relic, and Thomas finds himself in a murderous race with the Inquisitor and with Guy de Vexille, the mysterious black rider who murdered Thomas's father (in The Archer's Tale).Thomas appears to have an advantage in the race. His father bequeathed him a mysterious notebook that confirms the grail's existence and offers clues to where the relic might be hidden. But his rivals, inspired by a fanatical religious fervor, have their own advantage--the torture chamber of the Inquisition. Thomas, seeking help to decipher the book's cryptic pages, is delivered instead to his worst enemies.He finds refuge in Brittany, with Jeanette, the Countess of Armorica, but fate will not let him rest. He is thrust into one of the bloodiest and most desperate fights of the Hundred Years' War, the Battle of la Roche-Derrien, and amid the flames, arrows, and butchery of that night, he faces his enemies again.