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Wavell: Soldier and Statesman
by Victoria SchofieldArchibald Wavells life and career makes a marvelous subject. Not only did he reach the highest rank (Field Marshal) and become an Earl and Viceroy of India but his character was complex. He joined the Black Watch in 1901. He stood out during the Great War, quickly earning the Military Cross but losing an eye. He was at Versailles in 1918 but between the Wars his career advanced with Brigade and General commands notably in Palestine where he spotted Orde Wingate. By the outbreak of war he was GOC-in-C Middle East. Early successes against the Italians turned into costly failures in Greece and Crete and Wavell lost the confidence of Churchill; their temperaments differed completely. Wavell was sent to India as C-in-C. After Pearl Harbor Wavell was made Supreme Allied Commander for the SW Pacific and bore responsibility for the humiliating loss of Singapore (he quickly recognized that it could not be held). Problems in Burma tested Churchills patience and he was removed from command to be Viceroy and Governor General of India. As civil unrest and demands for independence grew, in 1947 Prime Minister Attlee replaced Wavell with Mountbatten who oversaw Partition. Wavell died in 1950, after a life of huge achievement tempered with many reverses, most of which were not of his making.
Waves of Glory
by Peter AlbanoWaves of Glory follows four British men of privilege watching the decimation of their generation in the trenches of the World War I battlefields. As the soldiers try to cope with the blood, violence, and death all around them, their world falls apart and nothing seems real except the overwhelming urgency of survival. The home front is no less compelling, as Albano illustrates the pain and uncertainty of waiting for the daily casualty lists that might include a brother, father, lover, or husband. The emotional energy of the men, the women they love, and their comrades in arms brings home the lessons that were arduously learned yet quickly forgotten in the &“war to end all wars.&”
Waves of Hate: Naval Atrocities of the Second World War
by Tony BridglandWhilst researching his earlier book Sea Killers in Disguise, the author unearthed a rich stem of incidents at sea which happened during the two World Wars that shocked and surprised him. This book is the result of further in-depth study covering the Second World War. It reveals a long catalogue of atrocities perpetrated not just by Germany and Japan but, sensationally, by the British and her Allies.Thanks to Tony Bridgland's meticulous research, into a wide variety of incidents at sea, makes for vivid and compelling, if uneasy, reading
Waves of War: Nationalism, State Formation, and Ethnic Exclusion in the Modern World
by Andreas WimmerWhy did the nation-state emerge and proliferate across the globe? How is this process related to the wars fought in the modern era? Analyzing datasets that cover the entire world over long stretches of time, Andreas Wimmer focuses on changing configurations of power and legitimacy to answer these questions. The nationalist ideal of self-rule gradually diffused over the world and delegitimized empire after empire. Nationalists created nation-states wherever the power configuration favored them, often at the end of prolonged wars of secession. The elites of many of these new states were institutionally too weak for nation-building and favored their own ethnic communities. Ethnic rebels challenged such exclusionary power structures that violated the principle of self-rule, and neighboring governments sometimes intervened into these struggles over the state. Waves of War demonstrates why nation-state formation and ethnic politics are crucial to understand the civil and international wars of the past 200 years.
Way of the Reaper: My Greatest Untold Missions and the Art of Being a Sniper
by Gary Brozek Nicholas IrvingFrom the New York Times Bestselling Author and Co-Star of Fox's American Grit comes a rare and powerful book on the art of being a sniper. Way of the Reaper is a step-by-step accounting of how a sniper works, through the lens of Irving's most significant kills - none of which have been told before. Each mission is an in-depth look at a new element of eliminating the enemy, from intel to luck, recon to weaponry. Told in a thrilling narrative, this is also a heart-pounding true story of some of The Reaper's boldest missions including the longest shot of his military career on a human target of over half a mile.In Iraq and Afghanistan, Nick Irving earned his nickname in blood, destroying the enemy with his sniper rifle and in deadly firefights behind a .50 caliber machine gun. He engaged a Taliban suicide bomber during a vicious firefight, used nearly silent sub-sonic ammo, and was the target of snipers himself. Way of the Reaper attempts to place the reader in the heat of battle, experiencing the same dangers, horrors and acts of courage Irving faced as an elite member of the 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, while also examining the personal ramifications of taking another life.Readers will experience the rush of the hunt and the dangers that all snipers must face, while learning what it takes to become an elite manhunter. Like the Reaper himself, this explosive book blazes new territory and takes no prisoners.
Way of the Warrior Kid: From Wimpy to Warrior the Navy Seal Way
by Jocko WillinkFifth grade was the worst year of Marc's life. He stunk at gym class, math was too hard for him, the school lunch was horrible, and his class field trip was ruined because he couldn't swim. But what was the most awful thing about fifth grade? Kenny Williamson, the class bully, who calls himself the "King of the Jungle. " When Marc's mother tells him that his Uncle Jake is coming to stay for the whole summer, Marc can't wait. Uncle Jake is a for real, super-cool Navy SEAL. And Uncle Jake has a plan. He's going to turn Marc into a warrior. Becoming a warrior isn't easy. It means a lot of pull ups, sit ups, pushups, squats, swimming, eating right, and studying harder than ever before! Can Marc transform himself into a warrior before school starts in the fall - and finally stand up to the King of the Jungle himself? The Way of the Warrior Kid is a new illustrated chapter book by #1New York Times-bestselling author and retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink.
Ways of War: American Military History from the Colonial Era to the Twenty-First Century
by Matthew S. Muehlbauer David J. UlbrichFrom the first interactions between European and native peoples, to the recent peace-keeping efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq, military issues have always played an important role in American history. Ways of War comprehensively explains the place of the military within the wider context of the history of the United States, showing its centrality to American culture and politics. The chapters provide a complete survey of the American military's growth and development while answering such questions as: How did the American military structure develop? How does it operate? And how have historical military events helped the country to grow and develop?<P><P> Features Include:<P> * Chronological and comprehensive coverage of North American conflicts since the seventeenth century and international wars undertaken by the United States since 1783<P> * Over 100 maps and images, chapter timelines identifying key dates and events, and text boxes throughout providing biographical information and first person accounts<P> * A companion website featuring an extensive testbank of discussion, essay and multiple choice questions for instructors as well as student study resources including an interactive timeline, chapter summaries, annotated further reading, annotated weblinks, additional book content, flashcards and an extensive glossary of key terms.<P> Extensively illustrated and written by experienced instructors, Ways of War is essential reading for all students of American Military History.
Ways of War: American Military History from the Colonial Era to the Twenty-First Century
by Matthew S. Muehlbauer David J. UlbrichFrom the first interactions between European and native peoples to the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, military issues have always played an important role in American history. Now in its updated second edition, Ways of War comprehensively explains the place of the military within the wider context of the history of the United States, showing its centrality to American culture, economics, and politics. The fifteen chapters provide a complete survey of the American military's evolution that is designed for semester-length courses. Features of the revised and fully-updated second edition include: • Chronological and comprehensive coverage of North American conflicts in the seventeenth century and all wars undertaken by the United States; • New or expanded sections on Non-English Colonization in Northeast North America, the Beaver Wars, Pontiac’s War, causes of the American Revolution, borderlands conflict from 1848 to 1865, causes of the American Civil War, Reconstruction, the Meuse-Argonne Campaign, Barack Obama’s second term as president, the Syrian Civil War, and the rise of the Islamic State; • 50 revised maps, 20 new images, chapter timelines identifying key events, and text boxes providing biographical information and first-person accounts; • A companion website featuring a testbank of essay and multiple choice questions for instructors, as well as student study resources such as an interactive timeline, chapter summaries, annotated further readings, links to online resources, flashcards, and a glossary of key terms. Extensively illustrated and written by experienced instructors, the second edition of Ways of War remains essential reading for all students of American Military History.
Ways of War: American Military History from the Colonial Era to the Twenty-First Century
by Matthew S. Muehlbauer David J. UlbrichNow in its third edition, Ways of War is a comprehensive guide to United States military history and its wider relationship to American society, from the seventeenth century to the present day.This volume remains an accessible and compelling textbook for students and instructors, combining traditional “drum and bugle” history with “war and society” approaches to highlight the military’s influence on American culture, economics, and politics. The new edition contains over 60 maps, both new and revised, to further illustrate military battles, campaigns, and operations. Each chapter also includes a wealth of images alongside chapter timelines identifying key events, text boxes providing biographical information and first-person accounts, and short bibliographies. The final two chapters have been fully updated to include vital material on the end of the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in 2021, as well as information on new military technology and artifical intelligence that have changed warfare in recent years.Written by experienced instructors and designed to maximize student engagement, the third edition of Ways of War remains an essential text for American military history and war and society courses.Instructor and student resources for this book include a test bank of multiple choice, discussion, and essay questions; interactive timelines; annotated and expanded bibliographies for each chapter; and chapter glossaries and flashcards.
Wayward Winds
by Michael PhillipsHigh above the English coastline, political storms swirled far more turbulent than any natural storm. Indeed, the silent clouds moving steadily but inexorably westward were thick and black and worldwide in their scope. Yet few apprehended the threat. It was not only nationalism, liberalism, the rising expectation of the middle class, and the political instability of the European power structure that made this a dangerous time. There were unseen currents of deceit and deception lurking silent but lethal beneath the surface of European affairs. And some, masquerading under a cloak of truth and enlightenment, gave no hint of their subversive loyalties. As England and the rest of Europe approach a climax when the world will be changed forever, the Aurnerrorout or Devonshire stand, too, in a peril they have no way to foresee. Estranged from her family, twenty-year-old Amanda has left Heathersleigh Hall for what seems an exciting world in prewar London and the suffragette movement. Determined to make an impact and stand on her own two feet, she has no idea of danger surrounding her on all sides.
We Also Served: The Forgotten Women of the First World War
by Vivien NewmanA social history of British women&’s brave yet forgotten service during WWI from a historian of female wartime experiences—includes photos. At the outbreak of World War I, women looking to contribute to the Allied effort were told by the war office to &“go home and sit still.&” Thankfully, hundreds of thousands of women from all corners of society ignored that advice and lent their collective strength to the cause. In We Also Served, Vivien Newman digs beneath the myths surrounding women&’s war efforts to reveal stories of determination and heroism. Becoming nurses, munitions workers, members of the Land Army, ambulance drivers, and surgeons, women stepped readily into a world normally occupied by men. Some served with the Armed Forces, others funded and managed their own hospitals within sight and sound of the guns. At least one British woman bore arms, and over a thousand women lost their lives as a direct result of their involvement with the war. This profoundly important history by an expert in female wartime experiences lets these all but forgotten voices finally be heard. &“A short book rich in facts and personal testimonies.&” —Historical Novel Society
We Are Going to Be Lucky: A World War II Love Story in Letters (Excelsior Editions)
by Elizabeth L. FoxWe Are Going to Be Lucky tells the story of a first-generation Jewish American couple separated by war, captured in their own words. Lenny and Diana Miller were married just one year before America entered World War II. Deeply committed to social justice and bonded by love, both vowed to write to one another daily after Lenny enlisted in 1943. As Lenny made his way through basic training in Mississippi to the beaches of Normandy and eventually to the Battle of the Bulge, Diana struggled financially, giving up her job as a machinist to become a mother. Their contributions to the war effort—Lenny's crucial missions as an Army scout and Diana's work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard—are the backdrop to their daily correspondence, including insightful discussions of democracy, politics, and economic hardship.Faced with grueling conditions overseas, Lenny managed to preserve every letter his wife sent, mailing them back to her for safekeeping. The couple's extraordinary letters, preserved in their entirety, reveal and reflect the excruciating personal sacrifices endured by both soldiers at war and their young families back home. After decades of gathering dust, their words have been carefully transcribed and thoughtfully edited and annotated by Elizabeth L. Fox, Lenny and Diana's daughter.
We Are Now Beginning Our Descent: A Novel
by James Meek&“[A] sharply observed meditation on modern war . . . as far from Tom Clancy&’s entertainments as a vintage Mini Cooper is from a snarling Hummer&” (Alex Berenson, The New York Times Book Review). James Meek&’s masterful historical novel, The People&’s Act of Love, received accolades around the world, earning Meek comparisons to Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Conrad, and Greene. We Are Now Beginning Our Descent is a tour de force of storytelling, furthering his reputation as one of the most exciting and original young novelists writing today. Adam Kellas, a British journalist, would-be thriller novelist, and failed lover meets Astrid Walsh, a self-possessed, hard-charging reporter while the two are covering allied military operations in the Afghan mountains. After sharing one passionate night in a watchtower near a defunct airfield, Astrid disappears from Adam&’s life. A year later, following a disastrous dinner party in London during which he destroys his few remaining friendships, Adam receives a short, beseeching email and hastily embarks on a transatlantic journey to a small town near the Chesapeake Bay where he believes Astrid waits for him. He envisions the fresh start his new life with Astrid might offer, unaware that she may be harboring unsettling secrets of her own. A passionate, incisive novel, We Are Now Beginning Our Descent lays bare the entwined hypocrisies, foibles, and desires of our age, and is a testament to the obsessive pull of love. &“I am full of admiration for Meek&’s precise and lyrical prose, for his mapping of the political landscapes through which his characters drift and for his evocation of the strange, torn geometries of the life in the global news stream.&” —The Washington Post
We Are Only Ghosts: A Remarkable Novel of Survival in the Wake of WWII
by Jeffrey L. RichardsAn exhilarating, brutally candid saga about sexuality and war, tenderness and trauma, young passion and fierce hate, as a teenage boy&’s unexpected, complicated relationship with a Nazi officer in a WWII death camp is resurrected in 1960s New York City.We Are Only Ghosts depicts queer desire against the horrors of death camps and the psychosis of those who got out alive—haunted forever by those who did not—balancing the violence and hatred of war and its aftermath with many poignant moments of tenderness and joy. For readers of A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne, and Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart.New York City, 1968: The customers at Café Marie don&’t come just for the excellent coffee and pastries. They come for the sophisticated ambiance, and the illusion of being somewhere other than a bustling, exhausting city. Headwaiter Charles Ward helps create that illusion through impeccable service—unobtrusive, nearly invisible, yet always watchful. It&’s a skill Charles honed as a young Jewish boy in war-torn Europe, when avoiding attention might mean the difference between life and death. But even then, one man saw him all too clearly—a Nazi officer who was both his savior and tormentor. At seventeen, Charles was deported to Auschwitz with his family. There he was singled out by Obersturmführer Berthold Werden, who hid him in his home. Their entanglement produced a tortured affection mixed with hatred that flares to life again, decades later, when Berthold walks into Café Marie. Drawn back into Berthold&’s orbit, Charles is forced to revisit the pain and the brief, undeniable pleasures of the life he once knew. And if he acts on his growing hunger for revenge, will he lose his only tether to the past—the only other witness to who he was and everything he endured—or find peace at last?
We Are Only Ghosts: Sneak Peek
by Jeffrey L. RichardsBe one of the first to read this sneak preview sample edition before the full length novel comes out!An extraordinary, emotionally intense novel spanning World War II Europe to 1960s New York City with an unsettling psychological edge, We Are Only Ghosts depicts not only the horrors of the death camps but the toll on those who survived—powered by a story of the unexpected, complicated connection between a Nazi officer and a young Jewish boy. New York City, 1968: The customers at Café Marie don&’t come just for the excellent coffee and pastries. They come for the sophisticated ambiance, and the illusion of being somewhere other than a bustling, exhausting city. Headwaiter Charles Ward helps create that illusion through impeccable service—unobtrusive, nearly invisible, yet always watchful. It&’s a skill Charles honed as a young Jewish boy in war-torn Europe, when avoiding attention might mean the difference between life and death. But even then, one man saw him all too clearly—a Nazi officer who was both his savior and tormentor. At seventeen, Charles was deported to Auschwitz with his family. There he was singled out by Obersturmführer Berthold Werden, who hid him in his home. Their entanglement produced a tortured affection mixed with hatred that flares to life again, decades later, when Berthold walks into Café Marie. Drawn back into Berthold&’s orbit, Charles is forced to revisit the pain and the brief, undeniable pleasures of the life he once knew. And if he acts on his growing hunger for revenge, will he lose his only tether to the past—the only other witness to who he was and everything he endured—or find peace at last?
We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam
by Joseph L. Galloway Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore“Powerful. . . . A candid, highly informative, and heartfelt tale of forgiveness between former fierce enemies in the Vietnam War.” —St. Petersburg TimesThe #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young brought to life one of the most pivotal and heartbreaking battles of the Vietnam War. In this powerful sequel, Lt. Gen Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway bring us up to date on the cadre of soldiers introduced in their first memoir.Returning to Vietnam’s Ia Drang Valley more than four decades after the battle, Moore and Galloway renew their relationships with ten American veterans of the fabled conflict—and with former adversaries—exploring how the war changed them all, as well as their two countries. We Are Soldiers Still is an emotional journey back to hallowed ground, putting a human face on warfare as the authors reflect on war’s devastating cost. The book includes an Introduction by Gen H. Norman Schwarzkopf.
We Are Soldiers: Our Heroes. Their Stories. Real Life on the Frontline.
by Danny DanzigerWhat is it like to drive a Challenger tank over desert terrain for six days in a row? Or hover an Apache AH1 attack helicopter a hundred metres above enemy ground? How quickly can a Sapper clear a field of unexploded devices, or build a bridge - or blow one up? What is it like to fix bayonets, and engage in hand to hand combat, or train a 5.56 mm SA80 sniper sight on an enemy soldier, and pull the trigger? How do you find out what a soldier must learn on his way to war...? Ask him.In this extraordinary book, Danny Danziger interviews the people who fight our wars for us, providing a unique insight into the reality of what we ask of our armed forces. Groundbreaking and utterly compelling, WE ARE SOLDIERS takes the reader to the heart of the 21st century soldier's experience.
We Are Soldiers: Our heroes. Their stories. Real life on the frontline.
by Danny DanzigerWhat is it like to drive a Challenger tank over desert terrain for six days in a row? Or hover an Apache AH1 attack helicopter a hundred metres above enemy ground? How quickly can a Sapper clear a field of unexploded devices, or build a bridge - or blow one up? What is it like to fix bayonets, and engage in hand to hand combat, or train a 5.56 mm SA80 sniper sight on an enemy soldier, and pull the trigger? How do you find out what a soldier must learn on his way to war...? Ask him.In this extraordinary book, Danny Danziger interviews the people who fight our wars for us, providing a unique insight into the reality of what we ask of our armed forces. Groundbreaking and utterly compelling, WE ARE SOLDIERS takes the reader to the heart of the 21st century soldier's experience.
We Are The Dead: Book One (The Last War #1)
by Mike ShackleThe first book in The Last War series: a debut epic fantasy full of crunching revolutionary action, twisted magic, and hard choices in dark times.The war is over. The enemy won.Jia's people learned the hard way that there are no second chances. The Egril, their ancient enemy, struck with magic so devastating that Jia's armies were wiped out. Now terror reigns in the streets, and friend turns on friend just to live another day.Somehow Tinnstra - a deserter, a failure, nothing but a coward - survived. She wants no more than to hide from the chaos.But dragged into a desperate plot to retake Jia, surrounded by people willing to do anything to win the fight, this time Tinnstra will need to do more than hide.If Jia is to get a second chance after all, this time she will need to be a hero.With all the grit of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence and Ed McDonald, this is fantasy with the sharpest of edges.* * * * * * * * * *'The next Game of Thrones' Glen Cook, author of The Black Company'Tarantino crossed with David Gemmell' Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones'A powerful debut' Gavin Smith, author of The Bastard Legion
We Are The Dead: The bone shattering epic fantasy thriller (The Last War #1)
by Mike ShackleThe first book in The Last War series: a debut epic fantasy full of crunching revolutionary action, twisted magic, and hard choices in dark times.The war is over. The enemy won.Jia's people learned the hard way that there are no second chances. The Egril, their ancient enemy, struck with magic so devastating that Jia's armies were wiped out. Now terror reigns in the streets, and friend turns on friend just to live another day.Somehow Tinnstra - a deserter, a failure, nothing but a coward - survived. She wants no more than to hide from the chaos.But dragged into a desperate plot to retake Jia, surrounded by people willing to do anything to win the fight, this time Tinnstra will need to do more than hide.If Jia is to get a second chance after all, this time she will need to be a hero.With all the grit of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence and Ed McDonald, this is fantasy with the sharpest of edges.* * * * * * * * * *'The next Game of Thrones' Glen Cook, author of The Black Company'Tarantino crossed with David Gemmell' Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones'A powerful debut' Gavin Smith, author of The Bastard Legion
We Are Witnesses: Five Diaries of Teenagers Who Died in the Holocaust
by Jacob BoasDavid Rubinowicz, Yitzhak Rudashevski, Moshe Flinker, Eva Heyman, and Anne Frank were all teenagers during World War II. They lived in different parts of Europe. They had different lives. But they all had something in common: They were Jewish, and therefore, under Hitler's twisted rule, they were five of the six million men, women, and children sentenced to death.
We Are Wolves
by Katrina NannestadThis haunting, heart-stopping middle grade novel follows three of the Wolfskinder, German children left to fend for themselves in the final days of World War II, as they struggle to hold onto themselves and each other while surviving in the wild.Sometimes it&’s good to be wild. Sometimes, you have to be. When the Russian Army marches into East Prussia at the end of World War II, the Wolf family must flee. Being caught by the Russians or Americans would be the end for them. Liesl, Otto, and baby Mia&’s father has already been captured, and they get separated from their mother in a blizzard after only a few days on the run. Liesl promised Mama that she&’d keep her brother and sister safe, no matter what. They&’ll forage in the forests if they have to. Little do they know at the start that there are hundreds of other parentless children doing the same thing. And they far too quickly learn that, sometimes, to survive, you have to do bad things. Dangerous things. Wild things. Sometimes you must become a wolf.
We Are the Fire
by Sam TaylorAs electrifying as it is heartbreaking, Sam Taylor's explosive fantasy debut We Are the Fire is perfect for fans of An Ember in the Ashes and the legend of Spartacus.All will burn.In the cold, treacherous land of Vesimaa, children are stolen from their families by a cruel emperor, forced to undergo a horrific transformative procedure, and serve in the army as magical fire-wielding soldiers. Pran and Oksana—both taken from their homeland at a young age—only have each other to hold onto in this heartless place.Pran dreams of one day rebelling against their oppressors and destroying the empire; Oksana only dreams of returning home and creating a peaceful life for them both.When they discover the emperor has a new, more terrible mission than ever for their kind, Pran and Oksana vow to escape his tyranny once and for all. But their methods and ideals differ drastically, driving a wedge between them. Worse still, they both soon find that the only way to defeat the monsters that subjugated them may be to become monsters themselves.Praise for We Are the Fire:"Bold and immersive, We Are the Fire is a strong new addition to the YA fantasy canon, full of characters with heart fighting despite their circumstances." —Emily A. Duncan, New York Times-bestselling author of Wicked Saints"At once brutal and tender, this heart-pounding debut will make you ponder what it means to be monstrous—and what it costs to be human." —Joanna Ruth Meyer, author of Echo North and Into the Heartless Wood "Set to fill the Ember in the Ashes-shaped void in your heart." —Culturess
We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of the American Women Trapped on Bataan
by Elizabeth M. Norman"This is a gripping book. Elizabeth Norman presents a war story in which the main characters never kill one of the enemy, or even shoot at him, but are nevertheless heroes. . . . First on Bataan, then moved to Corregidor, they were under almost constant shell fire, were always hungry, close to starvation, had horrendous diseases to deal with despite a shortage or even a complete lack of proper medicines, getting little or no sleep, nothing in the way of recreation--yet they were a true band of angels, inspiring all the men whom they were there to help. In a squalid prison camp, they remained giants, despite their small size. . . . They were the bravest of the brave, who endured unspeakable pain and torture. Americans today should thank God we had such women." --Stephen E. AmbroseWe Band of Angels is the story of women searching for adventure, caught up in the drama and danger of war. On the same day the Japanese Imperial Navy launched its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, it also struck American bases in the Far East, chief among them the Philippines. That raid led to the first major land battle for America in World War II and, in the end, to the largest defeat and surrender of American forces. Caught up in all of this were ninety-nine Army and Navy nurses--the first unit of American women ever sent into the middle of a battle. The "Angels of Bataan and Corregidor"--as the newspapers called them--became the only group of American women captured and imprisoned by an enemy. And the story of their trials on a bloody battlefield, their desperate flight to avoid capture and their ultimate surrender, imprisonment, liberation and homecoming is a story of endurance, professionalism and raw pluck. Along the way, they helped build and staff hospitals in the middle of a malaria-infested jungle on the peninsula of Bataan. Then, short of supplies and medicine, they worked around the clock in the operating rooms and open-air wards, dealing with gaping wounds and gangrenous limbs, ministering to the wounded, the sick, the dying. A few fell in love, only to lose their men to the enemy. Finally, on the tiny island of Corregidor in Manila Bay, the Japanese took them prisoner. For three long years in an internment camp--years marked by loneliness and starvation--they kept to their mission and stuck together. In the end, it was this loyalty, this sense of purpose, womanhood and honor, that both challenged and saved them. Through interviews with survivors and through unpublished letters, diaries and journals, Elizabeth M. Norman vividly re-creates that time, telling the story in richly drawn portraits and in a dramatic narrative delivered in the voices of the women who were there.NOTE: This edition does not include a photo insert.
We Can Take It!
by Mark Connelly`We Can Take It!' shows that the British remember the war in a peculiar way, thanks to a mix of particular images and evidence. Our memory has been shaped by material which is completely removed from historical reality. These images (including complete inventions) have combined to make a new history. The vision is mostly cosy and suits the way in which the Britons conceive of themselves: dogged, good humoured, occasionally bumbling, unified and enjoying diversity. In fact Britons load their memory towards the early part of the war (Dunkirk, Blitz, Battle of Britain) rather than when we were successful in the air or against Italy and Germany with invasions. This suits our love of being the underdog, fighting against the odds, and being in a crisis. Conversely, the periods of the war during which Britain was in the ascendant are, perversely, far more hazy in the public memory.