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With a Bended Bow: Archery in Mediaeval and Renaissance Europe
by Erik RothIn With a Bended Bow Erik Roth presents a comprehensive examination of the archer and his weapon in a time when archery was both economically and militarily vital to the security of England, based on the study of mediaeval writings and period artefacts. As an accomplished artist, his illustrations are an invaluable aid to understanding the manufacture and use of the bow. The book examines the types of weapons and kit produced by guildsmen, the materials used and the work of different specialists including bowyers, fletchers and stringers. It also details the life of the archer himself, how he cared for his equipment, learned to shoot and fought for his country on the battlefields of Scotland and France. With a Bended Bow gives an exceptional insight into the tools, training and fighting techniques of the soldier who defined mediaeval warfare.
With a Royal Engineers Field Company in France & Italy: April 1915 to the Armistice
by V.F. EberleA memoir of the First World War from the rare perspective of an engineer.VF Eberle MC joined up upon the outbreak of the war in No 2 Field Company Royal Engineers, 48th (South Midland) Division, the same company as his brother, who was a captain. He was commissioned before sailing for France at the end of March 1915 and remained with it for the rest of the war. In that time he saw action on the Somme and in the Advance to the Hindenburg Line before his Division took part for most of the Battle of Third Ypres (Passchendaele). Transferred to Italy at the end of 1917, he took part in the final stages of the war, including the Battle of Asiago. Besides his eloquent description of the work of a field company RE, he spends some time in outlining his role in the development of the Bangalore Torpedo.Based on his wartime letters, diaries, and records—which can now be consulted in the Imperial War Museum—this book gives a detailed picture of the employment of a field company in war, during both periods of both relative tranquility and major offensives. There are relatively few memoirs of Royal Engineers’ officers, especially of those in his position, so close to the line. The memoirs benefit from his key eye for observation and his skillful use of the material available to him, making this a fine addition to the literature of the Great War.
With a Royal Engineers Field Company in France & Italy: April 1915 to the Armistice
by V.F. EberleA memoir of the First World War from the rare perspective of an engineer.VF Eberle MC joined up upon the outbreak of the war in No 2 Field Company Royal Engineers, 48th (South Midland) Division, the same company as his brother, who was a captain. He was commissioned before sailing for France at the end of March 1915 and remained with it for the rest of the war. In that time he saw action on the Somme and in the Advance to the Hindenburg Line before his Division took part for most of the Battle of Third Ypres (Passchendaele). Transferred to Italy at the end of 1917, he took part in the final stages of the war, including the Battle of Asiago. Besides his eloquent description of the work of a field company RE, he spends some time in outlining his role in the development of the Bangalore Torpedo.Based on his wartime letters, diaries, and records—which can now be consulted in the Imperial War Museum—this book gives a detailed picture of the employment of a field company in war, during both periods of both relative tranquility and major offensives. There are relatively few memoirs of Royal Engineers’ officers, especially of those in his position, so close to the line. The memoirs benefit from his key eye for observation and his skillful use of the material available to him, making this a fine addition to the literature of the Great War.
With a Smile and a Wave: The Life of Captain Aidan Liddell VC MC
by Peter DaybellDuring the late summer of 1915 Captain Aidan Liddell's gallant exploits filled many newspaper columns and he was feted as a national hero. Already decorated for bravery while serving with the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, and it was as a pilot that he attracted national acclaim.Badly wounded over enemy occupied Belgium, Liddell lost consciousness as his two-seater RE5 aircraft was raked by machine gun fire, and plunged out of control towards the ground. Despite terrible injuries and the extensive damage to his machine, he somehow recovered from an inverted dive and flew on for a further half an hour to the safety of the Allied lines, so saving his observer and a valuable aircraft.For this action he was awarded the Victoria Cross, but did not live to receive Britain's highest gallantry award and succumbed to his wounds a month later. With a Smile and a Wave provides a vivid picture of the squalor and danger of war, the backbreaking hardship of trench life and of the challenges of pioneer air fighting. It draws extensively on Captain Liddell's own letters and diaries and exposes the character and courage of the man in his own often compelling and moving words. But it is a story not just of war, but of growing up in a devout and prosperous family, of a Jesuit education at Stonyhurst College, and of Edwardian Oxford before the Great War. It portrays the privileged lifestyle of the English country gentleman, and describes how a very close knit and patriotic family dealt with the adversity of war.
With a Sword in One Hand and Jomini in the Other
by Carol ReardonWhen the Civil War began, Northern soldiers and civilians alike sought a framework to help make sense of the chaos that confronted them. Many turned first to the classic European military texts from the Napoleonic era, especially Antoine Henri Jomini's Summary of the Art of War. As Carol Reardon shows, Jomini's work was only one voice in what ultimately became a lively and contentious national discourse about how the North should conduct war at a time when warfare itself was rapidly changing. She argues that the absence of a strong intellectual foundation for the conduct of war at its start--or, indeed, any consensus on the need for such a foundation--ultimately contributed to the length and cost of the conflict.Reardon examines the great profusion of new or newly translated military texts of the Civil War years, intended to fill that intellectual void, and draws as well on the views of the soldiers and civilians who turned to them in the search for a winning strategy. In examining how debates over principles of military thought entered into the question of qualifications of officers entrusted to command the armies of Northern citizen soldiers, she explores the limitations of nineteenth-century military thought in dealing with the human elements of combat.
With the 364th Infantry in America, France and Belgium
by Bryant Wilson Lamar ToozeThe 364th Infantry regiment formed part of the 91st Infantry Division which fought in the Allied cause on the Western Front in 1918. The 91st Infantry Division was constituted on 5 August 1917 at Camp Lewis, Washington, near Tacoma, the division, commanded by Major General Henry Alexander Greene, soon thereafter departed for England in the summer of 1918. In September 1918, the division's first operation was in the St. Mihiel Offensive in France. Serving under the U.S. Army's V Corps, the division, now commanded by Major General William Johnston Jr., fought in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive and successfully helped to destroy the German First Guard Division and continued to smash through three successive enemy lines.Twelve days before the end of World War I, the division, as part of the VII Corps of the French Sixth Army, helped drive the Germans east across the Escaut River in the Battle of the Lys and the Escaut. The division was awarded separate campaign streamers for its active role in the Lorraine, Meuse-Argonne and Ypres-Lys campaigns.“THE scope of this book is threefold. First, it records historically the activities of a typical Infantry Regiment in the Great War, basing its account of military operations on official reports, as well as upon eyewitness recitals. Second, it depicts the average American soldier’s life in barracks, billets, and on the field, as seen through the eyes of the soldiers themselves. Third, it preserves in print something of the inner feelings and spirit of the men who were privileged to play a part in the “Greatest Crusade in History.””-Introduction.
With the Argylls: A Soldier's Memoir
by Ray WardAn unforgettable memoir of fighting with the renowned Scottish infantry regiment during World War II. &“The real stuff of history . . . a classic.&” —Trevor Royle, author of Facing the Bear When Ray Ward died in 1999, his sons discovered an old and dusty manuscript in an Afrika Korps ammunition box in the cellar of the family home in Glasgow. These papers contained a collection of their father&’s memoirs, which detailed his experiences as an infantry officer during the Second World War, when he served in the 1st Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. His memoirs give vivid accounts of Ray Ward&’s time in Eritrea, Abyssinia, Egypt, the Western Desert, Sicily and mainland Italy, and bring to life individual episodes of bravery, adventure and danger that characterized the North African and Italian Campaign.
With the British Army in The Holy Land (The World At War)
by H. O. LockThe Holy Land has been the scene of war since the dawn of History. Long before Belgium became the cock-pit of Europe, Palestine was the cock-pit of the known world. Here, on the high road between Asia and Africa, were fought the great wars of Egyptians and Assyrians, Israelites and Canaanites, Greeks and Romans, Saracens and Crusaders. With these few square miles are associated the names of the world's greatest soldiers no less than that of the Prince of Peace. None can fail to be interested in the latest campaign in this Land of Armageddon. (Goodreads)
With the East Surrey's in Tunisia, Sicily and Italy, 1942–1945: Fighting for Every River and Mountain
by Bryn EvansThe East Surreys were in near continuous action from November 1942, when they landed in North Africa (Operation TORCH) through to May 1945 Armistice. By that time they had cleared the Germans from Tunisia, taken part in Operation HUSKY, (the Sicily invasion TORCH) and fought up through Italy as far as River Po.Trained as mountain troops, the East Surreys saw bitter action in the Atlas Mountains, on the slopes of Mount Etna and Monte Cassino, and in the unforgiving hills and valleys of the Apennines. They were called upon to cross many rivers, often opposed by a determined enemy, culminating in the River Po and its huge exposed and waterlogged valley.Veterans stories illustrate the horrendous nature of the East Surreys task, whether in set piece formation battles or patrol actions.Especially interesting is the part played by Lieutenant John Woodhouse who commanded the Surreys Battle Patrol. His experiences enable this fine officer to revolutionize SAS training and tactics in the 1950s and 1960s in Malaya and Africa and he is credited with revitalizing the SAS when in grave danger of being disbanded.This story of the East Surreys shows how a single battalion can make a huge difference. It also gives the reader a better understanding of the campaigns involved.
With the German Guns: Four Years on the Western Front (Pen And Sword Military Classics Ser.)
by Herbert Sulzbach&“An invaluable eye-witness account of life at the lower levels of the German Army during the First World War.&”—HistoryOfWar.org At once harrowing and lighthearted, Herbert Sulzbach&’s exceptional diary has been highly praised since its original publication in Germany in 1935. With the reprint of this classic account of trench warfare, it records the pride and exhilaration of what to him was the fight for a just cause. It is one of the very few available records of an ordinary German soldier during the First World War. &“One of the most notable books on the Great War. It is a book which finely expressed the true soldierly spirit on its highest level; the combination of a high sense of duty, courage, fairness and chivalry.&”—Sir Basil Liddell Hart &“Herbert Sulzbach&’s first person diary focuses on four years of trench warfare and is a valuable contribution to the overall individual story of the First World War, more so than many other such accounts perhaps, as the author was German.&”—OCAD Militaria Collectors Resources &“A first-class personal account of Herbert Sulzbach&’s war seen through his diaries. There is much insight into both his and the German soldier&’s attitude to war and events . . . a very readable narrative and adds to the library of sources that are invaluable to counter the legions of postmodern re-evaluations of the German soldier.&”—Battlefield Guide
With the Guards We Shall Go: A Guardsman’s Letters in the Crimea, 1854-1855
by Countess Mabell of AirlieOriginally published in 1953, With the Guards We Shall Go (1933) details the experiences of Countess of Airlie’s great-uncle, John Jocelyn, 5th Earl of Roden, throughout the Crimean War.The book draws on numerous letters written and received by the Guardsman between 1854-1855, which the Countess began to compile in 1917.
With the Guns in the Peninsula: The Peninsular War Journal of Captain William Webber, Royal Artillery (The Napoleonic Library #No. 18)
by William WebberThis British artillery officer&’s journal vividly depicts life on the frontlines in the war against Napoleon in Spain and Portugal. In August 1812, Second Captain Webber of the Royal Artillery joined Captain Maxwell&’s 9-pounder Brigade at Zafra, Spain. His journal offers a detailed chronicle of the period up June 16th 1813, just before the Battle of Vitoria. Webber records events as they unfold, as well as his impressions of the countryside and its people and customs. Webber describes his experiences during the advance up to and along the Tagus to Aranjuez, the reversal of fortunes during the autumn of 1812, the difficult retreat into winter quarters in Portugal, and finally his brigade&’s part in the brilliant campaign of 1813 which saw the French pushed back across the Ebro. Webber gives vivid accounts of engagements with the enemy along the way; notably around Alba de Tormes during the retreat, and on the heights outside Burgos. The preface by Lieutenant Colonel Laws sets the journal within the context of the Peninsular War. It also outlines Webber&’s military career, which culminated with his wounding at Waterloo.
With the Guns, 1914–1918: An Subaltern's Story
by John Jones Stanley FoxallAcquired at a local Cheshire auction house, several personal albums of WWI photographs taken by their previous gentleman owner, an officer in the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) called Harold Cooper Bebington. He was also a member of one of the early amateur photographic societies at his home town, hence explaining their excellent quality and his interest in taking them, although possibly against Kings Regulations! They relate to his training as an officer cadet initially from 1916 in England, working with horses and field gun limbers, his commissioning, and subsequent hospitalisation in England after wounding on the Western Front. Afterwards he was posted to the then new anti-aircraft artillery and returned in 1918 to the Front.Additionally, there are period photographs of family and friends in uniform as they too went off to War, showing different regiments which make a superb uniform study to complement his story.They show the Home Front aspects of army life covering officer training and medical care and recreation. The photographer himself is a classic example of the WWI British officer who saw service and is atypical of those who answered the call and as such is worthy of remembering by having his story told.
With the Jocks: A Soldier's Struggle for Europe 1944-45
by Peter White'The book is remarkable .... one of the most striking personal records of the period.' - Max HastingsAs a 24-year-old lieutenant in the King's Own Scottish Borderers, Peter kept an unauthorised journal of his regiment's advance through the Low Countries and into Germany in the closing months of the war in Europe. Forbidden by his commanding officer from doing so for security reasons, Peter's boyhood habit of diary keeping had become an obsession too strong to shake off. In this graphic evocation of a soldier at war, the images he records are not for the faint hearted.There are heroes aplenty within its pages, but there are also disturbing insights into the darker sides of humanity - the men who broke under the strain and who ran away; the binge drinking which occasionally rendered the whole platoon unable to fight; the looting, the rape, and the callous disregard for human life that happens when death is a daily companion. Hidden away for more than 50 years, this is a rare opportunity to read an authentic account of the horrors of war experienced by a British soldier in the greatest conflict of the 20th century.
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
by E. B. SledgeA reprint of the classic World War II memoir chronicling 20-year-old Sledge's experiences as a rifleman. The non-fiction account of the Peleliu and Okinawa battles has been compared to All Quiet on the Western Front. It certainly captures the confusion and fear of war, particularly for a young man torn between ideals of duty and the horrific devastation of combat. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.
With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa
by E. B. SledgeIn The Wall Street Journal, Victor Davis Hanson named With the Old Breed one of the top five books on epic twentieth-century battles. Studs Terkel interviewed the author for his definitive oral history, The Good War. Now E. B. Sledge's acclaimed first-person account of fighting at Peleliu and Okinawa returns to thrill, edify, and inspire a new generation.An Alabama boy steeped in American history and enamored of such heroes as George Washington and Daniel Boone, Eugene B. Sledge became part of the war's famous 1st Marine Division-3d Battalion, 5th Marines. Even after intense training, he was shocked to be thrown into the battle of Peleliu, where "the world was a nightmare of flashes, explosions, and snapping bullets." By the time Sledge hit the hell of Okinawa, he was a combat vet, still filled with fear but no longer with panic.Based on notes Sledge secretly kept in a copy of the New Testament, With the Old Breed captures with utter simplicity and searing honesty the experience of a soldier in the fierce Pacific Theater. Here is what saved, threatened, and changed his life. Here, too, is the story of how he learned to hate and kill-and came to love-his fellow man.From the Trade Paperback edition.
With the Tanks, 1916–1918: Memoirs of a British Tank Commander in the Great War (Eyewitnesses from The Great War)
by W.H.L. WatsonWilliam Watson was a young Oxford post-graduate at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. Along with several friends from Oxford he enlisted in the army expecting the war to last six weeks. Watson began his service in the Great War as a British Army motorcycle despatch rider. He saw active service during the key battles of 1914 and early 1915. Watson was then commissioned and became a tank commander and saw active service with the tanks most notably at Cambrai in 1917. This well written and evocative memoir was originally published under the tile 'A Company Of Tanks' it constitutes a wonderful primary source and is an invaluable addition to the library of anyone with an interest in the evolution of the tank as a decisive weapon on the battlefield. Highly detailed, but nonetheless accessible this superb new illustrated edition, edited by Emmy AwardTM winning historian Bob Carruthers is greatly recommended for serious enthusiasts and casual readers alike.
Withdrawing from Iraq: Alternative Schedules, Associated Risks, and Mitigating Strategies
by Keith Crane David C. Gompert Stuart E. Johnson Walter L. Perry John GordonIn studying the withdrawal from Iraq, RAND assessed logistical constraints, trends in insurgent activity, the readiness of Iraqi security forces, and implications for the size of the residual U.S. force and for security in Iraq and the region. This report presents alternative schedules: one consistent with the Obama administration's intentions, one somewhat slower, and another faster. It also identifies steps to alleviate constraints and risks.
Wither Iran?: Reform, Domestic Politics and National Security (Adelphi series)
by Shahram ChubinTerrorism and the Middle East are often connected. The fear that these will be a future source of threat with weapons of mass destruction, notably nuclear or biological weapons, has grown in recent years. This book looks at the politics of one important state in the region - Iran - and concludes that political reform in that country is changing it in ways that are reducing it as a threat to its neighbours and to international security.
Within These Walls of Sorrow: A Novel of World War II Poland
by Amanda Barratt"As superbly written as it is haunting in its truth." --Kate Breslin, best-selling author of For Such a Time Zosia Lewandowska knows the brutal realities of war all too well. Within weeks of Germany's invasion of her Polish homeland, she lost the man she loves. As ghetto walls rise and the occupiers tighten their grip on the city of Krakow, Zosia joins pharmacist Tadeusz Pankiewicz and his staff in the heart of the Krakow ghetto as they risk their lives to aid the Jewish people trapped by Nazi oppression. Hania Silverman's carefree girlhood is shattered as her family is forced into the ghetto. Struggling to survive in a world hemmed in by walls and rife with cruelty and despair, she encounters Zosia, her former neighbor, at the pharmacy. As deportation winnow the ghetto's population and snatch those she holds dear, Hania's natural resiliency is exhausted by reality. Zodia and Hania's lives intertwine as they face the griefs and fears thrust upon them by war, until one day, they are forced to make a desperate choice . . . one that will inexorably bind them together, even as they are torn apart. Amanda Barratt's meticulous research and lush, award-winning writing shine once again in this moving look at a group of unsung heroes who fought for hope and humanity in the most harrowing of times. "An unflinching tale that implores readers to stop and see, not a massive crowd of people, but individual hearts and souls. This book will linger in your heart and mind long after you've read the final page." --Amanda Cox, Christy Award-winning author of The Edge of Belonging
Without Fail (Jack Reacher #6)
by Lee ChildJack Reacher takes aim at the White House in the sixth novel in Lee Child&’s #1 New York Times bestselling series.DON'T MISS REACHER ON PRIME VIDEO! Skilled, cautious, and anonymous, Jack Reacher is perfect for the job: to assassinate the vice president of the United States. Theoretically, of course. A female Secret Service agent wants Reacher to find the holes in her system, and fast—because a covert group already has the vice president in their sights. They&’ve planned well. There&’s just one thing they didn&’t plan on: Reacher.
Without Fear: A Hunter Stark Novel (The Hunter Stark Novels #2)
by David Hunt R. J. Pineiro"Outstanding . . . This military adventure thriller deserves to become a genre classic." —Publishers Weekly, starred reviewNew York Times–bestselling author Col. David Hunt and R. J. Pineiro have teamed up for a second action-packed, Hunter Stark thriller steeped in authenticity: Without Fear. Southern Afghanistan, 2005. NATO forces are battling the Taliban across Kandahar Province. In a terrifying twist, the rebels unearth a tactical nuclear bomb lost in the final days of the Soviet occupation. The years buried in the sand have damaged it, so the Taliban seeks the help of al Qaeda to secure replacement parts through its contacts in Saudi Arabia, the Opium Cartel, and the Russian Mafia. Doing so, however, inadvertently alerts the Americans, the Russians, and the Israelis. Hunter Stark and his team of CIA contractors are on the chase, dispensing explosive waves of violence to track where the Taliban is hiding the weapon. But Russian Spetsnaz and Israeli Mossad operatives are also in the region following their own agendas—as is NATO—triggering chaos and confusion. The stakes skyrocket when a courier delivers the components and the weapon becomes functional, forcing Stark to drive full throttle, without fear, into a world of terror, going beyond duty and honor to prevent the unthinkable.
Without Hesitation: The Odyssey of an American Warrior
by Malcolm McConnell Hugh Shelton Ronald LevinsonThe powerful unvarnished memoir of General Hugh Shelton, war hero, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during 9/11, and one of the leading military figures of our time.Whether serving under a Democratic president or a Republican president, General Shelton was never afraid to speak out and tell it like it is. Shelton chronicles his incredible journey from a small farming community in North Carolina to the highest level of American military and political power at the Pentagon and White House.As one of the nation's elite Special Forces soldiers, Shelton served twice in Vietnam, commanding a Green Beret unit and then an airborne infantry company. He was awarded a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for a wound suffered when a booby trap drove a poisoned stake through his leg.Shelton rose up the ranks and was assistant division commander of the 101st Airborne Division as they invaded Iraq in the Persian Gulf War, then led the 20,000 American troops tasked with restoring Haiti's deposed President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, to power. Promoted to 4-star General, he became Commander in Chief of U.S. Special Operations Command (including Delta Force, Navy SEALS and other top secret Special Mission Units).But it was while serving as Chairman during both the Clinton and Bush administrations that he faced his biggest challenges, including his role as chief architect of the U.S. military response to 9/11. General Shelton speaks frankly of how decisions were made behind the scenes in the inner sanctum of the E-Ring and Oval Office, and reveals key military operations and meetings that have not yet been revealed, including:* High-ranking Cabinet member proposes intentionally allowing an American pilot to be killed by the Iraqis to have an excuse to retaliate and go to war.* Details of a contentious Camp David meeting among President George W. Bush and his National Security Council immediately after 9/11, where internal battle lines were drawn---and Shelton (along with Colin Powell) convinced President Bush to do the right thing.* How Rumsfeld persuaded General Tommy Franks to bypass the Joint Chiefs, leading to a badly flawed Iraq war plan that failed to anticipate the devastating after-effects of the insurgency and civil war.* Attempts to kill Usama bin Laden that were shot down by our State Department.* CIA botched high-profile terrorist snatches, leaving Shelton's Special Operations teams to clean up their mess.* How Shelton "persuaded" Haiti's dictator to flee the country.* And much more.Yet it's Shelton's amazing personal story that puts his military career in perspective. It began with a fall from a ladder in his backyard, resulting in total paralysis from the neck down---and a risky experimental procedure, so dangerous that if it didn't cure him, chances are it would kill him.Revealing, compelling, and controversial, Without Hesitation is the story of a man whose integrity and ethics were always above reproach, and who dedicated his life to serving his country.
Without Honor (Kirk McGarvey series #1)
by David HagbergThe skyjacking of a plane bound for Cuba left four people dead, two of them CIA operatives. To reveal the true nature of the incident, the CIA knows of one man that can get them the answers they need; a man whom they had relied on before... Kirk McGarvey is a man with a past; a past that has recently resurfaced and threatens to darken a present in which he tries to put the days of "The Company" behind him. However, drawn back in to help the agency ferret out a spy who has penetrated the upper echelon of the U.S. Government, he discovers that who he was then had never really been that far away from who he is now. In a world where deception is a survival trait, can McGarvey trust anyone to tell him the truth?
Without Regard to Race: The Integration of the U.S. Military After World War II (First Books)
by Hedda GarzaExamines the racist attitudes that kept African-Americans from meaningful service in the United States military and the changes that occurred in the armed forces policies during World War II.