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A Hero Comes Home: A Bell Sound Novel
by Sandra HillNew York Times bestselling author Sandra Hill returns with love and laughter with the third book in the Bell Sound series.Welcome to Bell Cove, North Carolina. The famous bells in this small Outer Banks town are ringing a hero’s welcome when a former army captain returns home... After being held prisoner for three years in an Afghan prison, Jake Dawson is finally going home--except everyone, including his wife and young sons, believed he was dead. Jake has changed since he left for war, and now he isn’t sure where he belongs.Sally has changed, too. Her marriage to Jacob was on shaky ground even before his last deployment, but he’s still every inch the hot, headstrong man she loves, despite his wounds, both visible and invisible. Seeing him with their three boys makes her want to fight for this unexpected second chance.As summer winds down, all of the wacky folks in Bell Cove, which is awash with yellow ribbons and American flags, are aiming for a Labor Day Love Re-Connection. In fact, they’re pulling out all the stops, in their usual outrageous style, to get Jake and Sally together again…
A Hero For All Times: Marshall VC in The Great War
by Peter LeesIn September 1914 Neville Marshall gave up a successful horse treatment practice to join first the Belgian and then the British Army. His diary, dormant in family archives for 105 years, and letters describe his tumultuous war service. An Irish Guardsman, who was seconded to three Lancashire battalions, he rose in rank from Lieutenant to Acting Lieutenant-Colonel. Wounded at least nine times and awarded five gallantry medals, he revelled as well as suffered in his encounters with the German enemy. Outspoken on the conduct of the war, he was without doubt a gifted and courageous leader who led from the front. Fiercely loyal to his men, he earned their respect and affection. Yet with soldiers who were uncaring of their own states of body and mind or lacking physical fitness and self-respect, he worked tirelessly to restore their morale and battle readiness through strict disciplinary regimes. While undoubtedly a patriot and a hero, Marshall VC was not without character flaws, impetuously rushing to judgements. In this superbly researched book, his diaries and letters are supplemented from a wide range of archival and other sources. The result is no ordinary biography of an extraordinary officer who gave his life for his country.
A Hero in France
by Alan FurstSpring, 1941. Britain is losing the war. Paris is occupied by the Nazis, dark and silent at night. But when the clouds part, and moonlight floods the city, a Resistance leader called Mathieu steps out to begin his work. The fighters of the French Resistance are determined not to give up. These courageous men and women - young and old, aristocrats and nightclub owners, teachers and students - help downed British airmen reach the border with Spain. In farmhouses and rural churches, in secret hotels, and on the streets, they risk everything to open Europe's sealed doors and lead Allied fighters to freedom. But as the military police heightens surveillance, Mathieu and his team face a new threat, dispatched from the Reich to destroy them all.
A Hero of France: A Novel
by Alan Furst<P>From the bestselling master espionage writer, hailed by Vince Flynn as "the best in the business," comes a riveting novel about the French Resistance in Nazi-occupied Paris. <P>1941. The City of Light is dark and silent at night. But in Paris and in the farmhouses, barns, and churches of the French countryside, small groups of ordinary men and women are determined to take down the occupying forces of Adolf Hitler. Mathieu, a leader of the French Resistance, leads one such cell, helping downed British airmen escape back to England. <P>Alan Furst's suspenseful, fast-paced thriller captures this dangerous time as no one ever has before. He brings Paris and occupied France to life, along with courageous citizens who outmaneuver collaborators, informers, blackmailers, and spies, risking everything to fulfill perilous clandestine missions. <P>Aiding Mathieu as part of his covert network are Lisette, a seventeen-year-old student and courier; Max de Lyon, an arms dealer turned nightclub owner; Chantal, a woman of class and confidence; Daniel, a Jewish teacher fueled by revenge; Joëlle, who falls in love with Mathieu; and Annemarie, a willful aristocrat with deep roots in France, and a desire to act. <P>As the German military police heighten surveillance, Mathieu and his team face a new threat, dispatched by the Reich to destroy them all. <P>Shot through with the author's trademark fine writing, breathtaking suspense, and intense scenes of seduction and passion, Alan Furst's A Hero of France is at once one of the finest novels written about the French Resistance and the most gripping novel yet by the living master of the spy thriller. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
A Hero of Our Own: The Story of Varian Fry
by Sheila IsenbergAn American responsible for rescuing many Jews during World War Ii.
A Hero to Love (Changing Tides #2)
by Gail ChianeseA military police officer on the verge of a new beginning. A beautiful woman devoted to her career and her dream of putting down roots. The hardest thing they’ll ever do is to take a chance on love . . . Navy Chief Master at Arms Jackson “Jax” Faraday is at a crossroads. He has to decide whether to reenlist or get out while he’s young enough to make a difference in the civilian world. Either choice could mean leaving behind his girl: his K-9 partner, Bella. But when she’s injured during a training session, Jax’s only concern is making sure she’s okay. As the Navy base veterinarian, town local Risa Reynolds is right where she belongs: close to her parents in a farmhouse full of animals—with room to grow. She’s seen enough to put military men are on her “not happening” list, because they always leave. But when a tall, hazel-eyed sailor arrives in her clinic with his dog in his arms, Risa finds herself falling hard. And all kinds of rules will get broken when Jax, a man who sticks to the straight and narrow, learns that there’s no predicting the twists and turns of the heart . . . Praise for Gail Chianese and her West Side Romance series! “Engaging and down-to-earth . . . features characters readers can root for.” —Library Journal “This book will make your heart smile.” —Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author “A series destined for the keeper shelf!” —Roxanne St. Claire, New York Times bestselling author “The West Side Romance series is like the perfect pick-me-up latte—hot and steamy, with a layer of frothy fun on the top!” —Jessica Andersan, New York Times bestselling author “Convincing characters, hot love scenes, and emotional depth.” —Library Journal, Starred Review
A Hero's Return (Finding Forever in Sandy Shores)
by Carrie NicholsHe knows how to be brave on a battlefield Now he has to be brave with his heart Years of military service taught decorated veteran Braden Sullivan how to be strong. It didn&’t teach him how to be vulnerable. Back in his Oregon hometown, with a job as a helicopter pilot and a two-family home to renovate, he&’s not at all prepared for his heart to take flight after meeting his tenant, Cassie Donovan. The widowed single mom is beautiful, charming…and terrified of loving another pilot after losing her husband in a crash. Overcoming her fears and his own uncertainties will take courage—but isn&’t that what a hero soldier is for?From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.Finding Forever in Sandy ShoresBook 1: A Hero's Return
A Heroine of the World
by Tanith LeeFor the first time in e-book format, a harrowing tale of war and survival from a master of dark fantasy.Aradia is only thirteen when the war begins. The brutal Saz-Kronians have invaded from the North, laying siege to her homeland, and as the war grows ever closer, Aradia&’s father and mother are called to Fort Hightower to help defend the City. To keep Aradia safe, they send her to live with her Aunt Elaieva, a cold and distant woman, until the danger has passed. But Hightower falls. Her parents die in the battle. And deeply depressed, her Aunt commits suicide—leaving her home and fortune to Aradia. Unfortunately, inheritance laws mean little in the wake of war. The City has surrendered, and Aradia&’s home is taken over by Flag Colonel Keer Gurz, an officer of the occupying Saz-Kronian army, who quickly becomes enamored with her. Yet the war is hardly over. Aradia&’s homeland joins into the Charvro Alliance, gaining new allies and resources, and Aradia finds herself swept up in the Kronian retreat. In order to survive, Aradia must learn to play both sides of the war, taking on many different roles and identities, but never forgetting her love for Thenser Zavion, a soldier some name traitor and others liberator. Even as circumstances make her a pawn in greater power games, Aradia is destined to be at the center of the shifting tides—destined to be a heroine of the world.
A Hero’s Many Faces
by Tanja SchultRaoul Wallenberg is remembered for his humanitarian activity on behalf of the Hungarian Jews at the end of World War II, and as the Swedish diplomat who disappeared into the Soviet Gulag in 1945. This book examines how thirty-one Wallenberg monuments, in twelve countries on five continents commemorate the man.
A Hessian Soldier in the American Revolution: The Diary Of Stephan Popp
by Stephan PoppGerman corporal Stephan Popp kept a diary during his time in the American Revolution. This present volume is the translation of his diary by Reinhart J. Pope, originally published in 1953.Corporal Popp takes the reader on a gripping journey, beginning with his departure of his Bayreuth regiment from its home encampment, the voyage to America, and the arrival in New York. Popp then relates events of the war from the vantage point of the Bayreuth regiment, with inclusion also of the activities of an associated regiment sent from the neighboring principality of Ansbach, which was at that time under the same ruler. Popp’s account includes a description of the siege of Yorktown, Virginia, where the Ansbach-Bayreuth troops were taken prisoner by the Americans in October 1781 until their release in May 1783. Popp also describes the journey home, ending with his arrival in Bayreuth.
A High Mortality of Doves (Albert Lincoln #1)
by Kate Ellis'Haunting' Independent'A powerful story of loss, malice and deception' Ann CleevesThe first gripping historical thriller in the Albert Lincoln series by bestselling crime writer Kate Ellis.1919. The Derbyshire village of Wenfield is still reeling from four years of war. Just when the village has begun to regain its tranquillity, a young girl, Myrtle Bligh, is found stabbed and left in woodland, her mouth slit to accommodate a dead dove - a bird of peace.When two more women are found murdered in identical circumstances, Wenfield is thrown into a panic.With rumours of a ghostly soldier with a painted face being spotted near the scene of the murders, Inspector Albert Lincoln is sent up from London to crack the terrible case - but with the killer still on the loose, who will be the next to die at the hands of this vicious angel of death?What readers are saying about A High Mortality of Doves:'An utterly stunning mystery . . . Outstanding' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'Deliciously brilliant' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'Gripping' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'An amazing mixture of great plotting, well developed characters and interesting historical detail' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'Fabulously atmospheric' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'A satisfyingly shocking ending' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars'A terrific mystery' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II
by Adam Makos Larry AlexanderTHE NEW YORK TIMES AND INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER Four days before Christmas 1943, a badly damaged American bomber struggled to fly over wartime Germany. At its controls was a 21-year-old pilot. Half his crew lay wounded or dead. It was their first mission. Suddenly, a sleek, dark shape pulled up on the bomber's tail--a German Messerschmitt fighter. Worse, the German pilot was an ace, a man able to destroy the American bomber in the squeeze of a trigger. What happened next would defy imagination and later be called the most incredible encounter between enemies in World War II. This is the true story of the two pilots whose lives collided in the skies that day--the American--2nd Lieutenant Charlie Brown, a former farm boy from West Virginia who came to captain a B-17--and the German--2nd Lieutenant Franz Stigler, a former airline pilot from Bavaria who sought to avoid fighting in World War II. A Higher Call follows both Charlie and Franz's harrowing missions. Charlie would face takeoffs in English fog over the flaming wreckage of his buddies' planes, flak bursts so close they would light his cockpit, and packs of enemy fighters that would circle his plane like sharks. Franz would face sandstorms in the desert, a crash alone at sea, and the spectacle of 1,000 bombers each with eleven guns, waiting for his attack. Ultimately, Charlie and Franz would stare across the frozen skies at one another. What happened between them, the American 8th Air Force would later classify as "top secret." It was an act that Franz could never mention or else face a firing squad. It was the encounter that would haunt both Charlie and Franz for forty years until, as old men, they would search for one another, a last mission that could change their lives forever.
A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-torn Skies of World War II
by Adam Makos Larry AlexanderFive days before Christmas 1943, a badly damaged American bomber struggled to fly over wartime Germany. At its controls was a twenty-one-year-old pilot. Half his crew lay wounded or dead. It was their first mission. Suddenly, a sleek, dark shape pulled up on the bomber's tail--a German Messerschmitt fighter. Worse, the German pilot was an ace, a man able to destroy the American bomber in the squeeze of a trigger. What happened next would defy imagination and later be called 'the most incredible encounter between enemies in World War II. ' This is the true story of the two pilots whose lives collided in the skies that day: the American--Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown, a former farm boy from West Virginia who came to captain a B-17--and the German--Second Lieutenant Franz Stigler, a former airline pilot from Bavaria who sought to avoid fighting in World War II. A Higher Call follows both Charlie and Franz's harrowing missions. Charlie would face takeoffs in English fog over the flaming wreckage of his buddies' planes, flak bursts so close they would light his cockpit, and packs of enemy fighters that would circle his plane like sharks. Franz would face sandstorms in the desert, a crash alone at sea, and the spectacle of 1,000 bombers each with eleven guns, waiting for his attack. Ultimately, Charlie and Franz would stare across the frozen skies at one another. What happened between them, the American 8th Air Force would later classify as 'top secret. ' It was an act that Franz could never mention or else face a firing squad. It was the encounter that would haunt both Charlie and Franz for forty years until, as old men, they would search for one another, a last mission that could change their lives forever.
A Higher Form of Killing
by Robert Harris Jeremy PaxmanThe secret story of chemical and biological warfare.A Higher Form of Killing was first published to great acclaim in 1982. The authors have written a new Introduction and a new Epilogue to take account of the events that have happened since the early 1980s - including the break-up of the former Soviet Union and the black market that appeared in chemical and biological weapons, the acquisition of these weapons by various Third World states, the attempts of various countries like Iraq to build up arsenals of these weapons and, most recently, the use of these weapons in terrorist attacks. As the authors point out, the two generations since the Second World War lived with the threat of nuclear annihilation. Now a new generation must learn to live with weapons that are more insidious and potentially more devastating.
A Higher Form of Killing: The Secret History Of Chemical And Biological Warfare
by Robert Harris Jeremy PaxmanA Higher Form of Killing opens with the first devastating battlefield use of lethal gas in World War I, and then investigates the stockpiling of biological weapons during World War II and in the decades afterward as well as the inhuman experiments conducted to test their effectiveness. This updated edition includes a new Introduction and a new final chapter exposing frightening developments in recent years, including the black market that emerged in chemical and biological weapons following the breakup of the Soviet Union, the acquisition of these weapons by various Third World states, the attempts of countries such as Iraq to build up arsenals, and--particularly and most recently--the use of these weapons in terrorist attacks.
A History Of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323
by Gerald R. PitzlThe history of VMFA-323 was written to provide an account of important events covering the more than 40 years of the squadron's continuous active service. From its commissioning in 1943 through action in the Pacific, the Korean War. Vietnam, and the inter-war periods, the "Death Rattlers" can be seen to have served with distinction.
A History Of The British Army – Vol. III (A History of the British Army #3)
by Hon. Sir John William FortescueSir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent place amongst British military historians, his enduring fame and legacy resting mainly on his life's work "The History of the British Army",According to Professor Brian Bond, the work was "the product of indefatigable research in original documents, a determination to present a clear, accurate, and readable narrative of military operations, and a close personal knowledge of the battlefields, which enabled him to elucidate his account with excellent maps. Most important, however, was his motivation: namely, a lifelong affection for the old, long-service, pre-Cardwell army, the spirit of the regiments of which it largely consisted, and the value of its traditions to the nation. An important part of his task was to distil and inculcate these soldierly virtues which, in his conservative view, contrasted sharply with the unedifying character of politicians who habitually meddled in military matters." ODNB.This third volume covers the period from 1763-1793, the European Powersfought each other via proxy but great vigour in North America and India. The British Army would have great success in India under military leaders of the calibre of Abercromby, Cornwallis and Warren Hastings. however the loss of the American Revolutionary War, gained for the Americans their Independence and the British troops, hamstrung by political foolishness, a humbling defeat.TIMES.--"Whatever Mr. Fortescue may do in the future, he has already, in his first three volumes, produced one of the most important military works in the English language. It is sincerely to be hoped that they will be read as widely as they deserve to be."ARMY AND NAVY GAZETTE.--"The Hon. J. W. Fortescue is greatly to be congratulated upon the third volume of his very important History of the British Army....With the publication of this book the British Army is gaining a complete history really worthy of the name."A MUST READ for any military enthusiast.
A History Of The British Army – Vol. IV – Part One (A History of the British Army #4)
by Hon. Sir John William FortescueSir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent place amongst British military historians, his enduring fame and legacy resting mainly on his life's work "The History of the British Army", issued in 20 volumes, which took him some 30 years to complete. In scope and breadth it is such that no modern scholar has attempted to cover such a large and diverse subject in its entirety; but Sir John did so and with aplomb, leading to a readable and comprehensive study.This fourth volume covers the period from 1789 to 1801; as the tocsins of the French Revolution rang around the European continent their effects would lead to almost unceasing warfare for the next twenty years. During the Revolutionary Wars, the British Army would mature during the campaigns of the First Coalition against France always giving a good account of themselves, but their small number meant that the course of the campaign would not lead to victory. The effectiveness of the British Army in sea-borne assaults on French possessions across the world, would lead to much success but also bitter grumbling of Britain's coalition partners.TIMES.--"We are witnessing the birth of a military classic which is, and will be for some generations to come, without a peer in the subject to which it relates. The debt which the British Army owes to the writer of this moving chronicle of its great achievements, its grandeurs, and its miseries can only be repaid if every member of the Army endeavours to assimilate for himself, and for the profit of his country, Mr. Fortescue's admirable and most instructive pages."A MUST READ for any military enthusiast.
A History Of The British Army – Vol. IV – Part Two (A History of the British Army #5)
by Hon. Sir John William FortescueSir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent place amongst British military historians, his enduring fame and legacy resting mainly on his life's work "The History of the British Army", issued in 20 volumes, which took him some 30 years to complete. In scope and breadth it is such that no modern scholar has attempted to cover such a large and diverse subject in its entirety; but Sir John did so and with aplomb, leading to a readable and comprehensive study.This fourth volume covers the period from 1789 to 1801; as the tocsins of the French Revolution rang around the European continent their effects would lead to almost unceasing warfare for the next twenty years. During the Revolutionary Wars, the British Army would mature during the campaigns of the First Coalition against France always giving a good account of themselves, but their small number meant that the course of the campaign would not lead to victory. The effectiveness of the British Army in sea-borne assaults on French possessions across the world, would lead to much success but also bitter grumbling of Britain's coalition partners.TIMES.--"We are witnessing the birth of a military classic which is, and will be for some generations to come, without a peer in the subject to which it relates. The debt which the British Army owes to the writer of this moving chronicle of its great achievements, its grandeurs, and its miseries can only be repaid if every member of the Army endeavours to assimilate for himself, and for the profit of his country, Mr. Fortescue's admirable and most instructive pages."A MUST READ for any military enthusiast.
A History Of The British Army – Vol. IX – (A History of the British Army #10)
by Hon. Sir John William FortescueSir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent place amongst British military historians, his enduring fame and legacy resting mainly on his life's work "The History of the British Army", issued in 20 volumes, which took him some 30 years to complete. In scope and breadth it is such that no modern scholar has attempted to cover such a large and diverse subject in its entirety; but Sir John did so and with aplomb, leading to a readable and comprehensive study.This ninth volume covers the period from 1813-1814, after a bloody struggle the Duke of Wellington finally cleared the border fortress at Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz having laid siege to them more than once he set his victorious British and Portuguese troops on to the task of destroying the French armies before them in a piecemeal fashion. As can well be followed in Fortescue's masterly volume the advance of the British forces leavers the French forces out of numerous river protected positions before converging and destroying on the armies of the Centre and the North at the battle of Vitoria. Despite great ineptitude in the east of Spain, Wellington drove the French before him and into the Pyrenees, leading to a number of vicious engagements around the mountains through which the British Troops emerged victorious. However in North America the fighting was becoming desperate including bloody reverse at Sackett's Harbour, but ultimately the British and Canadian forces would fight to a honourable peace after the disastrous attack on New Orleans in 1815 [this battle is covered in the next volume].TIMES.--"We have in these volumes the worthy continuation of a history which is worthy of its subject. Mr. Fortescue will not ask for higher praise."
A History Of The British Army – Vol. V – (A History of the British Army #6)
by Hon. Sir John William FortescueSir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent place amongst British military historians, his enduring fame and legacy resting mainly on his life's work "The History of the British Army", issued in 20 volumes, which took him some 30 years to complete. In scope and breadth it is such that no modern scholar has attempted to cover such a large and diverse subject in its entirety; but Sir John did so and with aplomb, leading to a readable and comprehensive study.This fifth volume covers the period from 1803-1807, following the short-lived Peace of Amiens Britain and her army faced their most inveterate and dangerous foe, Napoleon. However Britain stood alone against a resurgent France, her former allies had made a grudging peace with France and were unwilling to commit to Britain who they saw as self-interested. Napoleon encamped his huge army around the Channel ports and set about training for the invasion of Britain, the British Army was enlarged through many differing schemes awaiting the defence of the island. In the wider world the superiority of the British Navy enabled more colonial raiding whilst French positions in India were conquered.SPECTATOR.--"The new volumes of A History of the British Army are of the same high quality as those which have gone before. We can give no higher praise, for Mr. Fortescue can only be compared with himself. He has no rivals as a student of military history, and we question whether he has any living superior as an historian."A MUST READ for any military enthusiast.
A History Of The British Army – Vol. VI – (A History of the British Army #7)
by Hon. Sir John William FortescueSir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent place amongst British military historians, his enduring fame and legacy resting mainly on his life's work "The History of the British Army", issued in 20 volumes, which took him some 30 years to complete. In scope and breadth it is such that no modern scholar has attempted to cover such a large and diverse subject in its entirety; but Sir John did so and with aplomb, leading to a readable and comprehensive study.According to Professor Emeritus of Military History at King's College, Brian Bond, the work was "the product of indefatigable research in original documents, a determination to present a clear, accurate, and readable narrative of military operations, and a close personal knowledge of the battlefields, which enabled him to elucidate his account with excellent maps. Most important, however, was his motivation: namely, a lifelong affection for the old, long-service, pre-Cardwell army, the spirit of the regiments of which it largely consisted, and the value of its traditions to the nation. An important part of his task was to distil and inculcate these soldierly virtues which, in his conservative view, contrasted sharply with the unedifying character of politicians who habitually meddled in military matters." ODNB.This sixth volume covers the period from 1807-1809, particularly the initial stages of involvement of the British Army in the struggle in the Iberian Peninsular. Written as always with superb detail and authority, Sir John details the opening of the British campaigns in Portugal, the battles at Roliça and Vimiero, before the brutal retreat and battle of Sir John Moore at Coruña.SPECTATOR.--"The new volumes of A History of the British Army are of the same high quality as those which have gone before. We can give no higher praise, for Mr. Fortescue can only be compared with himself. "A MUST READ for any military enthusiast.
A History Of The British Army – Vol. VII – (A History of the British Army #8)
by Hon. Sir John William FortescueSir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent place amongst British military historians, his enduring fame and legacy resting mainly on his life's work "The History of the British Army", issued in 20 volumes, which took him some 30 years to complete. In scope and breadth it is such that no modern scholar has attempted to cover such a large and diverse subject in its entirety; but Sir John did so and with aplomb, leading to a readable and comprehensive study.According to Professor of Military History Brian Bond, the work was "the product of indefatigable research in original documents, a determination to present a clear, accurate, and readable narrative of military operations, and a close personal knowledge of the battlefields, which enabled him to elucidate his account with excellent maps. Most important, however, was his motivation: namely, a lifelong affection for the old, long-service, pre-Cardwell army, the spirit of the regiments of which it largely consisted, and the value of its traditions to the nation. An important part of his task was to distil and inculcate these soldierly virtues which, in his conservative view, contrasted sharply with the unedifying character of politicians who habitually meddled in military matters." ODNB.This seventh volume covers the period from 1809-1810, after a disastrous raid into French held Holland, the British government decided to use all their power to the strike at Napoleon at his weakest point, Portugal and Spain. After the British foray into Spain in 1809 culminating the bloody victory at Talavera, the British troops retreated into Portugal before the overwhelming French numbers. Inflicting a punishing check to the French invasion force under Masséna at Bussaco, the British army marched to the massive and impenetrable lines of Torres Vedras close to Lisbon.BROAD ARROW.--"This is a worthy successor to the volumes which have preceded it, and the whole forms a great work by a great, an impartial, and a bold writer,"
A History Of The British Army – Vol. VIII – (A History of the British Army #9)
by Hon. Sir John William FortescueSir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent place amongst British military historians, his enduring fame and legacy resting mainly on his life's work "The History of the British Army", issued in 20 volumes, which took him some 30 years to complete. In scope and breadth it is such that no modern scholar has attempted to cover such a large and diverse subject in its entirety; but Sir John did so and with aplomb, leading to a readable and comprehensive study.This eight volume covers the period from 1811-12, having drawn the invading French forces into a trap before the fortified lines of Torres Vedras the British Army under Wellington set about expelling his foe from the land of his Portuguese allies. Despite much skill and bravery on the part of their French foes, the Duke of Wellington and his British troops pushed them back in some disarray and with heavy loss. The French however regrouped quickly and almost inflicted a serious reverse on the British forces at the battle of Fuentes d'Oñoro, but the determined resistance of the British army ensured that the French would never return to Portugal as anything other than as prisoners of war. Sir John does not miss the actions and manoeuvres in the other provinces of Spain, French successes in the east were balanced by losses in the south at the battle of Barossa and the failed siege of Tarifa. Across the Atlantic British naval high-handedness allied with American opportunism began to simmer over into the War of 1812 as the British would be caught fighting on two fronts and their Canadian citizens would face annexation into the United States. Written as always with superb detail and authority, Fortescue blends the political machinations with the movements of the British Armies across the globe and the glory gained by the troops in Spain and Portugal.ARMY AND NAVY GAZETTE.--"The whole volume is admirable; it is equally the work of a great student and of an impartial historian."A MUST READ for any military enthusiast.
A History Of The British Army – Vol. X – (A History of the British Army #11)
by Hon. Sir John William FortescueSir John Fortescue holds a pre-eminent place amongst British military historians, his enduring fame and legacy resting mainly on his life's work "The History of the British Army", issued in 20 volumes, which took him some 30 years to complete. In scope and breadth it is such that no modern scholar has attempted to cover such a large and diverse subject in its entirety; but Sir John did so and with aplomb, leading to a readable and comprehensive study.This tenth volume covers the period from 1814-1815, as the British Army along with its Portuguese and Spanish Allies finally pushed into France in 1814 they still met with fierce and determined resistance from the French troops under the veteran Marshal Soult. After a number of skilful, and some less skilful actions along the river lines the victories of the British troops added further evidence to the hopeless situation for Napoleon who abdicated in 1814. The British government immediately sent a large part of the victorious Peninsular army on a foolish and unsuccessful attack of New Orleans, all the more futile as peace had already been signed between the United States and Great Britain. Napoleon did not rest long in his new home on the Isle of Elba, returning to France in 1815 reuniting his enemies against him and fighting the era defining battle of Waterloo, one of the finest hours of the British Army.TIMES.--"We have in these volumes the worthy continuation of a history which is worthy of its subject. Mr. Fortescue will not ask for higher praise." A MUST READ for any military enthusiast.