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Airpower Support To Unconventional Warfare
by Major Scott A. HartmanWith the development of the "long war," the U.S. military's focus has shifted dramatically from its traditional emphasis on conventional operations to irregular and indirect approaches to safeguard America's vital interests. One of the least understood aspects of Irregular Warfare is Unconventional Warfare (UW), which includes operations conducted through, with or by indigenous forces and provides the U.S. with an indirect means of accomplishing its objectives.This thesis examines the current ability of Special Operations Forces to conduct UW with air support, specifically air support provided by Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). This thesis examines the questions--Does AFSOC currently have airpower assets with the capability to support UW operations with mobility, resupply, and fires?Three case studies were used to examine airpowers role in UW: Allied support to the French resistance in WWII, United States support to the Hmong during the conflict in Laos and a hypothetical scenario using AFSOC's current capabilities. The three case studies were examined using the evaluation criteria of effectiveness, efficiency and unity of effort. The analysis found that AFSOC could currently support UW operations, but effectiveness would be limited by a number of factors.
Airwar: Essays on its Theory and Practice (Studies In Air Power Ser. #Vol. 14)
by Phillip S. MeilingerAccording to the author all aircrews, tacticians and those who direct them have to realise the limitations of air power during conflicts. For years opinion has differed as to whether the aircraft has altered war strategies or merely the tactics of war. This volume explores the limits of airpower.
Airwar over the Atlantic (Luftwaffe At War Ser.)
by Manfred GriehlLate in 1938, the German Navy Supreme Command commissioned a report into the combat effectiveness of its airborne divisions. As a result of its findings, the German High Command instigated a major construction program for planes with a specifically maritime role: carrier-borne, reconnaissance, mine laying and most importantly, long-range units were all developed. In this volume of the outstanding Luftwaffe at War series, Manfred Griehl showcases a photo-history of the development of the Kriegsmarine airborne capability from the early Condor missions to the introduction of Me 262 A-1a jet fighters in 1944. More than a hundred rarely seen pictures illustrate the gradual turning of the tide against Germany in the war for the skies over the Atlantic: as the German war machine struggled to match demand for aircraft, so the pilots attempting to control crucial supply routes struggled to compete with mounting allied technical and numerical superiority.
Airway to the East, 1918–1920: And the Collapse of No.1 Aerial Route RAF
by Clive SempleThe origins of what became officially known as No 1 Aerial Route lay in the newly formed Royal Air Forces desire to move several squadrons of the then recently designed first heavy bomber to enter service the Handley Page O/400, to the war in the Middle-East. The aircraft had served on the Western Front with some success, although not in the long-range capacity. During the spring of 1918, the Wing Commander of No 5 Wing, Billy Borton, requested that one of the HP O/400 aircraft be flown to Egypt. This was approved by Major General Sir Frederick Sykes. Before the flight could proceed a great deal of planning was required since the aircrafts maximum range was only 600 miles. Several refueling and maintenance bases along the route were required. When planned in 1918 the route was from Paris Lyons, Istres, Pisa, Rome, Barletta, Taranto, Athens, Crete, Mersa Matru and finally Cairo. Each landing station would require fuel, spares, and communications and back-up personnel. On July 50.00 1918 a new HPO/400 set off from Manston in Kent with Borton and his pilot Major McLaren plus two crew. After a comparatively trouble-free flight the bomber arrived in Aboukir, Alexandria on the evening of 7 August. As a result, the RAF decided to use this route to fly several squadrons of the Handley Page bombers shortly after the war had ended. The Arab leaders had found out that the Allies promise that the captured Turkish lands would be returned to them was a duplicitous lie and that France and Great Britain would take control of the area. This quite naturally lead to massive unrest and rioting throughout the middle-eastern lands. The bombers were needed to quell the rioting and sabotage that had broken out. Thus, on 3 May 1919 58 Squadron set of from France on No 1 Aerial Route. It was a premature departure since many of the refueling airfields along the route were not prepared for there incoming customers. Chaos ensued by 1 November Three Squadrons had been dispatched. Of the 51 bombers sent only 26 had arrived, ten were stuck en-route and 15 had been written-off as broken or lost at sea and 11 aircrew had perished.This is the story of the development of the route. It would eventually form the first stage of the Imperial Air Route to Australia.
Aisne 1914: The Bef And The Birth Of The Western Front (Battleground Early Battles 1914)
by Jerry MurlandThe 1914 Battle of the Aisne, officially from 12 15 September, came about as a result of the German retirement from the Battle of the Marne, which took place further south as the huge conscript armies of France and Germany jostled for position almost within sight of Paris. By the time the British arrived on the Aisne the battle line stretched some 150 miles from Noyon in the west to Verdun in the east and it was only along a tiny fifteen mile sector in the middle that the The British Expeditionary Force was engaged. However, it fought bitter engagements, which took place in difficult conditions and casualties were heavy. The Aisne fighting was the final attempt by the allies to follow through from the success of the Marne. It also marked the successful establishment by the Germans of a sound defensive line on this part of the front.As seen in 'Scale Military Modelling Monthly'.
Aisne 1918 (Battleground North West France)
by David BlanchardThis battlefield guide and history will focus mainly on the events of attack that fell on the British sector of the front between the 27th 1st June 1918, although the offensive which also befell the French forces will not be totally neglected. This area had been a French held sector since 1915 and the French had fought one of its major engagements of the war here in 1917, the ill-fated Nivelle Offensive. French monuments and cemeteries dominate the landscape. The British were also here in 1914, and they too have left reminders of their relative brief presence. However, the actions fought here early in the war tend to be found mainly to the west of the sector. The battlefield of May 1918 scales the heights of the Chemin des Dames ridge, along the Californe Plateau and descends to afforested valley of the Aisne river and canal. The retreat of the Britsh forces during the course of the first day and in following days extends further south almost to the Marne and takes in part of the Champagne region.
Ajax, The Dutch, The War: Football in Europe During the Second World War
by Simon Kuper'Football history at its best' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY'Hugely moving... a very good book indeed' FOUR FOUR TWO'Kuper is an original, sophisticated and adventurous writer. The story he has to tell... is fascinating and pressing' SUNDAY TIMESIn FOOTBALL AGAINST THE ENEMY Simon Kuper crossed the globe in search of the links between football, politics and culture. In AJAX, THE DUTCH, THE WAR he skilfully pieces together an alternative account of World War II. He looks at the lives of the footballers who played for the Dutch club, the officials and the ordinary fans during this tumultuous period and challenges the accepted notion of the War in occupied Europe. With almost 80 per cent of Amsterdam's Jewish Corner wiped out during the war, the long-held belief that, by and large, half the Dutch population had some kind of link to the Resistance has, of late, come into question. Kuper explores this issue and looks deeper into the role of football across Europe in the years both preceding and following the War. The result is a compelling and controversial account of the War, seen through the lens of football.
AK
by Peter DickinsonA war behind him, a child soldier tries to learn the ways of peace Paul remembers nothing from before the conflict. Twelve years old, he is not a child. He is a warrior--one of a handful of elite commandos who live only to fight the corrupt government of Nagala. He has no family but the boys who fight beside him, and he owns nothing but his AK-47 rifle. This is the only life he has ever known, and it is one he understands--right until the day the standoff ends and his life changes forever. Paul buries his AK and heads north to join a school and attempt to live life as just another child. But at night, the battlefield consumes his dreams. When a rogue faction stages a coup in the capital and Paul's adoptive father is put in prison, the boy turns into a warrior once more. It is too late for him to have a childhood, but Paul will do whatever it takes to guarantee himself a future. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Peter Dickinson including rare images from the author's collection.
The AK-47
by Gordon Rottman Johnny ShumateThe Kalashnikov AK-47 is the most ubiquitous assault rifle in the world, with more AK-47s and its variants in use than any other individual small arm. Created by Senior Sergeant Mikhail Kalashnikov, and first adopted by the USSR soon after World War II, its production continues to this day, with an estimated 75 million produced worldwide. It is the longest serving post-World War II military weapon and its ease of use, durability and low production costs ensure that it's use will continue for generations to come. This book takes a look at the complete history of the weapon, discussing its design, development, and usage, taking its story from the great armies of the Soviet Union to the insurgents and criminal gangs that often employ the weapon today.From the Trade Paperback edition.
Akin: A Novel
by Emma DonoghueThe next masterpiece by the New York Times bestselling author of Room: A retired professor's life is thrown into chaos when he takes his great-nephew to the French Riviera Noah Selvaggio is a retired chemistry professor and widower living on the Upper West Side, but born in the South of France. He is days away from his first visit back to Nice since he was a child, bringing with him a handful of puzzling photos he's discovered from his mother's wartime years. But he receives a call from social services: Noah is the closest available relative of an eleven-year-old great-nephew he's never met, who urgently needs someone to look after him. Out of a feeling of obligation, Noah agrees to take Michael along on his trip. Much has changed in this famously charming seaside mecca, still haunted by memories of the Nazi occupation. The unlikely duo, suffering from jet lag and culture shock, bicker about everything from steak frites to screen time. But Noah gradually comes to appreciate the boy's truculent wit, and Michael's ease with tech and sharp eye help Noah unearth troubling details about their family's past. Both come to grasp the risks people in all eras have run for their loved ones, and find they are more akin than they knew.Written with all the tenderness and psychological intensity that made Room an international bestseller, Akin is a funny, heart-wrenching tale of an old man and a boy, born two generations apart, who unpick their painful story and start to write a new one together.
Al borde de una guerra nuclear. La Crisis de los Misiles entre la URSS, EEUU y Cuba.
by J. I. Fernández Scott S. F. MeakerEn los años 50, el gran temor se llamaba Guerra Nuclear. Para la Unión Soviética contar con un bastión comunista tan cerca de la frontera americana era un sueño hecho realidad. A principios de los 60, hubo grandes tensiones entre americanos y soviéticos. Además de la desastrosa pérdida de vidas y dignidad en la Bahía de Cochinos, sucedió algo más. La línea se marcaba firmemente en la arena. El mundo estaba al borde de una guerra nuclear.
Al-jabartai's Chronicle of The French Occupation 1798 (Napoleon in Egypt)
by Al-Jabarti Shmuel MorehWhen Napoleon descended upon Egypt in 1798 it was the first contact between a Western European power with imperial ambitions & the Arab world. Sheikh Al-Jabarti chronicled the occupation & has left a fascinating record of how the Arabs viewed the French enterprise.
Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb: Shadow of Terror over The Sahel, from 2007 (History Of Terror Ser.)
by Al J. VenterInsurgencies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and elsewhere the majority linked to al Qaeda are in the news on an almost daily basis. But very little surfaces about a festering insurgency that has been on the go for six years in West Africa under the acronym of AQIM, or al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. This low-level series of guerrilla conflicts is widespread and sporadic, covering an area as vast as Europe. Nigeria has been drawn into the equation because its Boko Haram insurgent faction maintains close ties with AQIM and Islamic State.For now though, the focus is on Mali where several jihadist groups despite formal peace agreements remain active. Involved is the French army and air force as well as the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), the European Union Training Mission in Mali (EUTM) as well as the European Union Capacity Building Mission (EUCAP).The insurrection that fostered all this broke out early 2012 when President Franois Hollande announced the beginning of Operation Serval. Five hours later the first squadrons of French Gazelle helicopter gunships began attacking Islamist columns. A day later French fighter jets based in Chad, almost 2,000 kilometers away, were making sorties against rebel ground targets in northern Mali.
Al Qaeda, The Islamic State, And The Global Jihadist Movement: What Everyone Needs to Kno
by Daniel BymanOn the morning of September 11, 2001, the entire world was introduced to Al Qaeda and its enigmatic leader, Osama bin Laden. But the organization that changed the face of terrorism forever and unleashed a whirlwind of counterterrorism activity and two major wars had been on the scene longbefore that eventful morning. In Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the Global Jihadist Movement: What Everyone Needs to Know, Daniel L. Byman, an eminent scholar of Middle East terrorism and international security who served on the 9/11 Commission, provides a sharp and concise overview of Al Qaeda,from its humble origins in the mountains of Afghanistan to the present, explaining its perseverance and adaptation since 9/11 and the limits of U. S. and allied counterterrorism efforts. The organization that would come to be known as Al Qaeda traces its roots to the anti-Soviet jihad in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Founded as the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, Al Qaeda achieved a degree of international notoriety with a series of spectacular attacks in the 1990s; however, it wasthe dramatic assaults on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11 that truly launched Al Qaeda onto the global stage. The attacks endowed the organization with world-historical importance and provoked an overwhelming counterattack by the United States and other western countries. Within ayear of 9/11, the core of Al Qaeda had been chased out of Afghanistan and into a variety of refuges across the Muslim world. Splinter groups and franchised offshoots were active in the 2000s in countries like Pakistan, Iraq, and Yemen, but by early 2011, after more than a decade of relentlesscounterterrorism efforts by the United States and other Western military and intelligence services, most felt that Al Qaeda's moment had passed. With the death of Osama bin Laden in May of that year, many predicted that Al Qaeda was in its death throes. Shockingly, Al Qaeda has staged a remarkablecomeback in the last few years. In almost every conflict in the Muslim world, from portions of the Xanjing region in northwest China to the African subcontinent, Al Qaeda franchises or like-minded groups have played a role. Al Qaeda's extreme Salafist ideology continues to appeal to radicalizedSunni Muslims throughout the world, and it has successfully altered its organizational structure so that it can both weather America's enduring full-spectrum assault and tailor its message to specific audiences. Authoritative and highly readable, Byman's account offers readers insightful and penetrating answers to the fundamental questions about Al Qaeda: who they are, where they came from, where they're going-and, perhaps most critically-what we can do about it.
Alabama and the Civil War: A History & Guide (Civil War Ser.)
by Robert C. JonesAn examination of the influence of the &“Heart of Dixie&” on the War Between the States—the key players, places, and politics. Alabama&’s role in the Civil War cannot be understated. Union raids into northern Alabama, the huge manufacturing infrastructure in central Alabama and the Battle of Mobile Bay all played significant parts. A number of important Civil War figures also called Alabama home. Maj. General Joseph Wheeler was one of the most remarkable Confederate cavalry commanders in the west. John the Gallant Pelham earned the nickname for his bravery during the Battle of Fredericksburg. John Semmes commanded two of the most famous commerce raiders of the war—the CSS Sumter and the CSS Alabama. Author Robert C. Jones examines the people and places in Alabama that shaped the Civil War. Includes photos!
Alam Halfa: A Study Of High Command
by LTC Charles J. SchwartzmanIn recent years the army has adopted rigorous programs which evaluate the competence and leadership abilities of its combat leaders. For the first time, senior leaders are being formally evaluated as they command their units in the simulated combat environment provided by the Battle Combat Training Program (BCTP). Preparation for BCTP will require introspection and thought as the commander develops his concept of the operation and establishes the vision to guide his organization. This paper can assist the commander in this effort by challenging his thought processes and by provoking him to find answers to the problems of command. It describes the Battle of Alam Halfa which was fought in North Africa in 1942. It is appropriate because its major participant, General Bernard Montgomery, had a uniquely "BCTP-type" mission. He was expected to assume command, imprint his methods and procedures on his army, and fight a major battle within a two-week period. The study includes an overview of the following: the situation in North Africa during the summer of 1942; the steps Montgomery took to prepare his force for battle; and the fighting itself. It concludes with an analysis of the battle using the AirLand Battle imperatives.
Alamein
by Stephen BungayFrom the author of The Most Dangerous Enemy, a study of the history, strategy, and logistics of the pivotal World War II battles at El Alamein.El Alamein was the Second World War land battle Britain had to win. By the summer of 1942 Rommel’s German forces were threatening to sweep through the Western Desert and drive on to the Suez Canal, and Britain desperately needed a victory.In July, Rommel was halted. Then, in October, after twelve days of attritional fighting, Montgomery’s Eighth Army broke through the German and Italian lines at El Alamein. It was a turning-point in the war after which, in Churchill’s words, “we never had a defeat.”Stephen Bungay’s superbly readable narrative complements his definitive study of the Battle of Britain, The Most Dangerous Enemy, illuminating every aspect of this most famous episode of the Desert War, from the crucial logistics of keeping the distant armies supplied to the terror of battle in tormenting heat that was the soldier’s war.Praise for Alamein“Terse and brilliantly written by a thorough master of his subject.” —John Lukacs, Los Angeles Times“A brilliant balance between lucid analysis and piquant detail . . . masterly chapters.” —Lawrence James, Daily Mail (UK)“A broad and pacy overview in a short compass.” —Hew Strachan, Times Literary Supplement (UK)
Alamein to Zem Zem [Illustrated Edition]
by Keith DouglasIncludes the War in North Africa Illustration Pack - 112 photos/illustrations and 21 maps.Few records of war are a lucid, vivid and sensitively written as Keith Douglas' "Alamein to Zem Zem". The author himself was a man of great poetic gifts who had established himself as a leading light in the Oxford literary circles, tutored by no less a person than First World War veteran and acclaimed poet Edmund Blunden. A talent that did not outlast the war, killed in action in Normandy 1944, but his lasting legacy is contained in this exceptional book.Within days of the declaration of the Second World War Douglas had volunteered, chaffing at the bit to get at the Germans. Having passed out of the officer training course at Sandhurst, he was sent to the Middle East in 1941 to join his comrades in the Sherwood Foresters Yeomanry (a tank unit). He was disappointed to be given a staff appointment away from the fighting line; and during the Battle of El Alamein, he snapped and as he put it;"The battle of Alamein began on the 23rd of October, 1942. Six days afterwards I set out in direct disobedience of orders to rejoin my regiment. My batman was delighted with this manoeuvre. 'I like you, sir,' he said. 'You're shit or bust, you are.' This praise gratified me a lot."...and so began his odyssey began from the Alamein line to victory at Zem Zem. Critically acclaimed at the time of publication, and now widely regarded as a military classic."one of the very best prose accounts of fighting the last war."--Philip Toynbee, The Observer.
The Alamo Remembered: Tejano Accounts and Perspectives
by Timothy M. MatovinaA collection of all known Tejano accounts of the Battle of the Alamo.As Mexican soldiers fought the mostly Anglo-American colonists and volunteers at the Alamo in 1836, San Antonio’s Tejano population was caught in the crossfire, both literally and symbolically. Though their origins were in Mexico, the Tejanos had put down lasting roots in Texas and did not automatically identify with the Mexican cause. Indeed, as the accounts in this new collection demonstrate, their strongest allegiance was to their fellow San Antonians, with whom they shared a common history and a common plight as war raged in their hometown. Timothy M. Matovina here gathers all known Tejano accounts of the Battle of the Alamo. These accounts consist of first reports of the battle, including Juan N. Seguín’s funeral oration at the interment ceremony of the Alamo defenders, conversations with local Tejanos, unpublished petitions and depositions, and published accounts from newspapers and other sources. This communal response to the legendary battle deepens our understanding of the formation of Mexican American consciousness and identity.“A fascinating and much needed anthology of Tejano accounts of America's most storied battle. . . . There are no books like it in the field, despite considerable publishing on the Alamo and the Texas revolt.” —Paul Hutton, Executive Director, Western History Association“The first full-scale collection offers a rich insight into the formation of Mexican American identity in San Antonio. . . . [The book] speaks eloquently to a general audience trying to gain a more balanced perspective of the storied conflict [at the Alamo].” —Review of Texas Books“Matovina’s message is that historians who concentrate on the question of which side [Tejanos] joined or did not join miss the larger point: for the Tejanos themselves, the choice of sides during the revolt was not the overriding issue of their lives, nor was it the touchstone of their identity. What the Tejano accounts of the Alamo show, Matovina argues, is that the divisions engendered by the revolution failed to destroy what remained “an amazingly cohesive community” in which families, friends, and neighbors split apart by the war reunited in harmony in its aftermath.” —Southwestern Historical Quarterly
The Alamo Remembered: Tejano Accounts and Perspectives
by Timothy M. MatovinaA collection of all known Tejano accounts of the Battle of the Alamo.As Mexican soldiers fought the mostly Anglo-American colonists and volunteers at the Alamo in 1836, San Antonio’s Tejano population was caught in the crossfire, both literally and symbolically. Though their origins were in Mexico, the Tejanos had put down lasting roots in Texas and did not automatically identify with the Mexican cause. Indeed, as the accounts in this new collection demonstrate, their strongest allegiance was to their fellow San Antonians, with whom they shared a common history and a common plight as war raged in their hometown. Timothy M. Matovina here gathers all known Tejano accounts of the Battle of the Alamo. These accounts consist of first reports of the battle, including Juan N. Seguín’s funeral oration at the interment ceremony of the Alamo defenders, conversations with local Tejanos, unpublished petitions and depositions, and published accounts from newspapers and other sources. This communal response to the legendary battle deepens our understanding of the formation of Mexican American consciousness and identity.“A fascinating and much needed anthology of Tejano accounts of America's most storied battle. . . . There are no books like it in the field, despite considerable publishing on the Alamo and the Texas revolt.” —Paul Hutton, Executive Director, Western History Association“The first full-scale collection offers a rich insight into the formation of Mexican American identity in San Antonio. . . . [The book] speaks eloquently to a general audience trying to gain a more balanced perspective of the storied conflict [at the Alamo].” —Review of Texas Books“Matovina’s message is that historians who concentrate on the question of which side [Tejanos] joined or did not join miss the larger point: for the Tejanos themselves, the choice of sides during the revolt was not the overriding issue of their lives, nor was it the touchstone of their identity. What the Tejano accounts of the Alamo show, Matovina argues, is that the divisions engendered by the revolution failed to destroy what remained “an amazingly cohesive community” in which families, friends, and neighbors split apart by the war reunited in harmony in its aftermath.” —Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Alan Bowker's Canadian Heritage 2-Book Bundle: A Time Such as There Never Was Before / On the Front Line of Life
by Alan BowkerIn this two-book bundle, Alan Bowker sheds new light on two subjects with a surprising connection: the great Canadian writer Stephen Leacock and the rise of Canada on the world stage, which Leacock profiled with keen wit and observational skill. With Bowker as your guide, explore what it was really like to live through the great upheaval that pushed Canada to come into its own on the world stage. A Time Such as There Never Was Before Ottawa Book Award 2015 — Shortlisted The years after World War I were among the most tumultuous in Canadian history: a period of unremitting change, drama, and conflict. They were, in the words of Stephen Leacock, “a time such as there never was before.” The war had been a great crusade, and its end was supposed to bring a world made new. But the conflict had cost sixty thousand Canadian lives, with many more wounded, and had stirred up divisions in the young, diverse country. With Canada struggling to define itself, labour, farmers, business, the church, social reformers, and minorities all held extravagant hopes, irrational fears, and contradictory demands. Whose hopes would be realized, and whose dreams would end in disillusionment? Which changes would prove permanent and which would be transitory? A Time Such As There Never Was Before describes how this exciting period laid the foundation of the Canada we know today. On the Front Line of Life In the last decade of his life, Stephen Leacock turned to writing informal essays that blended humour with a conversational style and ripened wisdom to address issues he cared about most — education, literature, economics, Canada and its place in the world — and to confront the joys and sorrows of his own life. With an introduction that sets them in the context of his life, thoughts and times, these essays reveal a passionate, intelligent, personal Leacock, against a backdrop of Depression and war, finding hope and conveying the timeless message that only the human spirit can bring social justice, peace, and progress.
Alan Bristow, Helicopter Pioneer: The Autobiography
by Alan Bristow Patrick Malone&“You could be forgiven for taking Bristow&’s story as the invention of an action thriller writer . . . One of the best flying books you&’ll ever read.&” —Pilot Magazine Alan Bristow was a truly remarkable man. As a merchant navy officer cadet during the war, he survived two sinkings, played a part in the evacuation of Rangoon and was credited with shooting down two Stukas in North Africa. He joined the Fleet Air Arm and trained as one of the first British helicopter pilots, becoming the first man to land a helicopter on a battleship and Westland&’s first helicopter test pilot. He flew in France, Holland, Algeria, Senegal and elsewhere, narrowly escaping many helicopter crashes before winning the Croix de Guerre evacuating wounded French soldiers in Indochina. For four years he flew for Aristotle Onassis&’s pirate whaling fleet in Antarctica before joining Douglas Bader and providing support services to oil drillers in the Persian Gulf. Out of that grew Bristow Helicopters Ltd, the largest helicopter company in the world outside America. Bristow&’s circle included the great helicopter pioneers such as Igor Sikorsky and Stan Hiller, test pilots like Harold Penrose and Bill Waterton, Sheiks and Shahs and political leaders, business giants like Lord Cayzer and Freddie Laker, and the author James Clavell, a lifelong friend whose book Whirlwind was a fictionalized account of Bristow&’s overnight evacuation of his people and helicopters from revolutionary Iran. Bristow and precipitated the Westland Affair when he made a takeover bid which eventually led to the resignation of Michael Heseltine and Leon Brittain, and almost to the downfall of Margaret Thatcher.&“Has all the ingredients of a bestselling novel.&” —Firetrench
Alan Brooke—Churchill's Right-Hand Critic: A Reappraisal of Lord Alanbrooke
by Andrew SangsterThis new biography of Churchill&’s top WWII advisor is &“an excellent book for anyone interested in military leadership&” (The NYMAS Review). Voted the greatest Briton of the twentieth century, Winston Churchill has long been credited with almost single-handedly leading his country to victory in World War II. But without Alan Brooke, a skilled tactician, at his side the outcome might well have been disastrous. Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, more often than not served as a brake on some of Churchill&’s more impetuous ideas. However, while Brooke&’s diaries reveal his fury with some of Churchill&’s decisions, they also reveal his respect and admiration for the wartime prime minister. In return Churchill must surely have considered Brooke one of his most difficult subordinates—but later wrote that he was &“fearless, formidable, articulate, and in the end convincing.&” As CIGS, Brooke was integral to coordination between the Allied forces, and so had to wrestle with the cultural strategy clash between the British and Americans. Comments in his diaries offer up his opinions of both his British and American military colleagues—his negative assessments of Mountbatten&’s ability, and acerbic comments on the difficult character of de Gaulle and the weaknesses of Eisenhower. Conversely, he was clearly overindulgent in the face of Montgomery&’s foibles. Brooke was often seen as a stern and humorless figure, but a study of his private life reveals a little-seen lighter side, a lifelong passion for birdwatching, and abiding love for his family. The two tragedies that befell his immediate family were a critical influence on his life. Andrew Sangster completes this new biography with a survey of the way various historians have assessed Brooke, explaining how he has lapsed into seeming obscurity in the years since his crucial part in the Allied victory in World War II.
Alanbrooke War Diaries 1939-1945: Field Marshall Lord Alanbrooke
by Lord AlanbrookeThe first complete and unexpurgated edition of the war diaries of Field Marshall Lord Alanbrooke - the most important and the most controversial military diaries of the modern era.Alanbrooke was CIGS - Chief of the Imperial General Staff - for the greater part of the Second World War. He acted as mentor to Montgomery and military adviser to Churchill, with whom he clashed. As chairman of the Chiefs of Staff committee he also led for the British side in the bargaining and the brokering of the Grand Alliance, notably during the great conferences with Roosevelt and Stalin and their retinue at Casablanca,Teheran, Malta and elsewhere. As CIGS Alanbrooke was indispensable to the British and the Allied war effort. The diaries were sanitised by Arthur Bryant for his two books he wrote with Alanbrooke. Unexpurgated, says Danchev, they are explosive. The American generals, in particular, come in for attack. Danchev proposes to centre his edition on the Second World War. Pre and post-war entries are to be reduced to a Prologue and Epilogue). John Keegan says they are the military equivalent of the Colville Diaries (Churchill's private secretary), THE FRINGES OF POWER. These sold 24,000 in hardback at Hodder in 1985.
Alanbrooke War Diaries 1939-1945: Field Marshal Lord Alanbrooke
by Lord AlanbrookeThe first complete and unexpurgated edition of the war diaries of Field Marshall Lord Alanbrooke - the most important and the most controversial military diaries of the modern era.Alanbrooke was CIGS - Chief of the Imperial General Staff - for the greater part of the Second World War. He acted as mentor to Montgomery and military adviser to Churchill, with whom he clashed. As chairman of the Chiefs of Staff committee he also led for the British side in the bargaining and the brokering of the Grand Alliance, notably during the great conferences with Roosevelt and Stalin and their retinue at Casablanca,Teheran, Malta and elsewhere. As CIGS Alanbrooke was indispensable to the British and the Allied war effort. The diaries were sanitised by Arthur Bryant for his two books he wrote with Alanbrooke. Unexpurgated, says Danchev, they are explosive. The American generals, in particular, come in for attack. Danchev proposes to centre his edition on the Second World War. Pre and post-war entries are to be reduced to a Prologue and Epilogue). John Keegan says they are the military equivalent of the Colville Diaries (Churchill's private secretary), THE FRINGES OF POWER. These sold 24,000 in hardback at Hodder in 1985.