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Wellington: The Iron Duke
by Richard HolmesIn this compelling biography, Richard Holmes charts the life of the Duke of Wellington, Britain's greatest soldier. He follows Wellington's remarkable career, from the ruins of his family seat in Ireland and the plains of India where he first gained his reputation as a brilliant commander, to the horrors of the Peninsular War and Waterloo. Holmes sees Wellington as a brilliant figure, idealistic in politics, War and Waterloo. Holmes sees Wellington as a brilliant figure, idealistic in politics, cynical in love, a man of enormous courage and iron duty often sickened by the horrors of war.
Tommy: The British Soldier on the Western Front, 1914-1918
by Richard Holmes"Tommy" tells the story of the First World War through the experiences of those who fought it. Using previously unseen letters, diaries, memoirs, and poetry from the years 1914-1918, Richard Holmes paints a moving picture of the generation that fought and died in the mud of Flanders. He follows men whose mental health was forever destroyed by shell shock, women who lost husbands and brothers in the same afternoon, and those who wrote at lunchtime and died before tea. Groundbreaking and critically-acclaimed, this book tells the real story of trench warfare, the strength and fallibility of the human spirit, the individuals behind an epic event, and their legacy.
Ship of Rome (Masters of the Sea, Book #1)
by John StackAgainst a backdrop of the clash of the Roman and Carthaginian empires, the battle for sovereignty takes place on the high seas. Atticus, captain of one of the ships of Rome's small, coastal fleet, is from a Greek fishing family. Septimus, legionary commander, reluctantly ordered aboard ship, is from Rome, born into a traditionally army family. It could never be an easy alliance. But the arrival of a hostile fleet, larger, far more skilful and more powerful than any Atticus has encountered before, forces them to act together. So Atticus, one of Rome's few experienced sailors, finds himself propelled into the middle of a political struggle that is completely foreign to him. Rome need to build a navy fast but the obstacles are many; political animosities, legions adamant that they will only use their traditional methods; Roman prejudice even from friends, that all those not born in Rome are inferior citizens. The enemy are first class, experienced and determined to control the seas. Can Atticus, and the fledgling Roman navy, staffed with inexperienced sailors and unwilling legionaries, out-wit and out-fight his opponents. SHIP OF ROME, full of magnificent sea-battles, packed with strong characters, torn between two powerful empires, is the first book in a new series, MASTERS OF THE SEA, by a brilliant new author.
Assault at West Point: The Court Martial of Johnson Whittaker
by John F. MarszalekIn "Assault at West Point", John F. Marszalek, the highly acclaimed author of "Sherman: A Soldier's Passion for Order", has written a dramatic account of one of the most momentous trials in American history. Set in the 1880s, this riveting story focuses on Whittaker, a former slave who became the third black to enter West Point. Like his two predecessors, he was ostracized for the entire three years of his training. One morning Whittaker didn't show up for drill. He was found in his room, unconscious, tied tightly to the bed, with blood streaming from his head. In a trial that received major attention from the press, Whittaker was accused of faking the crime to get sympathy from the public and from his professors. Author Marszalek weaves his rich narrative from historical records to tell how Whittaker sought justice against all odds. Now the basis if the Showtime original movie "Assault at West Point", this compelling work brings to life a case that rocked the country and involved the highest reaches of power-- and vividly demonstrates the impact of racism on the fabric of American society.
Robert E. Lee: Young Confederate
by Helen Albee MonsellA biography focusing on the childhood of the man who turned down the field commander of the United States Army and became the leader of the Confederate Army during the Civil War.
Merc: American Soldiers Fortune
by MallinProfiles the character and motivation of the American mercenary soldiers-adventurers, former Green Berets and other Vietnam-era soldiers, and ex-CIA agents--who sell their military experience and expertise
Supercarrier: An Inside Account of Life on the World's Most Powerful Ship, the USS John F. Kennedy
by George C. WilsonWhat life on a supercarrier is like...
The Causes of War
by Geoffrey BlaineyAnalyzing all international wars since 1700, Causes of War solves the riddle of why some wars are long and some are short and demonstrates how the “outbreak of peace” offers insight into the outbreak of war. Proving that war and peace are alternating phases of a relationship between rival nations, this widely quoted work offers a crucial, new understanding of international armed conflict.
Embattled Courage: The Experience of Combat in the American Civil War
by Gerald F. LindermanLinderman traces each soldier's path from the exhilaration of enlistment to the disillusionment of battle to postwar alienation. He provides a rare glimpse of the personal battle that raged within soldiers then and now.
The Logistics Handbook
by James F. Robeson William C. Copacino R. Edwin HoweThe Logistics Handbook encompasses all of the latest advances in warehousing and distribution. It provides invaluable "how to" problem-solving tools and techniques for all the ever-increasing logistical problems managers face -- making it the most complete and authoritative handbook to date. Special features include:* The most in-depth coverage of a wide range of topics, including information systems, benchmarking, and environmental issues* Contributions found nowhere else from the leading executives, consultants, and academics in the field, such as C. John Langley, James Heskett, and David Anderson* State of the art graphics* Information-packed appendixes of logistics publications and organizationsThis all-inclusive reference will enable the next generation of managers to thoroughly integrate their logistics operations at all levels -- strategic, structural, functional, and implementation -- into a comprehensive logistics strategy.
Farewell To Manzanar with Connections
by James Houston Jeanne HoustonIn the year 1942, in the midst of World War II, the Wakatsuki family is forced to leave their home. They are sent to live at the internment camp in Manzanar along with thousands of other Japanese Americans. Based on the real life experiences of co-author Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Farewell to Manzanar covers Wakatsuki family life before the war, during their three and a half years in camp, and post war. Learn how this particular family dealt with the injustices of forced imprisonment.
The Sunne in Splendour
by Sharon Kay PenmanRichard III was eight when his father, the Duke of York was ambushed and slain during the Wars of the Roses, war fought between Lancastrians and Yorkists for the crown of England during the fourteen hundreds. Richard remained loyal to those he loved during these treacherous times. It was his strength. It was his undoing. Richard was raised in the shadow of his brother Edward who became king at nineteen. Charming, headstrong and brilliant militarily, Edward struggled for his crown. Richard served him loyally while Edward was on the throne and during exile. These are the final days of the Plantagenets, the line which began with Henry II and Eleanor and was to give way to the Tudors and Henry VII.
Operation Overflight: The U-2 Spy Pilot Tells His Story for The First Time
by Curt Gentry Francis Gary PowersFor the first time since his release from a Russian prison in 1962, pilot Francis Gary Powers reveals the full story of the most sensational espionage case in Cold War history: the U-2 incident.
The Rise of Modern Communism (Third Edition)
by Massimo SalvadoriThe book is about the communist movement in the twentieth century. Author says that communism is described as the natural and almost inevitable expression of Marxism.
General Patton: A Soldier's Life
by Stanley P. Hirshson"War is my work and I know I sound sometimes as though I liked it; perhaps I do -- how can I tell? -- but this war hurts everybody. " -- Patton to Henry J. Taylor, 1945. General George S. Patton, Jr. , an inspirational leader and outstanding tactician, has intrigued and confounded his biographers. Now, utilizing untapped archival materials in both the United States and England, government documents, family papers, and oral histories, Stanley P. Hirshson creates the most balanced portrait of Patton ever written. It reveals Patton as a complex soldier capable of brilliant military maneuvers but also of inspiring his troops with fiery speeches that resulted in horrendous acts, such as the massacres of Italian civilians, It explains Patton's belief in a soldiers Valhalla, connects the family's wealth to one of Americas bitterest labor strikes, and disputes the usual interpretation of Patton's relief from command of the Third Army. In investigating this complex man, Hirshson has uncovered surprising material about a series of civilian massacres in Sicily, about the two slapping incidents, about attempts to exploit Patton's diary after his death, and about Patton's relations with top Allied generals. Patton emerges as a soldier of great imagination and courage, and his military campaigns make for edge-of-the-seat reading. All the drama of Patton's life comes alive in this meticulously documented volume.
Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom
by Zoya John Follain Rita CristofariZoya's Story is a young woman's searing account of her clandestine war of resistance against the Taliban and religious fanaticism at the risk of her own life. An epic tale of fear and suffering, courage and hope, Zoya's Story is a powerful testament to the ongoing battle to claim human rights for the women of Afghanistan. Though she is only twenty-three, Zoya has witnessed and endured more tragedy and terror than most people do in a lifetime. Zoya grew up during the wars that ravaged Afghanistan and was robbed of her mother and father when they were murdered by Muslim fundamentalists. Devastated by so much death and destruction, she fled Kabul with her grandmother and started a new life in exile in Pakistan. She joined the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, which challenged the crushing edicts of the Taliban government, and she made dangerous journeys back to her homeland to help the women oppressed by a system that forced them to wear the stifling burqa, condoned public stoning or whipping if they ventured out without a male chaperon, and forbade them from working. Zoya is our guide, our witness to the horrors perpetrated by the Taliban and the Mujahideen "holy warriors" who had defeated the Russian occupiers. She helped to secretly film a public cutting of hands in a Kabul stadium and to organize covert literacy classes, as schooling-branded a "gateway to Hell" -- was forbidden to girls. At an Afghan refugee camp she heard tales of heartrending suffering and worked to provide a future for families who had lost everything. The spotlight focused on Afghanistan after the New York and Washington terrorist attacks highlights the conditions of repression and fear in which Afghan women live and makes Zoya's Story utterly compelling. This is a memoir that speaks louder than the images of devastation and outrage; it is a moving message of optimism as Zoya struggles to bring the plight of Afghan women to the world's attention.
Sons of Heaven: a Novel
by Terrence ChengSons of Heaven is an epic novel set against the backdrop of one of modern history's most haunting events: the Tiananmen Square Massacre. In June 1989, the world watched in horror as China's military was mobilized to suppress a student movement that stood for peaceful democracy. Hundreds were killed; others say thousands. No one knows for sure. But the image that remains most powerful is that of a lone young man, looking confused yet terribly brave, as he held his ground before a rolling line of tanks. Who was he, and why did he do what he did? No one has ever been able to determine his identity or fate. Within the pages of Sons of Heaven, in a stunning blend of history and fiction, Terrence Cheng has vividly created a life for this young hero and given him a voice.
The Trail of the Serpent
by Jan De HartogJan de Hartog is at his narrative best in this story of the Dutch East Indies during World War II.
Territory of Lies: The American Who Spied on His Country for Israel and How He Was Betrayed
by Wolf BlitzerBased on exclusive access to the convicted spy and his family, here for the first time is the complete tragic story of Jonathan Jay Pollard, an American Jew working in Naval Intelligence and spying for Israel. Pollard was caught in 1985 after passing thousands of top-secret documents to Israel out of concern for its security. In his affidavit to the judge who sentenced Pollard to life for espionage, then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger wrote. "It is difficult for me to conceive of a greater harm to national security than that caused by the defendant in view of the breadth, the critical importance to the United States, and the high sensitivity of information he sold to Israel." Drawing on in-depth interviews with Pollard in prison and with members of his family as well as with high-level sources in the US. and Israeli governments, Wolf Blitzer, The Jerusalem Post's Washington Bureau Chief, sought and found answers to many of the troubling questions that continue to make the Pollard affair a matter of concern. Why did Jonathan Pollard spy for the Israelis? Why did he take money from them if his motives were pure? Did he damage U.S. national security? How vital to Israel were the documents he gave them? Why did the Israelis need a spy in Washington? Why did they betray Pollard by handing him over to the FBI and then cooperating with the US. investigation? Did Pollard work alone or are there more Israeli spies in our government? How involved was his wife, Anne, in his spying, and did she deserve a five-year sentence? Did Pollard deserve a life term?
Operation Drumbeat: The Dramatic True Story of Germany's First U-Boat Attacks Along the American Coast in World War II
by Michael GannonA riveting account of U-boat warfare.
Knight's Cross: A Life of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel
by David FraserA meticulously researched chronicle which details the life and character of a complex warrior. Rommel's integrity and skills were such that he enjoyed a popularity in Germany that rivaled Hitler's (even though he was not a member of the Nazi Party), and he earned the respect and admiration of his enemies, including Churchill. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers
by Loung UngUntil the age of five, Lounge Ung lived in Phnom Penh, one of seven children of a high-ranking government official. She was a precocious child who loved the open city markets, fried crickets, chicken fights, and sassing her parents. While her beautiful mother worried that Loung was a troublemaker -- that she stomped around like a thirsty cow -- her beloved father knew Loung was a clever girl. When Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into Phnom Penh in April 1975, Ung's family fled their home and moved from village to village to hide their identity, their education, their former life of privilege. Eventually, the family dispersed in order to survive. Because Loung was resilient and determined, she was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, while other siblings were sent to labor camps.
The Terrible Hours
by Peter MaasOn the eve of World War II, the Squalus, America's newest submarine, plunged into the North Atlantic. Miraculously, thirty-three crew members still survived. While their loved ones waited in unbearable tension on shore, their ultimate fate would depend upon one man, U.S. Navy officer Charles "Swede" Momsen-an extraordinary combination of visionary, scientist, and man of action. In this thrilling true narrative, prize-winning author Peter Maas brings us in vivid detail a moment-by-moment account of the disaster and the man at its center. Could he actually pluck those men from a watery grave? Or had all his pioneering work been in vain?
The Price of Terror: How the Families of the Victims of Pan Am 103 Brought Libya to Justice
by Allan Gerson Jerry AdlerWhen Libyan agents planted a bomb aboard Pan Am Flight 103, killing 259 people in the air and on the ground, America did not strike back. Instead, the grieving relatives of the victims tried to force Libya to pay for its crime through the legal system. But lawyers told the families that they could never sue Libya -- this would require changing a bedrock principle of international law, a change that every government in the world feared and would fight. Working virtually alone at first, Allan Gerson, a former diplomat and prosecutor of Nazi war criminals, spent the next eight years on the families' quest for Justice. In this high-stakes game of international power politics and legal maneuvering, there were friendships, jobs, and reputations lost, but a precious principle -- that of accountability under the law -- was strengthened and preserved. Now Gerson and his co-author, "Newsweek writer Jerry Adler, follow the threads of this extraordinary tale back to that deadly night over Lockerbie, Scorland -- and forward into a new era of international Justice, when terrorists will learn to fear the righteous retribution of their own victims.
Turncoat
by Aaron ElkinsFrom Edgar Award winner Aaron Elkins comes a gripping masterwork of suspense, an astonishing, globe-spanning adventure that plunges an ordinary man in a deadly morass of lies, guilt, murder, and terrible secrets spawned when a world exploded in war. Pete Simon's all-American life was everything he ever wished for: a good home, a satisfying career, and a marriage still strong and loving after nearly twenty years. But in the days following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, everything is about to change. And it begins with the appearance of a stranger at his door. The man ranting madly about money, death, and forgiveness is unknown to Pete-but not to his distraught wife, Lily. Only when the man has gone does the truth come out. The unwelcome visitor was Lily's father, whom she had claimed died long ago in their native France. The next day he is dead, his savagely beaten body washed up in a nearby marsh-and Lily disappears, leaving a note behind begging Pete not to follow her. As a nation mourns its fallen leader, Pete Simon is devastated by a tragedy of his own. Now, with a business card from an antiques dealer in Barcelona as his only lead, he sets out to find his missing wife, embarking on a twisted and perilous journey that will carry him to Europe, where the hideous crimes of the Nazi aggressors remain fresh in the minds of those who cannot forget... or forgive. But each door Pete opens leads him deeper into a painful and shocking past, slowly revealing secrets of greed, terror, guilt, and treacherous collaboration with a monstrous enemy that could shatter everything he believes in and destroy everything he loves. And suddenly he has become more than a concerned husband and seeker of a bitter truth; he has become the target of desperate, dangerous men and their terrifying vengeance. A haunting parable of good and evil and the many shifting shades of humanity in between, Aaron Elkins's Turncoat is an extraordinary reading experience, a compelling, provocative, and rocket-paced roller- coaster ride with surprises at every turn that will leave the reader breathless.