- Table View
- List View
History of the Third Seminole War, 1849–1858: 1849-1858
by Joe Knetsch John Missall Mary Lou MissallThis definitive account of the final war between the US government and Florida&’s Seminole tribe &“brings to life a conflict that is largely ignored&” (San Francisco Book Review). Spanning a period of over forty years (1817–1858), the three Seminole Wars were America&’s longest, costliest, and deadliest Indian wars, surpassing the more famous ones fought in the West. After an uneasy peace following the conclusion of the second Seminole War in 1842, a series of hostile events, followed by a string of murders in 1849 and 1850, made confrontation inevitable. The war was also known as the &“Billy Bowlegs War&” because Billy Bowlegs, Holata Micco, was the central Seminole leader in this the last Indian war to be fought east of the Mississippi River. Pushed by increasing encroachment into their territory, he led a raid near Fort Myers. A series of violent skirmishes ensued. The vastness of the Floridian wilderness and the difficulties of the terrain and climate caused problems for the army, but they had learned lessons from the second war, and, amongst other new tactics, employed greater use of boats, eventually securing victory by cutting off food supplies.History of the Third Seminole War is a detailed narrative of the war and its causes, containing numerous firsthand accounts from participants in the conflict, derived from virtually all the available primary sources, collected over many years. &“Any reader interested in learning more about Indian wars, Army history, or Florida history will profit from reading this book,&” as well as Civil War enthusiasts, since many of the officers earned their stripes in the earlier conflict (The Journal of America&’s Military Past).
Vitebsk: The Fight and Destruction of Third Panzer Army (Die Wehrmacht im Kampf)
by Otto HeidkämperA highly decorated Wehrmacht general gives &“an incisive and accurate account&” of a pivotal Eastern Front battle during World War II (Army Rumour Service). The city of Vitebsk in Belarus was of strategic importance during the fighting on the Eastern Front, as it controlled the route to Minsk. A salient in the German lines, Vitebsk had been declared a Festerplatz—a fortress town—meaning that it must be held at all costs. A task handed to 3rd Panzer Army in 1943. Otto Heidkämper was chief of staff of Georg-Hans Reinhardt&’s 3rd Panzer Army, Army Group Center, which was stationed around Vitebsk and Smolensk from early 1942 until June 1944. His detailed account of the defense of Vitebsk through the winter of 1943 into 1944, right up to the Soviet summer offensive, is a valuable firsthand account of how the operations around Vitebsk played out. Twenty maps accompany the narrative. During this time, 3rd Panzer Army undertook numerous military operations to defend the area against the Soviets; they also engaged in anti-partisan operations in the area, deporting civilians accused of supporting partisans, and destroying property. Finally, in June 1944, the Soviets amassed four armies to take Vitebsk, which was then held by 38,000 men of 53rd Corps. Within three days, Vitebsk was encircled, with 53rd Corps trapped inside. Attempts to break the encirclement failed, and resistance in the pocket broke down over the next few days. On June 27, the final destruction of German resistance in Vitebsk was completed. Twenty thousand Germans were dead and another 10,000 had been captured.
Cold War Command: The Dramatic Story of a Nuclear Submariner
by Richard Woodman Dan ConleyA British nuclear submariner sheds critical light on the Royal Navy&’s Cold War operations in this revealing military memoir. The role played by the Royal Navy's submarines throughout the Cold War remains largely shrouded in secrecy. In Cold War Command, Captain Dan Conley, RN (Ret.), offers an insider&’s look at commanding nuclear hunter-killer submarines. As captain of the HMS Courageous and HMS Valiant, Conley was tasked with covertly following Soviet submarines in order to destroy them should there be any outbreak of hostilities. Conley recounts his early career in diesel submarines, as well as his exceptional success against the Soviet Navy at the height of the Cold War. He was involved in the initial deployment of the Trident nuclear weapon system and divulges previously unknown facets of nuclear weapons strategy and policy during this period. He also describes the Royal Navy's shortcomings in ship and weapons procurement, assessing how these failures led to the effective bankrupting of the Defense budget as it entered the 21st century.
A Military History of Modern South Africa
by Ian van der WaagThe story of a century of conflict and change—from the Second Boer War to the anti-apartheid movement and the many battles in between. Twentieth-century South Africa saw continuous, often rapid, and fundamental socioeconomic and political change. The century started with a brief but total war. Less than ten years later, Britain brought the conquered Boer republics and the Cape and Natal colonies together into the Union of South Africa. The Union Defence Force, later the SADF, was deployed during most of the major wars of the century, as well as a number of internal and regional struggles: the two world wars, Korea, uprising and rebellion on the part of Afrikaner and black nationalists, and industrial unrest. The century ended as it started, with another war. This was a flash point of the Cold War, which embraced more than just the subcontinent and lasted a long thirty years. The outcome included the final withdrawal of foreign troops from southern Africa, the withdrawal of South African forces from Angola and Namibia, and the transfer of political power away from a white elite to a broad-based democracy. This book is the first study of the South African armed forces as an institution and of the complex roles that these forces played in the wars, rebellions, uprisings, and protests of the period. It deals in the first instance with the evolution of South African defense policy, the development of the armed forces, and the people who served in and commanded them. It also places the narrative within the broader national past, to produce a fascinating study of a century in which South Africa was uniquely embroiled in three total wars.
Blackbeard: The Hunt for the World's Most Notorious Pirate
by Graham A. Thomas Craig Cabell Allan RichardsEdward Teach Blackbeard-is one of the legends of the so-called golden age of piracy. There have been so many accounts of his short, bloody career that it is hard to see him and his times in a clear historical light. This new study looks for the man behind the legend, and it gives a vivid insight into the nature of piracy and the naval operations that were launched against it.The narrative focuses on the roles played by the Governor of Virginia Alexander Spotswood who masterminded the pursuit of Blackbeard, and Lieutenant Robert Maynard of HMS Pearl who led the pursuit and finally cornered Teach and his crew and, after a vicious fight, saw him killed.In vivid detail, it reveals how the hunt for Blackbeard was orchestrated, how he was tracked down, and the parts played in the drama by the larger-than-life leading characters in this extraordinary story. This freshly researched study of the pursuit of the notorious pirate and his crew—and of the final fight in which Blackbeard lost his life—makes compelling reading.
Perilous Moon: Occupied France, 1944—The End Game
by Stuart Nimmo&“A volume that&’s not quite like anything else: the story of [the author&’s] father and the Nazi air ace who shot him out of the sky over Occupied France&” (Open Letters Monthly). Perilous Moon is a lavishly illustrated book that observes Occupied France during World War II through the eyes of British bomber pilot Neil Nimmo and newly discovered period photographs. Shot down by Luftwaffe night fighter pilot Helmut Bergmann, Nimmo and his crew were the German&’s sixth of seven victims in forty-six minutes. With seven wrecked Lancasters and thirty-eight Allied airmen killed, Bergmann had singlehandedly turned what should have been a relatively simple RAF raid into a life-long nightmare. With barely time to parachute from Q-Queenie, his stricken Lancaster, Neil Nimmo&’s unholy adventure had only just begun. Unusually, Perilous Moon follows both pilots, Nimmo and Bergmann, through the war after that April night, and continues to observe them as the Occupation of France comes to a sticky end. In the late 1980s, Neil Nimmo passed awat, but in Perilous Moon, his son Stuart Nimmo, a Paris-based documentary maker, closely chronicles the period with over two hundred original, previously hidden photographs. This unusual, fascinating book cuts through the fog that shrouded the Occupation and which continued to linger for decades to come. &“A masterwork of rare images and gripping narrative.&” —Mort Rosenbloom, former editor of The International Herald Tribune &“The detail in the book, including scores of photos and maps, is remarkable.&” —The Huffington Post &“A special volume among the many about the war.&” —The Columbus Dispatch
Admiral Hipper Class Cruisers: Admiral Hipper Class Cruisers
by Steve Backerremove from The 'ShipCraft' series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject class, highlighting differences between sister-ships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the ships, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic survey of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references—books, monographs, large-scale plans and websites.The subject of this volume is the largest and most sophisticated German cruiser class of WW2. The five ships suffered very different fates. Blucher was sunk during the invasion of Norway in 1940, whereas Admiral Hipper fought right through the war. The most famous, Prinz Eugen, escaped when Bismarck was sunk and survived to be expended in a postwar Atomic bomb test. Seydlitz was intended to be converted to an aircraft carrier, but never finished, while Lutzow was sold to Russia and sunk by her erstwhile owners.
Phyllostomid Bats: A Unique Mammalian Radiation
by Theodore H. Fleming Liliana M. Dávalos Marco A. R. MelloWith more than two hundred species distributed from California through Texas and across most of mainland Mexico, Central and South America, and islands in the Caribbean Sea, the Phyllostomidae bat family (American leaf-nosed bats) is one of the world’s most diverse mammalian families. From an insectivorous ancestor, species living today, over about 30 million years, have evolved a hyper-diverse range of diets, from blood or small vertebrates, to consuming nectar, pollen, and fruit. Phyllostomid plant-visiting species are responsible for pollinating more than five hundred species of neotropical shrubs, trees, vines, and epiphytes—many of which are economically and ecologically important—and they also disperse the seeds of at least another five hundred plant species. Fruit-eating and seed-dispersing members of this family thus play a crucial role in the regeneration of neotropical forests, and the fruit eaters are among the most abundant mammals in these habitats. Coauthored by leading experts in the field and synthesizing the latest advances in molecular biology and ecological methods, Phyllostomid Bats is the first overview in more than forty years of the evolution of the many morphological, behavioral, physiological, and ecological adaptations in this family. Featuring abundant illustrations as well as details on the current conservation status of phyllostomid species, it is both a comprehensive reference for these ecologically vital creatures and a fascinating exploration of the evolutionary process of adaptive radiation.
Nazi Millionaires: The Allied Search for Hidden SS Gold (World War Ii Ser.)
by Kenneth D. Alford Theodore P. SavasThe untold story of Nazi officers who escaped Germany after WWII with stolen treasure—and the Allied investigation to get it back.During the final days of World War II, German SS officers crammed trains, cars, and trucks full of gold, currency, and jewels, and headed for the mountains of Austria. Most of these men were eventually apprehended, but many managed to evade capture. The intensive postwar Allied investigation that followed recovered only a sliver of their treasure. The true story of the men who escaped, and the riches that went missing, is finally revealed in Nazi Millionaires.This groundbreaking study, based on previously unpublished and newly declassified documents, offers insight into the minds and methods of these SS thieves. Readers are taken inside the Reich Security Main Office where they worked and the Allied investigation into their activities to discover what happened to the vast wealth they looted from Europe’s Jews. Nazi Millionaires tells a remarkable tale of greed, fraud, treachery, and murder.
The Pot Thief Who Studied Georgia O'Keeffe (The Pot Thief Mysteries #7)
by J. Michael OrenduffThis Southwest-set tale about a hunt for a precious relic offers a &“nice mix of comedy and mystery&” from an award-winning author (Booklist). A dealer in traditional Native American pottery, Hubie Schuze scours New Mexico in search of ancient treasures. The Bureau of Land Management calls him a criminal, but Hubie knows that the real injustice would be to leave the legacies of prehistoric craftspeople buried in the dirt. In all his travels across the state, there is one place that Hubie hasn&’t been able to access: Trinity Site at the White Sands Missile Range, where the first atomic bomb was detonated. Deep within the range are ruins once occupied by the Tompiro people, whose distinctive pottery is incredibly rare and valuable. When an old associate claims to have a buyer interested in spending big money on a Tompiro pot, Hubie resolves to finally find a way into the heavily guarded military installation. But Hubie has more on his mind than just outwitting the army&’s most sophisticated security measures. He&’s in love with a beautiful woman who has a few secrets of her own—and his best friend, Susannah, may have just unearthed a lost Georgia O&’Keeffe painting. It&’s a lot for a mild-mannered pot thief to handle, and when his associate is murdered and Tompiro pots start replicating like Russian nesting dolls, Hubie suddenly realizes he&’s caught up in the most complex and dangerous mystery he&’s ever faced. The Pot Thief Who Studied Georgia O&’Keeffe is the 7th book in the Pot Thief Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
What I Couldn’t Tell My Therapist: The Truths We Told to Heal Our Lives
by Michelle M. MayWhat I Couldn't Tell My Therapist shares the unforgettable stories of three patients in intensive therapy. Michelle, a dedicated psychotherapist, struggles with an addiction to people-pleasing and perfectionism while being tethered to opioids by mysterious chronic pain. After her own transformative odyssey, Michelle helps two troubled patients, Walter and Emma. Walter confronts the shadows of crippling depression and an intimate attachment to cannabis, while Emma yearns for a relationship but is stymied by her haunting fear of vulnerability. Within the sacred confines of intensive therapy sessions, their stories intertwine, creating a sanctuary for profound revelation. Through these stories, the profound truth emerges--that the unspoken holds the power to shape our healing journey. What I Couldn't Tell My Therapist serves as a testament to the power of intensive therapy, inviting us to confront the depths of our unspoken truths and unlock the hidden pathways to profound transformation.
Unlikely Stories, Mostly (Canongate Classics)
by Alasdair GrayIn this volume of stories and illustrations, the author of Poor Things &“perfected the blend of visual and verbal elements [that] characterized his work&” (Financial Times). In &“The Crank that Made the Revolution,&” an enterprising inventor presents the world with his contribution to the Industrial Revolution: an &“improved duck.&” When a man splits in two, it isn&’t long before his two selves come to blows in &“The Spread of Ian Nicol.&” And a young boy witnesses a shooting star land in his back garden in &“The Star.&” In these and other short stories of the strange and fascinating, Alasdair Gray reaffirms his reputation as one of Scotland&’s most original and important contemporary writers. In Unlikely Stories, Mostly, Alasdair Gray combines his surreal and darkly funny stories with original artwork to create a truly unique reading experience. This edition includes a postscript by the author and Douglas Gifford. &“The book is a wonder of ingenuity, a varied and rich collection in which Gray's abilities as a visual artist and illustrator are placed not only beside but within the products of his fertile imagination as a writer.&” —The Washington Post &“Not since William Blake has a British artist wed pictorial and literary talent to such powerful effect.&” —Financial Times
British Battleships of World War One: New Revised Edition
by R.A. BurtThe classic reference on the technical history of British capital ship design and construction during the dreadnought era. A century ago at Jutland, Dogger Bank, Heligoland Bight, and the first battle for the Falklands, mighty squadrons of these great armored ships fought their German counterparts for command of the seas. Beginning with Dreadnought, this book continues to the end of the First World War, and all of the fifty dreadnoughts, &“super-dreadnoughts,&” and battlecruisers that served the Royal Navy during this era are described and superbly illustrated with photographs and line drawings. Each class of ship is described in detail so that design origins, and technical and operational factors, are discussed alongside characteristics, with special emphasis on armament, armor, and machinery. Fully detailed data tables are included for every class, and more than 500 photographs and line drawings illustrate the text. A delight for the historian, enthusiast and ship modeler, this volume is regarded as an essential reference work for this most significant era in naval history and ship design.
Day of the Panzer: A Story of American Heroism and Sacrifice in Southern France
by Jeff Danby“[An] excellent popular history . . . a sprightly and evocative tribute to the troops of Operation Dragoon” (Publishers Weekly).This is a rarely detailed, “you are there” account of World War II combat, describing a brief but bloody tank/infantry action in August 1944. Based on six years of research—drawing from interviews, primary documents, and visits to the battlefield—The Day of the Panzer transports the reader into the ranks of L Company, 15th Regiment, Third Infantry Division, and its supporting M4s of the 756th Tank Battalion as they grapple head-on with the Wehrmacht.On August 15, 1944, L Company hit the beaches in southern France, joined by the tank crews of 2nd Lt. Andrew Orient’s 3rd Platoon, all veterans of Cassino. Despite logistical problems, the Third Division forged north through the Rhône River valley, L Company and its supporting tanks leading the regimental charge—until they faced a savage counterattack by the Germans and a rampaging Panther tank . . .In this book, the minute-by-minute confusion, thrill, and desperation of WWII combat is placed under a microscope, as if the readers themselves were participants. “Through his well-wrought prose, Danby paints a detailed picture of deadly fighting and stunning victory” (WWII History).“One of the most interesting and absorbing battles histories that this reviewer has ever read . . . remarkably realistic and personal.” —History Book Club“The excellent descriptions of infantrymen, tankers and supporting troops from the 15th’s Cannon Company using M8 self-propelled howitzers and the three inch gun armed M10s of the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion make for good reading.” —War History Online
The Pale Betrayer
by Dorothy Salisbury DavisEdgar Award Finalist: Grand Master of crime fiction Dorothy Salisbury Davis delivers a thrilling tale of Cold War–era espionage and murder. One afternoon in Manhattan&’s Washington Square Park, Eric Mather is approached by two men, Tom and Jerry, with a business proposal: a bit of light espionage that may be considered treason. Eric&’s friend and colleague, physics professor Peter Bradley, is on his way back from an international conference in Athens. In his briefcase is a roll of film that must be confiscated to keep the Cold War from turning hot. Bradley won&’t miss this little roll of film, they say, and nobody will get hurt. When Bradley is stabbed to death in an apartment on East Tenth Street, Eric realizes he has made a bargain with the wrong people. Desperate to make up for betraying his friend, he ventures into a shadowy world of danger and intrigue as he sets out to learn everything he can about Tom and Jerry—two foreign agents engaged in an atomic game of cat and mouse.
Invading America: The English Assault on the New World, 1497–1630
by David ChildsA fascinating examination of why England failed for so long to colonize North America, in contrast to Spain’s rapid conquest farther south.Within a generation of Columbus’s first landfall in the Caribbean, Spain ruled an empire in central and south America many times the size of the home country. In stark contrast, after a century of struggle, and numerous disasters, English colonizing efforts farther north had succeeded in settling the banks of one waterway and the littoral of several bays. How and why progress was so slow and laborious is the central theme of this thought-provoking new book. Invading America argues that this is best understood if the development of the English colonies is seen as a protracted amphibious operation, governed by all the factors that traditionally make for success or failure in such endeavors—aspects such as proper reconnaissance, establishing a secure bridgehead, and timely reinforcement. It examines the vessels and the voyages, the unrealistic ambitions of their promoters, the nature of the conflict with the native Indians, and the lack of leadership and cooperation that was so essential for success. Using documentary evidence and vivid firsthand accounts, it describes from a new perspective the often tragic, sometimes heroic, attempts to settle on the American coast and suggests why these so often ended in failure. As this book shows, the emergence of a powerful United States was neither inevitable nor easily achieved.Includes illustrations and a list of historic sites
America's First Clash with Iran: The Tanker War, 1987–88
by Lee Allen ZatarainA revealing account of the US conflict with Iran over the Persian Gulf during the Reagan era—and the groundwork it set for today&’s tensions. In May 1987, the US frigate Stark was blown apart by an Iraqi jet fighter in the Persian Gulf, jumpstarting a major conflict with Iran that came to be known as the Tanker War. In America&’s First Clash with Iran, author Lee Allen Zatarain employs Pentagon documents and firsthand interviews to reveal the full story of a conflict that may have presaged further battles to come. At the climax of the Iran-Iraq War, Iran was losing on the battlefield. Ayatollah Khomeini decided to close the Persian Gulf against shipping from Iraq&’s oil-rich backer, the emirate of Kuwait. When the United States sent a fleet to the Gulf, raising the Stars and Stripes over Kuwait&’s commercial tankers, a tinderbox was set off. The Iranians laid mines throughout the narrow passage and launched attack boats against both tankers and US warships. The US Navy fought its largest surface battle since World War II against the Ayatollah&’s assault boats. As Saddam Hussein looked on, Iranian gunners fired missiles against US forces—actions which, if made known at the time, would have required the US Congress to declare war against Iran.
British Destroyers: J-c And Battle Classes (Shipcraft Ser. #21)
by Les Brown&“A terrific author . . . invaluable to the modeler wishing to reproduce these classes of destroyers, and also to those interested in naval history.&”—IPMS Magazine The ShipCraft series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeler through a brief history of the subject class, highlighting differences between sisterships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring color profiles and highly detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modeling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the ships, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic survey of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references—books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites. A follow-up to ShipCraft 11 on inter-war destroyers, this new volume deals with the later classes which were the most modern British destroyers of the Second World War. Marked by a common single-funneled silhouette, they were actually very varied, ranging from the large and powerful J to N flotillas, via the austere &“War Emergency&” classes that were built in large numbers, to the radically different &“Battle&” class, designed with a powerful AA armament for service in the Pacific. &“This book will be of interest to those who want an easy reference book that covers the British and Australian destroyers of this period, especially with regard to camouflage and overall appearance in service.&”—Australian Naval Institute
Final Approach
by John J. NanceA government investigator looks into the cover-up of a deadly plane crash in this aviation thriller from the New York Times–bestselling author of Lockout. In the control tower at Kansas City International Airport, all the radar displays are red. But for the experienced pilots of North America Airlines, the thunderstorms aren&’t the problem: NAA has been cutting costs to stave off bankruptcy, and will do anything to keep their planes in the air. Unfortunately, no matter what they do, one is on its way down. After the aircraft collides with another plane on the Kansas City runway, in one of the worst aviation disasters of the decade, National Transportation Safety Board investigator Joe Wallingford arrives on the scene. As he studies the wreckage and pieces together the events that led to the tragedy, he realizes there&’s far more at play than pilot error or equipment malfunction. Wallingford will have to risk his career—and perhaps even his life—to solve the puzzle of the crash.
Sinister Weddings: Bride by Candlelight, Cat's Prey, and Bridge of Fear
by Dorothy EdenA special three-in-one edition by Dorothy Eden—featuring Bride by Candlelight, Cat&’s Prey, and Bridge of Fear—in which a bride-to-be, a wedding guest, and a recently married woman come face to face with evil as they innocently prepare to celebrate love Think well before you marry Paul Blaine.In Bride by Candlelight, this anonymous note is the prelude to a series of disturbing events plaguing Julia Paget. At an isolated New Zealand sheep-farming estate, she discovers that her war-scarred husband-to-be isn&’t the man she fell in love with three years earlier.In Cat&’s Prey, Antonia Webb journeys to a remote seaside resort in New Zealand to claim an inheritance and attend her cousin&’s wedding. And even the handsome solicitor who warns her away may not be able to protect Antonia from the evil closing around her.Is Abby Fearon paranoid—or is someone trying to kill her? In Bridge of Fear, this is the question she must answer. Abby arrives in the Australian outback from her native England to find that something has changed in her new husband . . . something that frightens her almost as much as the strange, wild land she now calls home.
The Battle for Tinian: Vital Stepping Stone in America's War Against Japan
by Nathan N. PreferThis vivid history chronicles the decisive US naval campaign that secured the Japanese island of Tinian—the site that would launch the end of WWII. In July 1944, the United States Navy and Marine Corps, Army, and Air Corps descended on the Pacific island of Saipan, just three miles away from the Japanese stronghold on the island of Tinian. There had been 20,000 Japanese troops on Saipan before the US unleashed a horrific all-arms campaign. The sudden silence indicated it was now Tinian&’s turn. When the battle for Tinian finally took place, the US acted with great skill. Historian Samuel Elliot Morrison called it &“the most perfectly executed amphibious operation of the entire war.&” Nevertheless, the Japanese shore batteries riddled the battleship Colorado, killing scores, and made multiple hits on a destroyer, killing its captain. On the island itself, the United States used napalm for the first time, paving the way for Marines rooting out strongpoints. One last banzai attack signaled the end to enemy resistance, as Marines fought toe-to-toe with their antagonists in the dark. After Tinian was secured, the United States built the biggest airport in the world there—home to hundreds of B-29 Superfortresses. Among these, just over a year later, were the Enola Gay and Bockscar, which, with their atomic bombs, would quickly bring the Japanese conflict, and the Second World War, to an end.
County Class Cruisers
by Les Brown&“A detailed look at British 10,000-ton Treaty Cruisers. &“A gem of research by the author, covering the design and progressive improvements to each ship.&”—Malcolm Wright, author of British and Commonwealth Warship Camouflage of WWII The ShipCraft series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeler through a brief history of the subject class, highlighting differences between sisterships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring color profiles and highly detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modeling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the ships, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic gallery of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites. This volume covers the British 10,000-ton Treaty Cruisers, thirteen of which were built to three slightly varying designs between the wars. With three funnels and a high freeboard, they were impressive ships, and all enjoyed very active wartime careers—three were involved in the Bismarck action and another with the sinking of the Scharnhorst. &“This book by Les Brown is rather like the Sci-Fi &‘Tardis&’ in that its outside belies the tremendous amount on the inside.&”—Malcolm Wright, author of British and Commonwealth Warship Camouflage of WWII
Carrier Operations in World War II
by J. D. BrownBetween 1939 and 1945 the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm grew from a small force into a powerful strategic weapon. British carrier-based aircraft fought throughout the world and David Brown here describes their activities in the Home, Mediterranean, Eastern and British Pacific Fleets, together with Forces created for specific operations, listing aircraft and units embarked during the various phases.He goes on to describe carrier operations in the Pacific between 1941 and 1945, the greatest maritime war in history. Both the United States and Imperial Japanese Navies watched the Royal Navy's early carrier operations in the European Theatre and benefited from the lessons. American aircrews and sailors learnt quickly in action until, by March 1945, the United States Fifth Fleet with its associated Marine Corps formations was probably the most efficient and effective instrument of war deployed in the pre-nuclear age.This new work contains material from two volumes, first published in 1968 and 1974, merged with notes for a third which David Brown prepared but never published before his death. They appear for the first time together, providing the most detailed single-volume account currently available of the operation of British, American and Japanese aircraft carriers in World War II.
American Orchestras in the Nineteenth Century
by John SpitzerStudies of concert life in nineteenth-century America have generally been limited to large orchestras and the programs we are familiar with today. But as this book reveals, audiences of that era enjoyed far more diverse musical experiences than this focus would suggest. To hear an orchestra, people were more likely to head to a beer garden, restaurant, or summer resort than to a concert hall. And what they heard weren’t just symphonic works—programs also included opera excerpts and arrangements, instrumental showpieces, comic numbers, and medleys of patriotic tunes.This book brings together musicologists and historians to investigate the many orchestras and programs that developed in nineteenth-century America. In addition to reflecting on the music that orchestras played and the socioeconomic aspects of building and maintaining orchestras, the book considers a wide range of topics, including audiences, entrepreneurs, concert arrangements, tours, and musicians’ unions. The authors also show that the period saw a massive influx of immigrant performers, the increasing ability of orchestras to travel across the nation, and the rising influence of women as listeners, patrons, and players. Painting a rich and detailed picture of nineteenth-century concert life, this collection will greatly broaden our understanding of America’s musical history.
Burnside's Bridge: Antietam (Battleground America Ser.)
by John CannonThe stone bridge on the southern flank of the Antietam battlefield became one of the Civil War's most powerful symbols of courage and sacrifice. Each stage of the battle is described by extracts from memoirs and diaries of the time, with details of the area as it was in 1862 and as it is today.