Military History

The escape of General MacArthur from the Philippines after the initial Japanese onslaught in World War II is well known. This is the story of the gallant PT-boat men who rescued him, only to be abandoned in enemy-occupied territory.

How have navies contemplated possible enemies? How did they learn—or fail to learn—once operations began? How does this analysis inform today’s planning for future conflict? These questions guide the noted historians and naval strategists who contributed to Planning for War at Sea. A central theme is the regular failure of navies’ best-laid plans.Covering four centuries of naval warfare, the early chapters illustrate the challenges all navies faced when considering possible enemies. Even during the Age of Sail, ships were among the most expensive and long-term national endeavors. Navies thus planned well in advance for future wars, usually without knowing their adversaries or how they would fight them at sea. This strategy holds true today. Building a capable navy requires sustained investment in naval infrastructure long before the fighting starts.In the final chapters naval strategists expand on this historical analysis to address how effectively or ineffectively today’s three leading navies—Russia, China, and the United States—have configured themselves during the post–Cold War era in preparing for future great power conflict. This collection is an important work for strategists, scholars, and policymakers.

The second volume of a series on a glossary of codebreaking, WW2 Codebreaking Events and Organisations, brings to the reader an easily understandable account and listing, of those organisations involved in collecting and analysing military intelligence principally during the second world war. A listing of key events or occurrences is provided which moulded the direction of codebreaking and gathering of enemy intelligence. Whilst Bletchley Park was the HQ of codebreaking activities in wartime, numerous organisations became involved in a support role, and this became critical when more advanced enemy encoding machines were introduced by the Nazis. The evolution of certain organisations over time, can be tracked to a degree, by reading the glossary in depth. The entries are cross-referenced to enable the reader to research as much or as little as they want, to dip-in to the glossary, to use it as a basis for further study, or just to learn a little more about the people and organisations that helped us win the war with our allied friends.

The Military History of Late Rome 425-457 analyses in great detail how the Romans coped with the challenge posed by masses of Huns in a situation in which the Germanic tribes had gained a permanent foothold in the territories of West Rome. This analysis reassesses the strategy and tactics of the period . The book shows how cooperation between the West Roman Master of Soldiers, Aetius, and East Roman Emperor Marcian saved Western civilization from the barbarian nightmare posed by the Huns of Attila. A fresh appraisal of the great clash at the Catalaunian Fields in 451 offers new insights into the mechanics of the fighting and shows that it was a true battle of nations which decided nothing less than the fate of human civilization. Had Aetius and his allies lost the battle and had Marcian not cooperated with Aetius in 451 and 452, we would not have seen the rise of the West and the rise of the scientific thinking.

Stalag Luft lll was where Germany sent all its habitual Allied escapers, and the first British and Commonwealth POWs arrived there on 11 April 1942. The following year, on 29 October, what became known as The Wooden Horse Escape took place - the name deriving from the use of a gymnastic vaulting horse to cover the fact that a tunnel was being dug underneath. The escape was devised by Flight Lieutenant Eric Williams and Lieutenant Richard Michael Codner. Joined by Pilot Officer Oliver Philpot, all three men escaped and made it safely back to England. The escape inspired others and, five months later, on the evening of 24/25 March 1944, what became known as the Great Escape took place. The intention was to break out more than 200 British and Allied POWs, but a combination of tunnel collapses, a nearby Allied air raid and the discovery of the tunnel exit meant only 76 escapees made it out. Only 3 made it back to the UK, with 73 being recaptured and 50 of those being murdered by the Gestapo on Hitler's orders. Both escapes were made famous first by books and then even more famous by their respective films, and although not entirely accurate, each ensured that the stories told would reach a worldwide audience.

"A memoir of one woman's extraordinary personal journey in the US military and her work to honor her predecessors with the Congressional Gold Medal. Chronicling Cummings's unlikely but successful path to leadership roles in the US Army and afterward, this book also tells the story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (known as the Six Triple Eight)-a trailblazing African American World War II Women's Army Corps unit-and of the grassroots campaign Cummings led to honor them"--

When he returned to the Netherlands in 2009, decades after World War II, Jefferson Wiggins realized that no one he met knew about the segregated US Army during the war, nor did they know about the contribution of Black American soldiers to the liberation of the Netherlands. They were not mentioned anywhere in Dutch history books or in archives. Together with oral historian Mieke Kirkels, Wiggins sat down to record his memories. Wiggins passed away in 2013, and his widow, Janice Wiggins-Paterson, continued the project in his memory. With newly discovered archival material, and richly illustrated, this book gives a lively account of an undocumented story of WWII, Black American, and Dutch military history.

"This work describes U.S. Marine Corps helicopter operations, including their actions and evolution, throughout the Vietnam War. The book is divided into parts spanning the three stages of the Corps' combat deployment: 'Buildup (1962-1966),' 'Heavy Combat (1967-1969),' and 'The Bitter End (1975).' Each part includes chapters devoted to 'telling the story' of Marine helicopters from the individual to the strategic level." --Provided by publishe

Dennis Oliver uses contemporary photographs and meticulously researched, superbly presented colour and monochrome illustrations to tell the story of these self-propelled anti-tank weapons and the units which operated them in the German defence of the Eastern Front

Julian Zuromski was on the verge of becoming a fighter pilot when Hitler invaded Poland in 1939. He witnessed the Luftwaffe's bombings and the joint German-Soviet invasion of Poland, eventually escaping to Romania. After being imprisoned, he fled to France, where he fought in the Battle of France before escaping to Great Britain after France's surrender. There, he joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Zuromski served as an instructor at RAF Dumfries and later flew operational patrols, claiming his first aerial victory in 1942 while flying a Spitfire with 308 Squadron. He went on to achieve two more victories, including the destruction of a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 with 66 Squadron in 1943. On that same day, Zuromski was shot down, captured, and sent to Dulag Luft, where he wrote anti-Bolshevik propaganda, later being moved to a special camp in Berlin. Zuromski escaped captivity during an Allied bombing raid, eventually making his way to Poland and reuniting with his fiancée. Although suspected of collaboration due to his wartime activities, he was exonerated and later served in the Royal Pakistan Air Force. This book also explores the fate of Zuromski's father, a victim of the Katyn massacre, and the contributions of other Polish pilots in WWII.

The best things are worth waiting for. SAS veteran Colin Maclachlan's much anticipated book is arresting, revelatory, inspirational and explosive. An elite operator's gripping true story. It blows the door off!' - **Damien Lewis**'Colin has made a fascinating start to his life already, but the adventure is just beginning!' - **Andy McNab**"An incredible story of courage and commitment under fire" **- Bear Grylls**"A rollercoaster of an account of a young boy through to SAS Commander on some of the biggest missions in modern times" **- Chris Ryan**The Pilgrim is the book the MOD tried to ban. It is a rollercoaster of an autobiography of Colin Maclachlan, known for his appearances on shows like Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins and Channel 5's Secrets of the SAS. His autobiography starts with his troubled childhood and escape to the military where, as a fifteen-year-old boy, he grows up and matures into the SAS soldier we now recognise. Early chapters describe physical, mental and sexual abuse and Colin could easily have ended up in a home but despite the odds and with the help of both the Children's Panels, NSPCC and some diligent schoolteachers, Colin escaped to the army. Colin had to get special permission to join the army at only fifteen years of age and goes from being a young vulnerable and damaged boy to a capable soldier through preparation for the first Gulf War and joining the oldest and most senior infantry regiment in the British Army, The Royal Scots. From operations in Northern Ireland to being the Queen's Butcher to Colin's first TV cameos on Soldier Soldier and Gladiators, Colin's stories and anecdotes are both exhilarating and hilarious. Colin then describes the arduous SAS selection process, the hardest and most gruelling military selection process in the world. Colin describes in some detail what most have never even heard in this secretive world where Colin goes from a course of 196 down to just 12 in six months! The reader is then taken on a never seen before description of life as an SAS operator. Daily life in an operational squadron and the operations, missions and training involved all described in detail. Colin was part of Mountain Troop, D Squadron who were to be involved in some of the most high-profile and dangerous missions in SAS history. Missions like Operation Barras, described as Operation Certain Death in the best seller of the same name by Damien Lewis, rescuing hostages at Stansted Airport in the longest running hijacking in UK history make for incredible reading. Task Force Black/Knight was the name given to UK/US special forces operations in Iraq and Colin was part of the teams hunting down the famous 'playing cards', a set of cards with the top 52 high ranking Iraqi officials including Saddam Hussein. Colin then joins Delta Force and later Seal Team 6 and is one of probably only a handful of people on the planet whom have worked with the SAS, SBS, Seal Team 6, Delta Force and the CIA. Colin is head of a station protecting MI6 and breaking down terrorist cells in Iraq when he is captured and just before he is beheaded is rescued by his own guys. Colin becomes probably the only person in the world to have been a hostage negotiator, hostage rescuer and been a hostage himself. Colin leaves the military shortly afterwards and that isn't the end of his story. Colin first heads up a bodyguard team looking after CNN and NBC news and is in the centre of the biggest triple car bombing in the Middle East. He meets his first wife who it is his job to protect and does several other high profile security jobs ranging from A list celebrities to the Saudi Royal Family. Colin is part of a security team for the Big Brother TV series when Fathers for Justice assault the house and it's left to Colin and his friend from the SAS to defend the house during live television! Surveillance jobs follow on and Colin does anti-surveillance and counter surveillance in some quite high-profile court cases. This leads on to training jobs where Colin is in charge of security, bodyguard and surveillance courses throughout the UK. Penetration testing is another field which Colin gets involved in and this involves trying to overtly break into businesses, airports, headquarters and government buildings which test all of Colin's training. Colin has been involved in Motion Capture for the Video games industry since 2008 and has played characters from Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series as well as games like Red Dead Redemption and LA Noire. Colin also plays characters in Sumo's Hood: Outlaw and Thieves. An insight into how the video game industry has evolved since 2008 is both fascinating and mind-blowing and Colin has been involved in stunts as a stunt performer for both video games, television and film. The next few chapters describe a world in television and film where Colin has been involved. Before being involved in Channel 4's SAS: Who Dares Wins as the only SAS presenter, Colin was already involved in television as a military advisor and had filmed scenes on Taggart and River City as well some short films. He had already been involved in commercials and as an extra when Channel 4 came calling. Colin was then involved in Channel 5's Secrets of the SAS which highlighted his capture and escape and took part in documentaries for the BBC's Panorama series and ITV's This Morning programme. Colin was the main author for the highly successful SAS: Leadership Secrets book which came out shortly afterwards. The MOD tried to ban The Pilgrim in 2017 but Colin fought the system, the MOD and huge legal army that they possess. In 2024, Colin won and this is his story.

The Birth of British Airpower describes how Hugh Trenchard, a man with few leadership skills, became a much-loved and inspirational commander who laid the foundation for British airpower on the Western Front in World War I and created the preconditions for the establishment of the world's first independent air service, the Royal Air Force. Author Peter Dye explores how friendship can overcome significant personal and character deficiencies and how, by assembling the right senior leadership team, Trenchard achieved greatness. The book also examines how the development of airpower doctrine in the First World War owed as much to chance as to careful planning and how air superiority was achieved only through sustained effort, underpinned by an effective and responsive logistic system. Finally, it explains how the ethos of the postwar air force was built around these experiences and the collective effort of all those involved in the air war.

Fighting for Hitler intricately weaves together the personal stories of German historical witnesses across thematic chapters, covering diverse facets of the wartime experience. From the frontlines of battle to the harrowing conditions in POW camps, these narratives are enriched with personal documents and photographs, vividly providing the human face of history. This book is more than just a chronicle of events; it is a profound exploration of human suffering and memory. Each testimony contributes to a larger mosaic, unveiling the emotional and psychological landscapes of those who endured one of history's darkest periods. Included are stories from the Eastern Front, from the invasion of Poland to Operation Barbarossa and the fierce fighting at Stalingrad. The book also contains accounts from those who served in the Kriegsmarine, depicting life on a battleship and gripping U-Boat battles. The book goes on to cover D-Day, the fall of the Reich, and stories of survival in POW camps across the globe. The author's dedication to impartial presentation allows these stories to resonate on their own, providing a rare and invaluable perspective on the past. Years of painstaking research, translation, and editing have transformed this book into a treasure trove for scholars and general readers alike. It serves as a vital preservation of a generation's voices, fostering a deeper understanding of how the Third Reich's profoundly impacted ordinary lives. By presenting these accounts in their unaltered and honest form, the author ensures that the true essence of these experiences is captured and conveyed.

"In Blood, Flowers Bloom illuminates one of the last untold stories of World War II, the common act of soldiers taking their enemy's possessions after victory. This is the story of a single Japanese battle flag found among the belongings of a long-passed American WWII veteran, originally belonging to a Japanese soldier. In telling the story of this flag, and its journey from the battle of Iwo Jima to a basement in upstate New York, award-winning writer, Samantha Bresnahan reveals the way in which objects represent generations of trauma, imperialism, and memory. In Blood, Flowers Bloom tells the overlapping stories of US veteran Marty Connor, Japanese imperial Naval captain turned Buddhist monk Tsunezo Wachi, and Masataka Shiokawa, the resilient son of a Japanese soldier killed in battle at Okinawa. These three men could have lived and died as enemies-that was their historical prerogative. Instead, they banded together as uneasy allies, and then eventual friends, in their shared mission to return artifacts taken by US soldiers to their rightful owners, giving Japanese families a new opportunity for closure and healing the wounds inflicted by loss of loved ones-both physically and spiritually"--