Books published by Coda Books Ltd

This is the definitive military history of the Civil Wars which swept the British Isles from 1642 to 1649.The martial aspects of the wars are covered in detail along with a comprehensive  overview of the religious and political dimensions which shaped the armies involved in the conflict.  This excellent single volume history is the perfect introduction to the military history of this turbulent decade which shaped the destiny of the British Isles.This book is part of the 'Military History From Primary Sources' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of warfare.The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie, creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.

Action was published in 222 editions between February 1936 and June 1940 under the direction of Oswald Mosley. Action was one of a small group of ultra-nationalist publications produced in Britain in the thirties; only one complete set of Action survives today. The six complete editions reproduced here are all from 1936 and are taken from the master copy set retained by the printers. They represent an intriguing insight into a fascinating episode in the political and social history of the United Kingdom at a portentous moment.Mosley is today viewed as a figure of the extreme right although he himself always denied that the politics of his movement were right wing, describing himself as essentially left wing in his political orientation. However, it is difficult, if not impossible, for a modern reader to comprehend the British Union of Fascists in any other light. If one examines the Mosley claim at literal face value there was clearly some measure of justification for this statement. In common with Hitler's National Socialist Workers Party there were a number of genuinely socialist initiatives which formed the political creed and much of what you will read in these pages would be equally at home in the pages of the left wing press. However, as a result of their nationalist and racist policies, the historical consensus has placed Hitler and Mussolini firmly on the right of the political spectrum and by association Mosley will forever be an iconic figure representing the most identifiable figure on the extreme right wing of British politics.The six complete editions of Action re-printed here provide a fascinating glimpse into the British version of nationalist politics at a time when such sentiments enjoyed real currency throughout Europe. The events of the infamous Cable Street riots are presented from the perspective of the British Union of Fascists. It is to be hoped that these reproductions will provide a fascinating primary source reference for historians, sociologists, students of politics and general readers and further our understanding of an all too often overlooked chapter of British political history.

History is always written by the victors... this is the other side of the coin. This is the front line perspective on World War II as seen through the eyes of the losing side, the men who fought for Hitler.These are the recollections of the men of the Kriegsmarine, the Luftwaffe and the Heer. Altogether they formed the Wehrmacht which in 1940 was the most efficient fighting force the world had ever seen. By 1942 the tide had begun to turn and the men of the once mighty Wehrmacht fought in vain at Stalingrad, El Alamein, Monte Cassino, Caen and Berlin. These are the U-boat men, the Panzer crews and the air aces. This is military history at its best and most enlightening as told from primary sources.Written by Emmy award winning author Bob Carruthers, this unique publication documents the primary accounts of many of those who fought in Hitler's army.

The Handbook On German Military Forces is an indispensable primary reference source for historians and enthusiasts. In 1945 the Allies were still engaged in bitter fighting against stiff resistance from the German armies in the west. The US War Department was determined to do its best to equip the US forces fighting the Germans in the field with as much knowledge as possible. March 1945 saw the issue of an astonishing document entitled the Handbook On German Military Forces. This was a truly remarkable work of intelligence gathering which formed a vast compendium of all the relevant knowledge amassed on the German Wehrmacht.Amazingly accurate and comprehensive, the Handbook ran to over six hundred pages and was designed to equip commanders in the field with everything they were likely to need to know about the German forces. The Handbook remained classified until 1953 and then slipped into obscurity.This new paperback reprint rescues this great work from obscurity, covering the psychology, organisation, tactics and operational aspects of the German forces. The weapons, machines, aircraft and uniforms of the German forces are also documented within the Handbook.The Handbook On German Military Forces is a fascinating primary reference source for historians and enthusiasts alike, providing an invaluable insight into the detail of the German Army which is still an unrivalled source of information today.

On June 22nd 1941 three huge German Army Groups launched a surprise attack on Soviet Russia. The most barbaric and brutal struggle in history was about to be played out to the death.History is always written by the victors, but this is the other side of the coin. Here is the German experience of the war in Russia, a powerful study of that titanic conflict as seen through the eyes of and told in the words of the men who fought and died for Hitler.Included in this volume are extensive extracts from post-war debriefings of captured German officers concerning the experience of combat on the ground. Also featured are detailed accounts of the attempts to extricate surrounded German forces from the pockets of Klin, Velikiye Luki, Cherkassy and Kamenets-Podolskiy.Richly illustrated with dozens of photographs and maps, this unique account of the war in the east produces a comprehensive picture of the most titanic campaign in military history from the tactical, operational and strategic view.Written by Emmy award winning author Bob Carruthers, this is the definitive single volume history of the Wehrmacht on campaign.

This photgraphic journal was originally published in the spring of 1941. It was edited by and carried a forward by Hauptsturmführer Gunter d'Alquen, commander of the SS Propaganda Kompanie and editor of the official SS paper, Das Schwarze Korps.Many of the pictures taken in this book feature the men of Waffen SS Standarte "Germania". In 1940 the men who bore the word Germania on their cuff bands were fighting as a motorised regiment under the command of SS-Standartenführer Karl-Maria Demelhuber.This is a unique account of the Waffen SS on campaign in the west from a primary source, edited by, and with an introduction by Emmy award winning author Bob Carruthers.

This fascinating compilation of wartime battlefield reports drawn from Russian and German sources produces an absorbing overview of the organization and tactics of the Red Army in World War II. Featured topics include anti-tank measures, cavalry tactics, the development of the Red Guards, Soviet parachute battalions, and more.

The steel coffins was the name given to the U-boats of the Kriegsmarine by their own crews. Their fatalistic view of the war was certainly justified; it is estimated that seventy-five per cent of the 39, 000 men who sailed in the U-boat fleet paid the ultimate price as the tide of war turned inexorably against Hitler's Germany.This is the illustrated history of the U-boat war from the perspective of the men who sailed into battle in the service of the Third Reich. Drawing heavily on the accounts of the last remaining survivors, 'The U-boat War' traces the grim story of the rise and fall of the grey wolves. The memories of the brief days of the "happy times" of superiority and success were soon replaced by the stark terror of the enfolding nightmare as the realisation dawned that the hunters had become the hunted.Written by Emmy award winning author Bob Carruthers, this powerful account of the U-boat war features extensive personal recollections, rare photographs and extracts from contemporary propaganda magazines producing a vivid picture of what it meant to fight beneath the waves.

This is the complete wartime translation by the U.S. Navy of the 1943 edition of the official handbook given to all U-boat commanders. The original handbook was compiled from combat reports and was regularly updated throughout the war. The handbook was an invaluable reference for every operational U-boat commander.Simply written and highly accessible for a wider audience, the U-boat handbook attempted to anticipate every possible situation and to advise on suitable tactics. This superb war-time primary source is enhanced by a rare series of photographs taken on an actual combat patrol and published during the time of the Third Reich in the book "U-Boot Auf Feindfahrt".Together the handbook and these rare photographs provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of the U-boats from a first hand perspective, and is essential reading for anyone interested in World War II from primary sources.This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents toprovide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht.The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.