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In Sights: The Story of a Welsh Guardsman
by Tim ReesIn Sights is one man's journey from boyhood to manhood, ultimately finding himself in the theatre of war. It is a journey littered with colourful anecdotes that offer insight into male bonding. Few paths have included such diverse experience. From military training in the Guards Depot to Trooping the Colour, from academic failure to intelligence work in Northern Ireland; from helping Rudolf Hess out of an ambulance to being tasked with taking the Queen's portrait. He even trod on Lady Diana's toes! Tim Rees colours every experience with profound and often idiosyncratic observations that offer the reader a taste of the sometimes humorous, often arduous and, on too many occasions, brutal reality. Close friends were killed or injured aboard RFA Sir Galahad off Fitzroy in the Falklands. Historically, men have gone to war en masse. Today, only relatively few men experience war. Was war a traumatic experience? Yes. Disturbing? Yes. Has experience of war and military service had a positive effect on Tim's life? Yes. Tim says, 'The positive effect is the bond of common experience I share with men with whom I served in the army. the bond is very strong and very different from civilian friendships. The bond military men share is unique. And I would argue that these bonds have historically been very important to the fabric of society and now they are being lost.'
In That Time: Michael O'Donnell and the Tragic Era of Vietnam
by Daniel H. WeissThrough the story of the brief, brave life of a promising poet, the president and CEO of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art evokes the turmoil and tragedy of the Vietnam War era.In That Time tells the story of the American experience in Vietnam through the life of Michael O'Donnell, a bright young musician and poet who served as a soldier and helicopter pilot. O'Donnell wrote with great sensitivity and poetic force, and his best-known poem is among the most beloved of the war. In 1970, during an attempt to rescue fellow soldiers stranded under heavy fire, O'Donnell's helicopter was shot down in the jungles of Cambodia. He remained missing in action for almost three decades.Although he never fired a shot in Vietnam, O'Donnell served in one of the most dangerous roles of the war, all the while using poetry to express his inner feelings and to reflect on the tragedy that was unfolding around him. O'Donnell's life is both a powerful, personal story and a compelling, universal one about how America lost its way in the 1960s, but also how hope can flower in the margins of even the darkest chapters of the American story.
In That Time: Michael O'Donnell and the Tragic Era of Vietnam
by Daniel H. WeissThrough the story of the brief, brave life of a promising poet, the president and CEO of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art evokes the turmoil and tragedy of the Vietnam War era.In That Time tells the story of the American experience in Vietnam through the life of Michael O'Donnell, a bright young musician and poet who served as a soldier and helicopter pilot. O'Donnell wrote with great sensitivity and poetic force, and his best-known poem is among the most beloved of the war. In 1970, during an attempt to rescue fellow soldiers stranded under heavy fire, O'Donnell's helicopter was shot down in the jungles of Cambodia. He remained missing in action for almost three decades.Although he never fired a shot in Vietnam, O'Donnell served in one of the most dangerous roles of the war, all the while using poetry to express his inner feelings and to reflect on the tragedy that was unfolding around him. O'Donnell's life is both a powerful, personal story and a compelling, universal one about how America lost its way in the 1960s, but also how hope can flower in the margins of even the darkest chapters of the American story.
In the Air: In The Air (Taking Part in the Second World War)
by Ann KramerTaking Part in the Second World War offers a history of the war told through the words of the people who took part. From airmen to cooks and from ambulance drivers to front-line soldiers, the books explain how ordinary people coped with extraordinary situations: the Blitz, rationing, the fierce fighting of D-Day or the Battle of the Atlantic. Author Ann Kramer skilfully weaves the threads together to build up a portrait of not only the events of the war, but also of those who served future generations so well.
In the Blood
by June OldhamRigby's grandfather, Gilbert, has wandered from home and is roaming the Yorkshire countryside in distress. Finding an old map in his grandfather's home, peculiarly annotated and marked by his grandfather, Rigby begins to realise that it duplicates Normandy: the marked sites mirror places in another place and other time - the days following the Normandy landings in 1944. He is drawn down an elusive trail into the past, hunting old memories and new truths to the heart of his grandfather's youth in the raw days of the War. It shakes the very foundations of Rigby's own young life, and as he discovers the secret about another soldier - the quest becomes an inner journey for Rigby. He learns of the feelings of young men caught in the terrors and misery of the battlefield, and the impact of their lives on generations to come.
In the Company of Heroes: The Inspiring Stories of Medal of Honor Recipients from America's Longest Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
by James KitfieldAn award-winning military journalist tells the amazing stories of twenty-five soldiers who've won the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. In the Company of Heroes will feature in-depth narrative profiles of the twenty-five post-9/11 Medal of Honor awardees who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. This book will focus on the stories of these extraordinary people, expressed in their own voices through one-on-one interviews, and in the case of posthumous awards, through interviews with their brothers in arms and their families. The public affairs offices of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the individual armed services, as well as the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, have expressed their support for this project.Stories include Marine Corps Corporal William "Kyle" Carpenter, who purposely lunged toward a Taliban hand grenade in order to shield his buddy from the blast; Navy SEAL team leader Britt Slabinski, who, after being ambushed and retreating in the Hindu Kush, returned against monumental odds in order to try to save one of his team who was inadvertently lost in the fight; and Ranger Staff Sergeant Leroy Petry, who lunged for a live grenade, threw it back at the enemy, and saved his two Ranger brothers.
In the First World War: In The First World War Library Ebook (Men, Women and Children)
by Philip SteeleThis book draws on evidence that reveals the lives of men, women and children during the First World War. It examines how they lived, fought, studied, worked, worshipped and played. There are also short stories about real people who lived during this period of history, such as Emmeline Pankhurst, Charlie Chaplin, Wilfred Owen, Marie Curie and Harry Patch (the last 'Tommy').
In the Full Light of the Sun
by Clare ClarkIn the Full Light of the Sun follows the fortunes of three Berliners caught up in a devastating scandal of 1930s' Germany. It tells the story of Emmeline, a wayward, young art student; Julius, an anxious, middle-aged art expert; and a mysterious art dealer named Rachmann who are at the heart of Weimar Berlin at its hedonistic, politically turbulent apogee and are whipped up into excitement over the surprising discovery of thirty-two previously unknown paintings by Vincent van Gogh.Based on a true story, unfolding through the subsequent rise of Hitler and the Nazis, this gripping tale is about beauty and justice, and the truth that may be found when our most treasured beliefs are revealed as illusions. Brilliant on authenticity, vanity and self-delusion, it is a novel for our times.
In the Hands of Providence: Joshua L. Chamberlain and the American Civil War (Civil War America)
by Alice Rains TrulockDeserve[s] a place on every Civil War bookshelf.--New York Times Book Review "[Trulock] brings her subject alive and escorts him through a brilliant career. One can easily say that the definitive work on Joshua Chamberlain has now been done.--James Robertson, Richmond Times-Dispatch"An example of history as it should be written. The author combines exhaustive research with an engaging prose style to produce a compelling narrative which will interest scholars and Civil War buffs alike.--Journal of Military History"A solid biography. . . . It does full justice to an astonishing life.--Library Journal This remarkable biography traces the life and times of Joshua L. Chamberlain, the professor-turned-soldier who led the Twentieth Maine Regiment to glory at Gettysburg, earned a battlefield promotion to brigadier general from Ulysses S. Grant at Petersburg, and was wounded six times during the course of the Civil War. Chosen to accept the formal Confederate surrender at Appomattox, Chamberlain endeared himself to succeeding generations with his unforgettable salutation of Robert E. Lee's vanquished army. After the war, he went on to serve four terms as governor of his home state of Maine and later became president of Bowdoin College. He wrote prolifically about the war, including The Passing of the Armies, a classic account of the final campaign of the Army of the Potomac.
In the Hands of the Taliban
by Yvonne RidleyYvonne Ridley's terrifying 10 day detainment by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan struck a chord that continues to resonate around the world. This is Yvonne's full, true story. From her capture, to the ordeal she endured at the hands of the Taliban, to her eventual release; in this compelling and inspirational book she offers a unique perspective into a way of life that remains a mystery to many.
In the Highest Traditions of the Royal Navy: The Life of Captain John Leach MVO DSO
by Matthew B WillsOn 10 December 1941, the Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales was sunk by Japanese bombers in the South China Sea. Amongst the several hundred men who went down with her was her Captain, John Leach, who had fought against frightful odds and to the very end made the best of an impossible situation with courage and calmness. He truly embodied ‘the highest traditions of the Royal Navy’. Author Matthew B. Wills analyses the influences that shaped John Leach and led him ultimately to his heroic end: his time at Royal Naval College Osborne and Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth and his baptism of fire when he survived a direct shell hit to the bridge where he was standing. He describes Leach’s role in command during the Battle of the Denmark Strait, during which the Prince of Wales inflicted damage on the Bismarck that contributed to her later destruction ? and then the ill-fated mission to Singapore as part of Force Z, an attempt to intercept Japanese landings in Malaya.
In the Hour of Victory: SHORTLISTED FOR THE MARITIME MEDIA AWARDS
by Dr Sam WillisSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2013 MARITIME MEDIA AWARDSBetween 1794 and 1815 the Royal Navy repeatedly crushed her enemies at sea in a period of military dominance that equals any in history. When Napoleon eventually died in exile, the Lords of the Admiralty ordered that the original dispatches from seven major fleet battles - The Glorious First of June (1794), St Vincent (1797), Camperdown (1797), The Nile (1798), Copenhagen (1801), Trafalgar (1805) and San Domingo (1806) - should be gathered together and presented to the Nation. These letters, written by Britain's admirals, captains, surgeons and boatswains and sent back home in the midst of conflict, were bound in an immense volume, to be admired as a jewel of British history. Sam Willis, one of Britain's finest naval historians, stumbled upon this collection by chance in the British Library in 2010 and soon found out that only a handful of people knew of its existence. The rediscovery of these first-hand reports, and the vivid commentary they provide, has enabled Willis to reassesses the key engagements in extraordinary and revelatory detail, and to paint an enthralling series of portraits of the Royal Navy's commanders at the time. In a compelling and dramatic narrative, In the Hour of Victory tells the story of these naval triumphs as never before, and allows us to hear once more the officer's voices as they describe the battles that made Britain great.
In the House of the Interpreter: A Memoir
by Ngugi Wa Thiong'ODuring the early fifties, Kenya was a country in turmoil. While Ngugi enjoys scouting trips, chess tournaments and reading about Biggles at the prestigious Alliance School near Nairobi, things are changing at home. He arrives back for his first visit since starting school to find his house razed to the ground and the entire village moved up the road closer to a guard checkpoint. Later, his brother, Good Wallace, who fights for the rebels, is captured by the British and taken to a concentration camp. Finally, Ngugi himself comes into conflict with the forces of colonialism when he is victimised by a police officer on a bus journey and thrown in prison for six days. This fascinating memoir charts the development of a significant voice in international literature, as well as standing as a record of the struggles of a nation to free itself.
In the Midst of Civilized Europe: The Pogroms of 1918–1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust
by Jeffrey VeidlingerIn riveting prose, In the Midst of Civilized Europe repositions the pogroms as a defining moment of the twentieth century.Between 1918 and 1921, over a hundred thousand Jews were murdered in Ukraine and Poland by peasants, townsmen, and soldiers who blamed the Jews for the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. In hundreds of separate incidents, ordinary people robbed their Jewish neighbors with impunity, burned down their houses, ripped apart their Torah scrolls, sexually assaulted them, and killed them. Largely forgotten today, these pogroms – ethnic riots – dominated headlines and international affairs in their time. Aid workers warned that six million Jews were in danger of complete extermination. Twenty years later, these dire predictions would come true.Drawing upon long-neglected archival materials, including thousands of newly discovered witness testimonies, trial records, and official orders, acclaimed historian Jeffrey Veidlinger shows for the first time how this wave of genocidal violence created the conditions for the Holocaust. Through stories of survivors, perpetrators, aid workers, and governmental officials, he explains how so many different groups of people came to the same conclusion: that killing Jews was an acceptable response to their various problems.
In the Mouth of the Wolf
by Michael MorpurgoA true story of two brothers and the war that changed everything. Michael Morpurgo’s wonderful storytelling and Barroux’s stunning artwork combine to tell the true story of Michael’s uncles against the epic backdrop of World War Two.
In the Mouth of the Wolf
by Michael MorpurgoA true story of two brothers and the war that changed everything. Michael Morpurgo’s wonderful storytelling and Barroux’s stunning artwork combine to tell the true story of Michael’s uncles against the epic backdrop of World War Two.
In the Shadow of Arnhem: The Battle For The Lower Maas, Steptember - November 1944
by Ken ToutThe Battle of Arnhem in September 1944 has been much publicised, with its extraordinary parachute drop and gallant defence by Frost's few men of the bridge at Arnhem. Although the campaign came close to success, its relative failure left the Allies trapped within a thirty-mile stretch of road. The Arnhem debacle saw vast stretches of Holland to the left and right of the salient occupied by enemy forces. These areas of Holland, criss-crossed by unfordable rivers and closely populated by small villages, had to be cleared by Allied troops in platoon or company strength, fighting in tight situations against bitter skilled resistance. There was none of the awesome and inspirational massing of troops seen in the battle of Normandy, for Arnhem itself. Interweaving his engaging narrative style with the eyewitness accounts and personal reminiscences of British, Canadian and Polish troops, Ken Tout reveals how these men performed their heroic deeds. They suffered and died in unheralded, largely forgotten minor skirmishes, but on a scale far exceeding the casualties of the immediate assault on Arnhem. They deserve to be remembered. This is their story.
In the Shadow of Auschwitz: German Massacres against Polish Civilians, 1939–1945
by Daniel BrewingThe Nazi invasion of Poland was the first step in an unremittingly brutal occupation, one most infamously represented by the network of death camps constructed on Polish soil. The systematic murder of Jews in the camps has understandably been the focus of much historical attention. Less well-remembered today is the fate of millions of non-Jewish Polish civilians, who—when they were not expelled from their homeland or forced into slave labor—were murdered in vast numbers both within and outside of the camps. Drawing on both German and Polish sources, In the Shadow of Auschwitz gives a definitive account of the depredations inflicted upon Polish society, tracing the ruthless implementation of a racial ideology that cast ethnic Poles as an inferior race.
In the Shadow of the Bomb: Oppenheimer, Bethe, and the Moral Responsibility of the Scientist
by Silvan S. SchweberIn the Shadow of the Bomb narrates how two charismatic, exceptionally talented physicists--J. Robert Oppenheimer and Hans A. Bethe--came to terms with the nuclear weapons they helped to create. In 1945, the United States dropped the bomb, and physicists were forced to contemplate disquieting questions about their roles and responsibilities. When the Cold War followed, they were confronted with political demands for their loyalty and McCarthyism's threats to academic freedom. By examining how Oppenheimer and Bethe--two men with similar backgrounds but divergent aspirations and characters--struggled with these moral dilemmas, one of our foremost historians of physics tells the story of modern physics, the development of atomic weapons, and the Cold War. Oppenheimer and Bethe led parallel lives. Both received liberal educations that emphasized moral as well as intellectual growth. Both were outstanding theoreticians who worked on the atom bomb at Los Alamos. Both advised the government on nuclear issues, and both resisted the development of the hydrogen bomb. Both were, in their youth, sympathetic to liberal causes, and both were later called to defend the United States against Soviet communism and colleagues against anti-Communist crusaders. Finally, both prized scientific community as a salve to the apparent failure of Enlightenment values. Yet, their responses to the use of the atom bomb, the testing of the hydrogen bomb, and the treachery of domestic politics differed markedly. Bethe, who drew confidence from scientific achievement and integration into the physics community, preserved a deep integrity. By accepting a modest role, he continued to influence policy and contributed to the nuclear test ban treaty of 1963. In contrast, Oppenheimer first embodied a new scientific persona--the scientist who creates knowledge and technology affecting all humanity and boldly addresses their impact--and then could not carry its burden. His desire to retain insider status, combined with his isolation from creative work and collegial scientific community, led him to compromise principles and, ironically, to lose prestige and fall victim to other insiders. Schweber draws on his vast knowledge of science and its history--in addition to his unique access to the personalities involved--to tell a tale of two men that will enthrall readers interested in science, history, and the lives and minds of great thinkers.
In the Shadow of the Bomb: Oppenheimer, Bethe, and the Moral Responsibility of the Scientist
by Silvan S. SchweberIn the Shadow of the Bomb narrates how two charismatic, exceptionally talented physicists--J. Robert Oppenheimer and Hans A. Bethe--came to terms with the nuclear weapons they helped to create. In 1945, the United States dropped the bomb, and physicists were forced to contemplate disquieting questions about their roles and responsibilities. When the Cold War followed, they were confronted with political demands for their loyalty and McCarthyism's threats to academic freedom. By examining how Oppenheimer and Bethe--two men with similar backgrounds but divergent aspirations and characters--struggled with these moral dilemmas, one of our foremost historians of physics tells the story of modern physics, the development of atomic weapons, and the Cold War. Oppenheimer and Bethe led parallel lives. Both received liberal educations that emphasized moral as well as intellectual growth. Both were outstanding theoreticians who worked on the atom bomb at Los Alamos. Both advised the government on nuclear issues, and both resisted the development of the hydrogen bomb. Both were, in their youth, sympathetic to liberal causes, and both were later called to defend the United States against Soviet communism and colleagues against anti-Communist crusaders. Finally, both prized scientific community as a salve to the apparent failure of Enlightenment values. Yet, their responses to the use of the atom bomb, the testing of the hydrogen bomb, and the treachery of domestic politics differed markedly. Bethe, who drew confidence from scientific achievement and integration into the physics community, preserved a deep integrity. By accepting a modest role, he continued to influence policy and contributed to the nuclear test ban treaty of 1963. In contrast, Oppenheimer first embodied a new scientific persona--the scientist who creates knowledge and technology affecting all humanity and boldly addresses their impact--and then could not carry its burden. His desire to retain insider status, combined with his isolation from creative work and collegial scientific community, led him to compromise principles and, ironically, to lose prestige and fall victim to other insiders. Schweber draws on his vast knowledge of science and its history--in addition to his unique access to the personalities involved--to tell a tale of two men that will enthrall readers interested in science, history, and the lives and minds of great thinkers.
In the Shadow of the Great War: Physical Violence in East-Central Europe, 1917–1923
by Jochen Böhler Ota Konrád Rudolf Ku 269 EraWhether victorious or not, Central European states faced fundamental challenges after the First World War as they struggled to contain ongoing violence and forge peaceful societies. This collection explores the various forms of violence these nations confronted during this period, which effectively transformed the region into a laboratory for state-building. Employing a bottom-up approach to understanding everyday life, these studies trace the contours of individual and mass violence in the interwar era while illuminating their effects upon politics, intellectual developments, and the arts.
In the Shadow of the Great War: Physical Violence in East-Central Europe, 1917–1923
by Jochen Böhler, Ota Konrád, and Rudolf KučeraWhether victorious or not, Central European states faced fundamental challenges after the First World War as they struggled to contain ongoing violence and forge peaceful societies. This collection explores the various forms of violence these nations confronted during this period, which effectively transformed the region into a laboratory for state-building. Employing a bottom-up approach to understanding everyday life, these studies trace the contours of individual and mass violence in the interwar era while illuminating their effects upon politics, intellectual developments, and the arts.
In the Shadow of the Great War: Physical Violence in East-Central Europe, 1917–1923
by Jochen Böhler, Ota Konrád, and Rudolf KučeraWhether victorious or not, Central European states faced fundamental challenges after the First World War as they struggled to contain ongoing violence and forge peaceful societies. This collection explores the various forms of violence these nations confronted during this period, which effectively transformed the region into a laboratory for state-building. Employing a bottom-up approach to understanding everyday life, these studies trace the contours of individual and mass violence in the interwar era while illuminating their effects upon politics, intellectual developments, and the arts.
In the Shadow of the Great War: Surrey, 1914-1922
by Michael Page Kirsty Bennett Imogen Middleton Juliet WarrenThe military toll of World War I is widely known: millions of Britons were mobilised, many thousands killed or wounded, and the landscape of British society changed forever. But how was the conflict experienced by the people of Surrey on the home front? Surrey Heritage’s project Surrey in the Great War: A County Remembers has, over the four-year centenary commemoration, explored the wartime stories of Surrey’s people and places. The project’s discoveries are here captured through text, case studies and images. This book chronicles the mobilisation of Surrey men, the training of foreign troops in the county, objection to military service, defence against invasion, voluntary work and fundraising, the experiences of women and children, shortages, industrial supply to the armed forces and the commemoration of Surrey’s dead. Drawing heavily on the rich archives of Surrey Heritage, it is an engaging exploration of a county in the shadow of the first globalised war between industrialised nations.
In the Shadow of the Lamp
by Susanne DunlapIt's 1854 and sixteen-year-old Molly would give anything to change her circumstances as a lowly servant in a posh London house. So when she hears of an opportunity to join the nurses who will be traveling with Florence Nightingale to the Crimea, she jumps at the chance. The work is grueling, the hospital conditions deplorable, and Miss Nightingale a demanding teacher. Before long, the plight of British soldiers becomes more than just a mission of mercy as Molly finds that she's falling in love with both a dashing young doctor and a soldier who has joined the army to be near her. But with the battle raging ever nearer, can Molly keep the two men she cares for from harm? A love story to savor, and a fascinating behind-the-scenes imagining of the woman who became known as the lady with the lamp.