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Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > War & defence operations > General

The Occupation - War and Resistance in Iraq (Hardcover): Patrick Cockburn The Occupation - War and Resistance in Iraq (Hardcover)
Patrick Cockburn 2
R530 Discovery Miles 5 300 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

In March 2003, Patrick Cockburn traveled secretly to Iraq just before the invasion, and has covered the war from Baghdad ever since. In "The Occupation", Cockburn describes the fighting on the ground as Saddam Hussein's armies collapsed, the looting of Baghdad, the failure of the US occupation, the emergence of the resistance into uprising. Explaining how the three main Iraqi communities-the Kurds, the Shia and the Sunni-responded to the growing conflict, Cockburn paints a nuanced portrait of daily life in Baghdad under siege.

The Pursuit of Power - Technology, Armed Force, and Society since A.D. 1000 (Paperback, 2nd ed.): William H. McNeill The Pursuit of Power - Technology, Armed Force, and Society since A.D. 1000 (Paperback, 2nd ed.)
William H. McNeill
R890 Discovery Miles 8 900 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

In this magnificent synthesis of military, technological, and social history, William H. McNeill explores a whole millennium of human upheaval and traces the path by which we have arrived at the frightening dilemmas that now confront us. McNeill moves with equal mastery from the crossbow--banned by the Church in 1139 as too lethal for Christians to use against one another--to the nuclear missile, from the sociological consequences of drill in the seventeenth century to the emergence of the military-industrial complex in the twentieth. His central argument is that a commercial transformation of world society in the eleventh century caused military activity to respond increasingly to market forces as well as to the commands of rulers. Only in our own time, suggests McNeill, are command economies replacing the market control of large-scale human effort. The Pursuit of Power does not solve the problems of the present, but its discoveries, hypotheses, and sheer breadth of learning do offer a perspective on our current fears and, as McNeill hopes, "a ground for wiser action."
"No summary can do justice to McNeill's intricate, encyclopedic treatment. . . . McNeill's erudition is stunning, as he moves easily from European to Chinese and Islamic cultures and from military and technological to socio-economic and political developments. The result is a grand synthesis of sweeping proportions and interdisciplinary character that tells us almost as much about the history of butter as the history of guns. . . . McNeill's larger accomplishment is to remind us that all humankind has a shared past and, particularly with regard to its choice of weapons and warfare, a shared stake in thefuture."--Stuart Rochester, "Washington Post Book World"
"Mr. McNeill's comprehensiveness and sensitivity do for the reader what Henry James said that Turgenev's conversation did for him: they suggest 'all sorts of valuable things.' This narrative of rationality applied to irrational purposes and of ingenuity cannibalizing itself is a work of clarity, which delineates mysteries. The greatest of them, to my mind, is why human beings have never learned to cherish their own species."--Naomi Bliven, "The New Yorker
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The Taking of K-129 - The Most Daring Covert Operation in History (Paperback): Josh Dean The Taking of K-129 - The Most Daring Covert Operation in History (Paperback)
Josh Dean
R402 R329 Discovery Miles 3 290 Save R73 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

In late February, 1968, a Russian submarine, holding a battery of three ballistic missiles with enough nuclear material to create an explosion 50 times greater than Hiroshima, disappeared in the Pacific Ocean. The Soviet Navy used ships, subs and planes in an enormous search of open ocean, in stormy seas, where the depth ranged up to 18,000 feet. But they were looking in the wrong place. The US Navy, meanwhile, had been watching. Intelligence officials knew the sub had been lost and they began a secret operation to find it first. But once they found it, they somehow needed to retrieve it from the ocean floor. The CIA enrolled reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes and commissioned the most expensive ship ever built, a technological marvel that the public was told was to mine rare minerals from the ocean floor. So began an incredible top-secret operation that took six years, and would become the largest and most expensive covert operation in history. Its name: Project Azorian. Its objective: the taking of submarine K-129.

Command of the Sea - William Pakenham and the Russo-Japanese Naval War 1904-1905 (Hardcover): Quintin Barry Command of the Sea - William Pakenham and the Russo-Japanese Naval War 1904-1905 (Hardcover)
Quintin Barry
R1,053 R837 Discovery Miles 8 370 Save R216 (21%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

This book is a study of the Russo Japanese War of 1904-1905, as seen through the eyes of the British Naval Attache, Captain William Pakenham. The complicated set of international relations at the turn of the century is reviewed, as well as the balance of sea power in the Far East, which was a matter of considerable importance to the British government. The role of the naval attache was thus of considerable importance, particularly once war had broken out. Pakenham quickly became a trusted colleague of Admiral Togo, the Japanese commander-in-chief, and went to sea with the Japanese fleet during the great battles of the naval campaign. The war had already begun before Pakenham arrived in the Far East, commencing with a lightning strike by the Japanese at the Russian base of Port Arthur. Once there Pakenham sent a stream of comprehensive reports not only describing the naval actions but also dealing with crucial matters relating for instance to the design of warships, developments in gunnery and the use of torpedoes. These were closely studied at the British Admiralty, at a time when the revolutionary design of the new battleship Dreadnought was under consideration. Pakenham, who came from a well-known naval family, was one of those personalities around whom legends grew, and he was certainly well established as an eccentric. He was greatly admired by his Japanese hosts for the courage he displayed under fire.

War in Space - Strategy, Spacepower, Geopolitics (Hardcover): Bleddyn Bowen War in Space - Strategy, Spacepower, Geopolitics (Hardcover)
Bleddyn Bowen
R2,780 R2,328 Discovery Miles 23 280 Save R452 (16%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Applying strategic theory to outer space and drawing out the implications for international relations Offers a definitive and original vision of space warfare that theorises often-overlooked aspects of contemporary space activities based in the discipline of Strategic Studies. This original research draws out the implications of spacepower for wider debate in grand strategy and IR. Applies the theory in a topical and contentious area within contemporary grand strategy - anti-access and area-denial warfare in the Taiwan Strait between China and America. Key principles are summarised in seven propositions to make the key take-aways of theory applicable and memorable for researchers and practitioners. This book presents a theory of spacepower and considers the implications of space technology on strategy and international relations. The spectre of space warfare stalks the major powers as outer space increasingly defines geopolitical and military competition. As satellites have become essential for modern warfare, strategists are asking whether the next major war will begin or be decided in outer space. Only strategic theory can explore the decisiveness and effects of war in space upon `grand strategy' and international relations. The author applies the wisdom of military strategy to outer space, and presents a compelling new vision of Earth orbit as a coastline, rather than an open ocean or an extension of airspace as many have assumed. Rooted in the classical military works of Clausewitz, Mahan, and Castex to name a few, this book presents comprehensive principles for strategic thought about space that explain the pervasive and inescapable influence of spacepower on strategy and the changing military balance of the 21st century.

Amphibious Assault Falklands: the Battle of San Carlos Water (Paperback): Michael Clapp, Ewen Southby-Tailyour Amphibious Assault Falklands: the Battle of San Carlos Water (Paperback)
Michael Clapp, Ewen Southby-Tailyour
R566 R466 Discovery Miles 4 660 Save R100 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Since he was in charge of the amphibious operations in the Falklands War, it goes without saying that there is no one better qualified to tell the story of that aspect of the campaign than Commodore Michael Clapp.
Here he describes, with considerable candor, some of the problems met in a Navy racing to war and finding it necessary to recreate a largely abandoned operational technique in a somewhat ad hoc fashion. During the time it took to 'go south' some sense of order was imposed and a not very well defined command structure evolved, this was not done without generating a certain amount of friction.
He tells of why San Carlos Water was chosen for the assault and the subsequent inshore operations. Michael Clapp and his small staff made their stand and can claim a major role in the defeat of the Argentine Air and Land Forces.

Battles of the Jacobite Rebellions - Killiecrankie to Culloden (Hardcover): Jonathan Oates Battles of the Jacobite Rebellions - Killiecrankie to Culloden (Hardcover)
Jonathan Oates
R771 R631 Discovery Miles 6 310 Save R140 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Many books have been written about the Jacobite rebellions - the armed attempts made by the Stuarts to regain the British throne between 1689 and 1746 - and in particular about the risings of 1689, 1715, 1719 and 1745. The key battles have been described in graphic detail. Yet no previous book has given a comprehensive military account of the campaigns in their entirety - and that is the purpose of Jonathan Oates's new history. For over fifty years the Jacobites posed a serious threat to the governments of William and Mary, Queen Anne and George I and II. But they were unable to follow up their victories at Killiecrankie, Prestonpans and Falkirk, and the overwhelming defeat suffered by Bonnie Prince Charlie's army when it confronted the Duke of Cumberland's forces at Culloden in 1746 was decisive. The author uses vivid eyewitness testimony and contemporary sources, as well as the latest archaeological evidence, to trace the course of the conflict, and offers an absorbing insight into the makeup of the opposing sides, their leadership, their troops and the strategy and tactics they employed. His distinctive approach gives the reader a long perspective on a conflict which is often viewed more narrowly in terms of famous episodes and the careers of the leading men.

War in the Shadows - Resistance, Deception and Betrayal in Occupied France (Paperback): Patrick Marnham War in the Shadows - Resistance, Deception and Betrayal in Occupied France (Paperback)
Patrick Marnham
R344 R283 Discovery Miles 2 830 Save R61 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

‘One of our very best writers on France.’ Antony Beevor After publishing an acclaimed biography of Jean Moulin, leader of the French Resistance, Patrick Marnham received an anonymous letter from a person who claimed to have worked for British Intelligence during the war. The ex-spy praised his book but insisted that he had missed the real ‘treasure’. The letter drew Marnham back to the early 1960s when he had been taught French by a mercurial woman – a former Resistance leader, whose SOE network was broken on the same day that Moulin was captured and who endured eighteen months in Ravensbrück concentration camp. Could these two events have been connected? His anonymous correspondent offered a tantalising set of clues that seemed to implicate Churchill and British Intelligence in the catastrophe. Drawing on a deep knowledge of France and original research in British and French archives, War in the Shadows exposes the ruthless double-dealing of the Allied intelligence services and the Gestapo through one of the darkest periods of the Second World War. It is a story worthy of Le Carré, but with this difference – it is not fiction. ‘A melange of Le Grand Meaulnes and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. It is unforgettable.’ Ferdinand Mount, TLS, Books of the Year ‘A masterly analysis, impeccably presented.’ Allan Mallinson, Spectator ‘Fascinating… Marnham has a vast and scholarly knowledge of this often treacherous world.’ Caroline Moorehead, Literary Review

Invasion 1982 (Paperback): Graham Bound Invasion 1982 (Paperback)
Graham Bound
R410 R338 Discovery Miles 3 380 Save R72 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Falkland Islanders were the first British people to come under enemy occupation since the Channel Islanders during the Second World War. This book tells how islanders' warnings were ignored in London, how their slim defences gave way to a massive invasion, and how they survived occupation. While some established a cautiously pragmatic modus vivendi with the occupiers, some Islanders opted for active resistance. Others joined advancing British troops, transporting ammunition and leading men to the battlefields. Islanders' leaders and 'trouble makers' faced internal exile, and whole settlements were imprisoned, becoming virtual hostages. A new chapter about Falklands history since 1982 reveals that while the Falklands have benefited greatly from Britain's ongoing commitment to them, a cold war continues in the south Atlantic. To the annoyance of the Argentines, the islands have prospered, and may now be poised on the brink of an oil bonanza.

The Raugh Bibliography of the Indian Mutiny - 1857-1859 (Paperback): Harold E. Raugh Jr The Raugh Bibliography of the Indian Mutiny - 1857-1859 (Paperback)
Harold E. Raugh Jr
R1,397 R1,101 Discovery Miles 11 010 Save R296 (21%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

The Indian Mutiny was a series of generally unconnected military revolts of native Indian soldiers, frequently accompanied by bloody atrocities and suppressed by the British with equal savagery, against the rule and authority of the East India Company. Itwas also perhaps the inevitable clash of British 'civilization' with Indian customs, traditions, and religion. This conflict definitely shocked the British, and it was a pivotal event in British imperial and military, as well as Indian, history. The Indian Mutiny broke out on 10 May 1857, and it did not officially end until 8 July 1859. The Mutiny itself can be divided into a number of campaigns. The first campaign consisted of the siege and capture of Delhi (June-September 1857). The second was the campaign in Oudh, including the defence of the Lucknow Residency (July-November 1857); the September and November 1857 reliefs of Lucknow; the defence (June 1857) and the three battles of Cawnpore (July, November, and December 1857); the final capture of Lucknow in March 1858; and the pacification of Oudh and Rohilkand (Apri-June 1858). Operations in Central India were conducted in two phases, from June-November 1857 and January-June 1858. The Battle of Gwalior, 19 June 1858, was the last major engagement of the Indian Mutiny. Final mopping up operations took place from July 1858 until May 1859. Indian Mutiny, 1857-1859: A Selected Bibliography is a comprehensive and authoritative research guide and bibliographic platform that identifies and frequently annotates thousands of contemporary, current, and hard-to-find English- and foreign-language books, journal articles, government documents, academic studies, and unpublished personal papers and diaries on all aspects of the Indian Mutiny. Arranged chronologically and topically, chapters cover general Indian history, British imperialism, the East India Company, and its army; the causes of the Indian Mutiny and key Indian leaders (Nana Sahib, Rani of Jhansi, Tantia Topi, and others); and military operations and activities of the Mutiny, with individual chapters focusing on Delhi, Cawnpore, and Lucknow. Other chapters are devoted to participating unit and regimental histories; the aftermath of the Indian Mutiny; London Gazette Despatches; and various supporting services of the British and Indian Armies and related subjects, including intelligence operations and engineer and medical support, the press, religion, literature, gender studies, awards, and monuments and memorials. Further chapters include autobiographies, biographies, journals, and letters of leading military commanders (Campbell, Havelock, Outram, Rose, and Napier) and other Mutiny participants and observers. Document repositories and military archives around the world have been scoured to identify and list hundreds of unpublished participant letters, diaries, and manuscripts; official government documents; and published soldiers' letters. Of significance, this bibliography also enumerates hundreds of book chapters, journal articles, and conference papers originating in India in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Indian Mutiny in 2007 and providing an Indian perspective on events. The definitive and unique Indian Mutiny, 1857-1859: A Selected Bibliography is an indispensable reference and veritable treasure trove for researching the causes, operations, leadership, and results of the Indian Mutiny, a watershed event that shook the British Empire to its very foundations in the 1850s and paved the way for Indian independence a century later.

The Tanks of Operation Barbarossa - Soviet versus German Armour on the Eastern Front (Paperback): Boris Kavalerchik The Tanks of Operation Barbarossa - Soviet versus German Armour on the Eastern Front (Paperback)
Boris Kavalerchik
R470 R387 Discovery Miles 3 870 Save R83 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

When the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941 the Red Army had four times as many tanks as the Wehrmacht and their tanks were seemingly superior, yet the Wehrmacht won the border battles with extraordinary ease the Red Armys tank force was pushed aside and for the most part annihilated. How was this victory achieved, and were the Soviet tanks really as well designed as is often believed? These are the basic questions Boris Kavalerchik answers in this absorbing study of the tanks and the tank tactics of the two armies that confronted each other at the start of the war on the Eastern Front. Drawing on technical and operational documents from Russian archives, many of which were classified until recently and are unknown to Western readers, he compares the strengths and weakness of the tanks and the different ways in which they were used by the opposing armies. His work will be essential reading for military historians who are interested in the development of armoured warfare and in this aspect of the struggle on the Eastern Front.

A History of the Early Medieval Siege, c.450-1200 (Hardcover, New): Peter Purton A History of the Early Medieval Siege, c.450-1200 (Hardcover, New)
Peter Purton
R2,815 Discovery Miles 28 150 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Detailed, comprehensive survey of the siege, looking at its development across three continents. Medieval warfare was dominated by the attack and defence of fortified places, and siege methods and technology developed alongside improvements in defences. This book uses both original historical sources and evidence from archaeology to analyse this relationship as part of a comprehensive view of the whole subject, tracing links across three continents. It considers the most important questions raised by siege warfare: who designed, built and operated siege equipment? How did medieval commanders gain their knowledge? What were the roles of theoretical texts and the developing science of siege warfare? How did nomadic peoples learn to conduct sieges? How far did castles and town walls serve a military purpose, and how far did they act as symbols of lordship? The volume begins with the replacement of the western Roman empire by barbarian successor states, but also examines the development of the Byzantine Empire, the Muslim Caliphate and its successors, and the links with China, through to the early thirteenth century. The companion volume, A History of the Late Medieval Siege, continues the story to 1500.

Opium Wars (Paperback): W. Travis Hanes, Frank Sanello, William Travis Hanes Opium Wars (Paperback)
W. Travis Hanes, Frank Sanello, William Travis Hanes
R560 R474 Discovery Miles 4 740 Save R86 (15%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days

In this tragic and powerful story, the two Opium Wars of 1839??1842 and 1856??1860 between Britain and China are recounted for the first time through the eyes of the Chinese as well as the Imperial West. Opium entered China during the Middle Ages when Arab traders brought it into China for medicinal purposes. As it took hold as a recreational drug, opium wrought havoc on Chinese society. By the early nineteenth century, 90 percent of the Emperor's court and the majority of the army were opium addicts.
Britain was also a nation addicted-to tea, grown in China, and paid for with profits made from the opium trade. When China tried to ban the use of the drug and bar its Western smugglers from it gates, England decided to fight to keep open China's ports for its importation. England, the superpower of its time, managed to do so in two wars, resulting in a drug-induced devastation of the Chinese people that would last 150 years.
In this page-turning, dramatic and colorful history, The Opium Wars responds to past, biased Western accounts by representing the neglected Chinese version of the story and showing how the wars stand as one of the monumental clashes between the cultures of East and West.
"A fine popular account."-Publishers Weekly
"Their account of the causes, military campaigns and tragic effects of these wars is absorbing, frequently macabre and deeply unsettling."-Booklist

The Medieval Military Engineer - From the Roman Empire to the Sixteenth Century (Hardcover): Peter Purton The Medieval Military Engineer - From the Roman Empire to the Sixteenth Century (Hardcover)
Peter Purton
R2,297 Discovery Miles 22 970 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Sheds light on the skills and techniques of the medieval military engineer, over a thousand year sweep. The results of medieval engineering still surround us - cathedrals, castles, stone bridges, irrigation systems. However, the siege artillery, siege towers, temporary bridges, earthwork emplacements and underground mines used for war have left little trace behind them; and there is even less of the engineers themselves: the people behind the military engineering achievements. The evidence for this neglected group is studied here. The author begins byconsidering the evolution of military technology across centuries, and the impact of new technologies in the context of the economic and social developments which made them possible. He looks at how military engineers obtained their skills, and the possible link with scholastic scientific awareness. With the increased survival of government records from the middle ages, engineers acquire names and individuals can be identified. And the fifteenth century -the age of polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci - saw a new type of literate military engineer, part of a recognized profession, but with its roots in a thousand years of historical development. PETER PURTON, D Phil (Oxon), FSA, has written extensively on medieval fortifications and siege warfare; his publications include the comprehensive two-volume history of the medieval siege (Boydell, 2010).

Edward III and the Triumph of England - The Battle of Crecy and the Company of the Garter (Paperback): Richard Barber Edward III and the Triumph of England - The Battle of Crecy and the Company of the Garter (Paperback)
Richard Barber 1
R585 R478 Discovery Miles 4 780 Save R107 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

The destruction of the French army at Crecy in 1346 and the subsequent siege and capture of Calais marked a new era in European history. The most powerful, glamorous and respected of all western monarchies had been completely humiliated by England, a country long viewed either as a chaotic backwater or a mere French satellite. The young Edward III's triumph would launch both countries, as we now know, into a grim cycle of some 90 years of further fighting ending with English defeat, but after Crecy anything seemed possible - Edward's claim to be King of France could be pressed home and, in any event, enormous rewards of land, treasure and prestige were available both to the king and to the close companions who had made the victory possible. It was to enshrine this moment that Edward created one of the most famous of all knightly orders, the Company of the Garter. Barber writes about both the great campaigns and the individuals who formed the original membership of the Company - and through their biographies makes the period tangible and fascinating. This is a book about knighthood, battle tactics and grand strategy, but it is also about fashion, literature and the privates lives of everyone from queens to freebooters. Barber's book is a remarkable achievement - but also an extremely enjoyable one.

Hoodwinking Churchill - Tito's Great Confidence Trick (Hardcover, New): Peter Batty Hoodwinking Churchill - Tito's Great Confidence Trick (Hardcover, New)
Peter Batty
R346 Discovery Miles 3 460 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Based on new information recently come to light, this history reveals how Britain's staunchly anti-communist Prime Minister was deceived into supporting communist Tito and into cutting all aid to the anti-communist forces resisting the Germans in Yugoslavia. If it had not been for Churchill’s change of heart in December of 1948, this record argues, Tito would not have overcome his political opponents and have emerged as the country's undisputed ruler after the war. Exposing the skullduggery behind the blue-blooded British Establishment, this account also reveals how Tito used the munitions received from the British and Americans not to kill Germans, as promised to Churchill, but mostly to eliminate his political rivals; how he accused his political opponents of accepting weapons from the Italians while he was proposing joint action to the Germans to resist an Allied landing in the Balkans; and how his Partisans massacred thousands of anti-communist Yugoslavs handed over to him by the British in good faith. In essence, this account is a revisionist biography of Tito, puncturing the wartime myths surrounding the communist leader.  

Congressional Limits on Military Operations (Paperback): Violet L. Turner, Maddox M. Watson Congressional Limits on Military Operations (Paperback)
Violet L. Turner, Maddox M. Watson
R1,567 Discovery Miles 15 670 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Controversy continues over the appropriate role that Congress should play in regulating U.S. military operations against foreign entities. U.S. action against Libya reignited consideration of long-standing questions concerning the President's constitutional authority to use military force without congressional authorisation, as well as congressional authority to regulate or limit the use of such force. As Congress considers defence authorisation and appropriate bills, there may be renewed focus on whether or to what extent Congress has the constitutional authority to legislate limits on the President's authority to conduct military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, or other locations. This book discusses the constitutional provisions allocating war powers between Congress and the President, and presents a historical overview of relevant court cases, and other considerations which may inform congressional decisions on war powers.

Thunder Below! - The USS *Barb* Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II (Paperback): Eugene B Fluckey Thunder Below! - The USS *Barb* Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II (Paperback)
Eugene B Fluckey
R624 Discovery Miles 6 240 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The thunderous roar of exploding depth charges was a familiar and comforting sound to the crew members of the USS Barb, who frequently found themselves somewhere between enemy fire and Davy Jones's locker. Under the leadership of her fearless skipper, Captain Gene Fluckey, the Barb sank the greatest tonnage of any American sub in World War II. At the same time, the Barb did far more than merely sink ships - she changed forever the way submarines stalk and kill their prey. This is a gripping adventure chock-full of "you-are-there" moments. Fluckey has drawn on logs, reports, letters, interviews, and a recently discovered illegal diary kept by one of his torpedomen. And in a fascinating twist, he uses archival documents from the Japanese Navy to give its version of events. The unique story of the Barb begins with its men, who had the confidence to become unbeatable. Each team helped develop innovative ideas, new tactics, and new strategies. All strove for personal excellence, and success became contagious. Instead of lying in wait under the waves, the USS Barb pursued enemy ships on the surface, attacking in the swift and precise style of torpedo boats. She was the first sub to use rocket missiles and to creep up on enemy convoys at night, joining the flank escort line from astern, darting in and out as she sank ships up the column. Surface-cruising, diving only to escape, "Luckey Fluckey" relentlessly patrolled the Pacific, driving his boat and crew to their limits. There can be no greater contrast to modern warfare's long-distance, video-game style of battle than the exploits of the captain and crew of the USS Barb, where the sub, out of ammunition, actually rammed an enemy ship untilit sank. Thunder Below! is a first-rate, true-life, inspirational story of the courage and heroism of ordinary men under fire.

The Seven Years' War (Paperback): Daniel Marston The Seven Years' War (Paperback)
Daniel Marston
R380 Discovery Miles 3 800 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

The closest thing to total war before World War One, the Seven Years' War was fought in North America, Europe, the Caribbean and India with major consequences for all parties involved. This fascinating book is the first to truly review the grand strategies of the combatants and examine the differing styles of warfare used in the many campaigns. These ranged from the large-scale battles and sieges of the European front to the ambush and skirmish tactics used in the forests of North America. Daniel Marston's engaging narrative is supported by official war papers, personal diaries and memoirs, and official reports.

The Glorious Cause - The American Revolution, 1763-1789 (Paperback, Revised edition): Robert Middlekauff The Glorious Cause - The American Revolution, 1763-1789 (Paperback, Revised edition)
Robert Middlekauff
R651 R542 Discovery Miles 5 420 Save R109 (17%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

The first book to appear in the illustrious Oxford History of the United States, this critically acclaimed volume-a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize-offers an unsurpassed history of the Revolutionary War and the birth of the American republic. Beginning with the French and Indian War and continuing to the election of George Washington as first president, Robert Middlekauff offers a panoramic history of the conflict between England and America, highlighting the drama and anguish of the colonial struggle for independence. Combining the political and the personal, he provides a compelling account of the key events that precipitated the war, from the Stamp Act to the Tea Act, tracing the gradual gathering of American resistance that culminated in the Boston Tea Party and "the shot heard 'round the world." The heart of the book features a vivid description of the eight-year-long war, with gripping accounts of battles and campaigns, ranging from Bunker Hill and Washington's crossing of the Delaware to the brilliant victory at Hannah's Cowpens and the final triumph at Yorktown, paying particular attention to what made men fight in these bloody encounters. The book concludes with an insightful look at the making of the Constitution in the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 and the struggle over ratification. Through it all, Middlekauff gives the reader a vivid sense of how the colonists saw these events and the importance they gave to them. Common soldiers and great generals, Sons of Liberty and African slaves, town committee-men and representatives in congress-all receive their due. And there are particularly insightful portraits of such figures as Sam and John Adams, James Otis, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and many others. This new edition has been revised and expanded, with fresh coverage of topics such as mob reactions to British measures before the War, military medicine, women's role in the Revolution, American Indians, the different kinds of war fought by the Americans and the British, and the ratification of the Constitution. The book also has a new epilogue and an updated bibliography. The cause for which the colonists fought, liberty and independence, was glorious indeed. Here is an equally glorious narrative of an event that changed the world, capturing the profound and passionate struggle to found a free nation.

The Organization of the German State Forces in 1866 (Hardcover): Stuart Sutherland The Organization of the German State Forces in 1866 (Hardcover)
Stuart Sutherland
R1,463 R1,128 Discovery Miles 11 280 Save R335 (23%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

The so-called Seven Weeks' War of 1866 between Prussia and Italy and Austria was notable not only for its effect on future German history but also because it was the last time the armies of the smaller German states fought as independent contingents. Forces from 30 smaller states were involved and they were either of some strength or barely able to guard their rulers' palaces. They have largely been ignored in standard histories and this book attempts to begin to redress that imbalance by presenting for the first time in English detailed information about the organization of the armies of the smaller states. States covered: Anhalt, Baden, Bavaria, Bremen, Brunswick, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Hanover, Electoral Hesse, Grand Ducal Hesse, Landgravial Hesse, Liechtenstein, Limburg, Lippe-Detmold, Lubeck, Luxembourg, The Mecklenburgs, Nassau, Oldenburg, The Reusses, Saxe-Altenburg, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Saxe-Meiningen, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Saxony, Schaumburg-Lippe, Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Waldeck, Wurttemberg. An introduction places this information in context and appendices give selected orders of battle and a chronology of the preliminaries and main events of the war in Germany.

The War Of The Running Dogs - How Malaya Defeated The Communist Guerrillas 1948-1960 (Paperback): Noel Barber The War Of The Running Dogs - How Malaya Defeated The Communist Guerrillas 1948-1960 (Paperback)
Noel Barber
R345 R284 Discovery Miles 2 840 Save R61 (18%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

Only three short years after the end of the Japanese occupation, war came again to Malaya. The Chinese-backed guerrillas called it the War of the Running Dogs - their contemptuous term for those in Malaya who remained loyal to the British.

The British Government referred to this bloody and costly struggle as the 'Malayan Emergency'. Yet it was a war that lasted twelve years and cost thousands of lives. By the time it was over Malaya had obtained its independence - but on British, not on Chinese or Communist terms.

Here is the war as it was. Here are the planters and their wives on their remote rubber estates, the policemen, the generals and the soldiers, the Malays, Chinese and Indians of a polyglot country, all fighting an astute, ruthless, and well organized enemy.

Assessing War - The Challenge of Measuring Success and Failure (Paperback): Leo J Blanken, Hy Rothstein, Jason J. Lepore Assessing War - The Challenge of Measuring Success and Failure (Paperback)
Leo J Blanken, Hy Rothstein, Jason J. Lepore; Foreword by George W. Casey; Introduction by Leo J Blanken, …
R840 Discovery Miles 8 400 Ships in 12 - 17 working days

Today's protracted asymmetrical conflicts confuse efforts to measure progress, often inviting politics and wishful thinking to replace objective evaluation. In Assessing War, military historians, social scientists, and military officers explore how observers have analyzed the trajectory of war in American conflicts from the Seven Years' War through the war in Afghanistan. Drawing on decades of acquired expertise, the contributors examine wartime assessment in both theory and practice and, through alternative dimensions of assessment such as justice and proportionality, the war of ideas and economics. This group of distinguished authors grapples with both conventional and irregular wars and emerging aspects of conflict-such as cyberwar and nation building-that add to the complexities of the modern threat environment. The volume ends with recommendations for practitioners on best approaches while offering sobering conclusions about the challenges of assessing war without politicization or self-delusion. Covering conflicts from the eighteenth century to today, Assessing War blends focused advice and a uniquely broad set of case studies to ponder vital questions about warfare's past-and its future. The book includes a foreword by Gen. George W. Casey Jr. (USA, Ret.), former chief of staff of the US Army and former commander, Multi-National Force-Iraq.

The Balkan Wars - 1912-1913 (Paperback): Leon Trotsky The Balkan Wars - 1912-1913 (Paperback)
Leon Trotsky
R763 R648 Discovery Miles 6 480 Save R115 (15%) Ships in 10 - 15 working days
Rays of the Rising Sun, v. 1: China and Manchukuo (Hardcover, illustrated edition): Philips Jowett, John Berger Rays of the Rising Sun, v. 1: China and Manchukuo (Hardcover, illustrated edition)
Philips Jowett, John Berger
R1,361 R1,065 Discovery Miles 10 650 Save R296 (22%) Ships in 9 - 15 working days

When the Japanese Empire went to war with the Allies in December 1941, it had already been fighting in China for 10 years During that time it had conquered huge areas of China, and subjugated millions of people. The Japanese needed to control the Chinese population in these occupied territories, and for this reason they set up governments from amongst the leaders of the Chinese who were willing to co-operate with them. These socalled 'puppet' governments were designed to rule on behalf of the Japanese while firmly under their overall control. In turn, the puppe: governments needed their own armed forces to help them maintain control over the populace and so they raised their own 'independent' armed forces. These puppet armies were large in number, reaching a total of well over 1 million before 1945. Although poorly-armed and equipped, these forces had an influence on the Japanese war effort through sheer numbers. The Chinese puppet soldiers ranged from the well-drilled and trained regular Army of the Last Emperor of China, Pu Yi, who ruled the newlyformed state of Manchukuo, 1932-45, to the irregular Mongol cavalry who served alongside Japanese troops in the 'secret war' waged in the Mongolian hinterlands. The troops were dismissed as traitors by the Chinese fighting the Japanese, and they were equally despised by the Japanese themselves. The troops were motivated by a range of reasons, from simple survival to a loyalty to their commander. The fact that so many Chinese were willing to fight for the Japanese was embarrasing to all sides, and for this reason has been largely ignored in previous histories of the war in the East. In the first of a two-volume series, Jowett and Berger tell the story of the Chinese who fought for the Japanese over a 14 year period. Well over a million pro-Japanese troops were under arms in China and Manchukuo, with possibly two million at one time. There were 7 different 'puppet' governments in existence, 1931-45 The Manchukuo State possessed an Army, Navy and Air Force. The governments were given all the paraphenalia of independent states, including their own flags and insignia.

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