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Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Military history
An incredible tale of one man's adversity and defiance, for readers
of The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Horace Greasley escaped over 200
times from a notorious German prison camp to see the girl he loved.
This is his incredible true story. A Sunday Times Bestseller - over
60,000 copies sold. Even in the most horrifying places on earth,
hope still lingers in the darkness, waiting for the opportunity to
take flight. When war was declared Horace Greasley was just
twenty-years old. After seven weeks' training with the 2/5th
Battalion, the Royal Leicestershire Regiment, Horace found himself
facing the might of the German Army in a muddy field south of
Cherbourg, in northern France, with just thirty rounds in his
ammunition pouch. Horace's war didn't last long. . . On 25 May 1940
he was taken prisoner and so began the harrowing journey to a
prisoner-of-war camp in Poland. Those who survived the gruelling
ten-week march to the camp were left broken and exhausted, all
chance of escape seemingly extinguished. But when Horace met Rosa,
the daughter of one of his captors, his story changed; fate, it
seemed, had thrown him a lifeline. Horace risked everything in
order to steal out of the camp to see his love, bringing back
supplies for his fellow prisoners. In doing so he offered hope to
his comrades, and defiance to one of the most brutal regimes in
history.
Based on many unpublished sources, this book narrates the
individual parts played by over 1,500 of those who served with the
1/5th King's Own in the Great War. First seeing action in Flanders
in March 1915, they fought in almost all of the major campaigns on
the Western Front. Initially recruited from Lancaster, Morecambe,
Blackpool and Fleetwood, this battalion was very much a 'family'
unit with many of the men closely related and no less than seven
father-son relationships within the battalion. Though these
relationships helped strengthen the men in times of need, when
casualties were suffered they brought extra heartache to the
battlefield. Often, these tragic outcomes are related in the men's
own words. Using a combination of mainly unpublished sources, this
volume details the deeds of this gallant battalion. Wherever
possible, accurate coordinates have been given for the places men
served, fought and in many cases, were wounded or died. A series of
sketch maps detail the trench locations in which the battalion
fought. An appendix listing nearly 3,500 officers and men who
served with the 1/5th is included and is the most complete
battalion roll ever published.
The George Medal, along with the George Cross, was instituted by
His Majesty King George VI on 24th September 1940. His desire, that
the many acts of bravery being performed on home soil, in a type of
warfare never experienced before, and primarily by civilians for
whom military awards were inappropriate, was the driving force
behind their creation.The medal has been awarded to civilians and
military personnel over the past 75 years, all of whose names are
contained within this register.Never before has a register of the
George Medal been produced that presents the information behind the
awards. It stands as a testament to the selfless acts performed by
the men and women within its pages.
The George Medal, along with the George Cross, was instituted by
His Majesty King George VI on 24th September 1940. His desire, that
the many acts of bravery being performed on home soil, in a type of
warfare never experienced before, and primarily by civilians for
whom military awards were inappropriate, was the driving force
behind their creation.The medal has been awarded to civilians and
military personnel over the past 75 years, all of whose names are
contained within this register.Never before has a register of the
George Medal been produced that presents the information behind the
awards. It stands as a testament to the selfless acts performed by
the men and women within its pages.
This is the second volume, but the last to be published of a
trilogy - the other volumes being Smashing the Atlantic Wall and
The Battle of the Bulge. Monty's Rhine Adventure begins immediately
after the Normandy invasion with the euphoria surrounding the
belief that the war would soon be won. However, it was not to be as
easy Monty hoped. The book covers the difficult next few months as
the Allies slogged through France and Belgium fighting stern and
skilled Nazi resistance. However, the centrepiece of Monty's Rhine
Adventure is Operation Market garden - Monty's bold plan to cut
through the German defences via the eight bridges which spanned the
Dutch/German border. The book deals with the plan, its execution
and its aftermath in rigorous detail. Had Market Garden gone to
plan, it might have led to the overall defeat of the Third Reich
before the end of 1944. As it was, it was the Russians that entered
Berlin first in May 1945. Nonetheless, this period remains one of
the boldest and most exciting of the Second World War.
Key title in the new Uniform Legends series. Up close and personal
accounts of pilots who were there, first written in the 1960's when
many of the surviving British and German airmen were in or entering
their middle years
Wonderful account of one of the top Battle of Britain fighter
pilots. Written by one of the foremost military aviation authors
who was an RAF Officer himself and personally knew Lacey.
'A further and devastating indictment not only of Tony Blair
personally but of a whole apparatus of state and government,
Cabinet, Parliament, armed forces, and, far from least,
intelligence agencies. - GEOFFREY WHEATCROFT, THE NEW YORK REVIEW
OF BOOKS 'It offers a long and painful account of an episode that
may come to be seen as marking the moment when the UK fell off its
global perch, trust in government collapsed and the country turned
inward and began to disintegrate.' - PHILIPPE SANDS, LONDON REVIEW
OF BOOKS Description All the key findings of the public inquiry
into the handling of the 2003 Iraq war by Tony Blair's government
in a 60,000-word book. Chaired by Sir John Chilcot, the Iraq
Inquiry (known as the 'Chilcot Report') tackled: Saddam Hussein's
threat to Britain the legal advice for the invasion intelligence
about weapons of mass destruction and planning for a post-conflict
Iraq. The behaviour of the GCHQ whistleblower Katharine Gun and the
controversy over whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction was
the subject of the film Official Secrets. Contents Introduction
Pre-conflict strategy and planning The UK decision to support US
military action. UK policy before 9/11; The impact of 9/11;
Decision to take the UN route; Negotiation of resolution 1441; The
prospect of military action; The gap between the Permanent Members
of the Security Council widens; The end of the UN route Why Iraq?
Why now? Was Iraq a serious or imminent threat?; The predicted
increase in the threat to the UK as a result of military action in
Iraq The UK's relationship with the US Decision-making. Collective
responsibility Advice on the legal basis for military action. The
timing of Lord Goldsmith's advice on the interpretation of
resolution 1441; Goldsmith's advice of 7 March 2003; Goldsmith's
arrival at a "better view"; The exchange of letters on 14 and 15
March 2003; Goldsmith's Written Answer of 17 March 2003 Weapons of
mass destruction. Iraq WMD assessments, pre-July 2002; Iraq WMD
assessments, July to September 2002; Iraq WMD assessments, October
2002 to March 2003; The search for WMD Planning for a post-Saddam
Hussein Iraq. The failure to plan or prepare for known risks; The
planning process and decision-making Occupation. Looting in Basra;
Looting in Baghdad; UK influence on post-invasion strategy:
resolution 1483; UK influence on the Coalition Provisional
Authority; A decline in security; The turning point Transition. UK
influence on US strategy post-CPA; Planning for withdrawal; The
impact of Afghanistan; Iraqiisation Preparation for withdrawal. A
major divergence in strategy; A possible civil war; Force Level
Review; The beginning of the end Did the UK achieve its objectives
in Iraq? Key Findings 1. Development of UK strategy and options,
9/11 to early January 2002; Development of UK strategy and options,
January to April 2002 - "axis of evil" to Crawford; Development of
UK strategy and options, April to July 2002 Key Findings 2.
Development of UK strategy and options, November 2002 to January
2003; Development of UK strategy and options, 1 February to 7 March
2003; Iraq WMD assessments, pre-July 2002; Iraq WMD assessments,
July to September 2002; Iraq WMD assessments, October 2002 to March
2003; WMD search Key Findings 3. Advice on the legal basis for
military action, November 2002 to March 2003; Development of the
military options for an invasion of Iraq; Military planning for the
invasion, January to March 2003; Military equipment (pre-conflict);
Planning for a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq; Invasion Key Findings 4.
The post-conflict period; Reconstruction; De-Ba'athification;
Security Sector Reform; Resources; Military equipment
(post-conflict); Civilian personnel; Service Personnel; Civilian
casualties Lessons. The decision to go to war; Weapons of mass
destruction; The invasion of Iraq; The post-conflict period;
Reconstruction; De-Ba'athification; Security Sector Reform;
Resources; Military equipment (post-conflict); Civilian personnel
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