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Books > Fiction > True stories > War / combat / elite forces
On 29 August 2012 Private Robert Poate, Lance Corporal Rick
Milosevic and Sapper James Martin were killed during an insider, or
green on blue, attack in Afghanistan. Their killer was supposed to
be their ally but was a Taliban sleeper in the ranks of the Afghan
National Army. Information provided to the families by
rank-and-file soldiers after the event shocked them. When the
heavily redacted internal investigation report was received the
grieving families knew that it excluded a plethora of incriminating
facts. This powerful book is the result of a father's quest to find
out all the facts associated with the death of his son. It was a
search that revealed a labyrinth of excuses, denials, half-truths,
cover-ups, contrived secrecy, incompetence, negligence, orders not
followed, and lessons not learnt from the previous twelve years of
war in Afghanistan. The determination of Hugh Poate and the other
two families to uncover the truth would lead to a civilian Coronial
Inquest into combat deaths, the first in the 120-year history of
the Australian Army. The Coroner found five systemic deficiencies
which contributed to the soldier's deaths. Hugh Poate felt a duty
to publish the full story for the benefit of the Australian public
which relies on its Defence Force for national security in the hope
that Defence, particularly the army, will learn lessons from its
failures and improve its standard of leadership. Apart from burying
his son, Hugh found writing this book was the most depressing thing
he has ever done. Compelling and enraging, this story of the true
facts surrounding the devastating loss of three soldiers continues
to reverberate beyond their families to the highest levels of
defence and government.
It was Christmas 1942 when eleven young women boarded the troopship
Strathaird and braved the attentions of U-Boats in the deep
Atlantic. Borrowing a cricketing phrase, they called themselves the
First Eleven. But they were not the first to arrive at the Special
Operations Executive's secret North African base near Algiers.
Code-named Massingham, it was formed by SOE to spearhead subversion
and sabotage in what Winston Churchill called 'the soft underbelly'
of Europe. Massingham was hidden away at the Club des Pins, a
former luxury resort nestling among pines next to a Mediterranean
beach. By the time SOE had got to work, there was little luxury
left. Setting the Med Ablaze tells the true stories of the men and
women of Churchill's secret base. Its life was short. Less than two
years after its formation, its job was done. But Massingham played
a key role in the Allied offensive in the Mediterranean islands,
Italy and France. If you enjoy historical nonfiction, this book is
for you.
'IF YOU ENJOYED THE BIG SHOW YOU WILL LOVE FLAMES IN THE SKY. THIS
IS AN EXTRAORDINARY BOOK. UNPUTDOWNABLE.' Rowland White From near
suicidal RAF attacks in 1939 through to the dawn of the jet age in
1945, FLAMES IN THE SKY captures the astonishing drama, intensity,
heroism and incomparable exhilaration of the World War Two air war
like no other book. This epic global struggle between Spitfires,
Hurricanes, Mustangs, Mosquitos, Messerschmitts, Zeros, Kamikazes
and more is brought vividly to life by a writer who was himself in
the thick of the action. Pierre Clostermann was one of the
outstanding Allied Aces of the Second World War, shooting down
scores of enemy aircraft, while friends and comrades lost their
lives in the deadly skies above Europe. FLAMES IN THE SKY was born
of his desire 'to do justice to their courage'.
In terms of enemy aircraft shot down or destroyed, Squadron Leader
Thomas 'Pat' Pattle was the greatest fighter pilot of the Second
World War.A South African who flew with the RAF, Pattle was an
airman of outstanding skills and leadership who became the Allies'
top-scoring fighter pilot after winning scores of stunning
victories in deadly aerial combat. But for years after the war
ended, Pattle was virtually an unsung hero because the records of
his extraordinary achievements were destroyed amid the turmoil of
war. Compiled with the help of surviving pilots and members of the
squadrons with which Pattle fought in the air over Greece, ACE OF
ACES is a gripping and authoritative account of his amazing flying
career, and the book which finally brought Pattle the recognition
he so richly deserved.
'A COMPELLING, FAST-PACED NARRATIVE THAT THRUSTS US INTO THE
COCKPIT. A MUST-READ!' Dan Hampton April 1982. Argentina invades
the Falkland Islands. In response, Britain dispatches a naval Task
Force. Eight thousand miles from home, its fate hinges on just
twenty Sea Harrier fighters against the two hundred-strong might of
the Argentine Air Force. The odds against them are overwhelming.
British Defense Chiefs' own estimates suggest that half the
Harriers will be lost within a week. Against this background, 809
Naval Air Squadron is reformed, trained and sent south to fight.
Not since WWII had so much been expected of such a small band of
pilots... Combining groundbreaking research with the pace of a
thriller, Rowland White reveals the full story of the fleet's
knife-edge fight for survival for the first time, and shows how the
little jump jet went from airshow novelty to writing its name in
aviation legend. And of how a small band of heroes won victory
against impossible odds. 'A military adventure, written with
expertise...a tale of initiative, skill and courage, of pushing
beyond the rules.' THE SPECTATOR 'Harrier 809 reads like a
fast-paced military adventure novel only better because every word
is true. White has brought us an up-close, inside-the-cockpit saga
of a band of heroes. Riveting.' ROBERT GANDT, author of Skygods
'Utterly thrilling and totally absorbing. White conveys brilliantly
the spirit of a great aircraft - and the men who flew it.' PATRICK
BISHOP 'Utterly brilliant. The very best kind of narrative history,
Harrier 809 is a fantastically exciting book. It reads like a
thriller and has some of the best aerial action sequences I've ever
read. A page-turner from start to finish.' JAMES HOLLAND, author of
Normandy '44 'Set against the broader context of the Falklands War,
Harrier 809 brings the squadron's story to life in fine and highly
readable detail.' GARTH ENNIS, author of The Boys, Preacher and
Hellblazer
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