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Books > Fiction > True stories > War / combat / elite forces
**Formerly published as The Lost Boys** 'Remarkable. A powerful,
engrossing story of a journey into the heart of darkness and final
escape from it' Sunday Times In September, 1944, the SS march into
a remote Italian castle, arrest a mother and seize her two sons,
aged just two and three. If Hitler has his way she will never see
them again. For Fey Pirzio-Biroli is the daughter of Ulrich von
Hassell, executed days before after the failed assassination of the
Fuhrer. Mercilessly cast into the Nazi death machine, Fey must
cling to the hope that one day she will escape and rescue her lost
children . . . 'Riveting, important, reads like a terrifying
thriller' Daily Telegraph 'Heartbreaking. It started with a plot to
kill Hitler. It ended in one of the most astonishing and moving
stories of the war' Daily Mail 'Extraordinary. A rich, deep,
gripping read' Guardian 'As thrilling as any novel. Bailey has an
extraordinary talent for bringing history to life' Kate Atkinson
This is the incredible true story of the unbreakable bond forged
between Treo, the world's most highly decorated dog, and his
handler Sgt. Dave Heyhoe When Dave Heyhoe was sent to Afghanistan
to help detect the Taliban's murderous roadside bombs, he knew he'd
need a special dog by his side. Luckily for him, his closest pal
Treo, a staggeringly brave ball of energy and mischief was with him
every step of the way. The two friends had a miraculous
understanding that helped them save countless lives but, as they
embarked on a roller-coaster emotional ride, Dave realized he
needed Treo more than he could ever have imagined. Tear-jerkingly
sad one moment, laugh-out-loud hilarious the next, It's All About
Treo is a moving and uplifting story that will melt the hearts of
animal lovers everywhere.
The inspiration for the upcoming movie WAR MACHINE, starring Brad
Pitt, Tilda Swinton and Ben Kingsley (streaming on Netflix from 26
May). General Stanley McChrystal, the innovative commander of
international and US forces in Afghanistan, was living large. Loyal
staff liked to call him a 'rock star'. During a spring 2010 trip
across Europe to garner additional Allied help for the war effort,
McChrystal was accompanied by journalist Michael Hastings of
ROLLING STONE. For days, Hastings looked on as McChrystal and his
staff let off steam, partying and openly bashing the Obama
administration for what they saw as a lack of leadership. When
Hastings' piece appeared a few months later, it set off a political
firestorm: McChrystal was ordered to Washington, where he was
unceremoniously fired. In THE OPERATORS, Hastings gives us a
shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of Allied military commanders,
their high-stakes manoeuvres and often bitter bureaucratic
in-fighting. He takes us on patrol missions in the Afghan
hinterlands and to hotel bars where spies and expensive hookers
participate in nation-building gone awry, drawing back the curtain
on a hellish complexity and, he fears, an unwinnable war.
Nice One Centurion tells the individual personal, funny stories of
men who have served in the RAF & RAF Regiment. All the stories
that have been compiled date from the very beginning of the
formation of the RAF Regiment up to present-day operations. The
reader of this book will be amused and highly entertained at some
of the antics that occurred not only in war, but in peacetime as
well. The fabulous illustrations by Tim Parker highlight what this
book is all about: making a difference with humour. Nice One
Centurion was born out of an idea to help fellow servicemen who
suffer with PTSD. A percentage of the proceeds from this book will
be donated to the RAF Benevolent Fund, Help 4 Heroes, and the RAF
Regiment Museum.
Following the success of Nice One Centurion the second volume in
the Centurion series, 'Are You Tittering Centurion?' chronicles the
true, personal and hilarious antics of an RAF Regiment Gunner and
his fellow Penguin counterparts. Featuring more illustrations from
Tim Parker, this volume continues the tales of the nitty-gritty
life of training, exercises, deployment, war, and the general
mayhem that followed the RAF Regiment wherever it went.Born out of
an idea to help fellow service members who suffer with PTSD, a
percentage of proceeds is going to Help 4 Heroes, the RAF Regiment
Museum and the RAF Benevolent Fund.
In this sequel to the hugely-popular This Man's Wee Boy, young Tony
Doherty struggles to come to terms with the murder of his father,
Paddy, on Bloody Sunday and the impact it has on his mother,
Eileen, and his brothers and sisters. At nine years old, he knows a
terrible wrong has been committed against his family but lacks the
understanding or the means to do anything about it - yet. For his
fractured family, life goes on, with Tony determined to preserve
the memory of his father and the bond they shared, even as he
becomes increasingly immersed in the violent conflict raging on
Derry's streets. As the 1970s unfold his father's absence remains
the backdrop to the teenage Tony's newfound friendships and
relationships, an ever-present ache amidst the craic and excitement
of Sunday dances, first kisses and a trip to Butlins. Then, at
seventeen, Tony decides it's time to join the fight.
In King of Spies, prize-winning journalist and bestselling author
of Escape From Camp 14, Blaine Harden, reveals one of the most
astonishing -- and previously untold -- spy stories of the
twentieth century. Donald Nichols was "a one man war", according to
his US Air Force commanding general. He won the Distinguished
Service Cross, along with a chest full of medals for valor and
initiative in the Korean War. His commanders described Nichols as
the bravest, most resourceful and effective spymaster of that
forgotten war. But there is far more to Donald Nichols' story than
first meets the eye . . . Based on long-classified government
records, unsealed court records, and interviews in Korea and the
U.S., King of Spies tells the story of the reign of an intelligence
commander who lost touch with morality, legality, and even sanity,
if military psychiatrists are to be believed. Donald Nichols was
America's Kurtz. A seventh-grade dropout, he created his own
black-ops empire, commanding a small army of hand-selected spies,
deploying his own makeshift navy, and ruling over it as a
clandestine king, with absolute power over life and death. He
claimed a "legal license to murder"-and inhabited a world of mass
executions and beheadings, as previously unpublished photographs in
the book document. Finally, after 11 years, the U.S. military
decided to end Nichols's reign. He was secretly sacked and forced
to endure months of electroshock in a military hospital in Florida.
Nichols told relatives the American government was trying to
destroy his memory. King of Spies looks to answer the question of
how an uneducated, non-trained, non-experienced man could end up as
the number-one US spymaster in South Korea and why his US
commanders let him get away with it for so long . . .
Most of us never get to test ourselves in combat. As a UH-1
Helicopter pilot flying in the jungle highlands of South Vietnam,
Warrant Officer Jim Crigler and the men he flew with were tested
daily. Coming of age in the late 1960s and early 1970s was
challenging for most young men of that era. Throw in drugs, free
love, draft notices, the Vietnam War and a country deeply divided,
and you have one of the most important books of this genre. This
true story is a raw, bold, introspective autobiography where the
author openly wrestles with his personal moral dilemma to find
meaning and purpose in his life. He calls it his "Mission of
Honor."
Untold secrets of a post-war childhood. A true story of a child
born in war-torn London soon after the Second World War whose early
memories are of the care and security given to him by his
grandmother and a guardian angel who watches over him. At six he
finds out a devastating secret that changes his life. He withdraws
into his own world, searching for understanding and meaning.
Isolated from his family and children of his own age he turns to
his angel for love and guidance but even she cannot save him from
what is to come. Unable to read and write he joins a gang and at
fourteen finds himself before the courts for the first time.
Aggressive, impetuous, and dauntless, Richard Pape was never going
to sit out the war in a Nazi prison. Captured after going on the
run when his bomber crashed in occupied Holland, his thoughts
turned, at once, to escape. In the most appalling of conditions, he
did not give way. Not only did he send more than 100 coded messages
to the War Office, but he also swapped identities with a fellow
prisoner to make a breakout. His incredible escape was only the
beginning of his struggle for freedom. Hunted by the Nazis across
Europe, for Pape surrender was never an option.
True stories from the frontlines of World War I Published to mark
the centenary of the First World War and of the RSL in 2016, this
is a collection of 100 true stories of Aussie courage from those
who were in the action. The RSL, an Australian icon, has supported
Australian veterans since 1916, pledging that their sacrifices will
never be forgotten. Now from the annals of the RSL come these
compelling yarns and memories, written by diggers for diggers and
capturing the impact of war on those who took part. With eyewitness
accounts ranging from Gallipoli to the Middle East and Western
Front, Australia's Great War is brought to life with humour, pathos
and vivid detail. Discover a rare account of the capture of German
New Guinea, the first Australian action of the war, and experience
the Gallipoli campaign through the diggers' eyes. There's the story
of how a Light Horse patrol daringly slipped through advancing
Turkish troops to warn their mates of danger, a sapper's-eye view
of the battle of Fromelles, how the Melbourne Cup was run on the
Western Front - and so much more. Collected here for the first
time, these stories are a must-read record of World War I.
This book traces Peter Howard, who was to become one of The Wooden
Horse escapers, from his being shot down, through his capture,
interrogation and first two POW camps. It gets into the mind of a
man determined to escape his captors. It shows that for all the
many schemes dreamt up, very few ever got started and of those only
a tiny handful ever came to fruition - and of those a 'home run'
was as rare as a lottery win. But none of this could suppress the
determination, ingenuity and courage of those who were driven to
try. This is a thrilling opportunity to read what is virtually
'lost' masterpiece of the Prisoner of War escaping genre.
Stumbling from a university anarchist meeting into a career in the
army, Chip Chapman is aware of how consciously incompetent he is.
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst confirms his worst fears. He
is eventually let loose on 6 Platoon of 2 PARA and, via the
Falklands War, manages to elevate himself to a position of
conscious competence and save his career. Snapshots on all aspects
of military life, and government decision making, show the military
at work and play. This hilarious, touching, informative and
thought-provoking insight into a generation of soldiering in the
late 20th century and beyond is set against the drumbeat of the
social, cultural, legal and educational rhythms of the age, and the
change from the certainties of the Cold War to the nihilism of
9/11. Chip Chapman eventually manages to somehow climb the greasy
pole to become a General. With echoes of David Niven's The Moon's a
Balloon, Lesley Thomas' Virgin Soldiers and the travelogues of Bill
Bryson, Chapman captures the rawness, spirit and fortitude of the
soldier and soldiering in both peace and war.
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