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A highly illustrated history of the Wars of Roses based on the
medieval art of Graham Turner. The period of civil strife in the
second half of the 15th century known as the Wars of the Roses is
one of the most dramatic in English history. It is rich with
political events, outstanding protagonists, battles and campaigns,
and culminates in the defeat of Richard III, brutally killed at the
battle of Bosworth in 1485, and the rise to the throne of the House
of Tudor. Since first being inspired by a visit to Bosworth
battlefield over 25 years ago, renowned historical illustrator
Graham Turner has built a worldwide reputation for his renderings
of this colourful and intense era. This new study contains a unique
and comprehensive collection of his paintings and drawings, which
provide meticulously researched details of arms, armours and
settings, while at the same time bringing to life the human stories
behind the turbulent events. Fully illustrated with artwork and
prints prized by historians and collectors for their dramatic and
atmospheric compositions, The Wars of the Roses is an unmissable
visual tour which showcases the technical, contextual and human
facets of one of England's most dramatic historical periods.
At the crescendo of the Second Barons' War were the battles of
Lewes and Evesham. It was an era of high drama and intrigue, as
tensions between crown and aristocracy had boiled over and a civil
war erupted that would shape the future of English government. In
this detailed study, Richard Brooks unravels the remarkable events
of the battles of Lewes and Evesham, revealing the unusually
tactical nature of the fighting, in sharp contrast to most medieval
conflicts which were habitually settled by burning and ravaging. At
Lewes, Simon de Montfort, the powerful renegade leader of the
Baronial faction, won a vital victory, smashing the Royalist forces
and capturing Henry III and Prince Edward. Edward escaped, however,
to lead the Royalist armies to a crushing victory just a year later
at Evesham. Using full colour illustrations, bird's-eye views and
detailed maps to generate an arresting visual perspective of the
fighting, this book tells the full story of the battles of Lewes
and Evesham, the only pitched battles to be fought by English
armies in the mid-13th century.
This illustrated study investigates the Indo-Islamic fighting men
of South Asia from the 7th century AD to the Mughal conquest of the
16th century. From 1206, much of what is now India as well as parts
of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal were ruled by a succession of
Islamic dynasties that had their origins in the Ghurid forces that
conquered parts of northern India in the 12th century. Although it
was never complete, the Islamic domination of this huge region also
had a profound impact upon Islamic civilization as a whole, not
least in military terms, being felt as far west as Africa. Within
South Asia, the war-torn medieval centuries laid the foundations
for the subsequent even more brilliant Mughal Empire. Featuring
eight plates of superb artwork alongside carefully chosen
photographs and illustrations, this study complements the same
author's Medieval Indian Armies (1): Hindu, Buddhist and Jain. It
describes and illustrates the Indo-Islamic forces operating in
South Asia, from the Umayyad Caliphateâs frontier in
north-western India and Afghanistan in the late 7th century through
to the Delhi Sultanate, the Sultanate of Bengal and the Bahmani
Sultanate in the 15th and 16th centuries. David Nicolle explains
how, with respect to arms, armour, fortification and transport both
on land and at sea, the widely successful Muslim armies learned a
great deal from their more numerous Hindu, Jain and Buddhist
opponents. This was especially evident in developments such as the
use of war-elephants and the adoption of lighter, often
textile-based forms of protection such as âsoft armourâ made of
cotton. On the other side, there would be widespread adoption of
more potent weapons such as the composite bow, and considerably
more sophisticated systems of cavalry warfare, among the
non-Islamic forces of the Indian sub-continent. Fully illustrated,
this absorbing account casts light on many centuries of warfare in
South Asia.
Researched from original-language primary sources, this is a
uniquely well-informed and multi-faceted history of the World War I
air campaign of Bloody April. Researched from original German-,
French-, and English-language sources, and written by an authority
on both air and ground military operations, author, Dr James S
Corum examines how Bloody April caused Allied forces to reassess
their approach to the use of airpower. Considering well-known
problems such as technology and training doctrine, but also how the
artillery-aircraft combination ideally had to work in late-WW I
ground offensives, Dr Corum analyses what each side got wrong and
why. He describes little-known parts of the April campaigns, such
as both sides' use of strategic bombing with heavy aircraft, and
considers the German use of advanced high-altitude reconnaissance
aircraft with oxygen and heated suits while detailing the exploits
of the infamous 'Red Baron', Manfred von Richthofen. Lessons from
Bloody April not only served to improve the coordination of Allied
artillery and aircraft but subsequently aircraft played a much
larger role in supporting ground troops in attack mode. Bloody
April paved the way for the airpower revolution that, by 1918,
would make the Allies masters of the sky on the Western Front.
In "The Credit Crunch," Graham Turner predicted that banks would be
nationalised and interest rates would be reduced too slowly to halt
the crisis. His predictions were correct. His new book, "No Way to
Run an Economy," is the essential guide to the turbulent times
ahead. Turner recommended radical measures, such as quantitative
easing, in early 2008 but argues that action has been taken too
late and been too timid to make a real difference. He dissects the
policy mistakes of the last 12 months including Obama's doomed
market-led response to the crisis and the obsession of central
banks with the red herring of inflation. Turner also warns that the
collapse of Eastern European economies will lead to political
crisis in the ex-Soviet states that embraced neoliberalism and
massive debt levels so fully. There is no doubt we are in a
depression, but Turner shows that learning from the mistakes made
so far can prevent a situation worse than that of the 1930s crisis.
The Lancastrian army was conducting a triumphant march on the
capital, having defeated Warwick at the Second Battle of St.
Albans, when on 4 March, Edward of York was proclaimed king in
London. The Lancastrians withdrew northwards and Edward followed in
pursuit. The two armies met at the village of Towton on 29 March
1461. This long and bitter battle began early as the two armies
advanced towards each other, raging all day with the Lancastrians
seeming to have the better of it, until the Duke of Norfolk arrived
with several thousand Yorkist reinforcements., resulting in what is
known as 'Bloody Meadow'. This book reveals how Towton marked the
resurgence of the Yorkist cause and established Edward IV as king.
A fascinating story of a key turning point in the War in the
Mediterranean, as the island of Malta was thrown a vital lifeline.
Since 1940, the island of Malta had been a thorn in the Axis' side.
It sat astride the direct sea route between Italy and its North
African colonies, and from 1941 the Royal Navy had used the island
as a base for its attacks on Axis convoys. The island, though,
relied on convoys to survive, and from early 1941 these came under
increasingly heavy air and submarine attack. As the situation
became critical in 1942, the decision was made to send through a
heavily protected convoy, carrying fuel and supplies, in an effort
to save the island. This mission was codenamed Operation Pedestal.
This fascinating work describes how, after leaving Britain on 2
August 1942, the convoy was repeatedly pummeled by Axis air and
submarine attacks as it ground its way towards Malta, with most of
the merchant ships sunk during the passage, along with an aircraft
carrier and two cruisers. It also explores how despite this grim
toll, the sacrifice was worth it. The specially commissioned
illustrations in this work cover the progress of the convoy step by
step, the submarine and surface naval actions during Pedestalâs
voyage, the Stuka attack on the carrier Indomitable and the air
attacks against the convoy, and the broader strategic situation in
the Western Mediterranean. The result is a unique visual
exploration of one of the most famous episodes of the war in this
theatre.
Following the battle of White River and the fall of Forts
Washington and Lee, George Washington withdrew his army, crossing
the Delaware River to regroup. However, with morale at a critical
low and the terms of enlistment of many of his troops set to
expire, Washington decided on one more strike before the winter
weather made military operations impossible. Re-crossing the
Delaware on Christmas night, 1776, Washington's army surprised the
Hessian garrison at Trenton and managed to kill, wound or capture
1,000 of the enemy for the loss of only four men. Then, avoiding a
major engagement with the British Army under General Cornwallis
that had been sent to track him down, Washington attacked and
defeated another small British force at Princeton. Having inflicted
two costly and embarrassing defeats on the British forces,
Washington withdrew his army into winter quarters at Morristown.
Using a combination of modern photographs and period artwork, this
book tells the story of the legendary campaign that restored the
morale of American forces, caused the British to abandon large
parts of New Jersey, and established General George Washington's
reputation as a daring military strategist.
A detailed, illustrated exploration of the land, sea and air units
that defended Malta, and the repeated Axis attempts to bring the
crucial Allied island fortress to its knees. On 11 June 1940, the
British crown colony of Malta - which dominated the central
Mediterranean and all-important sea routes to and from North Africa
- was bombed for the first time by aircraft of the Italian Regia
Aeronautica. The Italians were joined in their efforts by the
German Luftwaffe in January 1941. Malta was effectively beleaguered
for nearly two and a half years, dependent for survival on naval
supply convoys and reliant for defence on often-outnumbered fighter
aircraft and anti-aircraft guns. Anthony Rogers provides a
retelling of these events, drawing on accounts from both sides.
This work features carefully selected photographic images, some
previously unpublished. Seven specially commissioned colour maps
explore the stategic situation in the Mediterranean in this period,
the military sectors into which Malta's defence was divided, and
German minelaying operations around the island. The three stunning
battlescene artworks and 3D bird's-eye views show key events from
the battle, including the 26 July 1941 German attack on the Grand
Harbour, and the major Luftwaffe raid 21 March 1942.
A fascinating, beautifully illustrated study of the daring war in
East Africa waged by German colonial forces under Paul von
Lettow-Vorbeck against the wide array of colonial and expeditionary
forces of the Allied Powers. The East African Campaign in World War
I comprised a series of battles and guerrilla actions which began
in German East Africa in 1914 and spread to portions of Portuguese
Mozambique, northern Rhodesia, British East Africa, the Uganda
Protectorate, and the Belgian Congo. German colonial forces under
Lieutenant-Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck attempt to divert Allied
forces from the Western Front. Despite the efforts of the Allied
forces, Lettow-Vorbeck's troops remained undefeated at the end of
the war. In this fascinating work, David Smith documents how a wide
array of British, Indian, South African, Belgian, Portuguese and
local native forces invaded German East Africa and slowly ousted
the German forces, a process made tortuous by Lettow-Vorbeck's
masterful management of the campaign. Among the events covered in
this work are the Battle of Tanga, the scuttling of the
Koenigsberg, the German railway campaign, and the battles at
Salaita Hill, Kondoa-Irangi, Mahenge, Mahiwa and Namacurra.
Colourful period and specially commissioned illustrations bring to
life a wide-ranging and eventful campaign in which a high price was
extracted for every inch of ground given up.
After the British garrison of Fort William Henry in the colony of
New York surrendered to the besieging army of the French commander
Marquis de Montcalm in August 1757, it appeared that this
particular episode of the French and Indian War was over. What
happened next became the most infamous incident of the war â and
one which forms an integral part of James Fenimore Cooperâs
classic novel The Last of the Mohicans â the âmassacreâ of
Fort William Henry. As the garrison prepared to march for Fort
Edward a flood of enraged Native Americans swept over the column,
unleashing an unstoppable tide of slaughter. Cooperâs version has
coloured our view of the incident, so what really happened? Ian
Castle details new research on the campaign, including some
fascinating archaeological work that has taken place over the last
20 years, updating the view put forward by The Last of the
Mohicans.
In 1709, after eight years of war, France was on her knees. There
was not enough money left in the treasury to pay, equip or feed the
army and a bad harvest led to starvation throughout the kingdom.
Circumstances had worsened to the point that King Louis XIV was
forced to offer to end the War of Spanish Succession on humiliating
terms for his country. However, the allied powers - Britain, the
Dutch Republic and the Holy Roman Empire - refused Louis' offer,
believing that one more successful campaign would utterly destroy
French power. This book examines the campaign of 1709, culminating
in the battle of Malplaquet, which would prove Louis' enemies
disastrously wrong. Led by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince
Eugene of Savoy, the allied armies achieved a tactical victory -
but it was a hollow one. The allies suffered 23,000 casualties to
the French 11,000 in what was the bloodiest battle of the 18th
century. The scale of casualties shocked Europe and led to a
reversal of fortunes, with the dismissal of Marlborough and a newly
confident King Louis resolving to fight on. When the war finally
ended, it did so on terms favourable to France. In this illustrated
title, Simon MacDowall examines the campaign in full and shows how,
though it is generally accepted that Marlborough was never
defeated, the Battle of Malplaquet was ultimately a French
strategic victory.
This fully illustrated study explores the armies of the Hindu,
Buddhist and Jain states within what are now India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal during the period AD 500-1500, as
well as Afghanistan until the early 13th century AD. Following the
emergence of a distinct 'medieval Indian' civilization in the Late
Classical and Early Medieval periods, there was a prolonged
struggle between this civilization and that of the eastern Islamic
world, concluding with the rise of the Mughal Empire at the start
of the 16th century. In this fully illustrated study, David Nicolle
investigates the traditions and enduring conservatism of
non-Islamic medieval Indian warfare, notably evident in recruitment
patterns and the significance of archery and cavalry. The role and
impact of war-elephants, both positive and negative, are also
considered, as well as the influence of climate and weather
(notably the seasonal monsoon) on warfare in this region. As well
as assessing arms and armour - contrasting the advanced technology
and high status of Indian weapons (especially swords) with the
remarkable lack of metallic armour in the region during this period
- the author also explores siege warfare and riverine and naval
warfare in South Asia. This book assesses the contributing factors
identified by those who have sought to explain why the huge wealth
and substantial populations of the traditional non-Islamic Indian
states did not prevent their persistent failure in the face of
Islamic invasion and conquest.
A rigorous new analysis of America's legendary 'Big Week' air
campaign which enabled the Allies to gain air superiority before
D-Day. The USAAF's mighty World War II bomber forces were designed
for unescorted, precision daylight bombing, but no-one foresaw the
devastation that German radar-directed interceptors would inflict
on them. Following the failures of 1943's Schweinfurt-Regensburg
raids, and with D-Day looming, the Allies urgently needed to crush
the Luftwaffe's ability to oppose the landings. In February 1944,
the Allies conceived and fought history's first-ever successful
offensive counter air (OCA) campaign, Operation Argument or "Big
Week." Attacking German aircraft factories with hundreds of heavy
bombers, escorted by the new long-range P-51 Mustang, it aimed both
to slash aircraft production and force the Luftwaffe into combat,
allowing the new Mustangs to take their toll on the German
interceptors. This expertly written, illustration-packed account
explains how the Allies finally began to win air superiority over
Europe, and how Operation Argument marked the beginning of the
Luftwaffe's fall.
The German invasion of Norway was a pivotal moment in modern
warfare, the first joint campaign that featured air power as an
equal element of all operations. It was, in fact, the superior use
of their air force that gave the Germans the decisive margin of
victory and ensured the failure of the Allied counter-offensive in
central Norway in April and May 1940. All aspects of air power were
employed in Norway, from long-range bombing and reconnaissance to
air transport, with the Luftwaffe's ability to transport large
numbers of troops and supply ground forces over great distances
being particularly important. Norway was the first campaign in
history in which key targets were seized by airborne forces, and
the first in which air superiority was able to overcome the
overwhelming naval superiority of an enemy. Researched from primary
sources, this engaging history by air power expert Dr James Corum
skilfully draws out where and why air power made the difference in
Norway, and analyses the campaign's influence on the coming months
and years of World War II.
A detailed study of the Syrian and Lebanon campaign of World War
II. In June 1941, Australian, British, Indian and Free French
forces invaded the Vichy French-controlled mandate of Syria and
Lebanon. They faced an enemy that had more artillery, tanks and
aircraft. They fought in rocky, mountainous terrain, through barren
valleys and across swollen rivers, and soon after the initial
advance faced a powerful Vichy French counter-attack on key
strategic positions. Despite these difficulties, the Allies
prevailed, and in doing so ensured that the territory did not fall
into German or pro-German hands, and thus provide a springboard
from which Axis forces could attack British oil interests in Iraq,
the key territory of Palestine or the Suez Canal. This book
examines the high military and political strategy that lay behind
the campaign, as well as the experiences and hardships as endured
by the men on the ground. The battles in Syria and Lebanon were
complex actions, often at the battalion level or below, and this
work uses extensive war diaries and available records to make sense
of the actions and examine how they affected the wider campaign.
This illustrated study explores, in detail, the RAF's first
concentrated air campaign of World War II against one of the
hardest and most important targets in Germany - the industrial
heartland of the Ruhr that kept Hitler's war machine running.
Between March and July 1943, RAF Bomber Command undertook its first
concentrated bombing campaign, the Battle of the Ruhr, whose aim
was nothing less than the complete destruction of the industry that
powered the German war machine. Often overshadowed by the famous
'Dambusters' single-raid attack on the Ruhr dams, the Battle of the
Ruhr proved much larger and much more complex. The mighty,
industrial Ruhr region contained not only some of the most famous
and important arms makers, such as the gunmakers Krupp of Essen,
but also many other industries that the German war economy relied
on, from steelmakers to synthetic oil plants. Being such a valuable
target, the Ruhr was one of the most heavily defended regions in
Europe. This book examines how the brutal Ruhr campaign was
conceived and fought, and how Bomber Command's relentless pursuit
of its objective drew it into raids on targets well beyond the
Ruhr, from the nearby city of Cologne to the Skoda works in
Czechoslovakia. Drawing on a wide-range of primary and secondary
sources, this is the story of the first titanic struggle in the
skies over Germany between RAF Bomber Command and the Luftwaffe.
Inspired by the exploits of the German Fallschirmjager in the
blitzkrieg campaigns, Winston Churchill called for the formation of
a 5,000-strong Airborne Force in June 1940. From these beginnings
The Parachute Regiment became one of the foremost units of the
British Army both in World War II and up to the present day. This
new history of the British Paratrooper, from 1940 to 1945, details
the unique training, weapons and equipment used by these elite
troops. A wealth of first-hand and until now unpublished materials
brings the history of the ordinary paratrooper to life, drawing on
the author's position as a former curator of the Regimental Museum.
Illustrations and photographs illuminate the equipment and combat
performance of the elite 'Paras' in the context of some of the most
significant campaigns of World War II, including D-Day and
Operation Market-Garden.
The Battle of Britain was one of the most iconic campaigns of World War II, where the 'Few' of the Royal Air Force took on the might of the German Luftwaffe. At stake was not just air superiority over the British Isles - a German victory would enable Hitler's plan to invade and conquer the last Allied country left fighting.
While most narratives of the battle focus on the brave pilots of Fighter Command, this book tells it from the perspective of the German strategists as they attempted the clear the skies over Britain. Explaining Hermann Göring's plans, the Luftwaffe's capabilities in 1940, the RAF's defences, and how the fierce aerial battles over south-east England were fought, this fully illustrated fresh study is based on original documents and new analysis by an expert on the campaign.
The battle of Bosworth was the culmination of the War of the Roses,
the dynastic struggle between the houses of York and Lancaster that
dominated England in the second half of the 15th century. Edward IV
had secured the throne for the house of York, but his early death
in 1483, followed by the death of his sons and the taking of the
throne by his brother, Richard of York, saw a renewed outbreak of
fighting. His reign began with a major rebellion and was dogged by
rumours of his involvement in murder, with Richard facing threats
not only from the lords he alienated but also the Lancastrian
faction waiting in the wings. Henry Tudor eventually decided to
take the huge risk of attempting to seize the throne and Richard's
army marched to meet him, finally clashing near Market Bosworth.
Guiding the reader from the campaign's origins to its aftermath,
and covering the commanders and forces of King Richard III and
Henry Tudor, this is a complete treatment of one of the most
important events in English history. The story of Bosworth has been
transformed in the 20th century as an extensive survey between 2005
and 2009 by the Battlefields Trust has pinpointed the location of
the battlefield, for many years a source of debate and controversy,
and this new history is based on that interpretation. It will also
highlight the incredible discovery of Richard III's remains in
Leicester, the study of the bones and relate this to what was
previously thought to have happened to him at the end of the
battle.
The battle of Shrewsbury in 1403 is one of the most important
battles in English history. King Henry IV faced his erstwhile ally
Henry Percy Earl of Northumberland in a bloody contest on a field
outside the Shropshire town of Shrewsbury where two English armies,
well-matched, and fighting with similar equipment and tactics,
struggled in an archery duel in which the arrows `fell like leaves
in Autumn', before the battle was ultimately decided in close
quarter hand-to-hand combat. With his victory, Henry IV secured the
Lancastrian hold on the kingdom and demonstrated the right of his
bloodline to the throne. Using full colour artwork and specially
commissioned battlefield maps and illustrations, this is the
fascinating story of the battle without which the reign of Henry V,
his wars and glorious victories against the French, and the later
disastrous reign of Henry VI and subsequent Wars of the Roses could
not have happened.
Mauled at Stalingrad, the German army looked to regain the
initiative on the Eastern Front with a huge offensive launched near
the city of Kursk, 280 miles south-west of Moscow. Armed with the
new Panther tank, Hitler and Field Marshal von Manstein were
confident that they could inflict another crushing defeat on the
Soviet Union. What they did not know is that the Soviets knew about
the coming attack, and they were ready. This book focuses on the
southern front of this campaign, which featured one of the biggest
clash of armour of the warin the battle of Prokhorovka which
involved over a thousand tanks. It examines in detail the tactics
and mistakes of the army commanders as they orchestrated one of the
bloodiest battles in World War II. Using campaign maps, stunning
photographs and vivid artwork, this new study, a companion to
Campaign 272 Kursk 1943: The Northern Front, examines whether that
the German offensive was doomed from the start as it takes the
reader through this titanic clash of armour.
With Germany being pushed back across Europe the Allied forces
looked to press their advantage with Operation Market-Garden, a
massive airborne assault that, if successful, could have shortened
the war in the west considerably. The ground advance consisted of
an armoured thrust by the British XXX Corps, while the US 82nd and
101st US Airborne Divisions secured the bridges at Eindhoven and
Nijmegen and the British 1st Airborne Division and Polish 1st
Airborne Brigade were tasked with seizing the final bridge at
Arnhem to secure the route. What they did not realise was that the
9. SS and 10. SS-Panzer Divisions were nearby, ready to reinforce
the local garrison and fend off the Allied assault. Focusing on the
role played by these British and Polish troops, Ken Ford examines
Operation Market-Garden in its entirety, from the early planning
through to the early setbacks and eventual catastrophic conclusion.
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Catan
(16)
R1,150
R887
Discovery Miles 8 870
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