Lieutenant-General Sir Bernard Freyberg was head of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force during the Second World War. He was admired for his easy manner with his soldiers and subsequently became a national hero. He was also appointed governor-general of New Zealand after the war. View More...
Compiling all of the major Times headlines from World War II, Page One: The Front Page History of World War II As Presented in The New York Times is an impressive chronicle of the events during the great war of the 20th century. This powerful reminder that we should "never forget" includes banners like: "German Army Attacks Poland"; "Hitler Begins War on Russia"; "Japan Joins Axis Alliance Seen Aimed at U.S".; "Japan Wars on U.S. and Britain, Makes Sudden Attack on Hawaii"; "U.S. Declares War"; "Atomic Bomb Dropped on Japan"; "Italy Surrenders; Paris is Freed"; "Hitler Dead in Chancellery"; "J... View More...
Warriors have long sought to combine protection and mobility in combat, from ancient chariots to medieval knights and armored wagon. It was the development of the internal combustion engine that allowed a vehicle to possess both features on the battlefield. The Encyclopedia of Tanks and Armored Fighting Vehicles is a definitive guide to over 1500 armored vehicles that have emerged from the first gasoline engine to the present day. In 1916, during World War I, the tank made its debut on the Western Front for the British, and the face of warfare changed almost overnight. In each nation's quest f... View More...
With more than 1,100 entries written by some 500 distinguished contributors, The Oxford Companion to American Military History is the most comprehensive treatment of American military history ever compiled (Parameters: U.S. Army War College Quarterly) and an easy-to-browse, well-organizedwork (The Washington Post). Here is a gold mine of information on American military history, exploring battles and soldiers, ships and weapons, services and doctrines--as well as the social and cultural impact of the U.S. military at home and around the world. The Oxford Companion to American Military History... View More...
Even as we head into twenty-first-century warfare, thirteen time-tested rules for waging war remain relevant. Both timely and timeless, How Wars Are Won illuminates the thirteen essential rules for success on the battlefield that have evolved from ancient times until the present day. Acclaimed military historian Bevin Alexander's incisive and vivid analyses of famous battles throughout the ages show how the greatest commanders--from Alexander the Great to Douglas MacArthur--have applied these rules. For example: - Feign retreat: Pretend defeat, fake a retreat, then ambush the enemy while being... View More...
Penguin delivers you to the front lines of The Pacific Theater with the real-life stories behind the HBO miniseries.Between America's retreat from China in late November 1941 and the moment General MacArthur's airplane touched down on the Japanese mainland in August of 1945, five men connected by happenstance fought the key battles of the war against Japan. From the debacle in Bataan, to the miracle at Midway and the relentless vortex of Guadalcanal, their solemn oaths to their country later led one to the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot and the others to the coral strongholds of Peleliu, the blac... View More...
Collected here for the first time are fifteen essays that span over 100 years of American history--and the remarkable thirty-year career of America's foremost historian and New York Times bestselling author of D-Day, Undaunted Courage, and Citizen Soldiers. Stephen E. Ambrose's vivid and compelling essays take you to the heart of America's wars, from Grant's stunning Fourth of July victory at Vicksburg, to Nixon's surprise Christmas bombing of Hanoi. Ambrose brings to life the ambition and charisma that led to Custer's great success in the Civil War and fateful disaster at Little Big Horn. Wit... View More...
From the Number One bestselling author of BAND OF BROTHERS comes the story of the ordinary soldiers in Northwest Europe from the day after D-Day until the triumphant end of the war. View More...
Worst Enemy offers an inside analysis of the events that have derailed our efforts to transform the nation's military into a leaner, lighter, and much more networked force. Mr. Arquilla places these events in historical context and assesses Donald Rumsfeld's role as secretary of defense of the post-9/11 era. Beyond articulating a thorough critique of what has gone wrong, he outlines new solutions, in detail, to remedy the ills that beset American defense policy, including the elimination of the Pentagon, the end of strategic bombing strategy, and force reductions to 100,000 in each of the main... View More...
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In the first volume of his monumental trilogy about the liberation of Europe in WW II, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson tells the riveting story of the war in North Africa The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of courage and enduring triumph, of calamity and miscalculation. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 194... View More...
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLER The liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is a story of miscalculation and incomparable courage, of calamity and enduring triumph. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson focuses on 1942 and 1943, showing how central the great drama that unfolded in North Africa was to the ultimate victory of the Allied powers and to America's understanding of itself. Opening with the daring amphibious invasion in November 1942, "An Army at Dawn "follows the American and British armies as they fight the Fre... View More...
WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A splendid book... The emphasis throughout is on the human drama of men at war.--The Washington Post Book WorldThe liberation of Europe and the destruction of the Third Reich is an epic story of courage and calamity, of miscalculation and enduring triumph. In this first volume of the Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson shows why no modern reader can understand the ultimate victory of the Allied powers without a grasp of the great drama that unfolded in North Africa in 1942 and 1943. Opening with the daring amphibious invasion in November... View More...
The Instant New York Times BestsellerI could not put this extraordinary book down. Three Days at the Brink is a masterpiece: elegantly written, brilliantly conceived, and impeccably researched. This book not only sparkles but is destined to be a classic " --Jay Winik, bestselling authorFrom the #1 bestselling author and award-winning anchor of Special Report with Bret Baier, comes the gripping lost history of the Tehran Conference, where FDR, Churchill, and Stalin plotted D-Day and the Second World War's endgame. With the fate of World War II in doubt and rumors of a Nazi assassination plot sw... View More...
"Bascomb has unearthed a remarkable piece of hidden history, and told it perfectly. The story brims with adventure, suspense, daring, and heroism." --David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of Killers of the Flower Moon Neal Bascomb, New York Times best-selling author, delivers the spellbinding story of the downed Allied airmen who masterminded the remarkably courageous--and ingenious--breakout from Germany's most devilish POW camp In the winter trenches and flak-filled skies of World War I, soldiers and pilots alike might avoid death, only to find themselves imprisoned in Germany's ... View More...
"Riveting and poignant . . . The Winter Fortress metamorphoses from engrossing history into a smashing thriller . . . Mr. Bascomb's research and, especially, his storytelling skills are first-rate."--The Wall Street Journal "Weaving together his typically intense research and a riveting narrative, Neal Bascomb's The Winter Fortress is a spellbinding piece of historical writing." -- Martin Dugard, author of Into Africa and co-author of the Killing series In 1942, the Nazis were racing to complete the first atomic bomb. All they needed was a single, incredibly rare ingredient: heavy water, w... View More...
From one of America's most respected historians, "The Conquerors" reveals one of the most important stories of World War II. As Allied soldiers fought the Nazis, Franklin Roosevelt and, later, Harry Truman fought in private with Churchill and Stalin over how to ensure that Germany could never threaten the world again. Eleven years in the writing, drawing on newly opened American, Soviet and British documents as well as private diaries, letters and secret audio recordings, Michael Beschloss's gripping narrative lets us eavesdrop on private conversations and telephone calls among a cast of histo... View More...
From one of America's most respected historians, "The Conquerors" reveals one of the most important stories of World War II. As Allied soldiers fought the Nazis, Franklin Roosevelt and, later, Harry Truman fought in private with Churchill and Stalin over how to ensure that Germany could never threaten the world again. Eleven years in the writing, drawing on newly opened American, Soviet and British documents as well as private diaries, letters and secret audio recordings, Michael Beschloss's gripping narrative lets us eavesdrop on private conversations and telephone calls among a cast of histo... View More...
.""at one stroke the dominant position of Japan in the Pacific was reversed."--Winston Churchill" In 1942, Admiral Yamamoto, who had so successfully engineered the attack on Pearl Harbor, implemented a new strategy: the Imperial Japanese Army would seize the Pacific island of Midway and lure the US Navy into a decisive carrier battle. And, they felt confident of victory. But, right from the start, the plan proved disastrous--and the Japanese lost decisively, with all four major units sunk. Once and for all, the balance of power in the Pacific shifted, with the United States in control. Filled ... View More...
"We are at a moment in world affairs when the essential ideas that govern statecraft must change. For five centuries it has taken the resources of a state to destroy another state . . . This is no longer true, owing to advances in international telecommunications, rapid computation, and weapons of mass destruction. The change in statecraft that will accompany these developments will be as profound as any that the State has thus far undergone."--from the Prologue "The Shield of Achilles" is a classic inquiry into the nature of the State, its origin in war, and its drive for peace and legitimacy... View More...
How history's only five-star admirals triumphed in World War II and made the United States the world's dominant sea power. Only four men in American history have been promoted to the five-star rank of Admiral of the Fleet: William Leahy, Ernest King, Chester Nimitz, and William Halsey. These four men were the best and the brightest the navy produced, and together they led the U.S. navy to victory in World War II, establishing the United States as the world's greatest fleet. In The Admirals, award-winning historian Walter R. Borneman tells their story in full detail for the first time. Drawin... View More...
