In a dramatically different tale of espionage and conspiracy in World War II, Shadow Warriors of World War II unveils the history of the courageous women who volunteered to work behind enemy lines. Sent into Nazi-occupied Europe by the United States' Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE), these women helped establish a web of resistance groups across the continent. Their heroism, initiative, and resourcefulness...

In this companion book to the HBO series on the war in the Pacific, historian Hugh Ambrose focuses on five American soldiers who each took an active role in the difficult and costly--in terms of lives--campaign to reach the Japanese mainland. Ambrose recounts key battles--Guadalcanal, Midway, Okinawa, and the lesser-known Peleliu--and he provides a soldier's eye view of the events, conveying the great valor and sacrifices of those in uniform.

"Most studies of World War II assume that it was, in some way, a triumph for Britain. John Charmley's important new reappraisal of the immediate origins of the war is based on extensive new work in the Chamberlain papers. It starts from Chamberlain's belief that even a victorious war would be a disaster-it would destroy the foundations of British power and hand over Europe to Russian domination. Reconstructing Chamberlain's policy assumptions, Mr....

Contains thousands of records that span every field of human and non-human endeavors, including science and technology, animals, sports, geography, arts and entertainment, education, hobbies and pastimes, unusual rituals, and many others.

Gerald Gliddon's classic survey of the Somme battlefield in 1916, first published in 1987 to great acclaim, has been greatly expanded and updated to include the latest research and analysis. Supported by a wide selection of archive photographs and drawing on the testimony of those who took part, this new edition covers both the famous battle sites, such as High Wood and Mametz Wood and lesser known villages on the outlying flanks. It includes a day-by-day...

German soldiers assigned to guard the tiny Channel Island of Sark described it as a 'little Paradise' and, because it was never bombed by the RAF, the best air-raid shelter in all of Europe. But paradise for them came to a bloody end in October 1942 when a small group of British Commandos raided the island, capturing one German soldier and killing several others. Operation Basalt would have been a footnote in history but for the reaction of Hitler,...

This book exposes the myths surrounding the propaganda films produced during the Third Reich. One, that the Nazis were infallible masters in the use of film propaganda. Two, that everything the Nazis said was a lie. Three, that only the Riefenstahl documentaries are significant to the modern viewer. It reveals the truth, lies, successes and failures of key films designed to arouse hostility against the Nazis' enemies, including Ohm Krüger - the most...

In Richard Doherty's latest book he looks at the wide-ranging role of the Royal Artillery (RA) during the Second World War, examining its state of preparedness in 1939, the many developments that were introduced during the War, including aerial observation and self-propelled artillery, the growth of the regiment and its effectiveness in its many roles. It is illustrated with stories of the actions of individuals from members of gun detachments to...

Hints of reggae, highlife, soul, R&B, and other flavors go swirling through the mix on Femi Kuti's new album, adding depth and complexity to the arrangements, but the influences don't distract from his signature sound.

"Tracing the history of Japanese aggression from 1853 onward, Hoyt masterfully addresses some of the biggest questions left from the Pacific front of World War II."--