Kampe og felttog

Genudgivelse i hardback. 1864. SLAGTEBÆNK DYBBØL er en medrivende og velkomponeret fortælling om en skelsættende begivenhed i dansk historie. Vi får selvfølgelig den politiske optakt til krigen og til slaget den 18. april, men det hele er set og fortalt fra de involveredes perspektiv. Her optræder både den menige soldat, den excentriske general, de ansvarlige politikere og de sørgende pårørende. Og jo tættere vi kommer på selve slaget, desto mere snævres perspektivet ind, til man som læser til sidst ligger nede i skyttegraven ved siden af de dødsdømte soldater. Slagtebænk Dybbøl er medrivende historieskrivning med vægten lagt på den gode historie. Bogens fortælling suppleres af originale sorthvide fotos fra fronten. 1864. SLAGTEBÆNK DYBBØL efterfølges af 1864. DOMMEDAG ALS. Instruktøren og manuskriptforfatteren Ole Bornedals tv-serie og biograffilm 1864 bliver vist fra efteråret 2014 og er inspireret af SLAGTEBÆNK DYBBØL og DOMMEDAG ALS.

Antony Beevor beskriver den menneskelige og militære tragedie mere levende, præcist og veldokumenteret end det nogensinde er set før. Dette er ikke blot historieskrivning - det er virkelighed, og man er med helt ude ved fronten. Slaget om Stalingrad under 2. verdenskrig beskrives fra tyskernes første angreb i sensommeren 1942 til tilintetgørelsen af den 6. Tyske Armé og den tyske overgivelse i februar 1943. Beevor gør også rede for optakten: de tyske krigsforberedelser og lynkrigsoffensiven med Sovjetunionen sommeren 1941.

A highly illustrated history of the Wars of the 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, armour 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.

Tauche ein in die taktischen Meisterzüge und blutigen Gefechte des Siebenjährigen Krieges im Herzen der späteren Provinz Posen. Dieses fesselnde Buch wirft einen detaillierten Blick auf Strategien, Marschwege und Schlachten, die dieses Land geprägt haben. Preußen und Russland kämpfen erbittert, wobei die Preußen ein entscheidendes Ziel verfolgen: die Zerstörung von Nachschub und Verpflegungsdepots. Die Schlachtfelder erstrecken sich über das gesamte Posener Land, während benachbarte Provinzen wie Schlesien, Pommern und die Neumark in den Wirren dieses Krieges nicht unerwähnt bleiben. Siege und Niederlagen sind ständige Begleiter, die den Weg für die praktische Besetzung Polens ebnen. Durch die Linse dieses historischen Konflikts, beleuchtet das Buch das Verhalten der Polen und beantwortet die fesselnde Frage: Warum markierte dieser Krieg den Anfang vom Ende Polens? Tauchen Sie ein, in eine Zeit, in der Schlachten das Schicksal ganzer Nationen entschieden.

Palæstina-konflikten handler om to folks krav på det samme land. Jøderne er vendt tilbage til deres historiske hjemland efter et langvarigt eksil og har i deres optik derfor ret til landet. Det er imidlertid sket på bekostning af landets oprindelige palæstinensiske indbyggere. De har således betalt den ultimative pris for jødernes hjemkomst. Derfor har retten til tilbagevenden været en stor del af palæstinensisk identitet. Skiftende israelske regeringer har siden 1950'erne hævdet, at palæstinenserne flygtede af egen fri vilje eller blev opfordret til det af palæstinensiske og arabiske ledere, mens palæstinensiske historikere og de 'nye israelske historikere' har fundet beviser for israelske planer og ønsker om at fordrive palæstinenserne for at kunne realisere zionismen og oprette en jødisk stat i Palæstina.Konflikten mellem israelere og palæstinensere handler om narrativer og identitet og om erindring og glemsel. Hvor palæstinenserne gør alt for at bevare båndene til Palæstina og deres hjemland, har israelerne siden 1948 anstrengt sig for at slette beviserne på palæstinensernes tilknytning til landet. Hvor der tidligere lå palæstinensiske landsbyer, er de nu erstattet af israelske landbrugssamfund, nationalparker og skove med hebræiske navne. De palæstinensiske samfund er på nær nogle få blevet ødelagt, og jødiske indbyggere og immigranter er flyttet ind i kibbutzer og moshaver ved siden af den tidligere palæstinensiske landsby.Det skete også for de nye jødiske immigranter i den palæstinensiske landsby Tantura. De oprettede i begyndelsen af 1950'erne kibbutzen Nachsholim. I maj 1948 blev Tantura erobret af israelske styrker. Ifølge den israelske historiker Teddy Katz og den israelske filminstruktør Alon Schwarz blev mindst 200 palæstinensere henrettet efter kamphandlingerne og begravet i massegrave i landsbyen. Grundige undersøgelser i maj 2023 af forskere fra London Universitet har vist, at der ikke kun var tale om én massegrav, men om fire massegrave. Det gør potentielt massakren til en af de største i Israels historie.Fortielsen af massakren og fordrivelsen af de overlevende palæstinensere afspejler den uløselige konflikt mellem israelske jøder og palæstinensere, der ikke kun er voldelig og kompromisløs i nutiden, men også var det i 1948, da Israel blev grundlagt.

From the critically acclaimed author of Dünkirchen 1940, this is a groundbreaking history of the epic three-day battle for Hill 107 that changed the course of the war in the Mediterranean. In this remarkable history, we discover each of the individuals whose actions determined the outcome of the battle for Hill 107, the key event that decided the campaign to capture the vitally strategic island of Crete in May 1941. All the events are narrated through the filter of these eyewitnesses. The Allied perspective is from the summit of Hill 107. We experience the fear and the adrenalin of a lowly platoon commander, Lieutenant Ed McAra, perilously positioned at the top of the hill, alongside the combat stress and command fatigue of the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Leslie Andew. In contrast, the German view is looking up from below as they cling to the slopes while simultaneous dazzled by the morning glare and decimated by defensive fire. We join the regimental doctor, Dr Heinrich Neumann, as he assumes command of one battalion and leads a daring nighttime charge towards the summit. The Hill details what was felt, heard or seen throughout the battle for both attacker and defender. Drawing upon original combat reports, diary entries, letters and interviews, the battle is brought vividly to life. The narrative reads like a Shakespearean tragedy, the soldiers revealing their stories in and around the shadows of Hill 107.

An engrossing history of the pivotal year 1217 when invading French forces were defeated and the future of England secured. In 1215 King John had agreed to the terms of Magna Carta, but he then reneged on his word, plunging the kingdom into war. The rebellious barons offered the throne to the French prince Louis and set off the chain of events that almost changed the course of English history. Louis first arrived in May 1216, was proclaimed king in the heart of London, and by the autumn had around half of England under his control. However, the choice of a French prince had enormous repercussions: now not merely an internal rebellion, but a war in which the defenders were battling to prevent a foreign takeover. John's death in October 1216 left the throne in the hands of his nine-year-old son, Henry, and his regent, William Marshal, which changed the face of the war again, for now the king trying to fight off an invader was not a hated tyrant but an innocent child.1217 charts the nascent sense of national identity that began to swell. Three key battles would determine England's destiny. The fortress of Dover was besieged, the city of Lincoln was attacked, and a great invasion force set sail and, unusually for the time, was intercepted at sea. Catherine Hanley expertly navigates medieval siege warfare, royal politics, and fighting at sea to bring this remarkable period of English history to life.

Packed with personal accounts of the action, this is a vivid narrative history of the often-overlooked USAAF campaign in North Africa and Sicily in World War II. In 1942, the Western Allies needed to take the offensive against the Axis to relieve pressure on the Soviet Union. With planning for a cross-Channel invasion beset by logistical and operational difficulties, in May 1942 President Roosevelt ordered his military leaders to prepare to support the British in the Mediterranean. This led to the first USAAF units arriving in the Middle East in July, firstly as reinforcements for the British and later as part of the Operation Torch landings in French Morocco and Algeria in November. In little over ten months from the summer of 1942, the USAAF in North Africa grew from nothing to a senior partner, providing aircraft and crews the other Allies were unable to match. The Axis forces that had controlled almost the entire southern shore of the Mediterranean had been swept from the African continent - thanks in no small part to the efforts of the USAAF.Using first-hand accounts from pilots and other aircrew, Tom Cleaver describes how the USAAF units that landed in Morocco were forced to learn their own lessons in combat with veteran Luftwaffe units, and how the experience gained in the skies over North Africa and Sicily was invaluable in developing the air forces that would dominate the skies over Europe in the latter years of the war.

An engrossing history of the desperate battles for the Rzhev Salient, a forgotten story brought to life by the harrowing memoirs of German and Russian soldiers.The fighting between the German and Russian armies in the Rzhev Salient during World War II was so grisly, so murderous, and saw such vast losses that the troops called the campaign 'The Meat Grinder'. Though millions of men would fight and die there, the Rzhev Salient does not have the name recognition of Leningrad or Moscow. It has been largely ignored by Western historians - until now. In this book, Prit Buttar, a leading expert on the Eastern Front during World War II, reveals the depth and depravity of the bitter fighting for Rzhev. He details how the region held the promise of a renewed drive on the Soviet capital for the German Army - a chance to turn the tide of war. Using both German and Russian first-hand accounts, Buttar examines the major offensives launched by the Red Army against the salient, all of which were defeated with losses exceeding two million killed, wounded or missing, until eventually, the Germans were forced to evacuate the salient in March 1943.Drawing on the latest research, Meat Grinder provides a new study of these horrific battles but also examines how the Red Army did ultimately learn from its colossal failures and how its analysis of these failures at the time helped pave the way for the eventual Soviet victory against Army Group Centre in the summer of 1944, leaving the road to Berlin clear.

A fully illustrated overview of the USSR's bloody conflict in Afghanistan and its long legacy.The Soviet invasion of its neighbour Afghanistan in December 1979 sparked a nine-year conflict until Soviet forces withdrew in 1988-89, dooming the communist Afghanistan government to defeat at the hands of the mujahideen, the Afghan popular resistance backed by the USA and other powers. Gregory Fremont-Barnes reveals how the Soviet invasion had enormous implications on the global stage; it prompted the US Senate to refuse to ratify the hard-won SALT II arms-limitation treaty, and the USA and 64 other countries boycotted the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics. For Afghanistan, the invasion served to prolong the interminable civil war that pitted central government against the regions and faction against faction. Updated and revised for the new edition, with full-colour maps and new images throughout, this succinct account explains the origins, events and consequences of the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan, shedding new light on the more recent history - and prospects - of that troubled country.

The full history of how the United States targeted and destroyed the Japanese capital from the air, in a ten-month long campaign by the US Army Air Force and the US Navy.In November 1944, the US Army Air Force launched a 111-plane B-29 strike against Tokyo, the first raid since the morale-boosting Doolittle Raid of 1942. From then until August 13, 1945, the United States would attack Tokyo 25 times, 20 from B-29s based in the Marianas and five from US Navy carrier task forces. The campaign included the single deadliest air raid in human history, when around 100,000 people were killed by the firestorm created by the Operation Meetinghouse raid of March 10, 1945. This book, the first to examine the full history of the United States' air campaign against the greatest target in Japan, looks at the USAAF's and US Navy's efforts to use air power to eliminate Tokyo's strategic value to the Empire. It considers how the campaign developed from daylight bombing to firebombing and anti-ship mining, and finally how the target was handed over to the US Navy, whose carrier-based bombers and fighter-bombers continued to strike Tokyo during July and August 1945.Using specially commissioned battlescenes, strategic maps and diagrams, this volume presents a detailed picture of how Tokyo was vanquished from the air.

A fully illustrated new assessment of the German tank force that won its greatest victory in France during 1940.The German conquest of France in 1940 was arguably the Wehrmacht's greatest military achievement, conquering France in several weeks after having failed to do so in World War I. New Panzer tactics, dubbed 'Blitzkrieg', were at the heart of the German victory.In this book, renowned armor expert Steven J. Zaloga reassesses the armored force that made the triumph possible, and explains that although the German Panzers won their reputation in France, they were far from being a technological juggernaut. The vast majority were the small PzKpfw I and PzKpfw II light tanks. The more effective medium tanks such as the PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV were available in relatively small numbers. Their effectiveness had far more to do with training and doctrine than technology. With illustrations including unpublished photos and superb new artwork, this book examines the wide range of German tanks employed in France in 1940, as well as their organization and tactical doctrine.

The first book to cover the full history of the RAF's air war against Hamburg, one of the most important target cities in Germany. The city of Hamburg became synonymous with the destructive power of RAF Bomber Command when, during summer 1943, the city suffered horrific destruction in a series of four heavy firebombing attacks, Operation Gomorrah. However, few know how varied or long the Hamburg campaign was. In this book, RAF air power expert Dr Richard Worrall presents the complete history of the RAF's air campaign against the city, a campaign that stretched well beyond the devastating fire raids of 1943. Dr Worrall explains how Germany's second city was an industrial centre of immense proportions and proved a consistent target for Bomber Command throughout World War II. It was home to oil refineries, U-boat pens, and ship-building and submarine-building yards, all sustained by a large industrial workforce. Bomber Command evolved tactically and technically throughout the war, and the Luftwaffe's defensive capabilities would do likewise in response. Drawing on a wide range of primary and secondary sources available on this topic, and packed with photos, artwork, maps and diagrams, this is an important new history of the air campaign against the industrial and naval heart of Nazi Germany.

This engrossing book pits the legionaries of Imperial Rome against their Germanic and Sarmatian opponents in the 2nd century AD.Shortly after Marcus Aurelius came to power in AD 161, the Roman Empire was racked by a series of military crises. While unrest in Britain and a new war with Parthia were swiftly dealt with, the invasion of Roman territory by the Chatti and Chauci peoples heralded a resurgent threat from the empire's European neighbours. Soon the Marcomanni and the Quadi, as well as the Dacians and the Sarmatian Iazyges, would attack the Romans in a series of savage conflicts that continued until AD 175 and would see the first invasion of Roman Italy since the beginning of the 1st century BC.In this book, the two sides' objectives, weapons and equipment and fighting styles are assessed and compared in the context of three featured battles: Carnuntum (170), where a Roman legion was vanquished and Italy invaded; the 'Battle on the Ice' (172), where the Romans fought their lighter-armed Iazyges opponents on the frozen Danube; and the so-called 'Miracle of the Rain' (174), during which a trapped Roman force facing annihilation was able to defeat numerically superior Germanic forces. Photographs, specially commissioned artwork plates and mapping complement the authoritative text in this engrossing study of Imperial Rome at war.

A gripping, illustrated narrative of the longest and most brutal land battle of the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War.Growing rivalry between Imperial Russia and Imperial Japan over territorial control in China and Korea led to the outbreak of war in February 1904. Japan struck the first blow with a surprise naval attack against the anchored Russian Pacific Fleet at its base in Port Arthur. Once the fleet had been neutralized, the Japanese landed their Second Army on the Liaotung Peninsula in May 1904, in order to besiege Port Arthur. The fighting that followed has become legend in military history. Respected military historian Robert Forczyk describes the Russian relief operation towards Port Arthur (the Battle of Telissu), and the lengthy siege of the Russian-held town and harbour. The initial Japanese attempts to capture the port by assault are documented in detail, together with the Japanese progress through the heavily fortified lines protecting Port Arthur. Specially commissioned artworks bring to life in vivid detail the Battle of Nanshan Hill, the Japanese assault on the Wantai Heights, and the bombardments of the Russian forts. Maps and diagrams explore the strategic situation and tactical progress of the fighting in step-by-step detail, and over 60 period photographs reveal the appearance and weaponry of the opposing forces and the terrain around Port Arthur.

Using diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts, this vivid narrative brings to life the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942.The battle of Guadalcanal was the first offensive operation undertaken by the US and its allies in the Pacific War. The three months of air battles between August 20, 1942, when the first Marine air unit arrived on the island, and November 15, when the last enemy attempt to retake the island was defeated, were perhaps the most important of the Pacific War. "Cactus," the code name for the island, became a sinkhole for Japanese air and naval power, as they experienced losses that could never be made good. For 40 years, the late Eric Hammel interviewed more than 150 American participants in the air campaign at Guadalcanal, none of whom are still alive. These interviews are the most comprehensive first-person accounts of the battle assembled by any historian. More importantly, they involved the junior officers and enlisted men whose stories and memories were not part of the official history, and thus provide a unique insight. In The Cactus Air Force, Pacific War expert Thomas McKelvey Cleaver worked closely with Eric to build on his collection of diary entries, interviews and first-hand accounts to create a vivid narrative of the struggle in the air over the island of Guadalcanal between August 20 and November 15, 1942.

'Kershaw's book is a welcome rebalancing; a thoughtful, well-researched and well-written contribution to a narrative that has long been too one-sided and too mired in national mythology.' The Times The British evacuation from the beaches of the small French port town of Dunkirk is one of the iconic moments of military history. The battle has captured the popular imagination through LIFE magazine photo spreads, the fiction of Ian McEwan and, of course, Christopher Nolan's hugely successful Hollywood blockbuster. But what is the German view of this stunning Allied escape? Drawing on German interviews, diaries and unit post-action reports, Robert Kershaw creates a page-turning history of a battle that we thought we knew. Dünkirchen 1940 is the first major history on what went wrong for the Germans at Dunkirk. As supreme military commander, Hitler had seemingly achieved a miracle after the swift capitulation of Holland and Belgium, but with just seven kilometres before the panzers captured Dunkirk - the only port through which the trapped British Expeditionary force might escape - they came to a shuddering stop. Only a detailed interpretation of the German perspective - historically lacking to date - can provide answers as to why. Dünkirchen 1940 delves into the under-evaluated major German miscalculation both strategically and tactically that arguably cost Hitler the war.

'Like Crécy itself, this book is a triumph and the tale it tells gives an old story new life.' BERNARD CORNWELL, bestselling author of The Last Kingdom series The battle of Crécy in 1346 is one of the most famous and widely studied military engagements in history. The repercussions of this battle were felt for hundreds of years, and the exploits of those fighting reached the status of legend. Yet cutting-edge research has shown that nearly everything that has been written about this dramatic event may be wrong.In this new study, Michael Livingston reveals how modern scholars have used archived manuscripts, satellite technologies and traditional fieldwork to help unlock what was arguably the battle's greatest secret: the location of the now quiet fields where so many thousands died. Crécy: Battle of Five Kings is a story of past and present. It is a new history of one of the most important battles of the Middle Ages: a compelling narrative account that nonetheless adheres to the highest scholarly standards in its detail. It is also an account that incorporates the most cutting-edge revelations and the personal story of how those discoveries were made.

The Encyclopedia of Warfare is an authoritative compendium of almost five millennia of war. From battles fought with spears to the latest drone technology, the book features an immense range of conflict. Each war narrative, where appropriate, includes descriptions of its campaigns, battles, and sieges. All this is easily accessed via an extensive index.

Robert Forczyk covers the development of armoured warfare in North Africa from Rommel's Gazala offensive in 1942 through to the end of war in the desert in Tunisia in 1943. The war in the North African desert was pure mechanized warfare, and in many respects the most technologically advanced theatre of World War II. It was also the only theatre where for three years British and Commonwealth, and later US, troops were in constant contact with Axis forces.World War II best-selling author Robert Forczyk explores the second half of the history of the campaign, from the Gazala offensive in May 1942 that drove the British forces all the way back to the Egyptian frontier and led to the fall of Tobruk, through the pivotal battles of El Alamein, and the final Allied victory in Tunisia. He examines the armoured forces, equipment, doctrine, training, logistics and operations employed by both Allied and Axis forces throughout the period, focusing especially on the brigade and regimental level of operations.Fully illustrated throughout with photographs, profile artwork and maps, and featuring tactical-level vignettes and appendices analysing tank data, tank deliveries in-theatre and orders of battle, this book goes back to the sources to provide a new study of armoured warfare in the desert.

The first ever illustrated study of the largest and most significant clash between the Royal Navy and the Italian Regia Marina.The Battle of Matapan witnessed the first use of decisive new technologies to bring about a stunning British victory over the Italian Navy. The Allies had tapped into the Ultra coded messages sent by the Axis powers, and the battle witnessed the use of radar and carrier-based air strikes to bring about a critical night action. The result was the most decisive engagement of the Mediterranean naval war.Written by renowned naval historian Angus Konstam, this book offers for the first time a unique and fully illustrated exploration of the battle. It also examines why, despite the emphatic and decisive Royal Navy victory, the Allies failed to capitalize on the strategic advantage earned in the months that followed. Battlescene artworks bring to life the cruiser clashes early on 28 March off Gavdos, the Fleet Air Arm attacks on the Italian fleet, and the 28/29 March night action that resulted in the destruction of Admiral Carlo Cattaneo's ships - Italy's worst naval defeat. The progress of the action from the initial Operation Gaudo sweep by Italy's powerful battle fleet towards Crete (aimed at disrupting Allied convoys) to the events of the climactic battle itself is revealed in detailed maps.

A unique comparison between the two most numerous British and German tank types from 1941 to 1943.Although much has been written about the Panzer III, little attention has been given to the equally prominent Valentine tank. This work compares the respective strengths and weaknesses of these iconic tanks, which frequently went head-to-head in brutal battles across Europe, Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia. It documents the upgrades made to each AFV type over three years, as up-gunned and up-armoured variants - ever more lethal, ever more survivable - arrived in North Africa.Dr Bruce Newsome explores the two tanks' encounters, from the first Valentine vs Panzer III clashes in 1941, to the Axis drive into Egypt, and on to the Tunisian fighting of 1942-1943. Colour artworks include profile, weaponry and gunsight, and battlescene views of both tanks, while maps chart the campaigns in which they met. Each AVF's performance is also covered, along with their technical details, design evolution, and crew histories.

A ground-breaking history of one of the greatest ever sieges. Masterfully brought to life by a leading expert using original Russian and German source material.'[An] excellent account.' - Richard Overy, The Telegraph This new history of the first two years of this crucial battle for the heart and soul of Russia is the first in over a decade and also the first to look comprehensively at the wider military strategies of both sides. At a huge cost, the Red Army and the civilian population of Leningrad ultimately endured a bitter 900-day siege, struggling against constant bombing, shelling, and starvation. Throughout the siege, Soviet forces tried to break the German lines and restore contact with the garrison. To Besiege a City charts the first of these offensives which began in January 1942 and was followed by repeated assaults. Acclaimed Eastern Front historian Prit Buttar details how although the Red Army suffered huge casualties in the swampy and forested terrain, the German infantry divisions were also steadily eroded. Indeed, by keeping control of parts of the shores of Lake Ladoga, the Soviet Union was able to sustain Leningrad through the winters of the siege via the 'road of life', constructed across the frozen lake. This epic history details the dramatic race to create the road across the ice and first-hand accounts from both Soviet and German soldiers, many never previously translated, bring the horrific series of battles and assaults to life. Ultimately the determination of the defenders to hold out during this first phase of the siege and the desperate attempts to break it became a hugely significant part of Russian wartime history. The echoes of the battle persist to this day helping to define both a country and its politics. There is no better time to fully understand this history and To Besiege a City is the most comprehensive account to date.

A gripping tale of three crucial battles fought at the end of 1943 as Allied forces approached the Gustav Line in Italy.After repulsing the German counter-attack at Salerno in September 1943, the US Fifth Army and British Eighth Army advanced up the Italian Peninsula. By October, the Allied armies had reached the Volturno Line, forcing a critical decision in German strategy: a prolonged defence would be conducted in southern Italy, contesting the Allied advance using the complex terrain features. By mid-November, the two Allied armies were approaching the German defensive lines along the Garigliano and the Sangro rivers. Here, US 5th Army would attack through the Mignano gap towards San Pietro Infine, while British Eighth Army would seize Ortona on the Adriatic coast and Orsogna. A brutal struggle ensued, with the German defenders attempting to hold their positions. The fighting at Ortona in particular (labelled a 'mini Stalingrad') would be particularly grueling for the Canadian forces involved. This fascinating work focuses on several little-known battles fought in Italy following the German withdrawal from the Salerno bridgehead and from Taranto. Maps and diagrams present an easy to follow overview of the multiple operations of this complex campaign. The forces of the opposing sides (including American, German, Canadian, New Zealand and British troops), and the three decisive battles fought in late 1943, are brought vividly to life in period photos and superb battlescene artworks.

Agincourt is one of the most famous battles in English history, a defining part of the national myth. This groundbreaking study by Mike Livingston, author of Never Greater Slaughter, presents a new interpretation of Henry V's great victory.'It's quite a feat to write an account of England's most famous battle that makes the reader feel like they're experiencing history that is fresh, new and exhilarating.' Dan Snow King Henry V's victory over the French armies at Agincourt on 25 October 1415 is unquestionably one of the most famous battles in history. From Shakespeare's 'band of brothers' speech to its appearances in numerous films, Agincourt rightfully has a place among a handful of conflicts whose names are immediately recognized around the world. The English invasion of France in 1415 saw them take the French port of Harfleur after a long siege, following which Henry was left with a sick and weakened army, which he chose to march across Normandy to the port of Calais against the wishes of his senior commanders. The French had assembled a superior force and shadowed the English Army before finally blocking its route. The battle that followed was an overwhelming victory for the English, with the French suffering horrific casualties. Agincourt opened the door for Henry V's further conquests in France. Agincourt provides a new look at this famous battle. Mike Livingston goes back to the original sources, including the French battle plan that still survives today, to give a new interpretation, one that challenges the traditional site of the battlefield itself. It is a thrilling new history that not only rewrites the battle as we know it, but also provides fresh insights into the men who fought and died there.

An detailed illustrated exploration of the Japanese raid into the Indian Ocean in April 1942 - one of the largest operations conducted by the Imperial Navy during the war.In the wake of Japan's conquest of Burma in early 1942, plans were formed by the Imperial high command to capture Ceylon (modern Sri Lanka) to consolidate Japan's defensive perimeter and disrupt British shipping lanes to India, Australia, and the Middle East. The Imperial Japanese Army, however, could not release sufficient troops for an invasion, and so in response the Japanese Navy developed Operation C, an aggressive raid by the Combined Fleet into the Indian Ocean. The key objective was to destroy the British Eastern Fleet in port.Expert naval historian Mark Stille documents the high point of Japanese naval air power as its carriers struck Ceylon - the heart of British naval power in the East - sinking several Allied ships. He describes the Allied air attempts to destroy Admiral Chuichi Nagumo's force, and the Japanese attacks against British shipping and the cities along the Indian coast.Specially commissioned battlescenes bring to life the sinking of British carrier Hermes, the Bristol Blenheim attacks on the Japanese carrier force, and a Zero vs Hurricane dogfight over Colombo on 5 April. Easy to follow maps and diagrams reveal the strategic situation at the start and end of the campaign, and track the movements of the Japanese carrier task force and the British Eastern Fleet throughout. Details of weaponry, equipment, personnel and the events of the fascinating battles that took place are revealed in over 60 photographs, many of which are from Japanese sources.