Armed Forces
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Warplanes of World War II: Fighters, Bombers, Ground Attack Aircraft
Warplanes of World War II provides a detailed look at 50 key aircraft in service between 1939 and 1945. Warplanes profiled include fighters, bombers, fighter- bombers, ground attack and other aircraft from the US, USSR, Germany, UK, Japan, France, Poland and Italy. A large-format side-on photograph in full colour shows every detail of each aircraft, with notes pointing out features that made it unique. This is followed by an in-depth description of the aircraft’s development, manufacturing history and technical profile – all accompanied by colour photographs and a detailed specification panel.
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£15.60£19.00 -
The Frontier Sea: The Napoleonic Wars in the Adriatic
Most of the great powers contested the lands around the Adriatic Sea during the Napoleonic wars. While never a major theatre of operations, it was part of the overall strategy of most of the combatants. It had an essential role in the conflict, influencing alliances and diverting troops and ships, which all contributed to the defeat of Napoleon. It was also a period of significant change, with the French and British intervening in a region that had long been a battleground reserved for the Austrian, Russian and Ottoman empires.This book examines the campaigns, armies, navies and personalities that fought in the region between 1797 and 1815. Campaigns rarely mentioned in the history of the period. Austrian, French, Russian, British, and their foreign regiments fought up and down the coast, sometimes with or against local leaders like Peter I of Montenegro and Ali Pasha of Ioannina. Many commanders were far from home, with orders taking weeks to reach them. This meant even junior officers could take military and diplomatic decisions usually reserved for more senior officers.
This is a story of strategy and small wars with many colourful personalities playing their part in a fascinating, if violent, tale against the backdrop of the frontier sea.
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£8.50£9.40 -
Spitfire Manual 1940
How to fly the legendary fighter plane in combat using the manuals and instructions supplied by the RAF during the Second World War. An amazing array of leaflets, books and manuals were issued by the War Office during the Second World War to aid pilots in flying the Supermarine Spitfire, here for the first time and using the original 1940s setting, they are collated into a single book. An introduction is supplied by expert aviation historian Dilip Sarkar. Other sections include aircraft recognition, how to act as an RAF officer, bailing out etc.Read more
£6.60£9.50Spitfire Manual 1940
£6.60£9.50 -
Living the Dream, Serving the Queen: A Collection of Royal Navy Memories
For over 400 years the Royal Navy has been the pride of the British Isles, but it wouldn’t be the organisation it is today without the people who make up the crews of these ships and establishments. Here is a collection of over a dozen stories from people who have served their time in the Royal Navy and now recollect their experiences serving their country in the senior service. From the 1950s boy sailor to the sailors who currently serve, we read about the runs ashore, the lifelong friendships, the funny stories, near incidents and the ships they served on. – What happened in New York harbour when a boat was taking crew to shore? – Who caused a huge tailback of traffic outside Faslane naval base? – What did Prince Philip whisper to a Chief Petty Officer during an inspection? – Which submariner saved a man from certain death from electrocution only to be snubbed later? These stories plus much more will help the reader understand why matelots, when asked how they are, reply with, “I’m living the dream, serving the Queen!”Read more
£13.30 -
Royal Navy Basic Training: The diary of a new recruit
Two years ago, I walked through the gates at HMS Raleigh to start my Royal Navy Basic Training. I had no real knowledge of what to expect over those coming weeks and this book relays those challenges and experiences, from when I first passed through the gates until my passing out parade. These are some of the things I learnt from completing the Royal Navy Basic Training: • Do what you are told and don’t question it no matter how much you might disagree.• Help each other; if you help your mates, they will help you. • Try your best. Give 100% all the time, even if you fail at something. • No matter how bad you think it is, it will be worth it in the end. This book is my diary of the 10-week Basic Training at HMS Raleigh, from when I first passed through the gates until my passing out parade.Read more
£6.60£7.10 -
Military Aircraft: World’s Greatest Fighters, Bombers and Transport Aircraft from World War I to the Present: World’s Greatest Fighters, Bombers … War I to the Present (The…
Ever since man first took to the air, combat aircraft have been at the cutting edge of aviation technology, resulting in some of the greatest and most complex designs ever built. Military Aircraft features 52 of the most important military aircraft of the last hundred years. The book includes all the main types, from biplane fighters and carrier aircraft to tactical bombers, transport aircraft, multirole fighters, strategic strike aircraft and stealth bombers. Featured aircraft include: the Fokker Dr.1 triplane, the legendary fighter flown by German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, ‘the Red Baron’, during World War I; the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Japan’s highly-manoeuvrable fighter that dominated air-to-air combat in the early part of the Pacific War; the tank-busting Il-2 Shturmovik, the most produced aircraft in World War II; the Harrier jump jet, a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fighter that has been service for more than 40 years; the B-2 Spirit bomber, an American precision strike aircraft used in recent conflicts in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan; and the F-22 Raptor, an air superiority fighter with state-of-the-art stealth technology that makes it almost invisible to radars. Each entry includes a brief description of the model’s development and history, a profile view, key features and specifications. Packed with more than 200 artworks and photographs, Military Aircraft is a colourful guide for the military aviation enthusiast.Read more
£18.60£23.70 -
Antonov’s Heavy Transports: From the An-22 to An-225, 1965 to the Present
This book charts the development and service history of the Antonov design bureau’s heavy transport aircraft. In the late 1950s, the Antonov design bureau began developing the An-22 heavy military transport, intended to carry 50 tons. Powered by four 15,000 hp turboprops, it was the world’s heaviest transport when it first flew in February 1965. The four-turbofan An-124 was again the world’s most capable airlifter when it emerged in 1982, with a payload of 120 tons. It proved its worth in military and humanitarian operations and earned acclaim as a commercial freighter after 1991 for carrying heavy and outsized items. The unique six-engined An-225 “”Mriya”” was created for carrying the Buran space shuttle. Despite the demise of the Buran program, the aircraft found use on the heavy/outsized cargo transportation market. It is illustrated by a wealth of new photos and color artwork, as well as line drawings.-Read more
£44.80£55.10 -
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971: Volume 1: Birth of a Nation (Asia@War)
In 1947, India and Pakistan were partitioned by their former colonial ruler, Great Britain. A job that should have taken ten-years was done in a few months. Britain, drained by two world wars in 40-years, no longer had the will or the money to guide the subcontinent to a peaceful partition by consensus. More importantly, the subcontinent was impatient for Britain’s departure. The British left in haste, leaving unresolved the issue of Kashmir. This triggered five wars between the new states: 1947-48, 1965, 1971, 1999 and continuing insurgency/counterinsurgency that began in 1987. Two other potential wars were narrowly averted in 1987-88 and 2001-02, and a limited one fought in 1999. Since the basic issue remains unresolved, the next war may be only a matter of time.In 1970, East Pakistan voted for independence and armed rebellion. A quick and nasty counterinsurgency suppressed the rebellion. India, seizing the chance to change the balance of power, first backed East Pakistan, then on 21 and 22 November 1971 invaded with eight divisions. India planned also to attack West Pakistan to recover Kashmir, but at the last moment the offensive was called off due to Soviet pressure. Pakistan attacked pre-emptively, and an all-out war resulted. East Pakistan was overrun by India on 16 December; the US and Soviet forced a ceasefire in the West only a day later. For the first time in 800 years, a predominantly Hindu army defeated a Muslim army.
Through extensive use of official records and participant recollections, rare photography and authentic colour profiles, Ravi Rikhye tells the captivating story of the biggest military conflict fought between India and Pakistan to date, and the war that resulted in emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation.
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£13.70£19.00 -
The History and Politics of Star Wars: Death Stars and Democracy (Routledge Studies in Modern History)
This book provides the first detailed and comprehensive examination of all the materials making up the Star Wars franchise relating to the portrayal and representation of real-world history and politics.
Drawing on a variety of sources, including films, published interviews with directors and actors, novels, comics, and computer games, this volume explores the ways in which historical and contemporary events have been repurposed within Star Wars. It focuses on key themes such as fascism and the Galactic Empire, the failures of democracy, the portrayal of warfare, the morality of the Jedi, and the representations of sex, gender, and race. Through these themes, this study highlights the impacts of the fall of the Soviet Union, the War on Terror, and the failures of the United Nations upon the ‘galaxy far, far away’. By analysing and understanding these events and their portrayal within Star Wars, it shows how the most popular media franchise in existence aims to speak about wider contemporary events and issues.
The History and Politics of Star Wars is useful for upper-level undergraduates, postgraduates, and scholars of a variety of disciplines such as transmedia studies, science fiction, cultural studies, and world history and politics in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
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£29.80£34.20 -
The History of The RAF and The Lancaster Bomber
THE HISTORY OF THE RAF AND THE LANCASTER BOMBER celebrates and commemorates over 100 years of the Royal Air Force. With access to rare RAF archives, Mike Lepine uses photographs and documents to bring the story of the people, planes and missions to life as never before. With a special feature on the Lancaster Bomber which took its maiden flight as a prototype in 1941 and flew in battle in 1942. From its genesis in the horrors of the First World War when pilots were open to the elements in craft made of little more than wood and fabric, to the iconic air battles of the Second World War, through to the lifesaving missions carried out in today’s trouble zones, The History of the RAF looks at the men, women and aircraft that are at the heart of this great service.Read more
£13.30£19.00The History of The RAF and The Lancaster Bomber
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The Fourth Force: The Untold Story of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Since 1945
Set up in August 1905, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary was originally a logistic support organization, part of the Navy proper but run on civilian lines, comprising a miscellaneous and very unglamorous collection of colliers, store ships and harbour craft. Just over a century later it has evolved beyond recognition: its ships compare in size, cost and sophistication with all but the largest warships, and the RFA itself has developed into an essential arm of all three Services. It is truly the Fourth Force as it is known to its own personnel and without it, the current worldwide deployment of British service men and women would be simply impossible. This book charts the veritable revolution that has overtaken the RFA since the end of the Second World War. New technology and techniques reflect the rapid growth in the importance of logistics in modern warfare, while the broadening role of the RFA is to be seen in the history of its operations, many of them little known to the public. Woven together from a combination of technical ship data, official correspondence and personal recollections, it is predominantly about the men and women of the RFA and their stories an insight into the underreported history of a service whose initials unofficially translate as Ready For Anything.Read more
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Royal Air Force 100 Technical Innovations Manual 2017 (Haynes Technical Innovations Manual)
On 1 April 2018 the RAF celebrates its centenary, marking 100 years since its creation in 1918 out of the merger of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. The RAF has always been at the forefront of technology, both as an innovator and as a user of innovations. To celebrate the RAF’s first 100 years, Jonathan Falconer showcases a top 100 technical innovations that have been used and/or devised by the Service over the past century, ranging from heated flying suits to radar; and from panel fasteners to the VTOL Harrier.Read more
£7.90£23.80 -
Recreating Titanic and Her Sisters: A Visual History
On the night of 14–15 April 1912, Titanic, a brand-new, supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at the time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The rest perished in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic, and the tragedy has fascinated and perplexed the world ever since.
This stunning book tells the story of not just the Titanic, but also of its sister ships, Olympic and Britannic. Maritime experts J. Kent Layton, Tad Fitch, and Bill Wormstedt tell the stories of these legendary liners with a compelling narrative alongside original artwork from up-and-coming artists, bringing to life the design, construction and service of the ships together with the wrecks of the ill-fated Titanic and Britannic.
From the cold, starry night when Titanic collided with her iceberg to the tragic wartime loss of Britannic and the impressive reliability of the long-lived Olympic, this cinematic and immersive new study captures all of the glory and drama of the Olympic-class age and allows readers to visualise Titanic and her sisters like never before.
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£25.70£38.00Recreating Titanic and Her Sisters: A Visual History
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The Vietnam War: An Intimate History
**The New York Times Bestseller**
**The book of the landmark documentary, The Vietnam War, by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick**The definitive work on the Vietnam War, the conflict that came to define a generation, told from all sides by those who were there.
More than forty years after the Vietnam War ended, its legacy continues to fascinate, horrify and inform us. As the first war to be fought in front of TV cameras and beamed around the world, it has been immortalised on film and on the page, and forever changed the way we think about war.
Drawing on hundreds of brand new interviews, Ken Burns and Geoffrey C. Ward have created the definitive work on Vietnam. It is the first book to show us the war from every perspective: from idealistic US Marines and the families they left behind to the Vietnamese civilians, both North and South, whose homeland was changed for ever; politicians, POWs and anti-war protesters; and the photographers and journalists who risked their lives to tell the truth. The book sends us into the grit and chaos of combat, while also expertly outlining the complex chain of political events that led America to Vietnam.
Beautifully written, this essential work tells the full story without taking sides and reminds us that there is no single truth in war. It is set to redefine our understanding of a brutal conflict, to launch provocative new debates and to shed fresh light on the price paid in ‘blood and bone’ by Vietnamese and Americans alike.
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Empire of the Deep: The Rise and Fall of the British Navy
The bestselling complete history of the British Navy – our national story through a different prism.
The story of our navy is nothing less than the story of Britain, our culture and our empire. Much more than a parade of admirals and their battles, this is the story of how an insignificant island nation conquered the world’s oceans to become its greatest trading empire. Yet, as Ben Wilson shows, there was nothing inevitable about this rise to maritime domination, nor was it ever an easy path.
EMPIRE OF THE DEEP: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BRITISH NAVY also reveals how our naval history has shaped us in more subtle and surprising ways – our language, culture, politics and national character all owe a great debt to this conquest of the seas. This is a gripping, fresh take on our national story.
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£4.30£16.10 -
SAS Survival Guide:The Ultimate guide to surviving anywhere: How to Survive in the Wild, on Land or Sea (Collins Gem)
THE MULTIMILLION COPY BESTSELLER
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SURVIVING ANYWHERE
The Collins Gem SAS Survival Guide is the pocket companion for adventurers everywhere. From making camp and finding food in the wild to security and self-defence in the streets, be prepared on land or sea. SAS legend John ‘Lofty’ Wiseman’s unrivalled guide will teach you:
Preparation – Understanding and assembling latest, most resilient, kit.
Navigation – Skills, technologies and techniques to get you through unfamiliar terrain.
Food and Health – Finding resources in your environment, feeding yourself, healing yourself and avoiding disease.
Safety and Security – Recognising dangerous situations, defending yourself and saving others.
Disaster Survival – Dealing with unstable environmental conditions: what to do in the face of flash flooding or fast-spreading fire.
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£6.20£6.60 -
Winkle: The Extraordinary Life of Britain’s Greatest Pilot
Pre-order the daring life story and astonishing adventures of Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown – Britain’s greatest-ever pilot.Read more
£10.11£10.99 -
On a Knife Edge: How Germany Lost the First World War (Cambridge Military Histories)
Was the outcome of the First World War on a knife edge? In this major new account of German wartime politics and strategy Holger Afflerbach argues that the outcome of the war was actually in the balance until relatively late in the war. Using new evidence from diaries, letters and memoirs, he fundamentally revises our understanding of German strategy from the decision to go to war and the failure of the western offensive to the radicalisation of Germany’s war effort under Hindenburg and Ludendorff and the ultimate collapse of the Central Powers. He uncovers the struggles in wartime Germany between supporters of peace and hardliners who wanted to fight to the finish. He suggests that Germany was not nearly as committed to all-out conquest as previous accounts argue. Numerous German peace advances could have offered the opportunity to end the war before it dragged Europe into the abyss.Read more
£19.00£23.80 -
Raiders from the Sea: The Story of the Special Boat Service in WWII
The Special Boat Service was a small force during World War II, never more than about 300 men. But that did not stop it from inflicting great damage on the enemy. In the Mediterranean arena and in the Aegean, which the Germans controlled after the fall of Greece and Crete, this small commando force kept up a constant campaign of harassment, thus pinning down enemy forces and preventing their joining other fronts. They travelled by night to their targets, using submarines, small surface vessels or canoes, with the commanders of the vessels often putting themselves in danger in order to help the men carry out their dangerous and secret missions. They were reliant on the co-operation of the fiercely independent Greeks and in particular the Cretans, all working together in their common objective against the German invaders. John Lodwick took part in the SBS Mediterranean campaign and writes from personal experience with the panache and verve of the squadron itself. For it is more than the story of the remarkable men who made up the force: men such as Anders Lassen, ‘the Dreadful Dane’ who was awarded a posthumous VC, Fitzroy Maclean, Eric Newby, Jock Lapraik, and Lord Jellicoe, who commanded the squadron for almost two years and who contributed a memorable foreword to this memoir. Strong, determined individuals, together the men of the Special Boat Service formed a deadly, cohesive fighting force which contributed much to the war in the Mediterranean and to whom John Lodwick’s book is an excitingly readable tribute.Read more
£11.60£14.20 -
Spitfire The History Of A Legend
THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN The Supermarine Spitfire was developed by R.J. Mitchell and his team for just one reason to intercept and shoot down enemy bombers from British skies. Lauded by the Chairman of Vickers as a real killer fighter , the Spitfire was so advanced that it proved a huge challenge to the British aviation industry. The project ran so late that it only began to arrive in significant numbers even as the Battle of Britain was beginning. It was during the Battle of Britain in 1940 that the Spitfire became an enduring legend and a symbol of the British fighting spirit, partnering with the Hawker Hurricane to defeat the might of Hitler s Luftwaffe and prevent invasion. From 1942-3 onwards, it would range and fight around the world, from Malta and North Africa to Soviet Russia and Burma, often taking on new roles like ground attack and bomber escort for which it had never been designed. Profusely illustrated with the pick of historic photographs, Spitfire The History of a Legend covers all the significant Marks developed during the Spitfire s operational service, explaining how the aircraft evolved to meet the challenges presented by the war s changing requirements and by the threat of new generations of Luftwaffe fighters. It also includes coverage of fascinating Spitfire variants including the Seafire, Seafang and Spiteful.Read more
£10.80£19.00Spitfire The History Of A Legend
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The Future of War: A History
For as long as there have been wars there have been fears about the next war. Where are the new dangers? What is the best defence? How might peace come about? This is the history of how over the last 150 years we have tried – rightly and wrongly – to predict war’s future.
‘Britain’s leading academic strategist … read this book’ Economist
‘Insightful and opinionated … expertly covers centuries of evolving mayhem’ Gary J. Bass, The New York Times
‘A bonfire of predictions … Freedman’s purpose in this wise book is to discern patterns in the way we have thought about war’s future’ Shashank Joshi, Financial Times
‘It reflects the author’s immense knowledge and wisdom. It should feed our humility, because it reminds us of mankind’s unlimited capacity for folly’ Max Hastings, The Times
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£9.60£10.40The Future of War: A History
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Fred Dibnah’s Victorian Heroes
Fred Dibnah was a man born out of his time. His era should have been the ‘magnificent age of British engineering’ – the nineteenth century – and his heroes were the great industrial engineers of the period whose prolific innovations and dedicated work ethic inspired a national mood of optimism and captured the hearts of the British public.
Fred Dibnah’s Victorian Heroes tells the stories of some of these men – including George and Robert Stephenson, Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Joseph Whitworth – and what it was that made them such inspirational figures to Fred. What were their backgrounds? Where did their drive and vision come from? What sort of people were they at work and at home? And what was their contribution to the history of industry and engineering?
Most of them – like Fred – were colourful, larger-than-life characters for whom no challenge was too great. Taking these fascinating characters as inspiration, Fred Dibnah’s Victorian Heroes gets to the very heart of what allowed nineteenth-century Britannia to rule the waves . . .
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German Fighter Aircraft of World War II: 1939-45 (Technical Guides)
Arranged by type, German Fighter Aircraft of World War II offers a highly illustrated guide to the most important fighters used by the Luftwaffe during the conflict. It features such classics as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Bf 110, the Heinkel He 100D-1 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 187 and Fw 190, as well as curiosities such as the Arado Ar 68F-1, Henschel Hs 123 and Heinkel He 51B biplanes. Late war innovations, such as the jet and rocket powered Me 262, Me 163 and Heinkel He 162, are also included. Most types are represented in numerous variants and with examples drawn from different theatres of the war. The book includes all the major fighters that served in the invasion of Poland, the defeat of France, the Battle of Britain, Operation Barbarossa, the war in the Mediterranean, the fighting on the Eastern Front and the Defence of the Reich. Each featured profile includes authentic markings and colour schemes, while every separate model is accompanied by detailed specifications. Packed with 110 full-colour artworks, German Fighter Aircraft of World War II is a key reference guide for military modellers and World War II enthusiasts.Read more
£13.00£16.10 -
Gold on Blue: A life in the Royal Marines Band Service
This is the story of a fourteen-year-old boy who joined the Royal Naval School of Music at its wartime camp at Burford in Oxfordshire in the late 1940s. He rose through the ranks to spend 6 ½ years as the professional head of the Royal Marines Band Service, retiring shortly before 11 colleagues were killed at Deal by IRA terrorists.It is the story of a life in music. Of voyages in HMS Sheffield, HMS Hermes, the QE2 and theRoyal Yacht Britannia. A life of duty, honour, ceremony and tradition that includes Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, the 1966 World Cup Final and the honeymoon cruise of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales.
This is not a story of one triumph after another. It is the story of someone who, occasionally, was in the right place at the right time. Someone who saw opportunities and embraced them.
Someone who, if he was given the chance, would do it all again.
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£9.50 -
The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy: A Story of Resistance, Courage, and Solidarity in a French Village
The fateful days and weeks surrounding 6 June 1944 have been extensively documented in histories of the Second World War, but less attention has been paid to the tremendous impact of these events on the populations nearby. The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy tells the inspiring yet heartbreaking story of ordinary people who did extraordinary things in defense of liberty and freedom. On D-Day, when transport planes dropped paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions hopelessly off-target into marshy waters in northwestern France, the 900 villagers of Graignes welcomed them with open arms. These villagers – predominantly women – provided food, gathered intelligence, and navigated the floods to retrieve the paratroopers’ equipment at great risk to themselves. When the attack by German forces on 11 June forced the overwhelmed paratroopers to withdraw, many made it to safety thanks to the help and resistance of the villagers. In this moving book, historian Stephen G. Rabe, son of one of the paratroopers, meticulously documents the forgotten lives of those who participated in this integral part of D-Day history.Read more
£14.30£19.00 -
The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945
‘The Ministry of Defence does not comment upon submarine operations’ is the standard response of officialdom to enquiries about the most secretive and mysterious of Britain’s armed forces, the Royal Navy Submarine Service. Written with unprecedented co-operation from the Service itself and privileged access to documents and personnel, The Silent Deep is the first authoritative history of the Submarine Service from the end of the Second World War to the present. It gives the most complete account yet published of the development of Britain’s submarine fleet, its capabilities, its weapons, its infrastructure, its operations and above all – from the testimony of many submariners and the first-hand witness of the authors – what life is like on board for the denizens of the silent deep.
Dramatic episodes are revealed for the first time: how HMS Warspite gathered intelligence against the Soviet Navy’s latest ballistic-missile-carrying submarine in the late 1960s; how HMS Sovereign made what is probably the longest-ever trail of a Soviet (or Russian) submarine in 1978; how HMS Trafalgar followed an exceptionally quiet Soviet ‘Victor III’, probably commanded by a Captain known as ‘the Prince of Darkness’, in 1986. It also includes the first full account of submarine activities during the Falklands War. But it was not all victories: confrontations with Soviet submarines led to collisions, and the extent of losses to UK and NATO submarine technology from Cold War spy scandals are also made more plain here than ever before.
In 1990 the Cold War ended – but not for the Submarine Service. Since June 1969, it has been the last line of national defence, with the awesome responsibility of carrying Britain’s nuclear deterrent. The story from Polaris to Trident – and now ‘Successor’ – is a central theme of the book. In the year that it is published, Russian submarines have once again been detected off the UK’s shores. As Britain comes to decide whether to renew its submarine-carried nuclear deterrent, The Silent Deep provides an essential historical perspective.
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£17.10£19.00 -
The Last of the Windjammers: v. 2
The second volume embraces the period 1888-1928, forty hard years for the Windjammer. Mr. Lubbock’s virile pen draws wonderful word-pictures of the Last Boom in Sail · The Limejuicers of 1888-89 · The Carriers of the Nineties · The Square Riggers of the Twent eth Century, and so on. He has something to say on the Art of Handling Sail, the unique City of Hankow, Monster Sailing Ships, the capsizing of the Lodore and Blairmore, the naming of Masts, Law’s “Shires”, queer rigs, the wonderful Lancing, the Ports of the World, Weir’s “Banks”, Lost Arts of the Seaman, Clink’s Slowcoaches Shire Line, Captains, the “Glens”, German, Argentine, Norwegian, French, Belgian, Finnish and Danish Training Ships, The Reef Topsail Voice, and so on.Read more
£29.70 -
Hitler’s Soldiers: The German Army in the Third Reich
A penetrating study of the German army’s military campaigns, relations with the Nazi regime, and complicity in Nazi crimes across occupied EuropeFor decades after 1945, it was generally believed that the German army, professional and morally decent, had largely stood apart from the SS, Gestapo, and other corps of the Nazi machine. Ben Shepherd draws on a wealth of primary sources and recent scholarship to convey a much darker, more complex picture. For the first time, the German army is examined throughout the Second World War, across all combat theaters and occupied regions, and from multiple perspectives: its battle performance, social composition, relationship with the Nazi state, and involvement in war crimes and military occupation.
This was a true people’s army, drawn from across German society and reflecting that society as it existed under the Nazis. Without the army and its conquests abroad, Shepherd explains, the Nazi regime could not have perpetrated its crimes against Jews, prisoners of war, and civilians in occupied countries. The author examines how the army was complicit in these crimes and why some soldiers, units, and higher commands were more complicit than others. Shepherd also reveals the reasons for the army’s early battlefield successes and its mounting defeats up to 1945, the latter due not only to Allied superiority and Hitler’s mismanagement as commander-in-chief, but also to the failings―moral, political, economic, strategic, and operational―of the army’s own leadership.Read more
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Royal Marines Commandos
The Royal Marines were originally formed under the auspices of the Royal Navy to guard its sailing ships from harm. They are proud of their history and origins but the Navy heritage is fading. John Parker charts how the units have moved away from their nautical beginnings to develop, over time, into the most versatile force in the British military, containing one of their most elite brigades.
The Royal Marines Commandos have, over the past few years, developed into the premier fighting organisation on land, sea and air. This history deals with events associated with the Royal Marines and subsequently in their commando role, starring in all major conflicts including Italy, Malaysia, the Borneo confrontation with Indonesia, and more recently Afghanistan.Read more
£9.20£10.40Royal Marines Commandos
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ROYAL NAVY HANDBOOK
The ‘Royal Navy Handbook’ provides the only official definitive guide to the structure of the Royal Navy of today and the future. From the Strategic defence forces of the Vanguard class of SSBNs, through the surface and submarine fleet, including the details of proposed new carriers, destroyers and submarines, to maritime airpower and the Rapid Deployment forces, the Royal Marines Commandos, to the vital Support forces of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Marine services and shore naval bases, this is the complete work of reference for enthusiasts and professionals alike. Every class of ship, aircraft and vehicle is included with a brief background, complete specifications and a colour illustration. The guide also includes details of the future procurement plans of the Royal Navy, a section on the historic ships of the navy, including HMS Victory and Belfast and a complete list of RN and RFA pennant numbers.Read more
£0.30ROYAL NAVY HANDBOOK
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Ships of the Royal Navy: The Complete Record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present FULLY UPDATED AND EXPANDED
This is the fifth fully revised edition of a book first published in 1970. This longevity is testimony to its enduring value as a reference work indeed, Colledge (as it is universally known) is still the first stop for anyone wanting more information on any British warship from the fifteenth century to the present day when only the name is known. Each entry gives concise details of dimensions, armament and service dates, and its alphabetical and chronological arrangement makes it easy to track down the right ship (otherwise the Royal Navy s tradition of re-using the same names can be misleading). This new 5th edition contains some 200 new entries and revisions to many older entries. These reflect the demise of the post-Cold War ships as the Royal Navy was shrunk down as part of the peace dividend, and successive defence reviews saw the loss of significant ships classes such as the Type 42 destroyers, Type 22 frigates and the Illustrious class carriers. It is now being re-equipped in the face of new global challenges and has seen the introduction of the Queen Elizabeth class carriers, the largest ships ever built for the RN; the Type 45 destroyers; and Type 26 frigates and new patrol ships which will take on more global policing roles. Submarines should not be forgotten and the Cold War S class and T class are being replaced by the Astute class submarines, and the deterrent role, presently undertaken by the Vanguard class, is to be carried forward by the Dreadnought class submarines. Also included are the new RFAs which are increasingly taking on frontline operations to release the small number of escorts to more combative roles. In addition, there are updates to the Royal Australian, Canadian and New Zealand navies which have programmes to introduce new destroyers, Arctic patrol vessels, submarines and support ships. Since the death of Jim Colledge, who was widely respected for his pioneering research on the technical details of warships, his magnum opus has been updated, corrected and expanded with similar enthusiasm and attention to detail by Ben Warlow, a retired naval officer and author of a number of books in the field. Some press comments: A unique reference book which is the automatic starting point of research on Royal Navy ships. Lloyd s List This quite invaluable reference tool The Mariner s Mirror The book is absolutely essential in every naval historian s library. Warship WorldRead more
£20.00£23.80 -
DEFENDU: Scientific Self-Defence
The Fairbairn’s system was based on his training and knowledge in boxing, wrestling, savate, jujutsu, judo and fights he was involved in during his police work, Fairbairn began to develop his own system of hand to hand combat, initially referring it as Defendu. It was designed to be simple to learn and to provide effective results. Fairbairn published his book, Defendu, in 1926[2] (reprinted as Scientific Self Defence in 1931), illustrating this method and it is here that the term Defendu first appeared This confused early readers of the book, who assumed that the techniques within had been based mainly in the Eastern martial arts that Fairbairn had learned. Thus, in an attempt to highlight the originality of Fairbairn’s material, the term did not appear in the 1931 edition of the book. Fairbairn was called upon by the British to help train and riot control. The original Defendu was oriented towards self-defence and Allied troops in World War II. Fairbairn and others expanded on this system to create the Close Quarters Combat system that was then taught to the troops. This system was built on Defendu, but modified for military applications, rather than policerestraint, while the Close Quarters Combat system concentrated on rapid disabling of an opponent, with potentially lethal force. The militarised version of Defendu is described in the military manual All in fighting 1942, used as a supplement during WW2 CQB-training. This book was later published in a civilian edition, missing the chapters on bayonet-fighting and rifle sighting, under the name Get Tough! How To Win In Hand-To-Hand Fighting. As Taught To The British Commandos And The U.S. Armed Forces.Read more
£7.60 -
The Wager
*LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BALLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION*‘The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail… one of the finest nonfiction books I’ve ever read’ Guardian
‘The greatest sea story ever told’ Spectator
‘A cracking yarn… Grann’s taste for desperate predicaments finds its fullest expression here’ Observer
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER
From the international bestselling author of KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON and THE LOST CITY OF Z, a mesmerising story of shipwreck, mutiny and murder, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth.
On 28th January 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon, the Wager was wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The crew, marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing 2,500 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.
Then, six months later, another, even more decrepit, craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways and they had a very different story to tell. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes – they were mutineers. The first group responded with counter-charges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous captain and his henchmen. While stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death—for whomever the court found guilty could hang.
Read more
£14.30£19.00The Wager
£14.30£19.00 -
Space: A thrilling human history by Britain’s beloved astronaut Tim Peake
*OUT NOW* From bestselling author and British astronaut Tim Peake, an inspirational human history of space travel, from the Apollo missions to our future forays to Mars. The Right Stuff for a new generation.
‘This book is brilliant – once in a blue moon. A book for the whole family.’ Chris Evans, Virgin Radio
‘An extraordinary book. For anyone – even if you’re not interested in Space. If you’re interested in human stories and the human character – this is delightful.’ BBC Breakfast
‘A fascinating, detailed, playful book drawn from extensive research – Peake met seven Apollo astronauts, Russian cosmonauts and various other space technicians – as well as his considerable personal experience. Lifts the lid on what space is like: the dedication and sacrifice; the politics and pantomime; the practicalities and the peril; the glory and fame; the adjustment back to normal life.’ iPaper
‘A thrilling human history of space’ Daily Mirror
‘The bible of space travel’ Chris Moyles, Radio X
As seen in the major TV series Secrets of Our Universe with Tim Peake.
Only 628 people in human history have left Earth. This is their story.
Astronaut Tim Peake traces the lives of the remarkable men and women who have forged the way for humanity beyond Earth, from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong, from Valentina Tereshkova to Peggy Whitson.
Full of fascinating insight into our greatest pioneers and unsung heroes, and astonishing detail only an astronaut would know, Peake’s book is the first of its kind to chronicle the human evolution of space exploration over sixty years, from our first forays to now. In the process, Peake reveals what spaceflight is really like: the wondrous view of Earth, the surreal weightlessness, the extraordinary danger, the surprising humdrum, the unexpected humour, the new-found perspective, the years of training, the psychological pressures, the gruelling physical toll, the thrill of launch and the trepidation of re-entry.
In the next few years, NASA will send the first woman and the first person of colour to step on the lunar surface. What will separate these upcoming moonwalkers from the legendary Apollo crews? Does it still take a derring-do attitude, super-human fitness, intelligence, plus ‘the right stuff’ – a fabled grace under pressure? And how will astronauts travel even further – to Mars and beyond?
Space: The Human Story reveals all.
‘Space enthusiasts will snap up Peake’s compelling book in their droves, but his account of courage,
camaraderie and the determination to go where few have gone before deserves to be read by a much wider audience too’ – Daily ExpressRead more
£10.50£20.90 -
Space: A thrilling human history by Britain’s beloved astronaut Tim Peake
*OUT NOW* From bestselling author and British astronaut Tim Peake, an inspirational human history of space travel, from the Apollo missions to our future forays to Mars. The Right Stuff for a new generation.
‘This book is brilliant – once in a blue moon. A book for the whole family.’ Chris Evans, Virgin Radio
‘An extraordinary book. For anyone – even if you’re not interested in Space. If you’re interested in human stories and the human character – this is delightful.’ BBC Breakfast
‘A fascinating, detailed, playful book drawn from extensive research – Peake met seven Apollo astronauts, Russian cosmonauts and various other space technicians – as well as his considerable personal experience. Lifts the lid on what space is like: the dedication and sacrifice; the politics and pantomime; the practicalities and the peril; the glory and fame; the adjustment back to normal life.’ iPaper
‘A thrilling human history of space’ Daily Mirror
‘The bible of space travel’ Chris Moyles, Radio X
As seen in the major TV series Secrets of Our Universe with Tim Peake.
Only 628 people in human history have left Earth. This is their story.
Astronaut Tim Peake traces the lives of the remarkable men and women who have forged the way for humanity beyond Earth, from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong, from Valentina Tereshkova to Peggy Whitson.
Full of fascinating insight into our greatest pioneers and unsung heroes, and astonishing detail only an astronaut would know, Peake’s book is the first of its kind to chronicle the human evolution of space exploration over sixty years, from our first forays to now. In the process, Peake reveals what spaceflight is really like: the wondrous view of Earth, the surreal weightlessness, the extraordinary danger, the surprising humdrum, the unexpected humour, the new-found perspective, the years of training, the psychological pressures, the gruelling physical toll, the thrill of launch and the trepidation of re-entry.
In the next few years, NASA will send the first woman and the first person of colour to step on the lunar surface. What will separate these upcoming moonwalkers from the legendary Apollo crews? Does it still take a derring-do attitude, super-human fitness, intelligence, plus ‘the right stuff’ – a fabled grace under pressure? And how will astronauts travel even further – to Mars and beyond?
Space: The Human Story reveals all.
‘Space enthusiasts will snap up Peake’s compelling book in their droves, but his account of courage,
camaraderie and the determination to go where few have gone before deserves to be read by a much wider audience too’ – Daily ExpressRead more
£10.50£20.90 -
Space: A thrilling human history by Britain’s beloved astronaut Tim Peake
*OUT NOW* From bestselling author and British astronaut Tim Peake, an inspirational human history of space travel, from the Apollo missions to our future forays to Mars. The Right Stuff for a new generation.
‘This book is brilliant – once in a blue moon. A book for the whole family.’ Chris Evans, Virgin Radio
‘An extraordinary book. For anyone – even if you’re not interested in Space. If you’re interested in human stories and the human character – this is delightful.’ BBC Breakfast
‘A fascinating, detailed, playful book drawn from extensive research – Peake met seven Apollo astronauts, Russian cosmonauts and various other space technicians – as well as his considerable personal experience. Lifts the lid on what space is like: the dedication and sacrifice; the politics and pantomime; the practicalities and the peril; the glory and fame; the adjustment back to normal life.’ iPaper
‘A thrilling human history of space’ Daily Mirror
‘The bible of space travel’ Chris Moyles, Radio X
As seen in the major TV series Secrets of Our Universe with Tim Peake.
Only 628 people in human history have left Earth. This is their story.
Astronaut Tim Peake traces the lives of the remarkable men and women who have forged the way for humanity beyond Earth, from Yuri Gagarin to Neil Armstrong, from Valentina Tereshkova to Peggy Whitson.
Full of fascinating insight into our greatest pioneers and unsung heroes, and astonishing detail only an astronaut would know, Peake’s book is the first of its kind to chronicle the human evolution of space exploration over sixty years, from our first forays to now. In the process, Peake reveals what spaceflight is really like: the wondrous view of Earth, the surreal weightlessness, the extraordinary danger, the surprising humdrum, the unexpected humour, the new-found perspective, the years of training, the psychological pressures, the gruelling physical toll, the thrill of launch and the trepidation of re-entry.
In the next few years, NASA will send the first woman and the first person of colour to step on the lunar surface. What will separate these upcoming moonwalkers from the legendary Apollo crews? Does it still take a derring-do attitude, super-human fitness, intelligence, plus ‘the right stuff’ – a fabled grace under pressure? And how will astronauts travel even further – to Mars and beyond?
Space: The Human Story reveals all.
‘Space enthusiasts will snap up Peake’s compelling book in their droves, but his account of courage,
camaraderie and the determination to go where few have gone before deserves to be read by a much wider audience too’ – Daily ExpressRead more
£9.99 -
The Wager
‘The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail… one of the finest nonfiction books I’ve ever read’ Guardian‘The greatest sea story ever told’ Spectator
‘A cracking yarn… Grann’s taste for desperate predicaments finds its fullest expression here’ Observer
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER
From the international bestselling author of KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON and THE LOST CITY OF Z, a mesmerising story of shipwreck, mutiny and murder, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth.
On 28th January 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon, the Wager was wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The crew, marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing 2,500 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.
Then, six months later, another, even more decrepit, craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways and they had a very different story to tell. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes – they were mutineers. The first group responded with counter-charges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous captain and his henchmen. While stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death—for whomever the court found guilty could hang.
Read more
£9.60£10.40The Wager
£9.60£10.40 -
The Royal Marines: 1664 to the present: History of the Royal Marines 1664-2000
A unique Corps, recruited as soldiers but trained to serve at sea, the Royal Marines are the recognized experts in amphibious warfare, possessors of an invaluable combination of military and naval skills. Despite their ability to survive the most hostile environments, however, the institutional survival of the Royal Marines has often been in doubt. Their curious existence, between land and sea services, has placed them in danger of disbandment by those anxious to cut defence costs. They have survived by their willingness to undertake almost any job – as the first garrison of Australia, ship’s butchers, immaculate naval bandsmen – and do it better than anyone else. Always at the forefront, they trained as fusiliers, with flintlock muskets when other infantry still carried matchlocks. Marines made the first heli-borne assault at Suez in 1956 and in the 1960s switched overnight from jungle warfare to duty in Arctic waters.
This absorbing book, revealing the story behind the Marines’ historical fortitude and gallantry, is published to tie in with the bi-centenary of the service receiving the distinction ‘Royal’, and with the twentieth anniversary of the Falklands War.
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£5.30 -
The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In
A popular history of the Arab invasions that carved out an empire from Spain to China
Today’s Arab world was created at breathtaking speed. Whereas the Roman Empire took over 200 years to reach its fullest extent, the Arab armies overran the whole Middle East, North Africa and Spain within a generation. They annihilated the thousand-year-old Persian Empire and reduced the Byzantine Empire to little more than a city-state based around Constantinople. Within a hundred years of the Prophet’s death, Muslim armies destroyed the Visigoth kingdom of Spain, and crossed the Pyrenees to occupy southern France.
This is the first popular English language account of this astonishing remaking of the political and religious map of the world. Hugh Kennedy’s sweeping narrative reveals how the Arab armies conquered almost everything in their path. One of the few academic historians with a genuine talent for story telling, he offers a compelling mix of larger-than-life characters, battles, treachery and the clash of civilizations.
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£12.90£14.20 -
The Pussers Cook Book: Traditional Royal Navy recipes
This is the revised and updated edition of The Pussers Cook Book- recipes
- Dits
- tidbits
- facts
- memoriesThe Pussers Cook Book contains many of the most popular and loved traditional dishes served in the Royal Navy’s Galleys from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s.
Some of these dishes are being served on the ships and shore bases of today’s modern navy, although some have been slightly altered and others given, let’s say, more politically correct names.
Woven between the recipes in this book are true facts and tidbits about the food, the cooks and general life aboard ship.
Along with the recipes, this book aims to preserve a segment of British history, Royal Navy social history, which is fading all too quickly and would otherwise be lost in the grey sea-mists of oblivion.
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£14.00
