Military History
-
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 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
Read more
£9.60£10.40The Future of War: A History
£9.60£10.40 -
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 Armchair General World War One: Can You Win The Great War? (The Armchair General, 2)
‘The Armchair General team has done it again. An absorbing read for Christmas.’
Peter Caddick-Adams‘Brilliant and immersive.’
Harry SidebottomThe second book in the Armchair General series, where YOU choose the fate of the First World War
________________________________
HISTORY IS WRITTEN BY THE VICTORS. WILL IT BE YOU?
TAKE THE HOTSEAT
Assume the role of real historic decision-makers: general, leaders, soldiers and intelligence officers of the Allied Forces during World War I.EXAMINE THE INTELLIGENCE
Explore eight key moments from the First World War, using real contemporaneous intelligence: including the July Crisis, the Battle of the Somme, and the Russian Revolution.CONSIDER THE SCENARIO & MAKE YOUR DECISION
From battlefields to the Royal Courts, each tactical and strategic decision you make leads to a different outcome.Will you follow the path of the past – or shape a new history…?
________________________________PRAISE FOR THE ARMCHAIR GENERAL SERIES
‘An original and exciting approach…The Armchair General adds enormously to our understanding of the conflicts’ JAMES HOLLAND
‘A reminder that history is a never ending now, a relentless and endless present that comes without the luxury of hindsight’ AL MURRAY
‘Wonderfully original…putting readers at the heart of the decision-making process and allowing them, literally, to change the course of history. This is counterfactual history at its very best’ SAUL DAVID
Read more
£9.50£18.00 -
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.
Read more
£9.50 -
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.
Read more
£9.50 -
The Complete Royal Air Force DAA (Defence Aptitude Assessment) Study Guide: With 140+ Official Style Practice Questions & Answers – Pass the RAF or Royal Navy DAA & Get Your…
What the successful DAA students who score highly first-time know, that maybe you don’t?
Are you keen to get into your desired Royal Air Force (RAF) or Royal Navy (RN) branch as soon as possible?
In order to land your dream job, serve the country, earn & save money, and begin the adventure of a lifetime?
We want to make that dream come true for you…
Yet sadly, you are directly competing against your fellow recruits in the exam – and you should aim to get into the top percentile of test takers, to ensure you get into the job role of your choice.
It’s not an easy assessment, but we’ve learned that low DAA scores are mostly down to a lack of preparation and a lack of understanding of the examined content.
We’ve provided all the up-to-date information you must know, as well as 140+ comprehensive practice questions and answers – to ensure you go into your Defence Aptitude Assessment feeling confident. Students who use our book increase their chances of passing first-time will by more than 80 percent.
Here’s exactly what you’ll be getting inside this study guide:
- Up-to-date content written by former military recruiters, for future RAF/RN personnel.
- Detailed chapters on all 6 aspects (Work Rate, Numerical Reasoning, Spatial Reasoning, Verbal Reasoning, Electrical & Mechanical Comprehension) and more!
- Over 140 hand-curated & never-seen-before practice questions that mirror the difficulty of the official assessment.
- Answers are given at the back of the book, so there’s no chance of you (or your child) cheating.
- Key information on how and where to take your DAA.
- Valuable tips for mastering each individual section
- Details on scoring, results & retakes…
- And so much more!
So, no matter whether you need practice and guidance with Work Rate or Numerical Reasoning – our highly-anticipated study guide will help you pass the Defense Aptitude Assessment faster and with real confidence – on your next attempt. So, if you want to pass your exam first time…
Scroll up and click “Add to Basket” now!
Read more
£9.50 -
Napoleon’s Cavalry, Artillery and Technical Corps 1799–1815: History, Organization and Equipment
The French Army of Napoleon could count on a brilliant mounted arm, consisting of three main types of cavalry: heavy, medium and light. The first, consisting of carabiniers and cuirassiers, was tasked with conducting frontal charges; the second, consisting of dragoons and lancers, could perform a variety of different duties; the third, consisting of hussars and mounted chasseurs, was tasked with scouting and skirmishing. The various regiments were all dressed in flamboyant uniforms and distinctive equipment. Perhaps more than any other troops they encapsulated the dash and glamour of Napoleonic warfare.Napoleon started his military career as an artillery officer and thus always paid great attention to the quality of his army’s artillery, which consisted of both foot and horse units. Several of Bonaparte’s greatest victories were achieved thanks to the superiority of his artillery, which was with undoubtedly the best in Europe during the period 1799-1815. In addition to cavalry and artillery, the author also covers the minor ‘technical corps’ of Napoleon’s army, such as the engineers and supply train. All are beautifully illustrated by the many color plates in this book, and their organization, equipment and tactics described.
Read more
£9.50 -
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
£9.20£10.40 -
World War Two: 500 Interesting Facts About Major Events, Battles, and People (Curious Histories Collection)
Uncover the fascinating history of World War Two with 500 interesting facts!From the invasion of Poland to V-J Day, this book is your definitive guide to understanding this historical event. Gain insight into pivotal battles, such as Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Stalingrad. Learn about the weapons and technologies used in the battles and discover how women played a significant role during wartime. Unearth meaningful resistance movements and explore the legacies of WWII.
You are in for an exciting ride, so buckle in!
Delve deep into history with chapters including:
- The outbreak of WWII
- Battle of Britain
- Attack on Pearl Harbor
- Battle of Stalingrad
- Japanese American Internment
- And so much more!
This book is a must-have for anyone looking to gain an in-depth understanding of one of history’s most defining moments. Get your copy today, and explore 500 interesting facts about World War Two!
Read more
£8.90 -
Voices of The Battle of Britain 80th Anniversary 1940 – 2020
It was a crucial moment of WW2. 1940. The Royal Air Force, virtually alone, defended the skies of Britain against massed formations of German bombers. They put up such a ferocious defence that Hitler gave up ideas of invading Britain and turned his attention to an assault on the Soviet Union. Of those pilots who courageously flew their Spitfires and Hurricanes against the Luftwaffe barely a handful remain. However the authors have interviewed no less than eighteen survivors and it is their memories and anecdotes that make this book unique. Highly illustrated throughout with rarely seen images, Voices of The Battle of Britain is packed with great stories of aerial combat and being shot down, of the classic fighters that they flew and fought in and against, of making and losing friends and colleagues; of a strained social life in the midst of battle; and, most of all, of standing steadfast in the face of overwhelming odds. It is coupled with an authoritative and lively narrative.Read more
£8.80£19.00 -
D-Day Through German Eyes: How the Wehrmacht Lost France
Everyone is familiar with the story of D-Day and the triumphal liberation of France by the Allies: a barbaric enemy was defeated by Allied ingenuity, courage and overwhelming military force, helped by dreadful German command errors and the terrible state of Wehrmacht forces in the West – but is this all true? The Wehrmacht was hugely experienced, equipped with some of the best weaponry of the war and was holding its own in Italy and Russia at the time. Berlin knew the invasion was coming and had had years to prepare for it. So how did the Germans view the impending invasion and campaign, did they feel ready, what forces did they have and could they have done better? Previous histories have focused on the ‘clash of the generals’; the battle between von Runstedt and Eisenhower, Montgomery and Rommel, but on the German side in particular this was a battle that would be fought by divisional and regimental commanders; the ‘German D-Day colonels’ upon whom the real business of trying to defeat the invasion fell – it was they and their men, outnumbered and outgunned, who somehow held Normandy for ten whole weeks against the greatest seaborne invasion force ever assembled, and occasionally even came close to defeating it. In the end they lost, and the majority of these unsung leaders ended up killed, wounded or captured in the fighting. As for their men, they ranged from élite Waffen-SS stormtroopers through to bewildered teenagers, old men, ‘recycled’ invalids and even anti-communist Eastern legions. Written from the ‘other side’ and told through the words of the veterans, this book is a revelation.Read more
£8.70£9.50 -
Born For War: One SAS Trooper’s Extraordinary Account of the Falklands
‘A no holdout account of the Falklands War from a man who was in the fight.’ Andy McNab
Tony Hoare always knew he wanted to be in the SAS and so, after working his way through the ranks, he passed arduous SAS selection in 1978.
Less than four years later, Tony and his team were sent to the Falklands, just off the coast of Argentina, where tensions were rising and war was on the horizon. Nothing could have prepared him for what happened over the course of the next 12 weeks, as the Falkland Islands became a battleground between the British and Argentinians. As helicopters crashed and ships sank, Tony battled across treacherous terrain to help reclaim the islands from a fearsome enemy.
This is a thrilling account of the Falklands from a trooper who saw it all.
Read more
£8.70£9.50 -
The 21 Escapes of Lt Alastair Cram: A Compelling Story of Courage and Endurance in the Second World War
A genuinely new Second World War story, The 21 Escapes of Lt Alastair Cram by David M. Guss is a riveting account of the wartime exploits of the Scotsman. It is a tale of courage in the face of extraordinary odds and a testament to one man’s dogged determination never to give up.
‘The greatest serial escaper of the Second World War’ – The Times
‘Endlessly fascinating. Cram’s story sizzles with adventure’ – Giles Milton, Sunday Times
In November 1941 Lt Alastair Cram was taken prisoner in North Africa as a devastating tank battle unfolded as Operation Crusader struggled to relieve Tobruk. His capture began a four year-long odyssey as he passed through twelve different POW camps, three Gestapo prisons and one asylum. Determined to regain his freedom, he became a serial escapee fleeing his captors no fewer than twenty-one times.
The most dramatic of these attempts was from Gavi, the ‘Italian Colditz’. This maximum-security prison built inside a thousand year old stone fortress was for the pericolosi, those classified as the ‘most dangerous’ prisoners due to their unrelenting desire to escape. It was here that Alastair met David Stirling, the legendary founder of the SAS, and cooked up the plan for the ‘Cistern Tunnel’, one of the most audacious but little-known mass escape attempts of the entire war.
______________‘Fascinating’ – Daily Express
‘An enthralling portrait of true courage’ Sunday Express S Magazine
Read more
£8.70£9.50 -
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.
Read more
£8.50£9.40 -
Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921
‘A masterpiece of history’
DAILY TELEGRAPHBetween 1917 and 1921 a devastating struggle took place in Russia following the collapse of the Tsarist empire. Many regard this savage civil war as the most influential event of the modern era. An incompatible White alliance of moderate socialists and reactionary monarchists stood little chance against Trotsky’s Red Army and Lenin’s single-minded Communist dictatorship. Terror begat terror, which in turn led to even greater cruelty with man’s inhumanity to man, woman and child. The struggle became a world war by proxy as Churchill deployed weaponry and troops from the British empire, while armed forces from the United States, France, Italy, Japan, Poland and Czechoslovakia played rival parts.
Using the most up to date scholarship and archival research, Antony Beevor, author of the acclaimed international bestseller Stalingrad, assembles the complete picture in a gripping narrative that conveys the conflict through the eyes of everyone from the worker on the streets of Petrograd to the cavalry officer on the battlefield and the woman doctor in an improvised hospital.
Read more
£8.40£10.40Russia: Revolution and Civil War 1917-1921
£8.40£10.40 -
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 -
St Helens Pals War Diary
The Great War Diary of the St Helens Pals, the 11th Battalion South Lancashire Regiment, following their journey through France and Flanders from 1914 to 1918.Read more
£7.60St Helens Pals War Diary
£7.60 -
Short History of War
A wonderfully engaging, accessible introduction to war, from ancient times to the present and into the futureThroughout history, warfare has transformed social, political, cultural, and religious aspects of our lives. We tell tales of wars—past, present, and future—to create and reinforce a common purpose.
In this engaging overview, Jeremy Black examines war as a global phenomenon, looking at the First and Second World Wars as well as those ranging from Han China and Assyria, Imperial Rome, and Napoleonic France to Vietnam and Afghanistan. Black explores too the significance of warfare more broadly and the ways in which cultural understandings of conflict have lasting consequences in societies across the world. Weaponry, Black argues, has had a fundamental impact on modes of war: it created war in the air and transformed it at sea. Today, as twentieth-century weapons are challenged by drones and robotics, Black examines what the future of warfare looks like.Read more
£7.60£14.20Short History of War
£7.60£14.20 -
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 First World War: A New History
A brilliant and penetrating new history of the First World War by one of the world’s foremost experts on the conflict. Reissued with a new introduction from the author.Hew Strachan is one of the world’s foremost experts on the Great War of 1914-18. His on-going three-volume history of the conflict, the first of which was published in 2001, is likely to become the standard academic reference work: Max Hastings called it ‘one of the most impressive books of modern history in a generation’, while Richard Holmes hailed it as a ‘towering achievement’.
Now, Hew Strachan brings his immense knowledge to a one-volume work aimed squarely at the general reader. The inspiration behind the major Channel 4 series of the same name, to which Hew was chief consultant, THE FIRST WORLD WAR is a significant addition to the literature on this subject, taking as it does a uniquely global view of what is often misconceived as a prolonged skirmish on the Western Front. Exploring such theatres as the Balkans, Africa and the Ottoman Empire, Strachan assesses Britain’s participation in the light of what became a struggle for the defence of liberalism, and show how the war shaped the ‘short’ twentieth century that followed it.
Accessible, compelling and utterly convincing, this is modern history writing at its finest.
Read more
£7.30£10.40The First World War: A New History
£7.30£10.40 -
A History of War Surgery
Since antiquity, war surgery has been a profession demanding a special kind of human: one able to face seemingly insurmountable problems; one able to keep a lucid mind and steady hands in extraordinary circumstances; one able to shoulder tremendous burdens; and one able to harden himself or herself, time and again, to failure and self-doubt. It is, and always has been, a harrowing business, and only for the brave. Dr John Wright charts the evolution of war surgery from ancient times to the present day, investigating its breakthroughs, its pitfalls, and the people and conflicts that have shaped it. But above all, this is a personal history, calling on the first-hand accounts of the surgeons, soldiers, medics, nurses, stretcher-bearers, and many others who have served in battle and come face-to-face with its most appalling horrors. This is not a book for the faint-hearted. It is one that searches for and delivers the truth about those who, with unerring skill, courage and determination, endeavour to undo the terrible damage we habitually inflict upon ourselves.Read more
£7.30A History of War Surgery
£7.30 -
Burma ’44: The Battle That Turned Britain’s War in the East
‘A thrilling blow-by-blow account’ The Times
‘A first-rate popular history of a fascinating and neglected battle… a veritable page-turner’ BBC HistoryIn February 1944, a rag-tag collection of clerks, drivers, doctors, muleteers, and other base troops, stiffened by a few dogged Yorkshiremen and a handful of tank crews managed to hold out against some of the finest infantry in the Japanese Army, and then defeat them in what was one of the most astonishing battles of the Second World War.
What became know as The Defence of the Admin Box, fought amongst the paddy fields and jungle of Northern Arakan over a fifteen-day period, turned the battle for Burma. Not only was it the first decisive victory for British troops against the Japanese, more significantly, it demonstrated how the Japanese could be defeated. The lessons learned in this tiny and otherwise insignificant corner of the Far East, set up the campaign in Burma that would follow, as General Slim’s Fourteenth Army finally turned defeat into victory.
Burma ’44 is a tale of incredible drama. As gripping as the story of Rorke’s drift, as momentous as the battle for the Ardennes, the Admin Box was a triumph of human grit and heroism and remains one of the most significant yet undervalued conflicts of World War Two.
The new, sweeping World War II book from James Holland, THE SAVAGE STORM, is available for pre-order now.
Read more
£7.30£10.40 -
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 -
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 -
If You Survive (Ivy Books World War II/Nonfiction): From Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to the End of World War II, One American Officer’s Riveting True Story
“If you survive your first day, I’ll promote you.”So promised George Wilson’s World War II commanding officer in the hedgerows of Normandy — and it was to be a promise dramatically fulfilled. From July, 1944, to the closing days of the war, from the first penetration of the Siegfried Line to the Nazis’ last desperate charge in the Battle of the Bulge, Wilson fought in the thickest of the action, helping take the small towns of northern France and Belgium building by building.
Of all the men and officers who started out in Company F of the 4th Infantry Division with him, Wilson was the only one who finished. In the end, he felt not like a conqueror or a victor, but an exhausted survivor, left with nothing but his life — and his emotions.
If You Survive
One of the great first-person accounts of the making of a combat veteran, in the last, most violent months of World War II.
Read more
£6.50£7.10 -
Modern Warfare: A Lowy Institute Paper: Penguin Special: Lessons from Ukraine
“More than any other modern war, the fight between Russia and Ukraine has been a tough testing ground for modern weapons and operational concepts. Drawing on extensive research into the conduct of the war during its first year, Sir Lawrence Freedman assesses the contrasting strategies of the two sides. Ukraine has fought along classical lines, seeking victory through battle. Russia has adopted a more total approach, combining conventional battles with attacks on Ukraine’s socio-economic structure. Freedman explains why the apparently superior Russian force has been unable to defeat and subjugate Ukraine.”Read more
£6.50£6.99 -
The Vietnam War: 1956–75 (Essential Histories)
In this fully illustrated introduction, leading Vietnam War historian Dr Andrew Wiest provides a concise overview of America’s most divisive war.America entered the Vietnam War certain of its Cold War doctrines and convinced of its moral mission to save the world from the advance of communism. However, the war was not at all what the United States expected. Dr Andrew Wiest examines how, outnumbered and outgunned, the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces resorted to a guerrilla war based on the theories of Mao Zedong of China, while the US responded with firepower and overwhelming force. Drawing on the latest research for this new edition, Wiest examines the brutal and prolonged resultant conflict, and how its consequences would change America forever, leaving the country battered and unsure as it sought to face the challenges of the final acts of the Cold War. As for Vietnam, the conflict would continue long after the US had exited its military adventure in Southeast Asia.
Updated and revised, with full-colour maps and new images throughout, this is an accessible introduction to the most important event of the “American Century.”
Read more
£6.40 -
Royal Marine Commando Funny Slang Notebook 100 Page 6×9 Matte Blank Lined
Royal Marine Commando Lined Notebook 100 page 6×9 featuring funny slang front cover and RM logo/cap badge on the internal pages.Printed on high quality white lined paper.
Read more
£6.20 -
Royal Marine 6×9 High Quality Notebook Gift Commando Matte 100 Page Lined Terram
High Quality Royal Marine Notebook, 100 pages of lined white paper each bearing the RM logo.Perfect gift for any serving or ex marine. Ideal gift for him, her or them.
Read more
£6.20 -
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.
Read more
£6.20£6.60 -
Aircraft and Aviation Stamps: A Collector’s Guide (Transport Philately Series)
The author has combined his two greatest interests: Transport and Stamp Collecting and brought them together in this series of books looking at the way postage stamps have led him to increase his knowledge of our world via his interest in all forms of transport world-wide. Philately (the collecting of stamps) itself is a fascinating hobby looking at the development of postal services in all its forms, designs of stamps that have evolved the Victorian Penny-Black to today’s creations, often artistic but dependant more and more on photography with greater or lesser degrees of digital manipulation. In his quest he has covered many unusual places that have only become more accessible with the advent of cheap air travel but has still found it necessary to use his own contacts, library of related books and more recently the internet to research his subject. Like all books in this series, they been laid out as global tour starting naturally in the UK and then travelling in an easterly direction through every continent – without, it should be added, crossing the International Date Line! Readers will not find every country included but a differing selection in each volume.Read more
£6.10£16.10 -
Rocket Propellants at the Royal Gunpowder Mills
South Site was a later addition to the Royal Gunpowder Factory purchased in 1887 for the production of nitrocellulose, nitroglycerine and cordite. After the Second World War, it became a research establishment to develop propellants and explosives.
This book, discusses the research undertaken in P1 Branch where Bryan Howard worked from 1964 to until the site closure in 1989. However, it also mentions other activities within P1 and the other branches that Bryan was not personally involved in, giving a hint of the breadth of work carried out.
It has been compiled from Bryan’s notes made in the years following his retirement.Read more
£5.70 -
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 . . .
Read more
£5.70 -
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.
Read more
£5.30 -
Frontline: A Soldier’s Story (War in Afghanistan)
Frontline, is the story of a single soldier out of the many thousands of soldiers fresh out of school or college who joined the British Army and found themselves within a few months of completing basic training. Being deployed to Afghanistan fighting for their lives. These modern-day heroes risked their lives on a daily basis to help bring peace to a troubled country.Imagine being 18 and sent to a foreign country with 40-degree heat, an environment that is dusty and areas that are quite inhospitable with a primeval beauty. Every step on a dusty track could be your last as your eyes strain to catch a glimpse of an IED before it is too late, just before the rounds start impacting in the dirt all around you.
Read more
£5.20 -
The Tommy of the First World War
‘Tommy Atkins’ has been the nickname given to soldiers of the British Army since the eighteenth century. The origin of the name is shrouded in mystery, but it has stuck. By 1914, the Tommy had changed dramatically since the days of Queen Victoria’s redcoats. Edwardian army reforms had improved recruitment and training and had re-organised the regular forces and reserves.When the First World War broke out, the system went smoothly into action and the BEF was carried across the Channel to France. But the British Army was relatively small and the First World War required a rapid expansion of the ranks. Lord Kitchener’s call for men raised the so-called New Army, half a million strong, but more were needed and conscription came into force. Many of those who volunteered together were also trained together and fought side by side in battle. In the fire of machine guns and amid the shell-fire, large numbers of men from city parishes, towns and villages fell together. Neil Storey takes us through the recruitment, equipment, training and experiences of these soldiers in the First World War: the Tommies, ‘the poor bloody infantry’.
This book is part of the Britain’s Heritage series, which provides definitive introductions to the riches of Britain’s past, and is the perfect way to get acquainted with the Tommy of the First World War.
Read more
£5.10 -
The Elite Few: A History of the UK Royal Marines
“The Elite Few: A History of the UK Royal Marines” is a book that traces the history of the Royal Marines from their origins in the 17th century to the present day. Written by Marc Ferrari, the book covers the Royal Marines’ role in major conflicts, such as the Battle of Trafalgar, the Falklands War, and the Gulf War, as well as their involvement in peacekeeping and humanitarian missions around the world.
The book also explores the Royal Marines’ unique training and selection process, including the grueling Commando Course and the Special Boat Service selection. It delves into the various roles and units within the Royal Marines, from the Commandos to the Band Service, and examines their traditions, mottos, and insignia.
“The Elite Few” provides a fascinating insight into one of the world’s most elite military forces. It highlights the courage, determination, and unselfishness that are the core values of the Royal Marines, and how they have earned their reputation as one of the toughest fighting forces in the world.
Read more
£4.80 -
No More Secrets: My part in codebreaking at Bletchley Park and the Pentagon
‘Engaging’ Daily Telegraph
The true and extraordinary story of one of the last surviving women to have worked in codebreaking at both Bletchley Park and the Pentagon.
Born one hundred years ago, Betty Webb MBE, LOH (Legion of Honour) has had a ringside seat to history. After graduating from school, she faced the usual limited opportunities for employment on offer to women at the time. However, with the war in full swing, fate intervened and in 1941, wanting to play her part in the war effort, Betty joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (Women’s Army).
After being interviewed by an intelligence officer, she found herself at Euston station with her kit-bag, a travel warrant in her pocket and instructions to get off the train at Bletchley Park.
Between 1941 and 1945 Betty played a vital role in the top-secret efforts being made to decipher the secret communications of the Germans and later the Japanese. In 1945, as other members of the forces returned home from the war in Europe, she was sent to the Pentagon and was in Washington DC when the atomic bombs fell and when Eisenhower announced the end of the war.
Betty was unable to reveal the true nature of her work, even to her parents, until years later. In this fascinating book, she revisits the key moments of her life and recounts the incredible stories from her time at Bletchley Park.
Read more
£4.80£9.50 -
Early Ships and Seafaring: Water Transport Beyond Europe
In this volume Professor Sen McGrail introduces the reader to a relatively new branch of Archaeology the study of water transport how early rafts, boats and ships were built and used. Concepts, such as boatbuilding traditions, ship stability and navigation without instruments, are first described. Archaeological research is then discussed, including sea levels in earlier times, how to distinguish the vestigial remains of a cargo vessel from those of a fighting craft; and the difference between a boat and a ship.Chapters 2 and 3, the heart of the text, deal with the early water transport of the Mediterranean and Atlantic Europe, from the Stone Age to Medieval times. Each chapter includes a description of the region’s maritime geography and an exposition of its boat-building traditions. The third element is a discussion of the propulsion, the steering and the navigation of these early vessels.The sparse, often jumbled, remains of excavated vessels have to be interpreted, a process that is assisted by consideration of early descriptions and illustrations. Studies of the way traditional builders of wooden boats ply their trade today are also a great help. Experimental boat archaeology is still at an early stage but, when undertaken rigorously, it can reveal aspects of the vessel’s capabilities. Such information is used in this volume to further our understanding of data from boat and ship excavations, and to present as coherent, comprehensive and accurate a picture as is now possible, of early European boatbuilding and use.Read more
£4.70
