Pen & Sword Books

Military commanders matter. They win or lose battles, determine the outcomes of wars and often shape the history of nations. But they are also human individuals. This study of thirty-four British commanders, from Boudica to Bomber Harris, reflects on their personal stories, as individuals and warriors; as husbands and wives, libertines and lovers, strategists and shapers of British history over almost two thousand years. Short biographical essays, by military analyst Michael Clarke, cover a sweep of British history from the epic story of Queen Boudica in Roman Britain, to the generals, admirals and air marshals of the First and Second World Wars. Their styles of leadership, their strategies — or in some cases lack of them — are examined as they throw themselves on fortune. And the Gods of War decide whom will be lucky, and whom not.Some commanders described here were obvious shapers of British history, like King Alfred, William the Conqueror, Henry V, Cromwell, Marlborough, Wellington or Montgomery. Some were unlucky and seemed beset by failure, like Walter Raleigh, Sir John Moore or General John Gort. Others are less well-known as significant commanders; like Lady Aethelflaid of Mercia, the Empress Matilda, the ‘greatest knight’, Sir William Marshal, or Cuthbert Collingwood who served with Nelson at Trafalgar. All have fascinating stories. Their experiences are compared in two final chapters that draw from unique interviews with a number of living British commanders who reflect on the ‘eternal verities’ of command but also the new conditions of twenty-first century warfare.

Chronicles the remarkable life of Sean Moylan, a key figure in Ireland's War of Independence.This book details the extraordinary life of Sean Moylan. Moylan became a major and very influential character in the war against the British during the years 1919 to 1921. Moylan, and the men he commanded, fearlessly confronted the enemy and managed to claim a string of notable IRA victories against all the odds which, to this day, are embedded in local and national folklore. The purpose of this book, based on the author’s very extensive research into the Bureau of Military History’s Witness Statement archive, is to revisit the life of a true Irish hero whose exploits during the War of Independence contributed, in no small way, to bringing the British to the negotiating table.Moylan graduated from being captain of the Newmarket Volunteers Company to Commanding Officer of the IRA’s Cork No 2 Brigade by the time he was captured by the British in May 1921. During the War of Independence he also led a very effective Active Service Unit which inflicted major damage on the forces of the Crown at places like Clonbanin and Tureengarriffe. Such was his military prowess he had the distinction of not losing even one of his men in the many engagements he oversaw with the enemy. During the conflict he became a legendary and influential figure among his own people in Cork, not only because of his military activities but also because of his political work as a Sinn Fein member of the Dail. In May 1921, Moylan was eventually captured by the British but because of an extraordinary set of circumstances he narrowly avoided the death penalty. He went on to oppose the Anglo-Irish Treaty because it failed to deliver the Irish Republic he had gallantly fought for. During the Civil War he spent many months in the United States of America, at the behest of Eamon de Valera, raising money for the Republicans and championing the anti-Treaty cause. After the Civil War, Moylan was eventually coaxed back into politics by de Valera who saw in him a potential to contribute to the emerging Ireland under the stewardship of Fianna Fail. Moylan went on to become a popular and influential member of Dail Eireann and, in due course, was elevated to cabinet level. As a government minister in the Departments of Lands, Education and Agriculture he made very valuable and progressive economic and social contributions to the process which saw Ireland remove the shackles of the Anglo-Irish Treaty and assert herself as a truly independent nation.

Dora-Mittelbau, a Nazi camp, forced thousands into deadly labor for secret weapons, culminating in the horrific Gardelegen massacre where 1,016 prisoners were killed.In the history of Nazi concentration camps, and particularly labor camps, there is probably no place that bears the same stigma of wretchedness as 'Dora-Mittelbau' at Nordhausen. Located in the Harz mountains in central Germany, next to a quarry tunnel system in the Kohnstein mountain, it served to house thousands of slave workers for an underground factory known as the Mittelwerk, which produced three of Germany's best-known secret weapons: the V1 flying bomb, the V2 rocket and jet engines for the Me 262 and Ar 234 fighters. With over 20 kilometers of underground galleries, it was the largest underground factory in the world. Many of the inmates died in indescribable misery, being forced to extend the tunnels with meager equipment and under ghastly conditions, sometimes not seeing daylight for weeks on end. Started in August 1943, ‘Dora-Mittelbau’ in due course became the centre of a whole complex of underground factories in the Nordhausen area, with several subsidiary camps being set up. In all, of some 60,000 prisoners sent there between 1943 and 1945, 20,000 were driven to extinction to implement Nazi Germany's secret weapons program, but they labored late and in vain, for the products they yielded had little impact on the war. The V1 and V2 are the only weapons which cost more lives in production than in deployment: far more people died producing them than were killed from their impact in London, Antwerp and elsewhere.The history of Nordhausen, already gruesome in itself, ended in a crescendo of violence when, in the final weeks of the war, the surviving inmates were evacuated from the camps in ‘death marches’. One group of over a thousand men then became victim of one of the most horrendous of all Nazi atrocities. On April 13, 1945, just outside the town of Gardelegen, their SS camp guards, helped by local troops and Hitlerjugend, locked the prisoners in a big barn and set fire to the inside, burning those inside, killing them with hand-grenades, and shooting anyone who tried to escape from the burning, smoke-filled building. A total of 1,016 men died as a result. When discovered by American troops two days later, Gardelegen quickly became known as the site of one most notorious war crimes committed by the Nazis.In this book, Karel Margry recounts the history of Nordhausen concentration camp and of the Gardelegen massacre in full detail. Both stories are illustrated with unique Then and Now comparison photographs.The book contains the following two stories from ATB magazine:Issue 101: NordhausenAuthor: Karel Margry, 118 black and white photos.Issue 111: The Gardelegen MassacreAuthor: Karel Margry, 78 black and white photos.

For decades the classic, evergreen BBC comedy Dad's Army has entertained millions of viewers around the world. But the farcical antics of Walmington-on-Sea’s bumbling Home Guard platoon camouflage the true military service of some of the actors themselves. Despite their light-hearted appearance, many of the cast saw active service in one, or even both, of the world wars — and much of it far from humorous.The inspiration behind the sitcom was the experiences of one its writers, Jimmy Perry, who, as a young 16-year-old wannabe comedian, was still waiting for his call up papers when he joined the eager warriors of the Home Guard in 1940. Little did he know how decades later that ribald group of men in the Watford battalion would provide the inspiration which put his name up in lights. Indeed, was it Perry’s own goofy gullibility as a teenager that helped form the character of Private Pike?Also, admitted Perry, the affable Lance Corporal Jones — in real life Clive Dunn, a former prisoner-of-war who served in the 4th Queen’s Own Hussars — was partly based on an old soldier Perry knew who had served in the Sudan. This veteran recalled being told by a CO to ‘piss on your rifle’ to cool it down. Perry went on to serve in India in the Royal Artillery and then later with Combined Services Entertainments.As a twenty-year-old British Army officer, David Croft was stationed in North Africa when a raft of comical events, including his struggles with a Bofors gun, went on to shape the calamities which befall the Dad’s Army troopers! theater-mad Derbyshire lad Arthur Lowe, who played the redoubtable Captain Mainwaring, was thin with knobbly knees when he was seconded to the No.2 Field Entertainment Unit in Egypt.Meantime languid, good mannered actor John Le Mesurier reported for duty with the Royal Tank Regiment complete with golf clubs in his car boot. By 1943 he was ironically enduring life in Deolali (Doolally in India), when he ‘had a captaincy thrust upon him’ until being demobbed in 1946.The astonishing bravery of actor and playwright Arnold Ridley, who was denied a DSO and a Military Medal for his actions during the First World War, makes for heart-rending reading. His creation of dear old Private Godfrey won him millions of adoring fans. The classical actor John Laurie — Private ‘We’re all doomed’ Frazer — was also a hero of the trenches. Always dry-witted he once made everyone laugh on set when he remarked: ‘I’ve played every part in Shakespeare, I was considered to be the finest Hamlet of the 1920s and I had retired, and now I am famous for doing this crap!’That each man, including the mocking Laurie, helped turn Dad’s Army into everlasting success will never be forgotten. And why? Well, in reality they had seen war and knew war, and yet always completely realised and understood how the power of laughter is the ultimate triumph.

“…a valuable addition to the historical record. The Luftwaffe officer's account for being selected for the May 1945 submarine trip to Japan also proved interesting from a “last gasp” point of view.” — Historical Miniatures Gaming SocietyThis fascinating collection of personal narratives challenges the view that all Germans knew of the crimes perpetrated by the Third Reich and were complicit. The five accounts recall the lives of individuals born in the 1920s who resisted joining the SS, were horrified by atrocities, or otherwise remained true to their principals. Spanning their early life during the rise of the Nazi Party, through their adolescence in the war, to the early post-war years, they offer a compelling perspective on the diverse experiences and beliefs of Germans of the wartime generation.From Wehrmacht infantrymen to a Luftwaffe officer and a young woman on the home front, the accounts range from the relative comfort of German-occupied territories to the harrowing front lines against the Soviets. Standout stories include Heinz Polke's haunting description of the Warsaw Ghetto Rising, and three accounts of the often-overlooked aspect of being a prisoner of war in the USSR, providing valuable insights into the post-war German experience.Skilfully compiled by journalist Klaus Förg and with additional commentary by historian Roger Moorhouse, this is a powerful and worthy addition to World War II literature.

Covers the Hospitaller Knights' relocation to Malta, their operations, and the Great Siege of 1565.The sequel to The Hospitaller Knights of Saint John at Rhodes 1306–1522, this volume covers the period 1523–1565. This volume opens with the relocation from Rhodes to Malta during the years following the Order’s heart-rending loss of Rhodes to Ottoman Sultan Suleiman. This loss was also that of 4,000 non-belligerent Christians choosing to abandon their homes and livelihoods and to accompany the Order in its search for a new home. Volume II further deals with the first thirty-five years of Hospitaller residence at Malta including operations from there along the coast of North Africa, with major sieges of Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers, with penetrating exposés of corsair admirals such as Kheir-ed-Din Barbarossa and Dragut, and with giants of Christian history such as Andrea Doria. Finally, this volume deals with the Ottoman Empire’s 1565 attempt to eradicate the Order with that year’s Great Siege of Malta.The author draws on the work of the Order’s official historians, Giacomo Bosio and his successor Bartolomeo dal Pozzo. He transcribes their writings for the modern reader, while also presenting new information revealed in the 400 years of scholarship since Bosio’s death in 1627. While initial chapters focus on Philippe Villiers de l’Isle-Adam, 44th Grand Master of the Hospitaller Knights of Saint John, this history also brings to light the contributions of properly identified lieutenants, allies and opponents. This Volume is believed to be the only continuous history since Bosio of the Hospitallers during the period 1523 through 1565, and is certainly the only such history in English.

Details the Allied operations to capture the strategically vital Channel ports of Le Havre and Boulogne in 1944, highlighting the challenges and battles faced during these key engagements.When the Allied armies broke out from the Normandy bridgehead in late July 1944, it became of paramount importance that they quickly capture new harbors to sustain the rapid northward advance. All the Allies’ supplies and reinforcements were still coming in through just two places — the Mulberry artificial harbor at Arromanches and the port of Cherbourg captured by the Americans — and with supply lines lengthening by the day, it was essential to speedily open up ports nearer the armies. For Field-Marshal Montgomery’s 21st Army Group this meant first of all the channel ports of Le Havre and Boulogne. Both cities had been declared a ‘Festung’ (Fortress) by Hitler and were to be defended to the last man. The attack on Le Havre (Operation ‘Astonia’) was launched on September 10 and was a classic example of a successful set-piece battle. After the German defenses had been ‘softened up’ by colossal aerial and naval bombardment and artillery shelling, a ‘siege-train’ of specialized armor broke through the outer crust of the German defensive perimeter and allowed two British infantry divisions — the 49th (West Riding) Division and the 51st (Highland) Division — to push through the gap and methodically reduce the enemy strongholds before driving into the heart of the city. The attack on Boulogne (Operation ‘Wellhit’) began a week later and was the task of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. Another set-piece assault, it was again preceded by a devastating bombardment by RAF heavy bombers, which reduced large parts of the city to ruins, and a massive artillery barrage. Supported by specialized armor, two Canadian brigades then moved forward but the Germans resisted stubbornly and it took six days of heavy fighting before the Canadians had subdued all strongpoints and finally forced the garrison to surrender.Although both ports were now in Allied hands, it brought no immediate alleviation to the Allies’ logistical problems. Harbor installations had been extensively damaged by German demolitions and Allied bombardments and it would take many weeks of rehabilitation before the ports could be brought into use. Le Havre (which had meanwhile been assigned to the Americans) did not see the few first ships arriving until October 2 and Boulogne not until on October 12.As is our hallmark, all phases of the battles for the two Channel ports are illustrated with Then and Now comparison photographs.The book contains the following two stories from ATB magazine:Issue 139: The Capture of Le HavreAuthor: Karel Margry, 76 black & white photos.Issue 86: Operation ‘Wellhit’ — The Capture of BoulogneAuthor: Ian Galbraith, 80 black & white photos

“…this book provides a great deal of photographic insight about the siege. …there appears to be a wealth photographic history, much of which could serve as references needed by those modelers in dioramas and period staging for models themselves.” — IPMS/USAThe siege of Leningrad was the longest ever endured by a modern city, and the deadliest siege in recorded history. It lasted for nearly 900 days, from late August 1941 to late January 1944, bringing unparalleled hardship to the population. Out of over three million persons in the city more than one million lost their lives through cold, disease and starvation, bombs and artillery fire. The severe winter of 1941–42 was by far the worst period of the siege, when food reserves ran out, rations dropped to a little over three ounces of bread per person per day and regular supplies of water, fuel, and electricity stopped. Its epic suffering and endurance earned Leningrad the title of ‘Hero City of the Soviet Union’.This book is from an article in issue 123 of After the Battle magazine, the joint authors were Karel Margry and Ron Hogg.

An exploration of German resistance to the Nazi regime, examining both active opposition and passive resistance during World War II.After the Second World War the Allies in referring to the German people used the term ‘collective guilt’, which, after minimal research, appeared unfair. There was active opposition to Hitler from the moment he led Germany into war, which ranged from young teenagers, to undergraduates, to top-level civil servants, diplomats, and to the highest ranks in the military. As the moral depravity of the Nazi regime became apparent many Germans turned against the regime, although there was always the dedicated fanatic. They had become a repressed society, watched by Himmler’s SD and above all feared interrogation by the Gestapo, what one German described as the ‘silence of the graveyard’. This did not stop what may be called passive resistance which this book also explores, using the work of German diarists who wrote their accounts not postwar with the benefit of hindsight, but with genuine integrity at the time as events were unfolding. This book explores not just the resistance culminating in the 20 July Plot, and the divisions of opinions amongst the various resistance groups, but also the reaction of the German public, a question which the reader may feel obliged to ask where he or she may have stood under the circumstance of the day and under such a regime.

A collection of stories from Ukrainians defending their country, revealing the human face of war.The stories of Ukrainians who stood up to defend their country during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some of the storytellers had never held a weapon before the full-scale invasion, while for others it was a profession.These stories are not just about war, but about who they are besides being ordinary people, students, workers, priests, teachers and doctors, professors, managers, actors, artists and musicians, pensioners, parents, and children, and so on.In addition to the reconstruction of events, here is also the comprehension of events by the people who are active creators of the history. They talk about the biggest terrorist attacks not only as military men, but also as ordinary people with their own experiences. The narrators talk about different periods of the war in different cities and have different views of what is happening. Their views combine to create a picture of the war’s world and the image of a human who stood up to defend his country during the bloodiest war of our time.

A detailed exploration of China’s J-20 stealth fighter, its development, impact, and role in reshaping global power dynamics.The United States and Soviet Union began a race to develop the first and most capable fifth generation stealth fighters in the late 1970s. The Cold War’s end, however, was followed by both a near total collapse of Russian efforts and major cuts and delays to American programs. This provided an opening for a rising and fast modernising Chinese defense industry to kick off its own ambitious program to produce a world leading fighter jet with next generation capabilities. Once unveiled, the program came to be seen as a herald of China’s rising status as a leading player in high tech and major world power.Development of the Chengdu J-20 began in the 1990s and has since consistently far exceeded expectations in both its performance and its development timeline. The fighter made its first flight in 2011 and began deliveries to the People's Liberation Army Air Force in 2016 — a small fraction of the time its American and Russian rivals would take. Today it is the world’s second most numerous stealth fighter, outnumbered only by America’s much smaller Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, with the two rivals seeing their first of many likely encounters confirmed in March 2022. As the J-20’s capabilities have rapidly improved and the rate of production has significantly grown, it has very conspicuously played a growing role in patrolling major hotspots in East Asia from Korea and the East China Sea to the Taiwan Strait and disputed South China Sea.The J-20 program’s success has been the most potent symbol of China’s ascent from a minor player in combat aviation during the Cold War, to the United States’ only peer level competitor today. It has also set China on a course of pursuing multiple other fighter development efforts — including a close competition with America to field the first and most capable sixth generation fighter in the 2030s. The J-20 thus marks a major landmark not only in Chinese aviation history, but also more broadly in the evolving balance of power between East and West as the country’s technological and economic ascents allow it to successfully pursue highly ambitious weapons programs.This book takes the J-20’s story far back to the formation of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force and its trial by fire in the Korean War, tracing the rationale for developing a top end air superiority fighter. It also compares its performance with rival fifth generation fighter programs in other countries and looks ahead to what the future may hold in this new arms race.

A compelling account of the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company’s heroic service during World War II.Names like Ben-My-Chree, Tynwald and Lady of Mann are synonymous with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, the world’s oldest shipping line that is still in existence. In its long history, there can have been no greater test of the company’s ships or its men than the Second World War. As well as maintaining a crucial link to the Isle of Man (in spite of U-boats and mines), the vessels and their compliments saw vital service as troop carriers at Dunkirk, on D-Day and elsewhere. For the first time, this book explores what it was really like to crew these ships, often under fire, and frequently in danger. Using previously unreleased archive material, and sometimes forgotten personal accounts, this book weaves a gripping narrative of what was arguably the Isle of Man’s greatest contribution to victory in the Second World War — its fleet.

An in-depth exploration of Rome's third-century crisis, examining its internal turmoil, external pressures, and transformative reforms.For its first two centuries the Roman Empire enjoyed a relatively peaceful existence. There were short periods of trouble and instability, but they had no lasting effect. At the end of the second century AD, the situation began to change and by the third century the Empire was beset by serious internal and external threats.Rome in the Third Century examines this time of troubles. Michael Sage begins by analysing the available sources, which are difficult to use and provide mostly fragmentary glimpses of the period and looks at the surprising disappearance of historical writing in the western half of the empire. He then discusses in detail the increasing pressures on Rome’s northern and eastern frontiers, along with the growing internal threats that the empire faced as the state weakened and experienced increasing internal disintegration. He then narrates the period between the death of the emperor Septimius Severus in 211 and the accession of the emperor Diocletian at the end of the century, when a reformed empire emerged, in many respects very different from its predecessor. The crucial changes in government and the military of this period are explained and assessed and there is a new analysis of contemporary views, both Christian and pagan, of the crisis.

General Stanisław Maczek's memoir chronicles the bravery, sacrifice, and disillusionment of Polish soldiers in WWII.General Stanisław Maczek’s stirring memoir captures the élan, the sacrifice and the disappointed hopes of the Polish soldiers who fought alongside the Allies during the Second World War.As Commander of the 10th Motorised Cavalry Brigade in the September 1939 campaign, his men played a crucial role in resisting the German advance before crossing into Hungary with orders to rebuild the Polish Army on French soil. Fighting a further rearguard action during the 1940 Allied retreat, he and his men escaped to Britain. In February 1942, Maczek assumed command of 1st Polish Armoured Division, created out of the Polish forces which had been training in Scotland since 1940. In July 1944 the Division landed in Normandy and was responsible for closing the Falaise Gap at Mont Ormel and Chambois. Thereafter it fought on through Belgium and Holland, ultimately accepting the surrender of the German Navy at Wilhelmshaven.The Price of Victory is an inspiring tale of bravery and skill in the face of overwhelming odds, and of determination to fight for Poland on foreign soil. Having been welcomed as liberators in so many towns across Europe, it was the ultimate irony that the terms of the Yalta Agreement meant the Poles’ aim of liberating their country was denied them.

In turbulent 1830s Mexico, Texas and Yucatán declared independence, leading to the U.S.-Mexican War and European intrigue.One nation in turmoil, another seeking aggrandizement, smaller states jostling for security, mercenary expeditions, and political and racial armed struggles breaking out. In 1835 the northern Mexican state of Texas declared its independence and won it after defeating General Santa Anna’s forces at the Battle of San Jacinto. A few years later, as a larger and looming war with the United States approached, the gulf state of Yucatan did the same by claiming itself a separate republic. For Mexican authorities, the existence of breakaway republics on its periphery represented an existential crisis and an opportunity for U.S. and European interests.For many on both sides, the US-Mexican war officially beginning in 1846 after the Republic of Texas was annexed to the United States was merely a continuation of a conflict that began ten years earlier. Adding to the turmoil, the uprising in Yucatan by indigenous Maya against a criollo minority in 1847 and the contemplated military intervention and annexation of that republic by American leadership towards the end of the war sheds light on a conflict with ethnic, national, and international dimensions.In his second transnational history of the Mexican-American War, historian Benjamin J. Swenson examines the breakaway republics of Texas and Yucatan and demonstrates how the war was not only a manifestation of American expansionism and internal Mexican disunion, but a geostrategic contest involving European states seeking to curtail a nascent imperial power’s dominance in North America.

The industrial revolution was forged with the lives of our ancestors’ children.All over Britain, children and young people toiled for hours every day. Their workplaces were pitch-dark mines, fiery furnaces, brightly-lit mills with deadly machines, and mud-filled brickyards.Some workers were pauper apprentices, sent thousands of miles from their homes and indentured until the age of twenty-one.Almost every item in our ancestors’ homes and wardrobes was made by children and youngsters: buttons, glass, carpets, cotton, cutlery, pins, candles, lace, pottery, straw hats, and even matches.In grand houses and ordinary homes, tiny chimney sweeps climbed chimneys choked with soot, and boys and girls worked as domestic servants. On the land, both sexes worked in all weathers. Children worked at home, too — many helped their parents earn a living.From the early 1800s, men like Robert Owen tried to improve children’s lives. But reform was held back for decades by wealthy mill-owners, landowners and politicians who believed that profits were more important than people.Sue Wilkes tells the story of the battle for workplace and educational reforms led by Lord Shaftesbury, Richard Oastler, and the indefatigable factory inspectors. But it took many decades to transform society’s attitude towards childhood itself.Young Workers of the Industrial Age takes a fresh look at the childhoods stolen to create Britain’s industrial empire.

Captain James Stirling’s journals offer a firsthand account of the 42nd Regiment’s actions during the Peninsular War.For such a famous regiment as the 42nd Regiment of Foot (The Black Watch), the number of published memoirs is surprisingly low. The discovery of the three hand-written journals in the collection of the National Library of Scotland covering the period from August 1808, when the regiment left Gibraltar for Lisbon until the end of 1813, are therefore of significant importance in our understanding of the actions of this regiment during the Peninsular War.James Stirling became an Ensign by purchase in the 42nd Foot on 14 August 1805 at the age of thirteen, vice Ensign Thomas Munro. He then rose to the rank of Lieutenant without purchase on 27 August 1807. Stirling served in the Peninsula with 42nd Foot from September 1808 to January 1809, then at Walcheren and again in the Peninsula from May 1812 to August 1813 (from October 1812 as Aide de Camp to his father Major General James Stirling). On his father's retirement from active service, he joined the Portuguese Army from 9 November 1813 as a Brevet Captain in the 11th Line Regiment, remaining with them until 13 October 1814. He then became a Captain in the 42nd by purchase on 11 May 1815. He saw action at Walcheren, Corunna, Salamanca, Burgos, the Pyrenees, Orthez and Toulouse. He retired from the army in 1817 and died on 20 January 1818 aged only 25 years old.These absorbing and revealing journals cover Captain James Stirling’s entire period of active service with the 42nd Foot, as well as the time he served with the Portuguese forces until the end of 1813, his sudden death preventing him from completing the record of his service with the Portuguese Army in 1814. Author Gareth Glover provides explanatory notes throughout to add extra context to Stirling’s commentary, making this book accessible for both the historian and enthusiast.

Battle of Monte Natale brings together contemporary accounts showing war, not only at the strategic level involving Corps, Division, Brigade and Battalion, but also the individual level, by extensive use of War Diaries, personal accounts, missing person reports and the inspiring stories of heroism and the sacrifices made which were recognized by the awards for valor. It is the story of those individuals who fought and died in the Battle of Monte Natale. Minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, by words, pictures, and maps it shows what happened in the three weeks from 17th January to 7th February 1944 in an area of just nine square kilometres. It is a unique glimpse of an important battle from both sides of the conflict and includes personal German and British views of the battle. Few books about World War II show a battle in such detail.

A memoir recounting SQMS Jack Alcock's daring SAS mission into German-occupied Alsace Lorraine under extreme conditions.Operation Pistol was a British operation performed by 2 SAS during World War 2 launching 51 SAS soldiers into the German territory of Alsace Lorraine 80 miles ahead of the American forces, running alongside Operation Loyton. Of those 51 soldiers, SQMS Jack Alcock commanded a four man party from his C3 group and this is the story of his incredible bravery that awarded him the Croix de Guerre with Silver Star.Jack’s group parachuted in to France in extreme weather conditions lacking vital supplies of food and suffering the theft of their radio receiver they fought through enemy territory seeking shelter with sympathetic locals along the way experiencing a close call with the Gestapo at one farmstead to eventually reach the front line position of the American Fourth armorerd Division near Arracourt where he was debriefed by Colonel Bruce C Clarke of Command A.Jack later returned to France with his son to retrace his footsteps for this incredible memoir of determination, courage and tenacity.

Explores Nazi and Japanese WWII human experimentation, revealing the horrifying abuses, motivations, and post-war consequences, including evasion of justice.Among the most appalling cruelties perpetrated throughout the course of the Second World War was undoubtedly that of human medical and military experimentation conducted upon both living and deceased human beings. The various Nazi human experimentation programs were initially carried out not so much in the pursuit of any particular scientific discipline, but largely as a result of the Third Reich’s obsession with race and eugenics. However, this criminal sub-discipline of the Nazi fascination, with its warped racial ideologies, was excused as little other than collateral damage by many of the Nazi physicians and their assistants. Germany’s Axis ally, the Japanese Empire, notorious for its cruelty and sadism ran its own independent programs of human experimentation such as Unit 731 where human beings were not only subject to the most appalling abuses but were injected with cocktails of poisons and/or diseases and in some instances were dissected while fully conscious without any anaesthesia being administered beforehand. It can be said that both Third Reich Germany and Imperial Japan had a more or less inexhaustible supply of human Guinea pigs throughout the Second World War for its ghastly enterprise in human medical experimentation. These unfortunate souls consisted largely of concentration camp inmates or in the case of the Japanese the indigenous peoples of the lands they conquered along with British, American, Indian and Australian Allied prisoners of war.Yet what was the true purpose of these so-called experiments and what requisites if any were, they to serve? And does any evidence suggest that mutual cooperation existed between Nazi Germany and the Japanese Empire towards the collation of data through the execution of these ghastly endeavours? Another facet examined within this work is why those Japanese physicians involved in human experimentation and medical torture were excused indictments for war crimes when the evidence against them was clearly so overwhelming? And is there any truth to suggest that the Allied powers benefited from the material obtained through questioning at the end of the Second World War? The complicity of both the German and Japanese pharmaceutical companies also has to be brought into question as many cooperated willingly with the military making handsome profits in the process.This work is written in an attempt at analysing all of these factors within the context of a single volume, utilising the testimonies of perpetrator and victim through many new first-hand and archival sources.This volume also serves as a horrifying and sobering reminder of the capability of man’s inhumanity through two of the worst military regimes of twentieth-century history.