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In 1918, during the final year of the First World War, the USN had a force of over 400 sailors and 22 officers and 4 Curtiss H16 seaplanes based in at Ferrybank, Wexford. The base was a veritable village with accommodation, hospital, medics, post office, YMCA Hall, radio towers, electricity generating plant and very large aircraft hangers. Although only operational for a limited period, its impact on the town of Wexford was considerable and its achievements in the global conflict were significant, protecting shipping, both naval and commercial, from the German u-boats. To mark the impending 100-year anniversary of this base, this book by local historian Liam Gaul recalls this often-overlooked aspect of Irelands involvement in the First World War.

Since the short and bloody war between Nepal and Britain in 1814-15, Gurkha volunteers, ever mindful of the their motto, It is better to die than be a coward, have fought and died for Britain, including in recent years in the Falklands, Afghanistan and Iraq. In the Second World War an astonishing quarter of a million Gurkhas fought aginst Germany and Japan. They have been awarded thirteen Victoria Crosses. Includes detailed appendices include all regimental changes and battle honours.

The Q-ship, an ordinary merchant vessel with concealed guns, came into its own during the First World War, when the Royal Navy to trap and destroy German U-boats. Deborah Lake uses a wide range of primary and secondary source material drawn from archives in the UK, Germany and the USA to tell the compelling story of the Q-ships and their U-boat adversaries.The Q-ship operations themselves will be covered by following the careers of the eight men who won the Victoria Cross on Special Service Operations; and by accounts of German U-boat crews being on the receiving end. No book on Q-ships can avoid the Baralong incident in which a Q-ships crew allegedly executed the survivors of the German submarine U-27, on 19 August 1915. In a subsequent encounter with U-41, more British atrocities were alleged by the only two German survivors. Revealing extracts from the diary of a Royal Marine who served on board the Baralong are reproduced in the book together with other first-hand accounts. With charge and counter-charge, this incident provides a fascinating story.

Irelands Aviator Heroes of World War II celebrates Irish aviators who served in the Royal Air Force during the dark days of the Second World War. Individual stories have been painstakingly and extensively researched through interviews with the surviving subjects and their families, and using the original log books and service records of the men. Many of the stories contain details of the individuals participation in important wartime campaigns, although others are limited to war service records due to a lack of surviving information. Above all this book celebrates the great courage and sacrifice demonstrated by these Irishmen during their contribution to the Allied war effort against Nazi Germany, her western allies and Japan. Many of the men included paid the ultimate price for their participation. The book is also well illustrated with many photographs, some taken by the subjects themselves.

German soldiers assigned to guard the tiny Channel Island of Sark described it as a little Paradise and, because it was never bombed by the RAF, the best air-raid shelter in all of Europe. But paradise for them came to a bloody end in October 1942 when a small group of British Commandos raided the island, capturing one German soldier and killing several others.Operation Basalt would have been a footnote in history but for the reaction of Hitler, who believed that British soldiers executed several Germans who had already surrendered and whose hands were bound. Days after the raid, he issued the infamous Commando Order, a death sentence for those Allied commandos who fell into German hands.Drawing on extensive archival research and interviews with survivors of the period, Eric Lee has written the definitive account of the raid, putting it into the context of the German occupation of British lands during the war.

In King Leopold IIs infamous Congo Free State at the turn of the century, severed hands became a form of currency. But some in the Belgian government had no sense of historical shame, as they connived for an independent Katanga state in 1960 to protect Belgian mining interests. What happened next was extraordinary. It was an extremely uneven battle. The UN fielded soldiers from twenty nations, America paid the bills, and the Soviets intrigued behind the scenes. Yet to everyones surprise the new nations rag-tag army of local gendarmes, jungle tribesmen and, controversially, European mercenaries, refused to give in. For two and a half years Katanga, the scrawniest underdog ever to fight a war, held off the world with guerrilla warfare, two-faced diplomacy and some shady financial backing. It even looked as if the Katangese might win.Katanga 196063 tells, for the first time, the full story of the Congolese province that declared independence and found itself at war with the world.

The airships developed at Kingsnorth Airship Station in Kent played a vital role during the First World War by successfully protecting the Royal Navy fleet from submarine attack. It was the proud boast of the Airship Service that no vessels accompanied by one of their airships were lost to a U-boat offensive. Author Tina Bilbe tells the story of Kingsnorth, exploring the development of the station, the challenges faced and overcome, the people who contributed to the stations success, and how the station and its legacy have changed the local area. Contemporary accounts and pictures, including previously unpublished material, bring this story to life, whether for the local historian or military enthusiast. The extensive list of former personnel will also appeal to anyone who may have had a relative serve there.

Included are details on the ground-breaking navigation and attack system, its Cold War context, its requirements and the development of ATF (advanced terrain following), and in-depth analysis of automatic flight control systems, analogue and digital simulations at Weybridge and the reconnaissance pack for mapping enemy territory. It finishes with a look at the final throes of TSR2s cancellation by the Labour government in 1965. This fascinating personal account of the behind the scenes action at Vickers during the heyday of British aviation and weaponry invention in the 1950s and 1960s is both authoritative and very, very readable. Wg Cdr Al Monkman, D.F.C., M.A., B.A., R.A.F., 617 Sqn, RAF Lossiemouth, Moray.

The Knights Templar, a mysterious fraternity of warrior monks, pledged their swords to defend pilgrims to the Holy Land from the bandits and marauders of the roads. Patronised by the aristocracy, the Templars soon evolved into a formidable army and were the vanguard of the ongoing Crusades. They were widely acclaimed for their boldness and tenacity, showered with gifts by Catholic nobles and granted special privileges by admiring Popes. Even after the failure of the Crusades, the Templars remained one of the dominant forces in Christendom with political power to rival kings... until with shocking speed they were brought down by accusations of blasphemous crimes.With confessions tortured out of them by the Inquisition, many knights were burnt as heretics, and the Order was disbanded by the Pope. What really happened behind the closed doors of the Templars preceptories? Was there truth in the rumours of secret rituals conducted in the dead of the night? Did heretical depravity and Devil-worship truly exist within the illustrious brotherhood? Why is their name associated today with the Freemasons?In this lively and authoritative account, historian Gordon Napier unravels the many mysteries that surround the Knights Templar.

Originally published by The Kerryman in 1947, this is one of the four titles in the Fighting Stories Series. It records the events of the War of Independence in the words of the people who fought it and those who wrote about it at the time. The book features reports on the Cork City Volunteers, the ambushes at Tureengarriffe, Clonbanin, Rathcoole, Tureen and many others, the murder of Tomas MacCurtain, the disastrous battle of Clonmult and the campaigns of the flying columns around the county from Mitchelstown to Blarney.With a selection of original pictures from the conflict and reports from both Kilmichael and Crossbarry, Rebel Corks Fighting Story is a treasure trove of information and intriguing detail.

Almost a century ago a small body of men engaged in combat with the armed forces of an Empire. Militarily they were weak. Their strength lay in their faith in their cause and in the unflinching support of a civilian population which refused to be cowed by threats or by violence.This new edition of Kerrys Fighting Stories features stories and reports from every aspect of the conflict, from the formation of the Volunteers in Kerry early in the twentieth century, through the first casualties as the Easter Rising took its toll and on to the campaigns in the East and West of the county during the war of Independence itself. With barracks attacks, ambushes, shootings and even engagements with warships, it brings to life a conflict that is fading from the collective memory of the county and country.Kerrys Fighting Stories offers a fascinating perspective on the struggle for independence in Kerry directly from the men who took part in the actions themselves.

Limericks Fighting Story offers eye witness and first hand accounts of the struggle for independence in Limerick city and county.When the Truce was declared in the War of Independence in July 1921, each of Limericks brigade areas, west, mid and east had flying columns in the field. While the challenge of city fighting and urban guerrilla tactics were high on the list of concerns for the mid brigade, the east and west flying columns were active raiders and ambush artists.This new edition of the classic Limericks Fighting Story features stories and reports from every aspect of the conflict in Limerick from the Limerick Heroes of 1916, through the nights of terror and violence in Limerick city as Tans killed residents, to the exploits of the women of Cumman na mBan.

14 August 1940, which Hitler code-named Adlertag, or Eagle Day, was fated to become one of the most significant days in the Battle of Britain. It signified the start of the Luftwaffes aerial offensive, planned to cripple Britain and clear the path for the German troops ammased in readiness for invasion. The Luftwaffe sent out waves of unescorted bombers to attack difficult and long-range targets by daylight, hoping to confuse and split the fighter defences with the small but numerous bomb formations. The tactic was a calculated gamble and one that cost the Germans deeply. Despite successes in attacking and damaging airfields, the losses were severe and and the following day Goering vetoed such tactics, now convinced his bombers could never operate over Britain without fighter cover. Using first-hand recollections of both Luftwaffe and RAF pilots as well as local witnesses to the days action, gleaned from interviews and written accounts and with many unpublished photographs, Hugh Trivett has collated the definitive record of Eagle Day.

Germanys U-boat war against Russia was as fierce and unrelenting as the land war that raged along the Eastern Front between 1941 and 1945. From Wolf Pack attacks on Russian convoy traffic and military vessels to close-quarter combat undertaken by small U-boats transported by land and river to the Black Sea, the Kriegsmarine wrestled for control of the seas fringing an embattled Soviet Union.Previously untold in English, Lawrence Paterson explores the tremendous clash between the Kriegsmarines U-boats and the Red Navy a struggle that lasted from the opening salvos of Operation Barbarossa to the final chaotic days of Germanys defeat. Containing rare colour and black-and-white illustrations, this fascinating book is one that no one interested in the Second World War should be without.

The late nineteenth century saw an unparalleled revolution in warship development as the Victorian navy found itself grappling with intense technical change to ensure its survival in the modern theatre. From the wooden battleships of the 1800s, naval architecture underwent great change to produce a very different form of capital ship, which would have a huge impact and change naval design forever. The pre-dreadnought was constructed of steel, wholly driven by steam power and carried its rifled ordnance in armoured turrets operated by hydraulics. Electrics, mechanical computers, mines and torpedo weapons were also utilised to create an immensely powerful fighting ship the likes of which had never been seen before. This well-illustrated and fascinating history reveals the process involved in that most rapid development, which in such a short time totally altered the naval forces of Britain and ensured that the British Navy remained the most powerful in the world.

The exclusive, authorised inside story of the tough LRDG raiders of the Second World War, drawn from the unpublished records of the famous force. The unit won unrivalled mastery of the North African desert in their wide-ranging and heavily armed trucks, earning grudging praise even from Rommel, the Desert Fox himself, for their skilful reconnaissance, punishing raids and powers of evasion.

Convinced that both God and the Kaiser were on their side, the officers and men of the German Army went to war in 1914, confident that they were destined for a swift and crushing victory in the West. The vaunted Schlieffen Plan on which the anticipated German victory was based expected triumph in the West to be followed by an equally decisive success on the Eastern Front. It was not to be. From the winter of 1914 until the early months of 1918, the struggle on the Western Front was characterised by trench warfare. But our perception of the conflict takes little or no account of the realities of life across the wire in the German trenches. This book redresses that imbalance and reminds us how similar these young German men were to our own Tommies. Drawing from diaries and letters, Ian Passingham charts the hopes and despair of the German soldiers, filling an important gap in the history of the Western Front.

This fascinating new book explores what life was like during the Templars stay in Somerset during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It reveals the struggles over land ownership in the county, and introduces the reader to little known historical characters including William de Marisco, revealing his struggle with the Templars, and claim to the throne of England. The final chapter explores the controversy surrounding a carved wooden mans head discovered in a Somerset church. The author has found compelling evidence to suggest the church was not only built on Templar land, but had a connection with the Grand Master of the Order himself. Richly illustrated and compiled using original research, this book is sure to appeal to everyone interested in medieval history.

We Come Unseen, first published in 2001, follows the careers of six Royal Navy submariners from their graduation from Dartmouths Britannia Royal Naval College in 1963, just after the Cuban Missile Crisis, to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Between these dates, it seemed that nuclear war was never far away - and Jim Ring explains not only the nuclear threat and its beginnings in the last days of the Second World War, but why the Polaris and Trident submarines (capable of inflicting the damage of the bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki many times over), and their accompanying attack submarines, were critical to avoiding war. Alongside a gripping narrative of the Cold War game of hide-and-seek played out under the waves of the northern seas, Ring gives an account of the history of submarine warfare from its earliest, pre-nuclear days to the 1982 combat in the Falklands.A welcome acknowledgement of one of the Cold Wars little-known aspects. Alan Judd, Sunday TelegraphAn extraordinary story . . . one of the most significant naval books of the year.Ships TelegraphA remarkable story.Navy News

While it is true to say that the Venom carried out more operational ground attack sorties than any other RAF aircraft since the Second World War, its history has hitherto been sadly neglected or misreported. With the co-operation and assistance of many former Service and civilian pilots, the record can finally be set straight in what is the definitive history of this ground-attack, all weather and naval strike fighter.David Watkins discusses the problems of the trials and development programme and takes a detailed look at the aircrafts operational service with the air arms of Australia, France, Sweden, Switzerland, Iraq and Venezuela. Of particular interest is new information relating to the Sea Venoms career with the Fleet Air Arm and the catastrophic wing failures and engine fires that plagued the early Second Tactical Air Force Venoms. It also contains a comprehensive account of Venom sorties during the Suez campaign, the Firedog operations in Malaya and the protracted anti-terrorist offensive in Aden and Oman. These accounts throw new light on the conflicts and have been compiled from interviews, private papers and personal accounts. Accompanying the text is a wealth of photographs, line drawings and maps, a number of which are from private collections and are previously unpublished.