eBooks de Disciplinas auxiliares, página 15 de 84

In early 1918, it seemed to many that the British people and the Allies were close to defeat. At home, the chief culprit was the German U-boat. Sailing almost unopposed from the North Sea ports of Zeebrugge and Ostend, the submarines were taking a heavy toll on Allied shipping, and no one seemed to be doing anything about it. The job eventually went to Vice Admiral Roger Keyes, The Modern Nelson, who had a long record of close action with enemies from China to the Heligoland Bight. Equally, he was unafraid of those senior to him whom he considered to be incompetent. Within days of his appointment Keyes had put together an audacious plan to sink blockships in the enemy-held ports. However, his success, along with the eleven VCs won in the battles, led his detractors to play down his achievement, even by using German propaganda against him. This entirely new account, containing groundbreaking research and rare illustrations throughout, at last sets the record straight about these important engagements.

Stalag VIII-B, Colditz, these names are synonymous with POWs in the Second World War. But what of those prisoners in captivity on British soil? Where did they go? Gloucestershire was home to a wealth of prisoner-of-war camps and hostels, and many Italian and German prisoners spent the war years here. Inside the Wire explores the role of the camps, their captives and workers, together with their impact on the local community. This book draws on Ministry of Defence, Red Cross and US Army records, and is richly illustrated with original images. It also features the compelling first-hand account of Joachim Schulze, a German POW who spent the war near Tewkesbury. This is a fascinating but forgotten aspect of the Second World War.

In the lead up to and throughout the course of the Second World War, London was a city transformed, as it simultaneously became the front line and the command centre of Allied operations. The scale and speed of Londons transformation are unparalleled in its history as the government requisitioned buildings and built defences while bombing wrought devastation across the city, changing it forever. This book will guide the reader as an armchair tourist or a real one around wartime London. Buildings that had a specific wartime use or have a link to an important event that occurred during the war are revealed, along with the often secret activities, known to only a select few, of the organisations that occupied them. Structures used as air-raid shelters, iconic landmarks damaged by enemy bombing and other ways in which London changed are all brought to life in this user-friendly guide. Sections cover the seven central London boroughs, from Hammersmith to Tower Hamlets, together with chapters on Greater London and on memorials and museums, accompanied by maps and photographs of the city then and now.

From the hell of Gallipoli to the deserts of the Holy Land, torpedoed in the Mediterranean before finally posted to the mud and trenches of the Western Front, the experiences of the Royal Bucks Hussars were as fascinating and bloody as any during the First World War. Condemned by Lord Kitchener as mere play boys, they were able to prove him unequivocally wrong by the end of the war. Sons of privileged backgrounds they may have been, but the war was indiscriminate in its killing, and war memorials and gravestones from Gallipoli to Ypres proves that the Buckinghamshire gentry were just as ready to die for their country as the average man on the street in any British town. They went to war on horseback, relics of a gentler age, but finished up as machine-gunners in a mechanised war during the final push on the Western front which broke the back of the German Army. This is their story.

Nazi Germanys assault on the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941, Operation Barbarossa, was the largest invasion in history. Almost 3.5 million men smashed into Stalins Red Army, reaching the gates of Leningrad, Moscow and Sevastopol. But not all of this vast army was German; indeed, by the summer of 1942, over 500,000 were Romanians, Italians, Hungarians, Slovaks and Croatians Hitlers Axis allies. As part of the German offensive that year, more than four allied armies advanced to the Don only to be utterly annihilated in the Red Armys Saturn and Uranus winter offensives. Hundreds of thousands were killed, wounded or captured, and the German Sixth Army was left surrounded and dying in the rubble of Stalingrad. Poorly equipped, often badly led and totally unprepared for the war, they were asked to fight. Drawing on first-hand accounts from veterans and civilians, as well as previously unpublished source material, Death on the Don tells the story of one of the greatest military disasters of the Second World War.

Thematically divided, this fascinating study explores the experiences of many of Devons people during the First World War: soldiers; aliens and spies (real and imagined); refugees; conscientious objectors; nurses and doctors; churchmen; the changing roles of women and children; and finally the controversies surrounding farming and agriculture. It provides a moving tribute to the price paid by Devon and its people during the War to End all Wars.

Armour Never Wearies is the first volume to bring together all the hitherto scattered evidence archaeological, literary and artistic for the forms and uses of scale and lamellar armours in the region west of the Ural Mountains throughout the 3,500 years during which these armours were used. The interpretation of this data is informed by the authors long practical experience as a maker of arms and armour, martial artist and horseman. It offers systematic definitions and analysis of these often misunderstood forms of armour, along with detailed diagrams and instructions that will be of great use to any who wish to turn their hands to reconstruction. Along the way, this unique synthesis of evidence and interpretation debunks some myths that have arisen in recent years.

Taking a fresh look at the Scottish involvement in the English Civil War, this fascinating take on a popular period of history focuses on how the Scots influenced the outcome of the first stage of the war, ending with the significant capture of Charles I. It follows one regiment in particular Colonel Hugh Frasers dragoons from its creation through its actions at Marston Moor, which cleared the way for and made possible the success of the Scottish cavalry and Cromwells Ironsides. It is through the dragoons success there, and ability to save the right wing, that they arguably won the battle and the Civil War in Northern England. Following the regiment to its return to Scotland, eventual dissolution and the suspicious poisoning of its founder, the picture is completed of what could be one of the most important components of the Civil War. Alastair McRae expertly weaves a new narrative to the rich tapestry of Civil War history and would make anyone think twice about the event. utilising thirsty years of well-thought-out research, McRae puts forward a controversial but powerful case for the primacy of the war in the north in the defeat of Charles I.

A retainer of our domain, Renpeido Chikamatsu Hikonoshin Shigenori, each morning washed his face and hands, dressed himself in Hakama and prayed in front of the kamidana alter His prayer was thus: "Please afford me success in war." He kept to this routine all through his life.Through patient and scholarly detective work, Antony Cummins and the Historical Ninjutsu Research Team have unearthed a Shinobi treasure. The 18th-century military historian Chikamatsu recorded the oral traditions of the Ninja and passed on those skills in lectures he gave at his Renpeido school of war in Owari domain during the early 1700s. Chikamatsu wrote specifically about the Shinobi of Iga and Koka, regions from which warriors were hired all over the land in the days of war. The lost scrolls are filled with unknown Shinobi teachings, skills that include infiltration, assassination, explosives, magic and commando tactics, including an in depth commentary on Sun Tzus famous 13th chapter, The Use of Spies.

Enter the world of seventeenth-century Japanese warfare and the warrior elite, the Samurai. Samurai War Stories: Teachings and Tales of Samurai Warfare is a collection of three major texts, published in an English translation for the first time. These works include writings on three distinct military strata: the Samurai; the Ashigaru or foot soldier; and women in war. Including guidelines, tactics, commentaries and advice written by Samurai of the period, as well as intricate illustrations. Narratives of actual battles and sieges are included in the texts, such as the famous Battle of Sekigahara. This collection is an invaluable resource that sheds new light on the world of the legendary Japanese warrior.

Every surname has its own story to tell, and a surname study is a natural complement to family history research. The study of surnames has been revolutionised in the last decade with the increasing availability of online resources, and it is now easier than ever before to explore the history, evolution, distribution and meaning of your family name. The Surnames Handbook provides a comprehensive guide to researching your surname using genealogical methods in conjunction with the latest advances in DNA testing and surname mapping. The book explores the key resources that are used to study a surname and is packed with links to relevant websites giving you everything you need to research your surname in one compact volume.

D-Day, 6 June 1944; a day that has gone down in history as one of the most crucial steps towards Allied victory of the Second World War. But what is known of the thousands of young Frenchmen and women who were formed into small, untrained armies and used as bait by the Allied powers to distract the German forces from the invasion beaches? These civilians were scattered through the French forests and hill country, and they believed that Allied forces would arrive to help them drive the hated Nazi occupiers out of France; but this support never arrived. Instead they were abandoned, to be hunted down by collaborationist French paramilitaries, Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS troops. Those that were lucky died quickly; the unlucky ones survived they were brutally raped and tortured before being shot, or were deported to death camps in Germany. With rare, striking and often harrowing photographs of the people, places and events of this period, Boyd reveals the startling truth of the prologue to the D-Day landings, highlighting atrocities that should never be forgotten.

An exploration of the history and development of the dirigible airship from its humble beginnings in the late eighteenth century through to its current role as military command posts among other uses.Starting out as an unreliable experimental aircraft whilst aeronauts first began to learn the secrets of aerial navigation, the airship was remodelled in 1900 by Count Zeppelin to become a potent weapon of war. It was then transformed again into a short-lived solution to long-distance passenger air travel. With over 100 technical drawings and contemporary images of dirigible aircraft, Ridley-Kitts presents a comprehensive and fascinating history of the airship.Military, Naval and Civil Airships is a must read for those that wish to delve into the development of the aircraft for the first time and for airship specialists alike.

This is a story of summer 1940, of a little known territorial battalion and an almost forgotten British military disaster. In April 1940 the Princess Louises Kensington Regiment left England to join the British Expeditionary Force in France. It was attached to the 51st (Highland) Division which was moving to the Saar region to defend the Maginot Line. From May until mid-June the Kensingtons were in continuous action, first on the Saar, then on the Somme, and finally in a fighting withdrawal along the channel coast in an attempt to reach Le Havre. Outnumbered four to one the division was cornered at the little seaside town of St Valery en Caux and forced to surrender on 13 June. Three companies of the Kensingtons launched a daring escape through Le Havre to return to England and take part in the invasion defences on the Kent coast.

Ballymullen Barracks in Tralee was the regimental depot of the Royal Munster Fusiliers prior to the establishment of the Irish Free State. It was through the barracks gates that Kerrymen enlisted for a career in the Munsters. Kerry and the Royal Munster Fusiliers examines the reasons why Kerrymen enlisted during the Great War, and how these citizens-turned-soldiers endured the World War they found themselves participating in. By using local sources, this book documents the rapidly changing political situation in Kerry, how support for the conflict diminished after 1916, and how this change affected the returning soldiers.

Gas! Gas! Quick, Boys! reveals for the first time the true extent of how chemistry rather than military strategy determined the shape, duration and outcome of the First World War. Chemistry was not only a destructive instrument of war but also protected troops, and healed the sick and wounded. From bombs to bullets, poison gas to anaesthetics, khaki to cordite, chemistry was truly the alchemy of the First World War. Michael Freemantle explores its dangers and its healing potential, revealing how the arms race was also a race for chemistry to the extent that Germanys thirst for the chemicals needed to make explosives deprived the nation of fertilizers and nearly starved the nation. He answers question such as: What is guncotton? What is lyddite? What is mustard gas? What is phosgene? What is gunmetal? This is a true picture of the horrors of the Chemists War.

Twenty years ago, the term ethnic cleansing entered the common lexicon. The terrible events that took place in the UN safe haven at Bihac in North-west Bosnia between 1992 and 1995 represent the Bosnian conflict in microcosm. Muslim fought all factions of Serb, Muslim fought Muslim, and the Croats interfered. As an EC Monitoring Mission Observer, author Brendan OShea was not only an eye witness to the horrific war crimes committed by all sides but also had access to both EU and UN official documents. As such he was perfectly placed to unravel the deceit, the politicking and the struggle for power that led to tragedy and suffering for hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children. The names Radovan Karadzic, Ratko Mladic both on trial at The Hague Slobodan Milosevic, Alija Izetbegovic and Franjo Tudjman have become synonymous with the worst excesses perpetrated during the war in Bosnia. This book makes an important contribution to our understanding of that conflict.

The British system of interrogation has always been distinctly different from other countries. Subtler, quieter and far more devious than its contemporaries, it has been admired by those who have inadvertently succumbed to it. So much so that the Nazis adopted some of the British methods in their own intelligence operations. During the Second World War the system became highly developed and vast numbers of people were employed in the collating and recovery of information. Vital data regarding military advances such as the Enigma machine and the Tiger Tank were wrung from prisoners not by force but by trickery and deceit. The eccentric, quirky, but also very successful, wartime interrogation methods of the British are revealed in this book, including their triumphant discoveries and also their occasional disastrous mistake.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, Britains manpower crisis forced them to turn to a previously untapped resource: women. For years it was thought women would be incapable of serving in uniform, but the ATS was to prove everyone wrong. Formed in 1938, the Womens Auxiliary Territorial Service was a remarkable legion of women; this is their story. They took over many roles, releasing servicemen for front-line duties. ATS members worked alongside anti-aircraft gunners as gunner-girls, maintained vehicles, drove supply trucks, operated as telephonists in France, re-fused live ammunition, provided logistical support in army supply depots and employed specialist skills from Bletchley to General Eisenhowers headquarters in Reims. They were even among the last military personnel to be evacuated from Dunkirk. They grasped their new-found opportunities for education, higher wages, skilled employment and a different future from the domestic role of their mothers. They earned the respect and admiration of their male counterparts and carved out a new future for women in Britain. They showed great skill and courage, with famous members including the young Princess Elizabeth (now about to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee as Britains Queen) and Mary Churchill, Sir Winstons daughter. Girls in Khaki reveals their extraordinary achievements, romances, heartbreaks and determination through their own words and never-before published photographs.

In the cold morning of June 6, 1944, thousands of German soldiers are in position from Port en Bessin eastwards past Colleville on the Normandy coast, aware that a massive invasion force is heading straight for them. According to Allied Intelligence, they shouldnt be there. 352 infantry division would ensure the invaders would pay a massive price to take Omaha beach. There were veterans from the Russian front amongst them and they were well trained and equipped. The presence of 352 Division meant that the number of defenders was literally double the number expected and on the best fortified of all the invasion beaches. What makes this account of the bloody struggle unique is that it is told from the German standpoint, using firsthand testimony of German combatants. There are not many of them left and these accounts have been painstakingly collected by the authors over many years.