A documentary history of the war of annihilation Nazi Germany fought against the Soviet Union, its people and the Red Army during World War II.Histories of the German army on the Eastern Front generally focus on battlefield exploits on the war as it was fought in the front line. They tend to neglect other aspects of the army's experience, particularly its participation in the racial war demanded by the leadership of the Reich. This ground-breaking book aims to corre...

From the author of Bismarck: " A work of simply outstanding scholarship . . . unreservedly recommended for . . . World War II Military History collections" ( Midwest Book Review).The successes of the German Blitzkrieg in 1939-41 were as surprising as they were swift. Allied decision-makers wanted to discover the Germans' secrets, even though only partial, incomplete information was available to ...

A superb history from the mouths and pens of the men who fought on that first day of the battle for Normandy. 'This is a masterful work. I am so grateful for Howarth's dedication to capturing the experiences of those who were there that fateful, historic, world-changing day.' – Good Reads "That morning, the fleet had sailed. He could not possibly count the ships or even guess the numbers…Wallace stood on the head of the cliff, entranced and exalted by a pageant of splendour which nobody ha...

An in-depth analysis of aircraft carrier battles in WWII and the evolution of carrier operations—from technology and strategy to life among the crew.First built in 1921, the aircraft carrier brought a new dimension to military strategy as the United States entered World War II. How Carriers Fought examines the evolution of carrier operations with a special focus on the conflict in the Pacific between the US Navy and the imperial Japanese fleet.Star...

How can we begin to make sense of the Great War now that over 100 years have passed since it ended with the defeat of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman empire and Bulgaria, and the collapse of Tsarist Russia? The conflict had such a profound influence on world history that is it difficult to reconcile the different perspectives and draw clear conclusions. That is why this thought-provoking collection of original essays on the outcome of the war and its aftermath is of such value.It com...

A detailed history and analysis of the most controversial amphibious operation in the Pacific during WWII: the Battle for Peleliu.On September 15, 1944, the United States invaded the tiny Pacific island of Peleliu, located at the southern end of the Palau Islands. Boasting a large airfield from which the Americans could mount bomber campaigns, Peleliu was a strategically essential part of Gen. MacArthur's long-awaited liberation of the Philippines. With the famed 1...

The historian and author of Postwar Counterinsurgency and the SAS reveals the full story of how the Special Air Service Regiment began during WWII.Britain's elite Special Air Service Regiment is one of the most revered special-ops units in the world. Its high-profile operations include the storming of the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980 and the hunt for Osama bin Laden in southern Afghanistan following 9/11. Since its inception during the Second World War...

A century of valor among one of the finest infantry divisions ever to serve, vividly chronicled through extensive research and interviews with veterans.From the Great War to the War on Terror, the US 4th Infantry Division has always been there. To War with the 4th recounts a hundred years of combat, beginning with their first battle on September 14th, 1918. The men of the "Ivy" Division faced German artillery, fell in the hundreds, yet won the day....

"An extraordinary memoir" of fleeing the Nazis—and then returning to fight them (Konrad H. Jarausch, author of Broken Lives: How Ordinary Germans Experienced the Twentieth Century).On June 6, 1944, Werner T. Angress parachuted down from a C-47 into German-occupied France with the 82nd Airborne Division. Nine days later, he was captured behind enemy lines and became a prisoner of war. Eventually, he was freed by US forces, rejoined the fight, crossed Europe ...

The first volume of the tactical and operational history of World War II Germany's fourth SS-Panzerkorps division and its leader.During World War II, the armed or Waffen-SS branch of the Third Reich's dreaded security service expanded from two divisions in 1940 to 38 divisions by the end of the war, eventually growing to a force of over 900,000 men until Germany's defeat in May, 1945.The histories of the first three SS corps are well known—the actions of I,...

On April 17, 1581, shots ring out in a Roman garden and a young man falls dead in an ambush. Within days, a powerful baron weds the lovely widow. Everyone knows the baron ordered the hit. But how much did the victim’s wife know? Vittoria Accoramboni, the most beautiful girl in Rome, chafed under the financial limitations of her husband’s family. She waited eight years for Pope Gregory XIII to die so that her husband’s uncle, Cardinal Montalto, could become the new pope and bring the family...

This is an account of the British Expeditionary Forces battles in the summer and autumn of 1917. It begins with the Allied plan to free up the Flanders coast, to limit German naval and submarine attacks on British shipping.The opening offensive began with the detonation of nineteen mines on 7 June and ended with the capture of the Messines Ridge. The main offensive started with success on 31 July but was soon bogged down due to the August rains. Three huge attacks between 20 September and ...