This illustrated A-to-Z reference offers comprehensive information on the role of the Royal Air Force Coastal Command in WWII.Known as Kipper Fleet within the RAF, Coastal Command often lacked sufficient resources compared with other home commands, giving it its other nickname of the Cinderella Service. Its main role was to protect Britain's vital sea borne supply lines from the English coast to the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Africa.Coastal Command...

A new assessment of the life of one of the most famous and controversial airmen of the Second World War, this book covers Guy Gibson's sometimes troubled upbringing and the impact on him of his time at St Edward's School, Oxford. In particular, the story of his career in the RAF is relayed, including his stunning leadership achievement in creating No 617 Squadron and leading its attack on the dams of western Germany. The much-discussed circumstances of his unnecessary death and the theorie...

In 1945 it was announced that Allied airmen who had taken part in the Battle of Britain in 1940 would be entitled to the immediate award of the 1939-1945 Star, with Battle of Britain Clasp. This was the only Clasp awarded with the 1939-1945 Star.In the following years holders of the Clasp held informal get-togethers. In 1958 the Battle of Britain Fighter Association (BBFA) was formed, with full membership only available to holders of the Battle of Britain Clasp. Lord Dowding was the first ...

The consideration of human factors issues is vital to the mining industry. As in other safety-critical domains, human performance problems constitute a significant threat to system safety, making the study of human factors an important field for improving safety in mining operations. The primary purpose of this book is to provide the reader with a much-needed overview of human factors within the mining industry, in particular to understand the role of human error in mine safety, explaining...

Three New York Times –bestselling World War II histories, including the true story of the miraculous evacuation portrayed in the Christopher Nolan film Dunkirk .The monumental scope and breathtaking heroism of World War II are brought to vivid life in three riveting accounts that span the conflict's Western Front, Eastern Front, and Pacific Theater.The Miracle of Dun...

Three true tales of Civil War combat, as recounted by the #1 New York Times –bestselling author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee .The acclaimed historian of the American West turns his attention to the country's bloody civil conflict, chronicling the exploits of extraordinary soldiers who served in unexpected ways at a pivotal moment in the nation's history.Grierson'...

A concise history of the Battle of Isandlwana, the first encounter of the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879.In 1878, H.M. High Commissioner for Southern Africa and the Lieut. General Commanding H.M. Forces, clandestinely conspired to invade the Zulu Kingdom. Drastically underestimating their foe, the invaders had been vanquished within days of entering the Zulu Kingdom, in one of the greatest disasters ever to befall a British army.The author not only dramatically des...

A covert agent's memoir of three perilous missions in Nazi-occupied Paris, told with "unconditional honesty" ( Kirkus Reviews).At first, John Goldsmith's services were consistently refused. But in 1942, he was recruited into Buckmasters F Section of the Special Operations Executive—and his wartime exploits would be remarkable.His faultless French and upbringing in Paris were to prove invaluable. After intensive training he was parachuted into France ...

How Churchill Saved Civilization resolves the lingering mysteries surrounding the causes of the Second World War, and what transpired during the war to bring its end result. It proposes answers to such questions as Why were the Allies unprepared?”, Why did France collapse so quickly?”, Why didn’t the British government accept Hitler’s peace proposals?” and Why did the Germans allow Hitler to obtain life and death control over them?”But the book’s main ...

A social history of British women's brave yet forgotten service during WWI from a historian of female wartime experiences—includes photos.At the outbreak of World War I, women looking to contribute to the Allied effort were told by the war office to "go home and sit still." Thankfully, hundreds of thousands of women from all corners of society ignored that advice and lent their collective strength to the cause. In We Also Served, Vivien Newman digs beneath...

On March 1, 1940, Adolf Hitler ordered the invasion of Norway. Having swept across Europe at a terrifying pace, the Nazi assault on Scandinavia was designed to secure the valuable source of iron ore being delivered by rail from Sweden to the Norwegian port of Narvik. To complete the task, Hitler sent ten large, modern destroyers, with 220 Alpine Troops on each. Five smaller British H Class destroyers were sent up the fjord in retaliation by the Allied forces, with little knowledge of what ...

Here Is Where chronicles Andrew Carroll’s eye-opening – and at times hilarious -- journey across America to find and explore unmarked historic sites where extraordinary moments occurred and remarkable individuals once lived. Sparking the idea for this book was Carroll’s visit to the spot where Abraham Lincoln’s son was saved by the brother of Lincoln’s assassin. Carroll wondered, How many other unmarked places are there where intriguing events have unfolded and that w...