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Soldier: the life of Colin Powell
By Karen DeYoung. 2006
Washington Post reporter interviews retired general Colin Powell to chronicle his rise from a son of Jamaican immigrants to U.S.…
Secretary of State. Highlights his army life that culminated with his role as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and explains his decision not to run for president. 2006My American journey: An Autobiography
By Colin L Powell. 1995
Powell shares with his fellow Americans what he believes has been a great life. The son of immigrants, he was…
raised in New York's South Bronx and was undistinguished in school. But he found his place in life when he joined the ROTC and the army. Powell's is a story of hard work and good luck, of service, and of love from and for the people who helped make the former general and Joint Chiefs chairman a popular figure in the 1990s. Bestseller. 1995Folding paper cranes: an atomic memoir
By Leonard Bird. 2005
Memoir composed of accounts and poems confronting the legacy and future of nuclear warfare. Bird reflects on his visits to…
post-war Hiroshima and his experiences at the Nevada Test Site in 1957, when his marine unit was exposed to radiation during atomic detonations, which later caused his cancer. 2005Seize the fire: heroism, duty, and the Battle of Trafalgar
By Adam Nicolson. 2005
The author views Admiral Horatio Nelson in terms of a religious but brutal British culture that condoned war. Posits that…
"the twinning of apocalypse and millennium, of violence leading to peace," resulted in the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar, in which England defeated Napoleonic France. Violence. 20051776
By David G. McCullough. 2005
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian chronicles the struggles of the Continental Army during the disastrous year of 1776. Highlights George Washington's failed…
New York campaign and the retreat across New Jersey. Assesses the political, economic, and social problems the young nation encountered during the turbulent months from August to December. Bestseller. 2005Washington's general: Nathanael Greene and the triumph of the American Revolution
By Terry Golway. 2005
Biography of American Revolutionary War commander Nathanael Greene (1742-1786), who was born a Rhode Island Quaker but chose to fight…
for independence. Details his career as George Washington's quartermaster general and his appointment as leader of the southern theater. Outlines how Greene forced the British to concede at Yorktown. 2005Ace of aces: the life of Captain Eddie Rickenbacker
By H. Paul Jeffers. 2003
A biography of captain Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973), the much decorated "Ace of Aces" who destroyed twenty-six enemy planes in World…
War I. Fascinated with engines and speed, he began his career as a race-car driver, becoming third-ranked in the country. He later founded Eastern Airlines. 2003Voices of war: stories of service from the home front and the front lines (The library Of Congress Veterans History Project)
By Veterans History Project. 2004
Personal accounts of American soldiers and medical personnel active in World War I, World War II, the Korean and Vietnam…
wars, and the Persian Gulf conflicts. Extracts from interviews, letters, and diary entries collected by the Library of Congress Veterans History Project are grouped by themes: Answering the Call, Under Fire, Coming Home. 2004Robert E. Lee: a Penguin life
By Roy Blount. 2003
Cultural journalist and humourist with southern upbringing offers character insights on Confederate Civil War general Robert E. Lee (1807-1870). Discusses…
Lee's background, the strengths and weaknesses of his military tactics, and his sense of honor. Appendixes explore Lee's sexuality, quirky humor, and attitude toward slavery. 2003John Paul Jones: sailor, hero, father of the American Navy
By Evan Thomas. 2003
Biography of the "great sea warrior," born in Scotland in 1747, who went to sea at age thirteen. Describes his…
career in the fledgling American Continental Navy, his later exploits in Europe and Russia, and his burial in an obscure Paris grave in 1792. 2003General Ike: a personal reminiscence
By John S. D. Eisenhower. 2003
The son of General Dwight D. Eisenhower draws on his own observations and research as a military historian to describe…
his father's relationships with World War II associates. Essays portray Ike's interactions with George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, Douglas MacArthur, George C. Marshall, Charles de Gaulle, and Winston Churchill, among others. Some strong language. 2003A rage for glory: the life of Commodore Stephen Decatur, USN
By James T. De Kay. 2004
Biography of early American hero Stephen Decatur (1779-1820) by well-known naval historian. Portraying Decatur as a brilliant, fearless, and adored…
commander, de Kay recounts his rise to national prominence through exploits in the Barbary wars and the War of 1812. Offers new details on Decatur's tragic death in a senseless duel. 2004His Excellency: George Washington
By Joseph J. Ellis. 2004
Author of Founding Brothers (DB 51469) delves into the life and times of America's first president. Uses personal papers and…
historical accounts to recreate the man who was a French and Indian War soldier, plantation owner, businessman, and savvy politician who forged a new nation. Bestseller. 2004American soldier
By General Tommy Franks. 2004
Retired army general and former commander in chief of U.S. Central Command recollects his childhood and decorated thirty-eight-year military career…
including service in Vietnam, Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Provides an inside look at the war on terror. Some strong language. Bestseller. 2004Veterans recall experiences of battle from World War I to the war in Iraq. Soldiers' letters, diaries, memoirs, and oral…
histories provide personal accounts of D-Day, the Tet offensive, heroic actions, and sinking ships. Includes an interview with Senator John McCain about his captivity in Vietnam. 2005Agent Paterson SOE: From Operation Anthropoid to France: The Memoirs of E.H. van Maurik
By Ernest Van Maurik. 2018
Ernest Van Maurik, known to all simply as Van, joined the illustrious Artists Rifles regiment in the Territorial Army in…
1936, but when war broke out he was commissioned into the Wiltshire Regiment. In the summer of 1940 the regiment was posted at Folkestone to defend the South Coast in the event of an invasion, during which time he undertook a course at Hythe Small Arms School and found himself involved with the SOE, the Special Operations Executive.This led to him to Scotland, first to the Commando Training School at Lochailort and then to Arisaig, where he became responsible for helping organise resistance to the Nazi regime in occupied countries. This involved the training of prospective agents in small arms, demolition and other special forces activities. At this time, he helped train a number of Czech soldiers who went on to participate in Operation Anthropoid, the assassination of SS-Obergruppenfhrer Reinhard Heydrich in Prague.Van was then transferred to the SOEs headquarters in Baker Street, London. There he was to work for notable figures such as Maurice Buckmaster and General Colin Gubbins. He also got to know a number of individuals who were to become famous agents, people such as Peter Churchill, Odette and Yeo-Thomas (The White Rabbit). His main work was to get agents both in and out of Occupied France but then it was his turn to go into the field.Van was initially sent to Malta to help with the dropping of agents into Yugoslavia. His next mission was to Switzerland via Occupied France to assist SOE agents in France and also deal with couriers from F Section SOE who used Switzerland as a channel for communicating with London.After many adventures, Van reached Switzerland where he carried out his task until the end of the war in Europe. He then was involved in assisting the investigation into the fate of the many SOE agents who had been captured by the Germans and were still missing.Fast Jets to Spitfires: A Cold War Fighter Pilot's Story
By Ron Lloyd. 2020
A memoir of RAF service in the postwar era and the golden age of British military aviation, including photos.How often…
have you glanced skyward at the sound of a passing aircraft and wondered what it would be like to fly one of those gleaming metal machines? Or admired the skill and daring of the fighter pilot swooping down upon his enemy in the awe-inspiring, unrivaled elegance of a Spitfire? Ron Lloyd has had the experience of flying the majestic propeller-driven aircraft of the Second World War as well as the roaring, sound-barrier-breaking jets of the Cold War—and in this exciting book, he places the reader in the cockpit, describing what it really feels like to be sitting at the controls of a fighter aircraft.Lloyd joined the RAF after World War II, and during his early service he was selected as one of the pilots to fly the wartime aircraft in the feature film The Battle of Britain, giving him the opportunity to fly a Spitfire and even a Messerschmitt Bf 109 during the six weeks of filming. His role with the RAF, on the other hand, saw him on the front line in the Cold War, piloting de Havilland Vampires, Hawker Hunters, Gloster Javelins, Lightnings, and Phantoms. He also served on exchange in the USA where he flew Convair F-102s, Convair F-106s, and Lockheed T-33s.Packed with unique photographs of the golden age of British military aviation, Fast Jets to Spitfires allows readers to experience, through Ron Lloyd’s graphic accounts, the pure joy of being airborne.Tiger Battalion 507: Eyewitness Accounts from Hitler's Regiment
By Helmut Schneider and Robert Forczyk. 2020
A personal history of a Nazi battalion’s experiences on the Eastern and Western fronts of WWII, told through the vivid…
accounts of the soldiers themselves. This is the little-known story of Heavy Panzer (Tiger) Battalion 507. Helmut Schneider, himself a veteran of the battalion, sought out as many survivors of the unit as possible and gather their reminiscences. The resulting account is a treasure trove of first-hand material, including personal memories, diaries, letters, leave passes, wartime newspaper cuttings, Wehrmacht bulletins, and more than 160 photographs. The account follows the unit from its formation in 1943 to the catastrophic events on the Eastern Front and battles on the Western Front. It describes engagements against the American 3rd Armored Division, the confusion and panic of retreat, and Soviet captivity in the closing stages of the war. Honest and unflinching, this collection of autobiographies offers a glimpse into life in Hitler’s panzer division.The First and the Last of the Sheffield City Battalion
By John Cornwell. 2020
This is the story of two British men from very different social backgrounds, who both joined a new Pals battalion…
during World War I.To encourage men to volunteer, the British Army established Pals battalions that allowed men who enlisted together to serve together during the First World War. One of these men was Vivian Simpson, a 31-year-old solicitor who was well known in the city; partly because he was an outstanding footballer, playing for Sheffield Wednesday and an England trialist. Simpson was the very first man to enroll for the new battalion and was commissioned in January 1915.The other man was Reg Glenn, a clerk in the Education Offices who served as a signaler in each battle the 12th Battalion fought in until the summer of 1917, when he was selected to become an officer.To his annoyance, Vivian Simpson was kept back in England as a training officer until after the battalion’s disaster on the Somme on 1 July 1916. However, after that he became a most energetic and courageous officer. He was awarded an MC in 1917, but was killed in the German offensive on the Lys in April 1918.Reg Glenn went back to France in 1918 as a subaltern in the North Staffordshires and was wounded on the Aisne in his first day of combat as an officer. He was never fit enough to go back to the trenches and became a training officer in Northumberland with his new regiment and later with the Cameronians at Invergordon. He survived the war and lived to be 101 years old, making him the last survivor of the 12th Battalion.Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck
By Evan McGilvray. 2020
This military biography explores the life and service of a British Indian Army officer who served with distinction across both…
world wars.During the First World War, Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck was awarded a Distinguished Service Order for his efforts in Egypt and the Mesopotamian Campaign. Afterward, he aided the pacification of the Northwest Frontier, now Pakistan. In the Second World War he briefly led a division in the ill-fated Norway campaign before being appointed Commander-in-Chief, India. Auchinleck is best remembered for his time as Commander-in-Chief of the Middle East Theatre, where he halted Rommel at the First Battle of El Alamein. He then resumed command in India, where his leadership was vital to success in Burma. In the post-war years, he planned and oversaw the Partition of India and the British withdrawal.In this extensively researched biography, historian Evan McGilvray examines Auchinleck’s long career as well as the transformations of the British military and the Empire itself.