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Showing 1 - 20 of 2004 items
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History, World War I
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From a renowned name in A Level history publishing, this is a Questions and Analysis title on a major period…
in Russian History. With all three exam boards offering modules on this popular subject at A Level, this book is an absolute must-have. Looking at the many different aspects of the period 1855–1991 that are covered in A Level history, Stephen J. Lee examines and compares: the ideologies of Tsarist autocracy and Soviet communism parties and opposition to these regimes the use of repression and terror agriculture industry the class structure the 1917 revolution the impact of the First and Second World Wars on Russia. Key elements of this book include: each topic/issue forms a well-structured chapter: background; analysis; sources with questions; worked answers a prominent historiography section – an important element of the new A2 history assessment an incorporated A2 synoptic approach that teaches students to draw together their entire range of knowledge and skills to study one topic guidance on how to answer the recently-introduced synoptic questions. Involving the importance of understanding the connections between the essential characteristics of historical study, this key title is the one-stop shop for all history teachers and students.
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Biography, History, European history, World War I
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Strength and Goodness (Force-Bonté) by Bakary Diallo is one of the only memoirs of World War I ever written or…
published by an African. It remains a pioneering work of African literature as well as a unique and invaluable historical document about colonialism and Africa&’s role in the Great War. Lamine Senghor&’s The Rape of a Country (La Violation d&’un pays) is another pioneering French work by a Senegalese veteran of World War I, but one that offers a stark contrast to Strength and Goodness. Both are made available for the first time in English in this edition, complete with a glossary of terms and a general historical introduction. The centennial of World War I is an ideal moment to present Strength and Goodness and The Rape of a Country to a wider, English-reading public. Until recently, Africa's role in the war has been neglected by historians and largely forgotten by the general public. Euro-centric versions of the war still predominate in popular culture, Many historians, however, now insist that African participation in the 1914-18 War is a large part of what made that conflict a world war.
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World War I
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On Easter Monday 1917 with a blizzard blowing in their faces, the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in France…
seized and held the best-defended German bastion on the Western Front - the muddy scarp of Vimy Ridge. The British had failed to take the Ridge, and so had the French who had lost 150,000 men in the attempt. Yet these magnificent colonial troops did so in a morning at the cost of only 10,000 casualties.The author recounts this remarkable feat of arms with both pace and style. He has gathered many personal accounts from soldiers who fought at Vimy. He describes the commanders and the men, the organization and the training, and above all notes the thorough preparation for the attack from which the British General Staff could have learnt much. The action is placed within the context both of the Battle of Arras, of which this attack was part, and as a milestone in the development of Canada as a nation.
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War and military biography, War, World War I
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"Exceptional military history worthy of its heroic subject." —Matthew J. DavenportIn the vein of Band of Brothers and American Sniper, a…
riveting history of Alvin York, the World War I legend who killed two dozen Germans and captured more than 100, detailing York's heroics yet also restoring the unsung heroes of his patrol to their rightful place in history—from renowned World War I historian James Carl Nelson.October 8, 1918 was a banner day for heroes of the American Expeditionary Force. Thirteen men performed heroic deeds that would earn them Medals of Honor. Of this group, one man emerged as the single greatest American hero of the Great War: Alvin Cullum York. A poor young farmer from Tennessee, Sergeant York was said to have single-handedly killed two dozen Germans and captured another 132 of the enemy plus thirty-five machine guns before noon on that fateful Day of Valor. York would become an American legend, celebrated in magazines, books, and a blockbuster biopic starring Gary Cooper. The film, Sergeant York, told of a hell-raiser from backwoods Tennessee who had a come-to-Jesus moment, then wrestled with his newfound Christian convictions to become one of the greatest heroes the U.S. Army had ever known. It was a great story—but not the whole story.In this absorbing history, James Carl Nelson unspools, for the first time, the complete story of Alvin York and the events that occurred in the Argonne Forest on that day. Nelson gives voice, in particular, to the sixteen “others” who fought beside York. Hailing from big cities and small towns across the U.S. as well as several foreign countries, these soldiers included a patrician Connecticut farmer whose lineage could be traced back to the American Revolution, a poor runaway from Massachusetts who joined the Army under a false name, and a Polish immigrant who enlisted in hopes of expediting his citizenship. The York Patrol shines a long overdue spotlight on these men and York, and pays homage to their bravery and sacrifice. Illustrated with 25 black-and-white images, The York Patrol is a rousing tale of courage, tragedy, and heroism.
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War, World War I
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SEIZE AND HOLD vividly demonstrates how military objectives can be seized by clever tactics and ruthless action.
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Biography, War and military biography, European history, World War I, World War II
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The acclaimed author of Dowding of Fighter Command details the life of one of the great strategic minds of the…
Royal Air Force. Born in India into a family of soldiers and diplomats, John Slessor made the first aerial attack on a Zeppelin. He went on to serve in the Middle East over the Western Front in World War I, and postwar on the North-West Frontier in India. In the inter-war years, under the influence of Sir Hugh Trenchard, he became a devout proponent of strategic bombing and a strong advocate of the importance of air support for ground forces. Through his writing and teaching he gained a reputation as a deep thinker, and as Director of Plans in the Air Ministry from 1937, was closely concerned with rearmament. As World War II began, he became a major cog in the policy machine. Serving variously as Head of 5 Group Bomber Command (1941), with Portal throughout 1942 and at Casablanca in 1943, his high point came as Head of Coastal Command in 1943 with the defeat of the U-Boats, and then in August 1944 with the tragedy of the Warsaw uprising. Post-WWII, he continued to influence thinking as an ardent opponent of the Soviet Union. His Global Strategy Paper in 1952 was arguably the basis of all strategic thinking until the end of the Cold War. Vincent Orange was given full access to Slessor&’s diaries, letters, papers, and all relevant official documentation. As he shows us in this biography, although Slessor had numerous shortcomings, he was able to overcome these difficulties and rise to the top of his service.
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Biography, War, World War I
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This lively, funny memoir by a World War I pilot is &“recommended for its rare view of the RAF in…
its nascent years and beyond&” (Over the Front). Annotated by aviation historian Norman Franks, this is the autobiography of an early RAF pilot that conveys the sense of giddy adventure that existed among these elite flyers. The story begins in France in late 1918, when D&’Arcy Greig was flying FE2b night bombers, then through the early 1920s as he served in Iraq, piloting Bristol Fighters for three years, against rebel insurgents and dissident tribesmen. Back in England, Greig became an instructor at the Central Flying School, and finally he records his experiences commanding the RAF&’s High Speed Flight, and participating in the 1929 Schneider Trophy Race. This is a highly entertaining and amusing read, with Greig being a master of practical joking, having fun with explosives and enjoying other hilarious exploits that could only be contrived in these early days of flying. He comes into contact with many airmen already famous or who gained future fame, and his tale is well illustrated with many new, often private family photographs of the time.
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Politics and government biography, European history, War, World War I, World War II
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The author of Dowding of Fighter Command examines the relationships Churchill had with the airmen of the RAF. Winston Churchill…
probably had more impact on 20th-century British military history than any other person, especially during World War II. Yet of the many volumes since that war that deal with his relationships with generals and admirals, most surprisingly, there seems not to be a single book devoted to Churchill as a would-be pilot, and, more importantly, to the relationships he had with a host of airmen between 1914 and 1945. Exceptional air marshals of his time included Dowding, Park, Portal, Freeman, Tedder, Coningham, and Harris. Such men had years of professional expertise behind them, and those who had reached the top by 1943 were such strong characters that not even the prime minister could dominate them in policy-making. Crucially, Churchill had supported the independence of the RAF from other services, and while he did bully and cajole, even abuse his airmen, he also listened to them and their plans, and inspired them. With his expert eye, respected historian and professor Vincent Orange, has carefully studied and evaluated every detail of Churchill&’s relationships with his closest officers to produce a masterful analysis of a neglected subject.
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European history, War, World War I
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An account of the renowned German fighter unit in World War I, &“a wonderful journey through these pilots&’ lives, in…
victory and defeat&” (Aerodrome). As August drew to a close in 1916, the German Air Service was reeling almost helplessly towards inevitable defeat on the Somme. The Artillery and Feldflieger Abteilungen, the Kampfstaffeln, had been quickly reduced to relative impotency by the overwhelming quantitative and qualitative superiority of the Allies. The once feared Fokker and Pfalz Eindeckers proved unequal to the task of checking the aerial flood which daily scoured the ravaged German front. A crisis was reached. Germany was compelled to seek a new solution. Jagdstaffel 2 was formed to stem the tide and fight back. Later by Imperial decree renamed Jasta Boelcke in honor of its distinguished commander Oswald Boelcke, this military formation had no prolonged, entangled gestation period. There was no parent, no prior stirrings of life. Jasta 2 was lifted from the keyboard of a typewriter, assigned to the First Army and provided with a leader. Between 2 September and 31 December 1916, it scored 85 kills, and was destined to end the war with 336 confirmed victories. Here, for the first time, is the story of that auspicious and audacious unit, told in his inimitable style by Norman Franks, an expert in his subject.
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War, World War I, World War II
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This vivid history chronicles the legendary Royal Navy base through WWI and WWII with eyewitness accounts and photos—&“a fascinating book&”…
(Scots Magazine). Scapa Flow was one of the greatest naval bases in history. Located in the Orkney Islands, it played a vital role in the two great wars of the twentieth century. It was from there that the Royal Navy&’s Grand Fleet sailed to Jutland in 1916. It was also the site of The Great Scuttle of the German High Seas Fleet after the First World War. Lord Kitchener disembarked from Scapa aboard the HMS Hampshire, headed for talks with the Tsar of Russia, before the ship was tragically sunk by a mine off Marwick Head. In the water of Scapa lie the wrecks of the HMS Vanguard, blown apart by an explosion in 1917, and the HMS Royal Oak, sunk by Gunther Prien of U-47 in a spectacular raid at the beginning of World War Two. It is also where Italian POWs built both the spectacular Churchill causeways and the exquisite Italian chapel at Lamb Holm crafted from Nissan huts. In Scapa, historian James Miller tells the story of this beautiful, bleak anchorage, weaving eyewitness accounts and personal experience into the larger narrative. Illustrated with archival photographs throughout, this volume captures the spirit and activity of Scapa Flow when it was the home of thousands of service personnel.
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European history, History, War, World War I
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Saltire Society &“History Book of the Year&” Award winner. &“An absorbing and moving book&” on the World War I shipwrecks…
off of Scotland&’s Islay island (The Scotsman). The loss of two British ships crammed with American soldiers bound for the trenches of the First World War brought the devastation of war directly to the shores of the Scottish island of Islay. The sinking of the troopship Tuscania by a German U-Boat on 5 February 1918 was the first major loss of US troops in in the war. Eight months after the people of Islay had buried more than 200 Tuscania dead, the armed merchant cruiser Otranto collided with another troopship during a terrible storm. Despite a valiant rescue attempt by HMS Mounsay, the Otranto drifted towards Islay, hit a reef, throwing 600 men into the water. Just 19 survived; the rest were drowned or crushed by the wreckage. Based on the harrowing personal recollection of survivors and rescuers, newspaper reports and original research, Les Wilson tells the story of these terrible events, painting a vivid picture which also &“pays tribute to the astonishing bravery and humanity of islanders, who risked their lives pulling men from the sea, cared for survivors, and buried the dead&” (The Herald).&“A well-researched account of loss and tragedy.&” —Oban Times
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European history, War, World War I, World War II
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Fly shotgun with the pilots and crews of both sides who fought in the air at night over England during…
World War I and World War II. In two world wars, a corridor from The Wash to Birmingham was turned into a fierce battleground. The air route from Germany and the occupied countries through this corridor, to targets right across the industrial heartland of England, became a three-dimensional combat zone that proved to be as grim a killing ground by night as anywhere else in the land. No Place for Chivalry encapsulates the story of the air defense of England against attack by night. By taking the area covered by RAF Wittering and Digby sectors, looking at the action of night fighter squadrons operating from those stations and their satellite airfields, the way the battle developed, its timeline of events, the events themselves and the organization of those involved, a coherent picture of how the night air defense of Britain evolved is formed. The narrative is pitched at a level of detail and with such human-interest content that it enables readers not only to grasp what is happening and why but also to feel the tensions, frustrations and euphoria of success that the aircrews felt at the time. The reader gets a view from the cockpit or gun turret, to &“meet&” and &“fly&” with the men of both sides who fought in the air at night—men whose moral standards on the ground were above reproach but, when fighting in the night sky, gave no quarter.
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War and military biography, European history, War, World War I
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The Under the Guns series continues with an all-encompassing look at four highly decorated German fighter aces and their dogfights…
in World War I. Following their imaginative, popular and successful approach to identifying and describing all the airmen who were claimed by Manfred von Richthofen in Under the Guns of the Red Baron, and by Immelmann, Voss, Göring and Lothar von Richthofen in Under the Guns of the German Aces, air historians Franks and Giblin have put four more equally distinguished German aces of World War One under the microscope. In doing so, they profile not only the aces themselves, all of whom received the &“Blue Max&”—Germany&’s highest award for bravery in action—but also the Allied airmen they fought and downed. By extensive and exhaustive research into records, and carefully studying maps, timings and intelligence reports—contemporary and retrospective—as full a picture as possible is revealed with excellent photographic coverage of the many protagonists involved. All four of the aces, Böhme, Müller, von Tutschek and Wolff were unit leaders at different times, one commanded a Jagdesgeschwader, the others commanded Jagdstaffels. All four were destined to die in actions against the Royal Flying Corps. Every one of their combats is detailed here, with color artwork. This is the last in the Under the Guns trilogy, to complete the set.
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Biography, War and military biography, War, World War I
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A fascinating, insightful, and nail-biting account by a World War One veteran—a Grub Street Classic previously out of print for…
more than thirty years. In these exciting memoirs, &“Tich&” Rochford writes about his two action-filled years as a World War I fighter pilot with the famous No. 3 (Naval) Squadron when he flew planes such as the Sopwith Pup and the Sopwith Camel. While flying many hundreds of hours in operations he was credited with many single-handed victories or driven out of control, and he vividly recalls these engagements in the air and the exploits of the pilots with whom he flew, names that include other fighter aces like Raymond Collishaw, who has written a foreword to this book, T. F. Havell, R. H. Mulock and L. S. Breadner. A member of his flight, Lt. Col. Kirkpatrick said of him, &“I always had the impression that what he did came naturally to him. If he saw an enemy aircraft and decided to attack, that was that. He went screaming down on it and we all had our work cut out to keep up with him. One could be pretty sure of the victim going down in flames.&”&“This excellent autobiography is highly recommended.&” —Over the Front
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Journals and memoirs, European history, War, World War I
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The memoir of a German fighter ace that gives a much-needed perspective on what it was like to fight for…
the Central Powers during World War I. This important work was first published in German in late 1939, no doubt timed to impress the young Luftwaffe fighter pilots who were embarking on the second major air war in history. Buckler initially served with the army when the Great War began, until he was wounded and moved to the air service to train as a pilot. Following a baptism of fire flying two-seat reconnaissance missions over France, he became a fighter pilot, joining Jasta 17 in late 1916. Despite receiving several more wounds, he continued in action, finally being awarded the highest decoration of the Pour le Mérite and ending the war with 36 victories over British and French aircraft. Not so much a war diary, his book is more a collection of memories told in a refreshing and entertaining manner. Renowned air historian Norman Franks has placed these in context and added accurate and authenticated details of what Buckler achieved. However, the fighter ace&’s original words remain largely unchanged, and Adam Wait&’s expert translation gives a valuable insight into what it was like to fly over the Western Front from the other side of the line.&“A well rounded, thorough investigation of a topic that would otherwise have remained unknown to most American readers . . . superior and highly recommended.&” —Indy Squadron Dispatch
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European history, War, World War I
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&“Nowhere will you find such an exhaustive book on the day-to-day events of the aerial war over the Western front…
in April 1917.&” —A Wargamers Needful Things Even those people who know little of WWI&’s air war will have heard of Bloody April. After more than eighteen months of deadly stalemate on the Western Front, by April 1917 the British and French were again about to launch yet another land offensive, this time on the Arras Front. This would be the first opportunity to launch a major offensive since the winter and would require enormous support from the Royal Flying Corps and French Air Force in, hopefully, improved weather. However, the air offensive was to be countered fiercely by the new German Jagstaffeln—Jastas—that had been the brainchild of Oswald Boelcke in 1916. By the spring of 1917, the first Jasta pilots, with new improved fighters—the nimble Albatros DIIIs—were just itching to get to grips with their opponents over the Western Front. What followed was a near massacre of British and French aircraft and crews, which made April the worst month for flying casualties the war had yet seen. Here is a day-by-day, blow-by-blow account of these losses, profusely illustrated with original photographs and expertly told.&“A highly detailed work that is meticulously peppered with eyewitness testimony, quality research, original photographs and accessible statistics. It also recreates the period for the reader and has a keen eye for accuracy and as a reference work it comes highly recommended.&” —History of War &“One of the most comprehensive overviews of early warfare ever published.&” —Flypast
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Journals and memoirs, War, World War I
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A fictionalized World War I memoir by RAF pilot John Everard Gurdon, &“an evocative picture of the daily life of…
the squadron and its characters&” (Western Front Association).Over and Above was first published in 1919 soon after John Everard Gurdon, aged just twenty, had been invalided out of the RAF following a brief but incident-filled stint as a flyer on the Western Front. It is Gurdon&’s first and best book, repeatedly reprinted for two decades, variously titled Winged Warriors or Wings of Death. Billed as a novel, it is not so much that as a fictionalized account of his own service flying career, with names changed, incidents rearranged. True, it tells of &“exciting raids over enemy lines and towns, desperate fights against fearful odds, chivalry shown to an unchivalrous foe . . .&” but the narrative turns darker as men become wearier, new comrades arrive and are killed, and those who remain try to hold onto meaning in increasingly unintelligible circumstances, a mirror to Gurdon&’s own experiences. Written in the style of the era and by and for a class which put great store in maintaining a slangy, backslapping cheerfulness, no matter how grim things were, with chums wishing each other &“beaucoup Huns&” before embarking on a &“show&” in &“beastly&” weather, this book is a classic to rank with Winged Victory by V. M. Yeates, and which should never have been out of print. This new edition retains exactly the original script but has been updated with an introduction by John Gurdon&’s granddaughter Camilla Gurdon Blakeley and an extended illustrated appendix by renowned historian Norman Franks.
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Biography, War and military biography, History, War, World War I
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The true story of Australia&’s greatest flying ace and his WWI victories, based on his letters, combat reports, and other…
documents. Includes photos. Major Roderick Dallas is Australia&’s leading air ace of all time and, with fifty victories, also one of the highest-scoring Commonwealth aces. Yet, until this excellently researched volume, there has never been a full biography of this exceptional pilot, whose fighting career spanned from 1916 to 1918. Flying Nieuport Scouts, Triplanes, and Camels with the RNAS and RAF, he was an ever-present threat over the Western Front and the scourge of the German Air Force. Adrian Hellwig&’s book has been taken principally from primary sources—Dallas&’s own letters, log book, and service record, in addition to squadron record books, combat reports and contemporary accounts—and his resulting conclusions will surprise many. Here is a fitting tribute not just to Australia&’s greatest war hero of the air but to a man any country would be proud to call its own.
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War, World War I
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&“Comrades in distress we were, and it was now that one felt the existence of a brotherhood that establishes itself…
in circumstances of this kind … A few of the men are very dejected, and appear to be losing all interest in themselves, their habits and practices not being approved by the majority. In some cases, for the most miserable reward, they cringe to the Germans for the chance of being of some service; others also, despite the fact their bodies can ill-afford the sacrifice, trade their boots and other clothing in exchange for food and smokes … This is regrettable, but censure has no effect on the few. Most of us have resolved to maintain some sort of dignity, though &’tis difficult.&” So wrote Australian prisoner of war (POW) Corporal Lancelot Davies who was captured at the First Battle of Bullecourt on 11 April 1917 where Allied forces were &‘badly smashed up&’. Davies was one of almost 1,200 Australians captured that day, facing an uncertain future at the hands of their German captors. – he described the future as &‘blank&’ and unpredictable. The experiences of Australian prisoners of war (POWs) or Kriegsgefangeners held captive in Germany has been largely forgotten or ignored – overshadowed by the horrid stories of Australians imprisoned by the Japanese during World War Two. Yet, as David Coombes makes known, the stories are interesting and significant – not only providing an account of what those young Australian soldiers experienced, and the spirit they showed in responding to captivity – but also for the insight it provides into Germany in the last eighteen months of the war. Coombes draws upon previous inaccessible records – including the interviews conducted many years before by Chalk – as well as private papers and unpublished manuscripts. He paints a vivid picture of young soldiers who survived the trauma of battle, only to find themselves facing an unknown fate at the hands of an often vindictive and cruel enemy. These &‘comrades in distress&’, many wounded and traumatised by trench warfare, quickly discovered the bond of brotherhood, often the key to survival in a harsh environment with little food, poor medical treatment, back-breaking work and the anguish of confinement. What emerges in the pages of this amazingly detailed account is the typical Australian sense of humour and the sheer will to live that marked these men. Above all, it was their determination to be free and to return once more to their families that ensured their survival; often against overwhelming odds. Crossing the Wire is a fitting tribute to the World War One soldiers and POWs. David Coombes highlights the ordeals these men went through, their stoicism in enduring their mistreatment, and the fearlessness of a few in launching ingenious attempts to escape. He proves beyond doubt that their stories are by no means less compelling than those of their World War II brothers.
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European history, World War I, United States history
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Best known as the Prime Minister who guided Britain through World War II, Winston Churchill also played an active role…
in the preceding war, during which he served as his country's First Lord of the Admiralty and the leader of its aerial defense. After masterminding the disastrous Gallipoli campaign, he resigned from the government and sought to rehabilitate his reputation by serving with the army on the Western Front. Before and after World War I, Churchill wrote several books that remain popular with students and historians. Written with his customary flair and enriched by his firsthand knowledge of events, Churchill's The World Crisis series remains the greatest history of World War I. This unabridged first volume vividly recounts the status of the world's nations at the war's outbreak, It traces the international tensions over the Balkan states that triggered the conflict as well as the arms race between the British and German navies.