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Ravenous: A Life of Barbara Villiers, Charles II's Most Infamous Mistress

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Barbara Villiers was a woman so beautiful, so magnetic and so sexually attractive that she captured the hearts of many in Stuart-era Britain. Her beauty is legendary: she became the muse of artists such as Peter Lely, the inspiration of writers such as John Dryden and the lover of John Churchill, the future great military leader whom we also know as the 1st Duke of Marlborough. Her greatest amorous conquest was King Charles II, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland, with whom she had a tempestuous and passionate relationship for the better part of a decade. But this loveliest of Stuart-era ladies had a dark side. She hurt and humiliated her husband, Roger Palmer, for decades with her unashamedly adulterous lifestyle, she plotted the ruin of her enemies, constantly gambled away vast sums of money, is remembered for the destruction of the Tudor-era Nonsuch Palace, and was known to unleash terrible rages when crossed. Crassly lampooned by John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, and subjected to verbal and written assaults, she was physically abused by a later, violent spouse. Barbara lived through some of the most turbulent times in British history: civil war, the Great Plague of London, which saw the deaths of around 100,000 people, the Great Fire of London, which destroyed much of the medieval city, and foreign conflicts such as the Anglo-Dutch Wars, the Williamite wars, and the War of the Spanish Succession. An impoverished aristocrat who rose to become a wealthy countess and then a duchess, taking her lovers from all walks of life, Barbara laughed at the morals of her time and used her natural talents and her ruthless determination to the material benefit of herself and her numerous offspring. In great stately homes and castles such as Hampton Court Palace, her portraits are widely seen and appreciated even today. She had an insatiable appetite for life, love, riches, amusement, and power. She was simply 'ravenous'...

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Scotland Yard's First Great Challenge and Dickens' Inspiration

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When Patrick O'Connor went missing in August 1849, his friends were suspicious. The London dock worker was last seen in the company of Swiss-born Maria Manning and her husband in Bermondsey. By the time police officers discovered his remains under the kitchen floor, the couple had fled. This shocking crime sparked a race against time to bring these cold-blooded killers to justice. After almost a decade of unsolved murders in the capital, could Scotland Yard detectives find the murderous pair and restore public confidence in their sleuthing skills? The search for the Mannings spread beyond England and was closely followed by the Victorian public, including prominent writers such as Charles Dickens who was haunted by the case and later immortalised some of the key characters in Bleak House, which was published just four years later. To this day, the Bermondsey Murder remains a legendary crime in the history of Scotland Yard and mid-nineteenth century London. Using primary source material, this book delves into the background of the Mannings, including Maria's link with royalty and Frederick's previous criminal activities. It also offers a full biography of the victim, Patrick O'Connor, and his shady past, as well as presenting the original court documents which shed further light on the case and the Mannings' relationship.

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The Polish Leader's Last Flight in 1943 and The Tangled Web of Poland, the Allies, and the Soviets

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"This new book is a thorough investigation I into the death of General Sikorski. It is a complicated story, with many actors and factions involved, but the author effectively clarifies the various factors into a coherent and readable narrative." -WWII History Magazine The plane crash at the height of the Second World War which claimed the life of the Polish Prime Minister, General Wadysaw Sikorski, ranks among the most enduring mysteries of the conflict. It was a death that shifted European alliances and loyalties, brought Stalin into the Anglo-American camp, and sealed Poland's fate for the remainder of the twentieth century. Poland and the Soviet Union's historically precarious relationship had taken an even darker turn in September 1939 when the Third Reich's Adolf Hitler and the Soviet Union's Josef Stalin divided the nation and forced its government to relocate first to France and then to Britain in 1940. Sikorski's Polish government-in-exile established a military, political, and personal relationship with Winston Churchill's government, only to see it fractured by the United States' entrance into the war and the Western Allies' courtship of Stalin following Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union. The Allies overall support of Stalin's denials following the 1943 discovery of 20,000 bodies of Polish officers murdered and buried by the Soviets in Katyn Forest only made matters worse. Sikorski's open protests against describing the Soviet dictator as a benevolent 'Uncle Joe' made him publicly and privately 'difficult' to the new Anglo-American-Soviet coalition. As per reports of the British and Polish intelligence services, seemingly not doing enough to stand up to the Soviets had also strained Sikorski's relationship with different Polish government factions. Leaving from a layover stop at Gibraltar on 4 July 1943, having visited Polish Army units in Iran, Sikorski's RAF Liberator, AL523, crashed into the sea just sixteen seconds into its flight. while Stalin privately blamed Churchill, the Germans were more public in accusing the British. Others pointed to the Soviets or even the Poles. A British Court of Inquiry convened in 1943 presented an inconclusive report on the crash's cause or foul play and locked up most of its files until 2043. Lacking a respected leader, Poland fell out of favour with the Allies, who allowed Stalin to redraw the Polish borders and establish a pro-communist puppet state in Poland until 1990. Not only exploring what happened on that fateful day in 1943, but also the events leading up to it and those that followed, The Death of General Sikorski is more of a political thriller than a conspiracy book, telling an often complex, and enthralling story of a tragedy within a tragedy  that of a man and his nation.

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An analysis of Roman military strategies and adaptations from the Tetrarchy to Heraclius. Late Roman Combat Tactics by Dr. Ilkka Syvanne is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand land combat in the period from the Tetrarchy to the death of Heraclius, a period when the Romans faced serious and growing military threats on many fronts. The author's detailed analysis provides the reader with a complete understanding of the combat equipment worn by the soldiers, types of troops, tactics, different unit orders and formations used by the late Romans and their enemies. Importantly, he lays out the developments and changes in these aspects across this critical period, assessing how the Romans adapted, or failed to adapt to the varied and changing array of enemies, such as Persians, Avars and Arabs. The discussion examines how the Romans fought at every level, so that it covers everything from the individual fighting techniques all the way up to the conduct of large-scale pitched battles. There is an immense amount of technical detail but the human element and the experience of the officers and ordinary soldiers is not forgotten, with such factors as morale and the psychology of battle (the 'face of battle') given due consideration. The thoroughly researched text is well supported by dozens of diagrams and illustrations. A thoroughly illuminating read on its own, Late Roman Combat Tactics is also the perfect companion to Dr Syvanne's eight-volume Military History of Late Rome.

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Situated in the Welsh borderland to the West of Oswestry, the scenic Tanat Valley reached westwards into Wales, its Llangynog terminus nestling where the road starts the climb over the Berwyn mountain range towards Bala. It was a lightly populated area that sustained agriculture and some mineral extraction whose residents struggled to get their produce to market. During the 19th Century there were several schemes for a railway that failed due their inability to raise sufficient capital. The Tanat Valley Light Railway is, therefore, a true child of the 1896 Light Railways Act, promoted by the Oswestry Urban District Council the following year to take advantage of the grant-making facilities of that legislation. Because it took so long to obtain powers, and it was not opened until 1906, the Light Railway never really fulfilled its potential. Operated initially by the Cambrian Railways, it was not heavily worked, although it benefited from pipe traffic generated by renewals of Liverpool Corporation's Vyrnwy reservoir pipeline. Although closure came in stages during the 1950s, and was deemed to be complete in 1960, a short section of track remains in situ at Porthywaen. Author Peter Johnson has drawn on the material available at the National Archives at Kew and the Parliamentary Archives in the House of Lords as well as conducting extensive research in digitised newspapers to tell the Light Railway's story, producing the first in-depth account of its development, operation and closure. Peter Johnson is also the author of The Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Light Railway  the rise and fall of a rural byway, published by Pen & Sword Transport in 2024. The two railways were connected at Blodwel Junction and the surviving section of the Tanat Valley Light Railway thence to Porthywaen enabled stone traffic on the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire's Nantmawr branch to continue until 1971.

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The Memoirs of an RAF Officer at home and overseas

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Mike Murtagh's memoir traces his journey from 1950s South Wales to encounters with danger, espionage, and unique insights into the Russian psyche and military. Spying on the Kremlin details the background and unintentional turning points in what has been an eventful life. Mike Murtagh has had a gun stuck in his face, been seconds from a mid-air collision, been struck by lightning in an aircraft, made two emergency landings, had a sniper-sight trained on him, been the target of at least one honeytrap, nearly bled to death in India, been threatened by people working for the Azeri Mafia, worked on a movie with three Oscar-winners and may have inadvertently eaten someone. It's a memoir of a working-class boy in an unlikely life journey from austere 1950s South Wales to the political theater of The Kremlin and beyond via service as an RAF Officer and as a Diplomat. His experiences of living and working in Russia has given him valuable insights into the Russian psyche, as well as the workings and capabilities of the Russian military which still have currency and relevance. Given his humble origins, none of this was ever supposed to have happened to him and could not have been predicted. Such opportunities were almost unavailable to working-class boys at the time. However, sometimes in an almost accidental fashion, he grasped the opportunities that came his way.

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The Story of Flight Lieutenant Brian Slade DFC, Lancaster Pilot and Pathfinder

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Brian Slade, RAF's youngest bomber pilot of WW2, embarked on a remarkable career at 17, pioneering pathfinder tactics until his tragic loss over Berlin. Having left his grammar school just before his 16th birthday, Brian Slade falsified his age to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot. Within a few days of his 17th birthday, he was awarded his 'wings'. It was the start of this teenager's remarkable wartime career. Soon after being awarded his pilot's brevet, Brian was posted to his first squadron. Flying the venerable Vickers Wellington, he found himself experimenting with early target marking techniques. It was also there that Brian gained the nickname 'The Boy Slade'. Though Brian's journey through the wartime RAF mirrored the experiences of tens of thousands of young men, what was different, if not unique, was the fact before he had turned 18, which was the minimum age to begin aircrew training, Brian had already completed thirty-four operations  more than was needed for a tour. This tally included the three 1,000 bomber raids against Cologne, Essen and Bremen. He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for nursing his badly damaged Wellington, which sustained flak and night-fighter damage, home after a raid on Bremen. Undaunted, Brian soon after volunteered for his second tour of operations. It was at this stage that he joined the Lancaster-equipped 83 Squadron in the newly formed 8 Group, becoming an experienced Pathfinder skipper. It was a role in which he marked targets in the Battle of the Ruhr, the bombing of Hamburg (Operation Gomorrah) and the Peenemunde raid. The RAF's Youngest Bomber Pilot of WW2, told by his nephew, a former officer in the British Army, details all of Brian's fifty-nine missions, and captures his compelling progress with Bomber Command, alongside the technological advances in aircraft, pathfinder strategy and tactics. Sadly, Brian's Lancaster was shot down over Berlin in August 1943. The details of its loss remained shrouded in mystery until the puzzle of his aircraft's demise was eventually solved by tracing the family of the only survivor. The relent-less dangers, not just in operations but also in training, and the continuous loss of life, are drawn into sharp focus. But, on account of his age, Brian's story is unique. There may have never been, nor will ever be, an RAF pilot of 19 years old with his flying and operational experience. Complemented with a collection of previously unpublished photographs, The RAF's Youngest Bomber Pilot of WW2 is one of the Second World War's most amazing tales.

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How the end of World War I led to economic instability and rise of fascist ideologies worldwide. In many countries around the world, the end of the First World War, far from leading to a new world order of stability, ushered in an era of uncertainty and economic decline. To solve the problems of unemployment, high inflation, low wages and poor working conditions, many turned to the political right for a solution a to leaders such as Mussolini and Hitler. But it was not only in countries such as Italy and Germany that people saw fascism as an alternative to democracy. It is sometimes said fascism in America first manifested itself as a reaction by a native-born population to the surge in the numbers of European immigrants in 1830. It went on to find a voice at least another four times up to the outbreak of the Second World War, most obviously in the formation of the German American Bund. American politicians and commentators have traditionally avoided applying the label of 'fascist' to any movement, preferring instead to describe extreme right-wing groups as 'nativist', money-making rackets exploiting gullible followers, or simply the 'lunatic fringe'. For many years this denied them the opportunity to examine the possibility that American fascist ideologies or social structures were rooted in patterns of the American past, as opposed to being a foreign import. The Ku Klux Klan has been described as the world's first fascist organization and this book looks at the arguments for and against that assertion. It also examines how the philosophy behind that movement remained as a potent undercurrent in American politics up to the start of the Second World War. There is also an examination of how American racial policies were used by the Nazis when drawing up their own. while argument persists over whether movements such as the Silver Shirts and the Friends of New Germany were truly fascist, it is undoubtedly the case that personalities behind them, individuals such as William Dudley Pelley and Father Charles Coughlin, exhibited all the classic characteristics of fascism. And they were by no means unpopular. A proponent of many of Hitler's policies, during the 1930s, when the US population was about 120 million, an estimated 30 million listeners, for example, tuned in to Coughlin's weekly radio program. This book compares the ways that both the United States and fascist regimes, especially that in Germany, tackled the immense social and economic problems resulting from the Great Depression. It also explores the way that European fascist regimes, especially that in Nazi Germany, tried to influence the American political process both legally and illegally and analyses the level of success they achieved in both.

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Railways and Industry on the Vale of Neath

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The Vale of Neath line, featuring the iconic Crumlin Viaduct, connected South Wales' valleys from the mid-19th century until closure in 1964, marking a significant chapter in Welsh railway history. This book covers the Vale of Neath line, the eastern portion of which was originally the Taff Vale Extension line, opened in the mid 19th Century, and taking in all the locations in this first book. It was unique in South Wales railway history as it was the only line running east to west across several of the valley lines which ran north to south, with connecting junctions into and from each. The line was famous for the iconic Crumlin Viaduct, hailed as one of the best examples of technological achievement during the Industrial Revolution and lasting 107 years until the line was closed as a through route in 1964. The line ran through several important valley towns, creating need for High Level and Low Level stations at several locations. The standard gauge Taff Vale Extension originally ran as far as Mountain Ash where it met and amalgamated with the broad gauge Vale of Neath line from Neath to Aberdare and Merthyr, locations that will be dealt with in future volumes. Fortunately the line was well photographed as the coverage given to each location will show.

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A History of the Sidecar TT Races, 1923-2023

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Celebrates a century of sidecar racing at the Isle of Man TT, highlighting technical innovation and the dominance of iconic teams like BMW, BSA, Yamaha, and Honda. The Isle of Man TT is arguably the most historic motorsport event on the planet. Its 37 34 mile Mountain Course is the world's oldest racing circuit that is still in use. Three wheeled machines first appeared in 1923, and were an instant hit with the spectators. Early pioneer Fred Dixon set the standard for technical innovation with his banking sidecar, but lack of manufacturer support meant that the class was soon dropped. When sidecar outfits made a comeback at the TT in the 1950s, it was West German BMW machines which dominated the podium places. The Munich factory supported World Championship contenders such as Max Deubel, Georg Auerbacher and Siegfried Schauzu, and it was not until the late 60s that BSA-mounted British riders began a fight-back. Through the 1970s Yamaha two stoke engines were the weapon of choice at the TT, and powered the likes of World Champions George O'Dell and Jock Taylor; that is until Mick Boddice secured the support of Honda UK. Boddice battled it out with the rising young star Dave Molyneux, who would go on to dominate the sidecar TT over three decades as the most successful driver in the history of the event. In recent years the pace at the TT has been set by the electrifying World Championship duo of Ben and Tom Birchall. Sidecar Century celebrates the technical innovation and sheer determination of all of these competitors, over 100 years of classic racing.

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How Small Drones are Revolutionizing Warfare

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"... it is clear that drones or unmanned aircraft will be ever-present on the battlefield. Military practitioners will therefore find value in reading about these types of systems and capabilities. As a technical overview of this developing and rapidly proliferating technology, How Drones Fight is worth the read and hits the mark." - Cory Hollon in Aether: A Journal of Strategic Airpower & Spacepower An in-depth analysis of how drones have revolutionized ground combat, including combat experience from recent wars. In 2020, Azerbaijan used drones to defeat Armenia, and large-scale use of small drones in Ukraine since 2022 has been so effective that it has rendered large-scale maneuver warfare largely impossible. Drones enable a military force to operate over enemy-held territory at little risk to its soldiers. Used to enable detailed observation and accurate direct mortar and artillery fire, they can also be the weaponattacking specific targets or suppressing enemy fire or forces. On these missions a drone might be closely controlled by a trained pilot, or it might use its own sensors and software to make decisions on routes and actions. Yet despite the dramatic effect drones have already had on the battlefield, drone technology is still in its infancyperhaps comparable to the stage of development that aircraft reached during World War I. As drones will surely continue to disrupt the battlefield, it is crucial for anyone with an interest in modern and future warfare to understand how drones operate, what they are already capable of, and how they may further evolve. Historian and systems engineer Lars Celander explains the engineering and physics of drones, their capabilities and limitations. He surveys the different types of drones, detailing the different navigation, communication and sensor systems that are currently in use and the various weapons a drone can be equipped with. Exploring not only the tactics of drone operations to date but the various detection methods, tactics, and weapons currently utilized in counter-drone warfare, he evaluates what drones have contributed to recent wars and what the future of drone warfare may hold.

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George Hudson was the greatest British railway entrepreneur of the 19th century. In 1848, he controlled over 1,000 miles of railway and, when it came to railway promotion, it seemed he could do no wrong. However, in early 1849 it came to light that some of his business methods had been less than ethical and he was forced to relinquish the chairmanship of each of his companies. His fall from grace was spectacular and his detractors, of whom there were many, were quick to denounce him as a fraudster, a charlatan and a crook. Even today, when the name George Hudson is mentioned, these same insults are often levelled at him. This new biography takes a fresh look at Hudson's extraordinary life, from his humble beginnings as a farmer's boy, to becoming Lord Mayor of York before catching the railway bug. He was MP for Sunderland between 1845 and 1859. After his fall from grace, Hudson endured a 20-year court battle with the York and North Midland Railway (subsequently the North Eastern Railway) for outstanding debts. Hudson made many mistakes in creating his railway empire, but did he deserve all the vitriol that still accompanies his reputation? In seeking to answer this question, Matthew Wells looks at the evidence, including what was said about Hudson during his lifetime and what Hudson himself had to say about the actions he took.

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The Memoirs of a Member of RAF Groundcrew and his Part in the Victory in Europe

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Ron Chapman's life changed on 7 September 1940, leading him to join the RAF and serve in various significant squadrons. It was the night of 7 September 1940 which changed Ron Chapman's life. It was the start of Hitler's Blitz on London. The death and destruction the German bombers wreaked across Islington and the East End so shocked and appalled Ron, that three days later he presented himself to the RAF recruiting office near Euston station. After basic training, and a few days before his twentieth birthday, he received a posting to 485 (New Zealand) Squadron  Ron was at last with an operational Spitfire squadron. After just three weeks with 485 (NZ) Squadron, he was posted to 341 (Free French) Squadron. Operating as part of the RAF's 145 Wing in 84 Group, the squadron was led by the renowned Commandant Rene Mouchotte DFC, while 145 Wing itself was commanded by the Battle of Britain fighter ace Group Captain 'Sailor' Malan. There was also 340 Squadron, known as 'Churchill's Own', and Nos. 329 and 345 squadrons. As a member of 341 Squadron's groundcrew, Ron Chapman's memoirs provide a unique insight into the functioning of a fighter unit from the perspective of fitters, riggers, and armorers. But, in addition, his service with the Free French fighter squadrons adds greatly to our knowledge of this important part of the RAF's history. As an element of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, 84 Group was continually moved from airfield to airfield across the South Coast. The idea was to get the squadrons accustomed to nomadic conditions. After the D-Day invasion plans were finally unveiled, the squadron's groundcrew and support staff were eventually trucked to Gosport where they boarded the landing craft that would transport them across the Channel as part of Operation Overlord. They landed at Arromanches-les-Bains in August. Ron's story then follows the actions of 145 Wing, as it battled the Luftwaffe across Europe. As the Allied forces moved eastwards, so Ron and the groundcrew moved with them through France, Belgium and finally into Germany. Ron remained with 341 Squadron until the end of the war. This book is far more than a personal memoir, it is the largely neglected story of the French fighter wing throughout the years when the 2nd Tactical Air Force moved on to the offensive against the Luftwaffe. It will undoubtedly become recognized as an important addition to the history of the RAF.

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The Einsatzgruppen and the Holocaust in the Baltics

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During WWII, Heinrich Himmler's murder squads, the Einsatzgruppen, carried out mass executions in the Baltic states that significantly altered the Holocaust. During the Second World War, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were occupied on three separate occasions  twice by the Soviet Union and once by Nazi Germany. The signing of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact of 1939 allowed the Soviets to dominate the Baltic states without fear of German reprisals, causing many in the German-Baltic populations to flee to Poland. Soviet rule of the Baltics was brutal with the purging of political elites and deportation of many tens of thousands in a bid to turn them into vassal states. Consequently, when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, many Balts saw it as a liberation from Soviet cruelties. The reality was, however, that it turned out to be the beginning of something much worse. During their occupation of Poland prior to Barbarossa the Nazis had decimated the Polish political elites, and the Jews there had been herded into ghettos in preparation for deportation to the east where they would serve as slave labour in the Nazi economy after the conquest of the Soviet Union. Similar policies were to be adopted in the Baltics when Heinrich Himmler's murder squads, the Einsatzgruppen, were allowed to move into the newly-occupied territories. Operating behind the advancing German forces Einsatzgruppen A, B, C, and D  four special mobile killing units, each made up of about a thousand men from the security police and the German intelligence service  proved to be more than willing to carry out Himmler's orders. He had called for the removal of every vestige of opposition to Nazi rule, which primarily meant complete elimination of the 'inferior' races who were unfit for work and the ghettoization of others in preparation for their economic exploitation. On foreign soil, away from scrutiny and free of all constraint, the Einsatzgruppen discovered that through the mass shootings of communists, Jews and gypsies it was possible to accelerate the pace of the Holocaust, slaughtering men, women and children in their tens of thousands. The Einsatzgruppen were assisted by local 'volunteers' who helped to identify victims as well as kill them; in places whole Jewish communities were swiftly eliminated. Many of the killers and victims had known one another as neighbors and colleagues. This massive slaughter of civilians convinced Heydrich and Himmler that complete extermination of Jews was within their grasp and before very long, in the death camps, new industrial methods of killing would be devised.

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Volvo Bus UK marks fifty years of operations, evolving from traditional chassis to cutting-edge electric models in collaboration with MCV Egypt. In 2022, Volvo Bus UK celebrated fifty years of trading in the UK and Ireland. The first right-hand drive B58 chassis arrived on these shores at the end of 1971. The double deck front engine Ailsa came in 1973. Over the next fifty years, the various different models have been upgraded, redesigned, lengthened and fitted with bigger more powerful engines. And now, in 2023, Volvo electric single and double deck models are beginning to appear on UK roads. Volvo Bus is a subsidiary of the Swedish Vehicle builder Volvo AB, with a global presence worldwide. MCV is based in Salheya in Egypt. It was established in 1994 and has the capacity to build up to 6,000 buses and coaches per annum., with up to 5,000 employees. MCV and Volvo are collaborating in the development and building of the electric bus for the UK marketplace.

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Uniforms and Equipment of the Cuirassiers and Carabiniers, 1805-1815

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Offers a comprehensive study of the uniforms and evolution of Napoleon's cuirassiers and carabiniers, utilizing extensive archival research to accurately portray their clothing and equipment. Created during the Peace of Amiens, the nineteen regiments of cuirassiers that existed during the course of the 1e Empire were, after the Imperial Guard, perhaps the most famous and recognisable soldiers of the epoch. This book explores the long gestation of clothing and equipping the cuirassiers, the development of the arm from twelve regiments to twenty-one  if we include the carabiniers from 1811  and how their clothing evolved across the period. As well as assessing the curiassiers, the story of the evolution of the uniforms of the carabiniers is also told. Much ink has been spilt on the two regiments and their uniforms, yet, as with the cuirassiers, precious little archive research has been carried out. This is one of a series of ground-breaking books which will be the defacto study of this perennially popular subject for historians, researchers, wargamers, re-enactors and artists. Using archive records to 'set the record straight', as well as contemporary illustrations and original items of uniforms, the author sets out to describe the uniform of every regiment of Napoleon's army. Using archive sources found in the Archives Nationales and Service Historique du Armee de Terre in Paris, the author's unrivalled research over a period of twenty years, will reveal exactly how, for the first time in over 200 years, Napoleon's army was mounted, clothed and equipped. Having been granted to access to over 1,000 archive boxes, the author assesses how the regulations were adopted in practice. This vast resource, as yet untapped by the majority of researchers and historians for understanding the Napoleonic era in general, include the many regimental archive boxes preserved in the French Army archives. These sources provide, potentially bias free empirical data from which we can reconstruct the life story of a regiment, its officers and above all its clothing. What did trumpeters wear? Did cavalry regiments really have sapeurs? We answer these questions and present the reality of how regiments were dressed derived from diaries, letters, inspection returns, regimental accounts and even cases of fraud. For the first time, this unique series of books discusses the wide ranging 1806 uniform regulation and the more famous Bardin regulation which applied to all arms of the Army and explores the way in which regiments on campaign adopted and adapted their uniforms. For the first time since the days of Napoleon, we can say exactly what was worn by the French army.

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The Beginning of the End for Hitler in the East

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"...this is a book that anyone interested in the Stalingrad Campaign should read, if just to get another take on the history of it."  A Wargamers Needful Things The Battle of Stalingrad was the bloodiest battle of the Second World War. An estimated 2 million individuals, military as well as civilian, became casualties in a savage struggle which lasted for more than five months. Stalingrad's strategic position on the River Volga in southern Russia meant that whoever controlled the city controlled access to the oil fields of the Caucasus. Without that oil, the Germans were ultimately destined to fail on all fronts. The Battle of Stalingrad was, therefore, arguably, the most important conflict of the entire war. Yet, the author argues that both Hitler and Stalin lost sight of the real objectives of the campaign, with the capture of Stalingrad becoming seen as the end in itself. Stalingrad was not specified as a particular objective of the Germans in the original plan of Operation Blau. But when the defenders of Stalingrad unexpectedly stood in the way of the Germans, it became the focal point of the German effort. Hitler and his generals were naively sure that after the capture of Stalingrad, victory in the war was a certainty. Stalin and his generals thought that since the Wehrmacht stubbornly fought over the city's ruins, regardless of the losses it suffered, it meant that the Germans knew more about its importance than they did, and so were determined to hold it at all costs. In fact, the strategic importance of Stalingrad was greatly exaggerated. The scale of the German operation to seize the Caucasus was immense, with an operation stretching for 1,500,00 kilometres (approximately equal to the distance between Berlin and Moscow). This involved laying routes for tank and infantry divisions through areas of virtual desert where there was an almost complete absence of railways and highways. No consideration was given to the needs of troops in fuel, ammunition, food or even water. At the same time, the unrealistic plan to capture the Caucasus did not provide any alternative options in case the main operation failed, which it was doomed to do. As for the Soviets, frightened and broken by the military disasters near Kerch and Kharkov, when entire armies were captured, Stalin authorized the retreat of the Red Army to the Volga, which turned into a stampede. But then the Soviet leader abruptly changed his mind and issued the famous order 'Not a step back!' While historians state that this order inspired the Soviet troops to resist and strengthened discipline, it in fact led to an increase in the number of defectors and collaborators. This ground-breaking study of the Battle of Stalingrad is a highly graphic chronicle of the fighting, shown from two sides, written by a Russian historian using much material previously unpublished in the West. It details the efforts of all branches of the armed forces; tanks, artillery, infantry, aviation and, for the first time, the important contribution of the Russian river flotilla.

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The 14th Century Crusades in Lithuania and Rus'

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Written by two leading experts on the Crusades in an enjoyable and compelling style, this is an accessible narrative of a complex political and military history. The history of the Teutonic Knights is one of crusading in an era of wars, intrigues, assassinations and betrayals. Originally established as a hospital order during the Third Crusade in the Holy Land in the late 12th century, the order evolved into a formidable military force dedicated to defending and expanding Christianity in the Baltic region. This book explores the crusade aimed at Lithuanian pagans in the Middle Ages, when crusaders from the Holy Roman Empire, France, England and Scotland came to Prussia to fight alongside the Teutonic Knights. What ensued was a long-drawn out, many-sided struggle, with Lithuania and Poland first becoming powerful states, then expanding into Belarus and Ukraine, where the Mongols and Tatars had long held sway. The book culminates with Lithuania converting to the Roman Catholic Church and the dramatic sieges of Vilnius. Written by two leading experts on the Crusades in an enjoyable and compelling style, this is an accessible narrative of a complex political and military history.

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"The book describes what a fully loaded Huey was comprised of, the role of each of the four crew members, and most of Greene's missions. There is great honesty in the book and, if Greene doesn't recall the details of an event, he doesn't try to recreate it. He is modest in recounting what he did... I recommend this readable love letter to a combat helicopter written by a seemingly likeable, regular guy." -The VVA Veteran During Vietnam, the basic role of the USMC gunship squadrons was to protect the transport helicopters during medevac missions, troop insertions and extractions, resupply missions, and supporting the Marines on the ground during operations and patrols. Basically, whenever the Marines or South Vietnam friendlies got in trouble the gunships were dispatched to assist them. Shortly after arriving in Vietnamand after only a month as a gunner aboard a Huey gunshipPeter Greene and several other new Marines were moved to the Crew Chief's position. They would fly practically every day, with different flight crews, for the next year. In this vivid memoir he recalls many of those missions, including providing gunship support for MACV-SOG in and around I Corps area, working with Marine Recon, and undertaking frequent, perilous resupply and medevac and medevac support missions.

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Generals and Admirals of the Third Reich

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A reference work providing brief, scholarly biographical summaries for senior officers of the Third Reich, covering surnames HO. This second volume of a three-volume set offers concise biographical information for generals and admirals of the Third Reich with surnames between H and O. The set covers all branches of service, providing a brief but scholarly overview of each individual, including personal details and dates for all attachments to unit, and medals awarded, offering a readily accessible go-to reference work for all World War II researchers and historians. In addition to the biographic information, this volume includes detailed appendices on Reichsheer Generals and Reichsmarine Admirals, 192135. These books are packed with information on these senior officers of the Third Reich, many of whom are little documented in the English language.