Index, ill (b/w plates), p.342.non-fictionThe story of Douglas Bader's life is the stuff of legend. After losing both his legs in a flying accident he returned to the RAF at the beginning the Second World War to become Britain's most famous airman and hero. In the Battle of Britain he led his squadron of Spitfires to kill after kill, keeping them going with his unstoppable banter. Shot down in occupied France, his German captors had to confiscate his tin legs in order to stop him trying to escape. And Bader faced it all, disability, leadership and capture, with a charm and determination that was to become an inspiration to all around himbader douglas - biography, battle of britain - history

Index, bibliography, notes, ill (b/w), p.348.From the 1930s through WWII to Afghanistan today, from total war to counterinsurgency, this history unravels and defines the intangible qualities that differentiate the "Sky Men" from other soldiers Seventy years ago the Parachute Regiment was formed - the army's elite air assault force was tough, well-trained, and designed to fight hazardous operations behind enemy lines with little or no backup. Dropping into the middle of enemy territory, these "Sky Men"- British, American, German, and Russian soldiers - engage in gruelling combat in the most dangerous conflict zones around the world. Ex-Parachute Regiment officer Robert Kershaw reveals the history of these airborne forces and their role during the most dramatic battles of the 20th century. He finds out what drives a "Sky Man" to take these extraordinary risks, and what marks these sky warriors out from ordinary soldiers. How do military paratroopers conquer the fear of jumping from aircraft at low level, by night, and frequently under fire? Has the helicopter replaced the need for parachutists in the 21st Century? Has the increasing lethality of anti-aircraft weapons made the airborne option redundant? These issues are examined alongside the personal experiences of the Soviet "Locust Warriors," German Fallschirmjäger, British Red Devils, American "devils in baggy-pants," and Les Paras. Based on letters, diaries, and exclusive interviews with soldiers from around the world, this book is full of vivid personalities and nail-biting action.great britain - history - military, great britain - parachute regiment

Index, Bibliography, ill (b/w), maps, p,184.non-fictionA detailed account of the Luftwaffe in the final year of World War Twogermany - luftwaffe - history, world war 1939-1945 - aerial operations - germany

ill (b/w, col), p.46.non-fictionA technical and pictorial description of the Sturmgeschutz 40, commonly abbreviated as STUGmilitary weapons - germany, tank destroyers - germany - history

ill (b/w,col), p.47.non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of German armoured carsarmoured vehicles - germany - hiistory, panzerspahwagen

ill (b/w,col), p.47non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of German self propelled gunsarmoured warfare - germany - history, self propelled guns - germany

ill (b/w,col), p.49.non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of German self propelled gunsarmoured warfare - germany - history, self propelled guns - germany

ill (b/w,col) p.50.non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of early German tanksarmoured warfare - germany - history, panzer i, panzer ii

ill (b/w, col), p.50.non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of the Panther tankarmoured warfare - germany - history, panther tank

ill (b/w, col), p.49.non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of the Panzer IV tankarmoured warfare - germany - history, panzer iv

ill (b/w, col), p.49.non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of the Sturmgeschutz III in action (STUG) anti tank and infantry support vehiclearmoured warfare - germany - history, sturmgeschutz iii

ill (b/w, col), p.49.non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of the PzKpfw 38 (t) light tankarmoured warfare - germany - history, pzkpfw 38 (t)

ill (b/w, col), p.49.non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of the SdKfz 251 armoured vehiclearmoured warfare - germany - history, sdkfz 251

ill (b/w, col), p.49.non-fictionA descriptive and pictorial history of the PzKpfw IIIarmoured warfare - germany - history, pzkpfw iii

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.523.non-fictionAustralians from every field of conflict in World War II found themselves as prisoners in Hitler's notorious Stalags, or prisoner of war camps. Most were forced to labour in factories, down mines or on the land - often in conditions of enormous privation and hardship. All suffered from shortages, overcrowding and the mental strain of imprisonment. Peter Monteath's fascinating narrative history is exhaustively researched, and compelling in its detailed evocation.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – germany, prisoners of war - australia

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.497.non-fictionOn a wet afternoon in September 1938, Neville Chamberlain stepped off an aeroplane and announced that his visit to Hitler had averted the greatest crisis in recent memory. It was, he later assured the crowd in Downing Street, 'peace for our time'. Less than a year later, Germany invaded Poland and the Second World War began. This is a vital new history of the disastrous years of indecision, failed diplomacy and parliamentary infighting that enabled Nazi domination of Europe. Drawing on previously unseen sources, it sweeps from the advent of Hitler in 1933 to the beaches of Dunkirk, and presents an unforgettable portrait of the ministers, aristocrats and amateur diplomats whose actions and inaction had devastating consequences.great britain - politics and government - 1936-1945, great britain - diplomatic history

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.337.Having already drawn both praise & controversy, this main selection for the Military Book Club continues to generate discussion among scholars & readers. Though histories of World War II are abundant, few of them examine the critical errors in Hitler's approach to the war that finally led to German defeat. Joining the ranks of "counterfactual" histories like the bestseller What If?, How Hitler Could Have Won World War II clearly shows what the consequences would have been for Hiltler, the Axis, & the world if he had chosen differently.world war 1939-1945 - germany - military strategy, adolf hitler - military leadership

Index, notes, map, p.267.non-fictionThe classic account of Hitler's fall from power, first pubilshed in 1947, reissued with a striking new cover. In September 1945 the fate of Adolf Hitler was a complete mystery. He had simply disappeared, and had been missing for four months. Hugh Trevor-Roper, an intelligence officer, was given the task of solving the mystery. His brilliant piece of detective work not only proved finally that Hitler had killed himself in Berlin, but also produced one of the most fascinating history books ever written. The Last Days of Hitler tells the extraordinary story of those last days of the Thousand Year Reich in the Berlin Bunker. Besieged in the shattered capital, but still dominating the remains of his court, Hitler reiterated the original alternative of Nazism: either total victory or annihilation. This book is the record of that carefully prepared, ceremonious finale to a terrible chapter of history. World War II. Military History. Nazi Germany. germany - politics and government - 1933-1945, adolf hitler - death and burial

Index, notes, ill, p.242.non-fictionWorld War I (1) - Gallipoli - Churches and the war - Empire loyalty - Women at war - Sport and war in Australia - Australia Imperial Forces abroad - German Australians - Rural Australia and the war.australia - social life and customs -1914-1918, world war 1914-1918 - history - australia

Index, bibliography, ill, p.185.non-fictionThis volume is one of a series that chronicles the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. It examines German espionageworld war 1939-1945 - espionage, world war 1939-1945 - diplomatic history

Index, bibliography, ill, maps, p.335.non-fictionn 1900, Germany was one of modernity's great success stories: The most progressive and dynamic nation in Europe, it was the only country whose rapid economic growth and innovation rivaled that of the United States. Its political culture was far less authoritarian than Russia's and less anti-Semitic than France's. Representative institutions thrived, and competing political parties and elections were a central part of life. How, then, could it be that in little more than a generation this stable modern country would fall into the hands of Adolf Hitler and the violent, racist, extremist political movement he led, a movement that would lead Germany and then all of Europe into utter moral, physical, and cultural ruin?" "There is no story in twentieth-century history more important to understand, and Richard Evans has written the definitive account for our time. A masterful synthesis of a vast body of scholarly work integrated with important new research and interpretations, Evans's history restores drama and contingency to the rise to power of Hitler and the Nazis, even as he shows how ready Germany was by the early 1930s for such a takeover to occur. Its citizens were angry and embittered by military defeat and economic ruin, and its young democracy undermined by a civil service, an army, and a law enforcement system deeply alienated from the new order. The electorate was beset by growing extremism and panic about communism; and the small but successful Jewish community was subject to wide-spread suspicion and resentment. In the end, though nothing about what happened was preordained, Germany proved to be fertile ground for Nazism's ideology of hatred.germany - politics and government 1933-1939, germany - nazi party

Ill, p.64.non-fictionPictorial and textual descriptions of the tanks of the Axis powersarmoured warfare - axis powers, tanks - history

Ill, maps, p.63.non-fictionPictorial and textual descriptions om important German tank battles armoured warfare - history, germany - panzer forces

Index, bib, ill, maps, p.162.non-fictionChronicles the rise and eventual fall of Nazi Germany during World War II. germany - history - 1939-1945, world war 1939-1945

Index, bib, ill, maps, p.183.non-fictionChronicles the destruction of European Jewry during World War IIgermany - history - 1939-1945, holocaust - jewish - 1939-1945

Index, bib, ill, maps, p.183.non-fictionChronicles various aspects of German occupation policy during World War IIgermany - history - 1939-1945, world war 1939-1945 - occupied terrirories

Index, bib, ill, maps, p.184.non-fictionChronicles the history of the SS during World War IIgermany - history - 1939-1945, world war 1939-1945 - waffen ss

Index, bib, ill, maps, p.185.non-fictionChronicles the invasion of Russia during World War IIgermany - history - 1939-1945, world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - russia

Index, bib, ill, maps, p.167.non-fictionChronicles the events leading up and including the invasion of Europe by the allies during World War IIgermany - history - 1939-1945, world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - france

Index, bib, ill, maps, p.185.non-fictionChronicles the invasion of Norway and France by Germany during World War IIgermany - history - 1939-1945, world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - western europe