Index, bibliography, ill (col), p.172.non-fictionOn 7 June 1917, the British Second Army launched its attack on Messines Ridge, detonating 19 giant mines beneath the German front-line positions. By the end of the day, one of the strongest positions on the Western Front had fallen, a place of such importance that the Germans had pledged to hold it at any cost. It was the greatest British victory in three years of war. The first two years of the First World War had represented an almost unending catalogue of disaster for the Australians. Messines was not only their first real victory, it was also the first test in senior command for Major General John Monash who commanded the newly formed 3rd Division and would later be hailed as Australia's greatest soldier. Messines was a baptism of fire for the 3rd Division which came into the line alongside the battle-scarred 4th Australian Division, badly mauled at Bullecourt just six weeks earlier in one of the worst defeats of the war. The fighting at Messines would descend into unimaginable savagery, a lethal and sometimes hand-to-hand affair of bayonets, clubs, bombs and incessant machine-gun fire, described by one Australian as '72 hours of Hell'. After their string of bloody defeats over 1915 and 1916, Messines would be the ultimate test for the Australians. Collapse summary world war 1914-1918- campaigns - western front, battles of messines - australian participation - 1917

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.278.The Victoria Cross was the highest award, given only for a single act of valour. Just 90 Australians have been awarded it since they served with the British forces in South Africa in the late nineteenth century. And only four Australians have been awarded the George Cross, the ultimate medal for civilians in time of war. From Neville Howse in the Boer War in South Africa in 1900 to Keith Payne in Viet Nam in 1969 this book tells the story of twelve Australian recipients of the Victoria and George Crosses.military decorations - australia, george cross recepients - australia

Index, bibliography, ill, p.478.non-fictionIn Crisis in the Pacific acclaimed historian Gerald Astor draws on the raw experiences of marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen under fire - from generals and admirals to correspondents, line officers and enlisted men on both sides of the battle lines - to present a view of the critical struggle for the Philippines, the keystone to Japanese domination of the Pacific and to ultimate Allied victory. These accounts, many published here for the first time, are dramatic and graphic, brutal and awe-inspiring. Ranging from the diplomatic and nursing corps' experience of the Japanese conquest and occupation of the islands, to the Bataan death march and first-hand accounts of war crimes inflicted by the Japanese on prisoners of war, to the final push for the hills of Mindanao, Crisis in the Pacific is the first complete history, told in the words of the men and women who were there, of one of the most crucial battlegrounds of World War II.world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – phillipines, world war 1939 – 1945 – personal narratives

Index, bibliography, notes, maps, ill, p.324.non-fictionA detailed account of what happened to the Australian, New Zealand and Turkish troops on the beaches and hills of the Gallipoli peninsula on that fateful day - the day the ANZAC legend was born. On the 25th of April 1915 Australian troops landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in what is now called Anzac Cove. They rushed from the beach up to Plugge's Plateau into Australian military history suffering many casualties on the way. Just after midday troops from New Zealand landed at Gallipoli and together the Australians and New Zealanders created the Anzac legend. It was the events of this first day that set the course of the whole battle leading to the evacuation of the Anzac troops in December 1915. This is the story of that day telling the Australian, New Zealand and Turkish side of what was to become a tragedy for all three countries and an ultimate triumph for Turkey. It concludes with the visit of Charles Bean, the official Australian war correspondent, to the peninsula in 1919 as part of the Australian Historical mission to organise the burial of the dead that had lain exposed to the elements for the last four years, and to the formation of the cemeteries that are today visited by thousands. About the Author : Dr David Cameron is a biological anthropologist who has written several books. In early 2003 he conducted a preliminary survey of the Anzac Gallipoli battlefields and held numerous discussions with Turkish and Australian government officials about conservation issues relating to the Anzac area. He became interested in the actual landing and decided to write this book.--publisher. A detailed account of what happened to the Australian, New Zealand and Turkish troops on the beaches and hills of the Gallipoli peninsula on that fateful day - the day the ANZAC legend was born. world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - gallipoli, australian army - anzac corps

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps. p.483.non-fictionIn November 1965, some 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. Hal Moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers. Three days later, only two and half miles away, a sister battalion was chopped to pieces. Together, these actions at landing zones X-Ray and Albany constitute one of the most savage and significant battles of the Vietnam War. The Americans faced what seemed to be certain destruction. How these men persevered - sacrificed themselves for their comrades and never gave up - makes a vivid portrait of war at its most inspiring and devastating. General Moore and Joe Galloway, the only journalist on the ground throughout the fighting, have interviewed hundreds of men who fought there, including the North Vietnamese commanders. The result is a story of unparalleled human interest. We Were Soldiers Once... and Young also brings the war back home with unforgettable stories of those who lost family members to combat. This devastating account rises above the specific ordeal it chronicles to present a picture of men facing the ultimate challenge, dealing with it in ways they would have found unimaginable only a few hours earlier. It reveals to us, as rarely before, man's most heroic and horrendous endeavor. Collapse summary vietnam war 1961-1975 – us involvement, vietnam war 1961-1975 – battles – ia drang valley

Index, bib, ill, maps, p.200.non-fictionIllustrates the decisive battle of the Vietnam war that led to the ultimate American defeatvietnam conflict 1961-1975 - history, vietnam war - battles

Travelers are among the most privileged people. Transcending frontiers religious, physical and political constitutes the ultimate learning curve. at best, we gain enlightenment; most get by without ever having more that a few mindful moments.vietnam war, 1961-1975 -- pictorial works, vietnam war (1961-1975), indochina -- history -- 1945- -- pictorial works.

A Very small Insurance Policy reveals the motivation, the illusions and the ultimate failure of Australia's involvement in Vietnam.vietnamese conflict, 1961-1975 - participation, australian, australia - foreign relations - vietnam, vietnam - foreign relations - australia

The question of how the United States became enmeshed in the Vietnam War has troubled three generations of Americans. Now, in this incisive and very well documented history of American intervention in Vietnam from the end of World War 2 to the first months of John F. Kennedy's presidency, historian James R. Arnold present the dramatic unfolding of the events by which Washington led us into Vietnam. At no point along this way did any policymaker consider the ultimate result of this course as seriously heed those who counseled caution.united states - foreign relations - vietnam, vietnam - foreign relations - united states

Index, notes, p.132.non-fictionThis 1866 collection of essays on "Work," "Traffic," and "War," begins with a preface condemning the human depletion of nature for what Ruskin saw as valueless gains. In this way, mining the ground for metals, water, and other resources parallels the work of the three lecture topics--all is done for the money. But what Ruskin wants to know is what the ultimate effect and product of their work is? john ruskin 1819-1900, ethics