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, notes, references, ill, p.554.A brilliant insight into Britain's atomic scientists during the war from the Costa Award-winning author of The Strangest Man .world war 1939 – 1945 – science – britain, atomic bomb - great britain

Index, notes, bibliography, ill, p.421.non-fictionMarking the fiftieth anniversary of Winston Churchill's death, Boris Johnson explores what makes up the 'Churchill Factor' - the singular brilliance of one of the most important leaders of the twentieth century. Taking on the myths and misconceptions along with the outsized reality, he portrays - with characteristic wit and passion-a man of multiple contradictions, contagious bravery, breath-taking eloquence, matchless strategizing, and deep humanity. Fearless on the battlefield, Churchill had to be ordered by the King to stay out of action on D-Day; he pioneered aerial bombing, yet hated the destruction of war and scorned politicians who had not experienced its horrors. He was a celebrated journalist, a great orator and won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was famous for his ability to combine wining and dining with many late nights of crucial wartime decision-making. His open-mindedness made him a pioneer in health care, education, and social welfare, though he remained incorrigibly politically incorrect. Most of all, as Boris Johnson says, 'Churchill is the resounding human rebuttal to all who think history is the story of vast and impersonal economic forces'. THE CHURCHILL FACTOR is a book to be enjoyed not only by anyone interested in history: it is essential reading for anyone who wants to know what makes a great leader.great britain - politics and government - 1936-1945, winston churchill - biography

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.224.non-fictionWas the man in Spandau prison Rudolf Hess? This book unravels the mysteryhess rudolf - 1894-1987, conspiracy theories

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, bibliography, notes, ill, p.361.non-fictionAfter 1933, as the brutal terror regime took hold, most of the two-thirds of Germans who had never voted for the Nazis - some 20 million people - tried to keep their heads down and protect their families. They moved to the country, or pretended to support the regime to avoid being denounced by neighbours, and tried to work out what was really happening in the Reich, surrounded as they were by Nazi propaganda and fake news. They lived in fear. Might they lose their jobs? Their homes? Their freedom? What would we have done in their place? Many ordinary Germans found the courage to resist, in the full knowledge that they could be sentenced to indefinite incarceration, torture or outright execution. Catrine Clay argues that it was a much greater number than was ever formally recorded: teachers, lawyers, factory and dock workers, housewives, shopkeepers, church members, trade unionists, army officers, aristocrats, Social Democrats, Socialists and Communists. germany - politics and government - 1933-1945, germany - anti nazi movements

Index, notes, ill, p.699.non-fictionMemoirs of the man who was appointed as the head architect and minister of armaments and war production for the Nazi government.germany - politics and government - 1933-1945, albert speer - autobiography

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, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.329.non-fictionAn account of United States involvement in China from 1784-1942united states navy - china yangtze patrol., united states - diplomatic history

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.301.non-fictionJust as the Battle of Gettysburg was the high-water mark of the Confederacy's bid for secession, the Chinese offensive launched at Wonju was the high point from which China's hopes for victory soon faded. This is the first book to show that after fifteen days of combat at Wonju, Chinese leaders realized that they could not win the war and could possibly lose it. On this not particularly well-known battlefield, UN forces led by brave U.S. and South Korean fighting men ensured South Korean independence. These battles reinvigorated the UN war effort, thanks in no small part to the leadership of the U.S. Eighth Army's new commander, Lt. Gen. Matthew Ridgway. J. D. Coleman's comparison between the pivotal battles of Wonju and Gettysburg is original and thought provoking.korean war 1950-1953 - history, korean war - battle of wonju

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.1107.non-fictionReaching back into the long history of invasion, occupation and colonization in the region, Robert Fisk sets forth information in a way that makes clear how a history of injustice "has condemned the Middle East to war." He lays open the role of the West in the seemingly endless strife and warfare in the region, traces the growth of the West's involvement and influence there over the past one hundred years, and outlines the West's record of support for some of the most ruthless leaders in the Middle East. He chronicles the ever-more-powerful military presence of the United States and tracks the consequent, increasingly virulent anti-Western - and particularly anti-American - sentiment among the region's Muslim populationsmiddle east - history - 20th century, middle east - international involvement - 20th century

Index, bibliography, notes, p.304.non-fictionThis book looks at what the Gulf war tells us about Australia - its society, its politics and its policies abroad.australia - foreign relations, gulf war - australian involvement

Notes, maps, p.325.non-fictionIn one of the boldest gambles in modern military history, just three battalions and fewer than a thousand men launched a violent thrust of tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles into the heart of a city of 5 million people and, in three bloody days of combat, ended the Iraqi war. Thunder Run is the story of the surprise assault on Baghdad - one of the most decisive battles in American combat history - by the Spartan Brigade, the Second Brigade of the Third Infantry Division (Mechanizediraq war 2003, iraq war - us involvement

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.178.non-fictionA study of a military campaign fraught with blunders and incompetence.burma wars 1824-1886, burma - history 1824-1886

Index, notes, ill, p.382.non-fictionThis book charts for the first time the decisions, motives and influences that carried Australia into Afghanistan. Based on interviews with dozens of key political and military figures in Australia and abroad, the book looks at the role of domestic politics and the decision to also wage war in Iraq.afghan war2001-2021 - participation - australia, afghan war 2001-2021 - political aspects

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.329.Vietnam : the Australian dilemma reveals why Australia entered the Vietnam war, coming to the aid of the United Statesvietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement, vietnam war 1961-1975 – history

Index, notes, p.250.An informed critical assessment of historical and contemporary events in Vietnam and their implications particularly for Australian foreign policy. vietnam war 1961-1975 – history, vietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement

Index, notes, p.231.non-fictionWhy everything you think you know about Australia's Vietnam War is wrong. When Mark Dapin first interviewed Vietnam veterans and wrote about the war, he swallowed (and regurgitated) every misconception. He wasn't alone. In Australia's Vietnam, Dapin reveals that every stage of Australia's commitment to the Vietnam War has been misunderstood, misinterpreted and shrouded in myth. From army claims that every national serviceman was a volunteer; and the level of atrocities committed by Australian troops; to the belief there were no welcome home parades until the late 1980s and returned soldiers were met by angry protesters. Australia's Vietnam is a major contribution to the understanding of Australia's experience of the war and will change the way we think about memory and military history.vietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement, vietnam war 1961-1975 – history

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.418.non-fictionThe story of the forst Australians to serve in Vietnam - the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam.vietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement, australian army training team vietnam - history

Index, notes, ill, p.601.non-fictionTake a journey back to the front line with two Australian veterans as they retrace the footsteps of soldiers and politicians, villagers and the enemy in a meticulously researched new history of the Vietnam War. Thirty years after the end of the Vietnam war comes an objective analysis of Australia's involvement. The book shows the extent of Australia's engagement in the Vietnam war and its contribution compared to its allies. "For Australians, Vietnam remains one of the most difficult-and controversial-wars we have fought. On the fiftieth anniversary of Australia's first involvement comes Vietnam: the complete story of the Australian war, for anyone who wishes to understand why Australia went to war, and who wants to make sense of the intensely unrelenting warfare. For Bruce Davies and Gary McKay, the history of Vietnam-its wars, colonial domination, its search for freedom and its subsequent loss-speaks to an Australian anxiety of a very small population far away from the centre of an empire to which it was firmly committed. The rise of Japan, the war in the Pacific and the postcolonial independence of the peoples of southeast Asia, coupled with the mercurial influence of Ho Chi Minh and the rise of communism, form the background to the commitment of Australian forces. Vietnam takes the reader to the front line, describing the experiences of soldier, politician, villager, enemy; and into the war room to unpick the military and political strategies. We see the challenges the Australians faced against not only a dogged enemy, but also those by the allies in the quest to defeat a powerful counterinsurgency. ... Meticulously researched and marked with acute critical analysis and a deep understanding of the place and the war, Vietnam shows the experience of Australian soldiers as never before.vietnam war 1961-1975 – history, vietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement

Index, notes, ill, p.386.non-fictionThe Vietnam War, together with the selective form of national service which sent thousands of young conscripts to fight in Vietnam, dominated Australian politics for ten years." "A Nation At War tells the story of Australia during this tumultuous decade. It shows how the initial support for the Vietnam commitment was eroded until a majority of the population came to think that it was mistaken, if not immoral. The book traces the growth of the protest movement against the War and conscription, giving the most detailed account yet published of the three Moratorium protests in which tens of thousands of Australians demonstrated. A Nation At War discusses the decisions of the Menzies, Holt, Gorton, McMahon and Whitlam Governments, as they responded to these unprecedented protests while wrestling with diplomatic pressures emanating from powerful allies and strife-torn neighbours. The book also analyses the incidents which shaped the debate and which long remained in public memory - the alleged 'water torture' incident, the episodes involving conscientious objectors like Simon Townsend and William White, and many morevietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement, australia - foreign relations - 1961-1975

Index,bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.814.non-fictionThe participation by Australian soldiers in the Vietnam conflict (1962-1975), including political background, accounts of battles and operations in Vietnam, soldiers' personal histories, and with reference to the anti-war movement.vietnam war 1961-1975 – history, vietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.722.non-fictionVietnam became the Western world's most divisive modern conflict, precipitating a battlefield humiliation for France in 1954, then a vastly greater one for the United States in 1975. Max Hastings has spent the past three years interviewing scores of participants on both sides, as well as researching a multitude of American and Vietnamese documents and memoirs, to create an epic narrative of an epic struggle. He portrays the set pieces of Dienbienphu, the Tet offensive, the air blitz of North Vietnam, and less familiar battles such as the bloodbath at Daido, where a US Marine battalion was almost wiped out, together with extraordinary recollections of Ho Chi Minh's warriors. Here are the vivid realities of strife amid jungle and paddies that killed 2 million people. Many writers treat the war as a US tragedy, yet Hastings sees it as overwhelmingly that of the Vietnamese people, of whom forty died for every American. While all the world has seen the image of a screaming, naked girl seared by napalm, it forgets countless eviscerations, beheadings and murders carried out by the communists. The people of both former Vietnams paid a bitter price for the Northerners' victory in privation and oppression. Here is testimony from Vietcong guerrillas, Southern paratroopers, Saigon bargirls and Hanoi students alongside that of infantrymen from South Dakota, Marines from North Carolina, Huey pilots from Arkansas.vietnam war 1961-1975 – history, vietnam war 1961-1975 – personal recollections

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.752.non-fictionA summation "of over two centuries of conflict in Indochina. Chronicling a tragic history, Karnow presents a balanced and synmpathetic view of Vietnamese aspiration and the mishaps that led to American involvement in a 'war nobody wonvietnam war 1961-1975 – history, vietnam - history 1945-1975

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.414non-fictionSecretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, McNamara analyzes the Vietnam War and his role in it.vietnam war 1961-1975 – us - involvement, vietnam war 1961-1975 – criticism

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.534.the official history of the Australian army training team in Vietnam between 1962 and 1972vietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement, vietnam war 1961-1975 – regimental histories - australia

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

Ill, notes, maps, p.370.fiction1966: An Australian military base is established around a hill in South Viet Nam - two battalions strong. The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army draw up a plan to eliminate the base and allocate eight battalions for the task. Then the plan is thwarted when the Vietnamese forces run into an Australian company in the Long Tan rubber plantation.vietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement, vietnam war 1961-1975 – fiction

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.734.non-fictionMartin Windrow's book is an account of the battle of Dien Bien Phu, the first defeat of modern Western forces by a guerilla army.vietnam war 1945-1975 – french involvement, battle of dien bien phu

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.113.non-fictionDr Robson here makes the first serious attempt to address and recapture the spirit of Australia in the Great Warworld war 1914-1918 - australia - history, world war 1914-1918 - australia - sources