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, bib, maps, p.164.non-fictionFrom its origins to its terrible legacy, the course of the First World War is vividly set out in a series of 173 fascinating maps. Together, these maps form a comprehensive and compelling picture of the war that devastated large parts of Europe, destroying three Empires; these maps illustrate the military, social, political and economic aspects of the war. This revised edition contains a new section depicting the visual remembrance of the war; a guide to the memorials and cemeteries that commemorate the Battle of the Somme.world war 1914-1918 - history, world war 1914-1918 - maps

index, ill, maps, p.343.non-fictionThe the compelling story of Lieutenant Joseph "Darkie" Maxwell DCM, MC and Bar, VC – the second highest decorated Australian soldier of the First World War."A flash blinds me... We are lost in a chaos of flying mud... Smoke, filth,confusion, racket! I spit and splutter and swear... Oh Christ! I think I'm flamin' well dead." This is the compelling story of Lieutenant Joseph "Darkie" Maxwell DCM, MC and Bar, VC – the second highest decorated Australian soldier of the First World War. Meticulously researched by historian John Ramsland, Maxwell's colourful life is traced from his childhood on the Hunter coalfields until his death at age 71 in a soldier's settlement home in Matraville Sydney. Maxwell was a vivid storyteller who wrote Hells Bells and Mademoiselles, telling of his experiences in the war. In telling Maxwell's story, Ramsland has uncovered many forgotten documents to piece together an extraordinary life of an extraordinary man.wold war 1914-1918 - campaigns - western front, joseph maxwell - biography

Ill, p.286non-fictionIn April 1951, at the height of the Korean War, Chinese troops advanced south of the 38th parallel towards a strategic crossing-point of the Imjin River on the invasion route to the South Korean capital of Seoul. The stand of the 1st Battalion, the Gloucestershire Regiment, against the overwhelming numbers of invading troops has since passed into British military history. In The Edge of the Sword General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley, then Adjutant of the Glosters, has painted a vivid and accurate picture of the battle as seen by the officers and soldiers caught up in the middle of it. The book does not, however, end there. Like the majority of those who survived, the author became a prisoner-of-war, and the book continues with a remarkable account of his experiences in and out of Chinese prison camps. This book is not an attempt at a personal hero-story, and it is certainly not a piece of political propaganda. It is, above all, an amazing story of human fortitude and high adventure. korean war 1950-1953 - history, korean war - campaigns - gloucestershire regiment

Index, bibliography, ill, maps, p.253.non-fictionThe controversial Battle at Xa Long Tan was not only a critical episode in Australias Vietnam involvement, it was also a textbook nightmare in the history of jungle warfare. Reconstructing this dramatic action from secret documents and the vivid recollections of many diggers who fought at Long Tan, Terry Burstall challenges the official army version. vietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement, vietnam war 1961-1975 – battles – long tan

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

p.303.non-fictionIn this intensely personal account, Barry Heard draws on his own experiences as a young conscript, along with those of his comrades to look back at life before, during, and after the Vietnam War. The result is a sympathetic vision of a group of young men who were sent off to war completely unprepared for the emotional and psychological impact it would have on them. It is also a vivid and searingly honest portrayal of the author's post-war, slow-motion breakdown, and how he dealt with it.vietnam war 1961-1975 – personal recollections – australia, vietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement

Index, bibliography, ill, p.268.non-fictionA vivid, riveting account of highly decorated Navy SEAL Thomas H. Keith's Vietnam tour of duty and his profoundly revealing first-hand experience with the emergence of modern guerrilla warfare. The old battle tactics were useless for the U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, who were fighting a guerrilla war on foreign soil for the first time in American historyvietnam war 1961-1975 - guerilla operations, vietnam war 1961-1975 - us involvement

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, ill, p.160.non-fictionCombining vivid illustrations, dramatic photos in color and black-and-white, battle maps, landscape diagrams, and fascinating features, this volume recounts 17 military campaigns that changed the course of history. It also serves as a superb travel guide ..., suggesting points of interest and significancebattlefields - guidebooks, battles - history

Index, Bibliography, ill, p.200.non-fictionA vivid description of the events leading up to 1942 when the war became Australia's war.world war 1939-1945 - australia, world war 1939-1945 - social life and customs - australia

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.307.non-fictionOn the 11th of November 1934 over 300,000 people gathered on the slopes of Melbourne's Domain to witness the dedication of the Shrine. It was the largest state war memorial Australia would build and it commemorated the sacrifice of no fewer than 114,000 Victorians who served in the Great War. A Place to Remember charts the Shrine's history from the first fatalities of the Gallipoli landing to the present day. With deft hand and luminous style, Bruce Scates masterfully situates the Shrine in its larger physical, cultural and historical landscape. Archival image and first person vignette mesh with vivid prose to reveal The Shrine then and now; its changing patterns of meaning through the many conflicts in which Australians have fought and died, and the enduring significance of this grand memorial in the heart of Melbourne, for generations to come.war memorials - australia, shrine of remembrance - melbourne

Index, bibliography, ill, p.312.non-fictionIn 1914 the world changed forever. When World War One broke out and a generation of men went off to fight, bestselling author Kate Adie shows how women emerged from the shadows of their domestic lives. Now a visible force in public life, they began to take up essential roles - from transport to policing, munitions to sport, entertainment, even politics. They had finally become citizens, a recognised part of the war machine, acquiring their own rights and often an independent income. Former BBC Chief News Correspondent Kate Adie charts the seismic move towards equal rights with men that began a century ago and asks what these women achieved for future generations. This is history at its best - a vivid, compelling account of the pioneering women who helped win the war as well as a revealing assessment of their legacy for women's lives today. world war one - women - great britain, female emancipation - great britain

p.295.non-fictionAs Iraq descends ever closer to civil war, no one doubts that George W. Bush's Iraq strategy has been an abysmal failure -- just as Gwynne Dyer argued it would be in both Ignorant Armies and Future: Tense. The question now is what will happen not just in Iraq but in the whole Middle East region once American troops are withdrawn. In The Mess They Made, Dyer predicts that the Middle East will go through the biggest shake up since the region was conquered and folded into the Ottoman Empire five centuries ago. In his trademark vivid prose, and in arguments as clear as his research is thorough, Dyer brings his considerable knowledge and understanding of the region to bear on the issue of how widespread the meltdown in the Middle East will likely be. In five chapters, Dyer points the way from present policies and events to likely future developments in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and in the various other countries of the region, not least of which is nuclear-armed Israel. Argues that the Middle East is about to change fundamentally and everything is now up for grabs: regimes, ethinic pecking orders within states, even national borders themselves are liable to change without notice. Five years from now there could be an Islamic Republic of Arabia, an independent Kurdistan, a Muslim cold war, and more. iraq war 2003-2011 - history, middle east - international relations

Ill, p.126.non-fictionGives a vivid picture of life in London at the outbreak of the war and the months that followed.london - social life and customs - 1939, london - 1939 - pictorial works

Index, bib, ill, maps, p.476.On 25 June 1950 the invasion of South Korea by the Communist North launched one of the bloodiest conflicts of the last century. The seemingly limitless power of the Chinese-backed North was thrown against the ferocious firepower of the UN-backed South in a war that can be seen today as the stark prelude to Vietnam. Max Hastings has drawn on first-hand accounts of those who fought on both sides to produce this vivid and incisive reassessment of the Korean War, bringing the military and human dimensions into sharp focus.korean war 1950-1953 - history, korea - history

Index, ill, maps, p.224.non-fictionOn June 23 1943 Lieutenant Jack Champ of the 2nd/6th Australian Infantry Battalion was marched into one of the most famous prisoner-of-war camps in Germany. Known then as Oflag IVC, it is now better know as Colditz. By the end of the war there were nineteen Australians in Colditz, and this is the first book to look at life there specifically from their point of view. It was a very special camp. It was designed to retain under escape-proof conditions, a select group of Allied prisoners who had already escaped from other camps and who had been recaptured whilst still in occupied territory. Having seen action in the Western Desert and in Greece, Jack Champ had been captured by the Germans in 1941. He was, however, a reluctant prisoner and took part in two escapes from different POW camps, one of which was a mass break-out of sixty officers through a tunnel that had taken weeks to make. Although the guards frequently outnumbered prisoners, there were more escapes from Colditz than from any other prison of comparable size during both World Wars. In this vivid book Jack Champ and Colin Burgess explain what it was like to be a prisoner in Nazi Germany. It is a curious blend of brutality and humanity, of routines and dreams, and occasional and dramatic excitement as men tried to turn those dreams into the reality of freedom.world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – germany, world war 1939-1945 - personal narratives - australia

Index, ill, p.833.non-fictionThis national bestseller by Colonel David H. Hackworth presents a vivid and powerful portrait of a life of patriotism.From age fifteen to forty, David Hackworth devoted himself to the US Army and fast became a living legend. In 1971, however, he appeared on television to decry the doomed war effort in Vietnam. With About Face, he has written what many Vietnam veterans have called the most important book of their generation.From Korea to Berlin, from the Cuban missile crisis to Vietnam, Hackworth's story is that of an exemplary patriot, played out against the backdrop of the changing fortunes of America and the American military. It is also a stunning indictment of the Pentagon's fundamental misunderstanding of the Vietnam conflict and of the bureaucracy of self-interest that fueled the war. soldiers - united states - biography, united states - army - personal recollections

A gripping story of Australian soldiers at war, in Borneo and Vietnam vividly told and based on thorough research.australia. army - commando troops, special air service regiment (australian army)

A book that vividly illuminates the dangers of ideology in foreign policy, America's Rasputin could not be more timely.vietnam war, 1961-1975 -diplomatic history, anticommunist movements - united states - history - 20th century, political consultants - united states - biography

Out Now brings back vividly the whole story of the struggle to end the Vietnam War.vietnam war (1961-1975) - united states, 1961-1975 - demonstrations - united states, vietnam war, 1961-1975 - protest movements - united states

A gripping story of Australian soldiers at war, in Borneo and Vietnam vividly told and based on thorough research.australia. army - commando troops, special air service regiment (australian army)

Lt. Col. North gives a vivid account of a Marine's struggle with the Vietnam War and its aftermath. He concludes with a thoughtful, mature approach to reconcilation, offering a useful path to the future.vietnam - description and travel, vietnamese conflict, 1963-1975 - united states, u.s. marine, lt. col. north

All the agonies of the Vietnam war - the suffering and sacrifices of the South Vietnamese and U.S. military personnel combating the Viet Cong - are vividly portrayed in this impressive collection of drawings.vietnam war, 1961- 1975 - pictorial works

The inside story of the Communit take-over of North Vietnam - a vivid eye-witness account of brtrayal of a revolutioncommunism - vietnam, vietnam - history, north vietnam

non-fictionTranscription of diaries and notebooks of Trooper Harry Turner, 8th Australian Light Horse 1915-18 give a vivid account of a light horseman participating in the battles on the desert campaign 1916-1918.world war one, wwi, egypt, palestine, light horse, turner

North Kew, now divided between Kew and Kew East, bordered the Yarra River. As such, it was a region subject to flooding in the Yarra Valley. Development beyond this point (ie Kellett Grove) was limited by the City of Kew's planning regulations. Prior to urban development, the area since European settlement and the first land sales in the district in the 1840s, had been used for dairy farming. Vivid photograph contrasting domestic life and relationships with natural disasters such as the flood of 1934.Small sepia snapshot of a grandfather and granddaughter sitting in the backyard of 8 Kellett Grove, North Kew, with the floodwaters stretching behind them.Verso: GRANDDAD AND I IN BACKYARDyarra river -- north kew, floods -- yarra valley, floods -- north kew, floods -- 1934, natural disasters -- kew, willsmere road

North Kew, now divided between Kew and Kew East, bordered the Yarra River. As such, it was a region subject to flooding in the Yarra Valley. Development beyond this point (ie Kellett Grove) was limited by the City of Kew's planning regulations. Prior to urban development, the area since European settlement and the first land sales in the district in the 1840s, had been used for dairy farming. Vivid photograph contrasting domestic life and relationships with natural disasters such as the flood of 1934.Small sepia snapshot of two submerged houses belonging to local families in River Avenue, North Kew, during the 1934 floods. The view is presumably from near Kellett Grove looking north towards Fairfield.Verso: COES & HYATTS ROOF / RIVER AVENUE / Stamped: 6414yarra river -- north kew, floods -- yarra valley, floods -- north kew, floods -- 1934, natural disasters -- kew

North Kew, now divided between Kew and Kew East, bordered the Yarra River. As such, it was a region subject to flooding in the Yarra Valley. Development beyond this point (ie Kellett Grove) was limited by the City of Kew's planning regulations. Prior to urban development, the area since European settlement and the first land sales in the district in the 1840s, had been used for dairy farming. Vivid photograph contrasting domestic life and relationships with natural disasters such as the flood of 1934.Small sepia snapshot of the donors grandfather rescuing the family dog's kennel from rising floodwaters at the rear of 8 Kellett Grove, North Kew, .Verso: DAD SECURING NIPPY'S DOG KENNEL / Stamped 6414yarra river -- north kew, floods -- yarra valley, floods -- north kew, floods -- 1934, natural disasters -- kew