Index, ill, maps, p.584.non-fictionArmageddon tells the story of the climactic months of the Second World War, the destruction of Hitler's Germany. Max Hastings has researched archives in four countries and interviewed 170 witnesses to piece together a saga that is at once fascinating military history and the greatest human tragedy of the twentieth century." "This book follows Max Hastings's earlier acclaimed studies of the Second World War, including Overlord and Bomber Command, in examining a great sweep of history with massive research and a host of new insights." "Armageddon embraces the fates of more than a hundred million people, men and women, old and very young, from the tragic teenage fanatics who died in the ruins of Hitler's Reich to the British 'Tommies' who simply yearned to finish a painful job and go home. Few books on the Second World War have so vividly brought together the story of the battlefields, east and west, with the decisions of the generals and the impact of great events upon ordinary soldiers and civilians.world war 1939-1945 - battles - germany, world war 1939-1945 - history

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.528.non-fictionhis sequel to D-DAY opens at 00:01 hours, June 7, 1944 on the Normandy Beaches and ends at 02:45 hours, May 7, 1945. In between comes the battles in the hedgerows of Normandy, the breakout of Saint-Lo, the Falaise gap, Patton tearing through France, the liberation of Paris, the attempt to leap the Rhine in operation Market-Garden, the near-miraculous German recovery, the battles around Metz and in the Huertgen Forest, the Battle of the Bulge, the capture of the bridge at Remagen and, finally, the overunning of Germany. From the enlisted men and junior officers, Ambrose draws on hundreds of interviews and oral histories from those on both sides of the war. The experience of these citizen soldiers reveals the ordinary sufferings and hardships of war. They overcame their fear and inexperience, the mistakes of their high command and their enemy to win the war. operation overlord, world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - europe

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, maps, p.691.non-fictionIn 1942 and early 1943 Papua New Guinea was 'a bastard of a place' to fight a war. This book gives us the final, all-encompassing story of the five battles that changed Australia forever. The compelling narrative resonates with the voices of both the well-trained AIF volunteer, and the young Militia conscript who triumphed together. The author interviewed hundreds of these soldiers and himself travelled the treacherous terrain and bloody battlegrounds where so many of their mates perished, and reveals the inside story of how Generals MacArthur and Blamey sacrificed many of the senior Australian field commanders as scapegoats to protect their own positions. A Bastard of a Place restores Milne Bay, Gona, Buna and Sanananda to their rightful place beside Kokoda to what they should collectively be for all Australians - sacred ground.world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – new guinea, world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – kokoda

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.250.non-fictionTwenty-two U-boat veterans tell their stories in this collection of their experiences, recorded by the author during several years of travel throughout Germany. While many books have been written about the U-boat war, this is one of the few that focuses on the lives of the submariners, and rarer still is its concentration on the crewmen rather than the officers. Melanie Wiggins interviewed seventeen men of the enlisted ranks, along with five commanders, to take readers into the terrifying world of underwater warfare, where every single crewman made a crucial difference in the fate of his boat. As she searched for and interviewed U-boat men, Wiggins also collected photographs from scrapbooks and archives, and consulted war-era personnel records and secret diaries. Her attendance at a reunion of the crew of U-682 netted a wealth of information as did her interviews with submarine veterans in Gؤrlitz, former East Germany. Her interviews with Admiral Otto Kretschmer just two months before his death and ninety-four-year-old Commander Jѓrgen Wattenberg in Hamburg add important dimensions to the work. Among the individual sagas included are Radioman Hans Bѓrck's description of his 1942 patrol to Aruba and the visit of Japanese submarine I-30 at Lorient; Fireman 2nd Class Josef Erben's explanation of how his boat, U-128, got stuck on a large rock and had to be hauled free; POW Ernst Gؤ:thling's memories of being wounded in a British prison camp when German planes mistakenly dropped bombs in the area.world war 1939 – 1945 –naval operations - germany, germany - u-boats

Index, ill (B/W plates), p.726.non-fictionIn 'Prisoners of War' dozens of interviews with former POWs are used to show the strength and courage of Australians taken prisoner in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. This book was written for those who know little of the experiences of these men and women; their courage, endurance and pain.australia - military history, australia - prisoners of war

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, ill, p.160non-fictionIn 1960 a team of archivists from the Imperial War Museum began the task of tracking down ordinary World War I veterans and interviewing them in detail about their war experiences. This text includes first-hand experiences from German, US, Canadian and ANZ soldiers. world war 1914-1918 - personal narratives, world war 1914-1918 - narratives

Index, ill, p.486.non-fictionFollowing the publication of the remarkable 'Forgotten Voices of the Great War', Max Arthur has once again gone deep into the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive to create this landmark oral history of the most devastating conflict the world has ever seen, the Second World War. The Imperial War Museum holds a vast archive of interviews with soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians of most nationalities who saw action during WW2. world war 1939-1945 - personal narratives - britain, oral history

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, 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.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.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, notes, Appendices, ill, p.134.In 'Seagulls, Cruisers and Catapults' Ray Jones has written an authoritative account of the technical, operational and political aspects of Australian naval aviation from Admiral Creswell's 1913 plan for naval aviation until the last aircraft catapult was removed from an Australian cruiser in 1944.The Navy's role as catalyst in the formation of the Air Force is outlined for the first time and details of the sometimes acrimonius struggle between Navy and Air Force over naval aviation are provided. No serious work of RAN history can deal with the mid-war years without taking account of advice from London and the Admiralty's influence on RAN aviation planning is made clear. Operation of aircraft, such as the Seagull III and Seagull V amphibians, from Australian warships are described and the rationale of cruiser aircraft operations are illustrated by the number shot down or damaged performing their essential task in wartime. The vital role of aircraft operating from cruisers searching for raiders and taking part in fleet operations defending Australia in 1942 is stressed. Extensive archival research in Melbourne, Canberra and London, combined with hours of interviews with the men who flew aircraft from cruisers and carrier, has ensured a balanced and well-rounded narrative which is an essential addition to the library of any naval or aviation history enthusiast.airplanes - military - australia, world war 1939-1945 - naval operations - australia

Photograph taken inside the factory, on the left side of the picture are 3 very large barrels. In front of the barrels is a large bottle rack holding numerous bottles, all of the bottles are full. There is a worker holding one of the bottles, he is wearing a hat and overalls. On the right hand side of the Photo is a journalist, he is wearing a dark suit , shoes and a tie with a white handkerchief showing at his top coat pocket, he is holding a notepad and pencil. On the back is written ML45/7 and stamped in purple is the mark of the Australian News and Information Bureau requesting that the photo be acknowledged.Australian News and Information Bureau.organization, business, workers, cohn brothers .

64 page book published by Richmond Hill Press in association with the Collingwood City Council, 1979. Includes many photographs of the City of Collingwood areas including Richmond, Fairfieldcollingwood history

Ill, map, p.449.non-fictionHistorian Hugh Ambrose deepens the experience of the HBO miniseries The Pacific, produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks and broadcast on the Seven Network. These are the true stories of the men who put their lives on the line for their country, who were dispatched to the other side of the world to fight an enemy who preferred suicide to surrender; men who suffered hardship and humiliation in POW camps; men who witnessed casualties among soldier and civilian alike; and men whose medals came at a shocking price. Covering nearly four years of combat, with unprecedented access to military records, letters, journals, memoirs, photographs and interviews, this volume offers a unique historical perspective on the war against Japan-and ultimately the triumphant yet uneasy return home. world war 1939-1945 - campaigns - pacific area, world war 1939 – 1945 – personal narratives – united states

Index, ill, bib, p.559.non-fictionFor months during 1943 there was no night in Hellfire Pass. By the light of flares, carbide lamps and bamboo fires, men near-naked and skeletal cut a passage through stone to make way for a railway. Among these men were some of the 22,000 Australian soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese during World War II. In camps across Asia and the Pacific, they struggled, died, and survived with a little help from their mates. 'Hellfire' was researched in Australia, Japan and across South-East Asia. It draws on 50 first-person interviews, ranging from former prisoners to an old Mon villager deep in the Burmese jungle, and from Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew to veterans of the Imperial Japanese Army. The result is a tour de force, a powerful and searing history of the prisoners of the Japanese. world war 1939-1945 - prisoners and prisons - japan, burma - siam railway

Index, bib, notes, ill, maps, p.1035.non-fictionA biography of Adolf Hitler, based in part on more than one hundred and fifty interviews with people directly involved with his life. This comprehensive biography of Adolf Hitler is based in part on more than one hundred and fifty interviews with people directly involved in his life. adolf hitler - military leadership, adolf hitler - 1889-1945 - biography

These stories have been created directly from my conversations with veterans and their families. They are in their own words.veterans - australia - interviews, veterans - australia - family relationships, post-traumatic stress disorder - patents - family relationships

The battle, code-named Operation Attleboro, began with a simple purpose: to block a Vietcong attack on an Americian base camp that was expected to occur in time to attect elections in the United States.vietnam war, 1961-1975 - campaigns, vietnamese wars battle of dau tieng, the battle of dau tieng, the battle of dong minh chau, operation attleboro, american base camp, vietcong

In a powerful and eloquent book, Nguyen rewrites the South Vietnamese back into their own history and gives them back their voices.veterans - vietnam (republic) - interviews, soldiers - vietnam (republic) - biography, republic of, republic of vietnam, south east asia

When journalist and historian Mark Dapin first interviewed Vietnam veterans and wrote about the war, he swallowed (and regurgitated) every popular misconception. He wasn't alone. In Australia's Vietnam, Dapin argues that every stage of Australia's Vietnam War has been misremembered and obscured by myth. He disproves claims that every national serviceman was a volunteer; questions the idea that Australian troops committed atrocities; debunks the fallacy that there were no welcome hope parades until 1987; and rebuts the fable that returned soldiers were met by spitting protesters at Australian airports 1961-1975 -- participation, vietnam war, 1961-1975 -- personal narratives, australian, national service -- australia -- history

A collecion of stories of local Bendigo veterans and their time in Vietnam.veitnam, veterans

The remarkable story of the secret letters from Nixon and Ford to the President of South Vietnam and the American promises that were never kept.This book provides significant new date on United States relations with South Vietnam from 1968 to 1975. An extraordinary collection of previously undisclosed exchanges of letters between Mr. Thieu and Presidents Nixon and Ford combine with the authors' interviews with may key Americans and Vietnamese to make this an important study.vietnamese conflict, 1961-1975 -- diplomatic history, vietnam - foreign relations - united states, president nixon, president ford

When journalist and historian Mark Dapin first interviewed Vietnam veterans and wrote about the war, he swallowed (and regurgitated) every popular misconception. He wasn't alone. In Australia's Vietnam, Dapin argues that every stage of Australia's Vietnam War has been misremembered and obscured by myth. He disproves claims that every national serviceman was a volunteer; questions the idea that Australian troops committed atrocities; debunks the fallacy that there were no welcome hope parades until 1987; and rebuts the fable that returned soldiers were met by spitting protesters at Australian airports 1961-1975 -- participation, australian, vietnam war, 1961-1975 -- personal narratives, national service -- australia -- history.

The remarkable story of the secret letters from Nixon and Ford to the President of South Vietnam and the American promises that were never kept.This book provides significant new date on United States relations with South Vietnam from 1968 to 1975. An extraordinary collection of previously undisclosed exchanges of letters between Mr. Thieu and Presidents Nixon and Ford combine with the authors' interviews with may key Americans and Vietnamese to make this an important study.vietnamese conflict, 1961-1975 -- diplomatic history, vietnam - foreign relations - united states, president nixon, president ford

When journalist and historian Mark Dapin first interviewed Vietnam veterans and wrote about the war, he swallowed (and regurgitated) every popular misconception. He wasn't alone. In Australia's Vietnam, Dapin argues that every stage of Australia's Vietnam War has been misremembered and obscured by myth. He disproves claims that every national serviceman was a volunteer; questions the idea that Australian troops committed atrocities; debunks the fallacy that there were no welcome hope parades until 1987; and rebuts the fable that returned soldiers were met by spitting protesters at Australian airports 1961-1975 -- participation, vietnam war, 1961-1975 -- personal narratives, australian., national service -- australia -- history.

This oral history recounts the experiences of a minority tucked away within another minority - American women who went to Vietnam in the military or as volunteers or entertainers. 1961-1975 - women - interviews, vietnamese conflict, 1961-1975 - personal narratives - american, vietnam entertainers, american women

Told through interviews with North Vietnamese, former Vietcong and Southern Opposition Leadersvietnam war, 1961-1975 - personal narratives, vietcong, vietnam - history - 1945-1975