Index, ill, maps, p.312.non-fictionDrawing on a wealth of material from the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive, this book presents the words of both rescued and rescuers an intimate and dramatic account of what Winston Churchill described as a 'miracle of deliverance'.battle of dunkirk - 1940, world war 1939-1940 - personal narratives - britain

Ill, maps, p.295.The story of 'Lark Force', the 2/22nd Australian Infantry Battalion and support units, which defended Rabaul in 1942, with most of the Force becoming prisoners of the Japanese. world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – new guinea, world war 1939 – 1945 – personal narratives – australia

Bibliography, ill, map, p.305.non-fictionThe riveting true story account of a young WW2 pilot's heroic journey, illustrated throughout with fascinating photographs, maps and excerpts from his log books.world war 1939 – 1945 – aerial operations - britain, world war 1939 – 1945 – personal narratives – australia

Ill, p.303.non-fictionAll over the world during World War II, thousands of young men who had never so much as been near an aeroplane left offices, farms and classrooms to learn to fly and fight in the greatest conflict the world has ever seen. They fought over deserts, cities and jungles, in-single-engine fighter aircraft, heavy bombers, transport planes and flying boats. How do they feel about their dramatic days in the air? What is it they remember, and what do they choose to forget? In these candid and moving stories, Michael Veitch, writer, broadcaster and aeroplane fanatic, uncovers some of the untold stories of World War II: Australian, British and even German. He captures the events that defined a generation of men before these stories are lost forever. world war 1939 – 1945 – aerial operations - australia, world war 1939 – 1945 – personal narratives – australia

Ill, p.148.non-fictionA personal reminisces of a crewman sailing on HMAS Perthworld war 1939 – 1945 – naval operations - australia, hmas perth

Index, bibliography, ill, maps, p.308.non-fictionThis detailed and accessible guidebook shares the personal stories of the individuals honoured in 250 of Victoria's key war memorials. Arranged geographically, with accompanying maps and photographs, this comprehensive book covers metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria, providing a unique insight into our wartime history and the local heroes who fought for our country.soldiers - monuments - victoria, military involvement - australia - history

p.220.non-fictionThe story of an Australian soldier who survived Auschwitz-Birkenau.world war 1939 – 1945 – personal narratives – australia, prisoners of war - australia

ill (b/w), p.235.non-fictionA collection of some of the most poignant, moving or unusual stories encompassing all conflicts in which Australians were involved in the 20th century.australia - history - military, australia - military - personal narratives, australia - military

ill (plates) (b/w)non-fictionAn anthology of true life stories from many wars, told by Australians who served in New Zealand, the Sudan, South Arica, China, Mesopotamia, Gallipoli, Palestine, France, North Africa, Crete, Malaya and New Guinea.australia - military history, australia - military - personal narratives

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), p.185.non-fictionA description of Albert Coates and of his imprisonment as a prisoner of the Japanese in Sumatra, Burma and Thailandprisoners of war - australia, world war 1939-1945 - personal narratives - australia

p.426fictionThe year young Australians sailed off to war in high hopes of adventure, only to find themselves faced with disaster. The tragedy and violence of Gallipoli provide the climax to this very personal, moving and surprisingly romantic story. With remarkable skill and in achingly beautiful prose, Roger McDonald takes the reader on an archetypal Australian journey which parallels the nation's progress from its country childhood, through the adolescent exuberance of its young cities, to initiation on one of the world's ancient battlefields. It is a vital journey, haunted by menace and disillusionment, one embedded in our national mythology. This astonishing first novel, published to great critical acclaim in 1979 and since then selling over 100,000 copies, tells the story of two boys from the bush, the thoughtful and awkward Walter and his knowing friend Billy Mackenzie, and their girls Frances and Diana. Together they discover a future which seems full of promise, drawing them into the exciting turmoil of passion and war. But theirs is a fateful alliance, in a world all too quickly passing, with an outcome they never could have foreseen.gallipoli campaign - fiction, world war 1914-1918 - fiction

index, ill, p.340.non-fictionWhen war broke out in 1914, no one was more caught up in the popular tide of patriotism than the young boys who wanted to fight for King and country. This is their untold story - the heroics of boys aged as young as thirteen who enlisted for full combat training.world war 1914-1918 - personal narratives - british, child soldiers - great britain - history

Index, bibliography, notes, ill, p.349.non-fictionSurprisingly, as we near the 100th anniversary of the legendary Gallipoli campaign, this is the first book solely dedicated to one of its key battles - that at Lone Pine, where Australian and Turkish soldiers fought an ultimately futile battle that claimed thousands of lives in incredibly close quarters. Seven Victoria Crosses were earned by Australia's Anzacs in the intense four days of fighting, in pursuit of a flawed strategy to distract Turkish forces from larger incursions, which themselves failed. David W. Cameron has pulled together first-hand accounts from the men and women involved (including from the Turkish army) to detail what transpired and to follow some of their personal stories throughout the ordeal. By including the stories of non-combatants, such as engineers, nurses, sappers, commanders and more, he not only gives due credit to those who labored in support of the troops, but provides a wider understanding of the mammoth undertaking of such warfare. Many Australians travel to the Lone Pine Memorial and Cemetery each year to commemorate Anzac Day and remember the fallen - this work of popular history highlights the fate of those who fought on the very ground where they gather. Most Australian have heard of Lone Pine. Too few know why. Over four days in August 1915, Australians and Turks were thrown into some of the fiercest fighting of the war, on a small plateau in Gallipoli known as Lone Pine. Thousands of lives were lost. Seven of Australia's nine Gallipoli VCs were earned during brutal hand-to-hand combat in dark tunnels and in trenches just metres apart, bombarded by terrifying volleys of grenades. The Battle for Lone Pine is the first book devoted to this cornerstone of the Anzac legend, drawing on unforgettable first-hand accounts scratched into diaries and letters home. The stories of the diggers, as well as the engineers, nurses, sappers, commanders and more, provide an invaluable record of the battle and serve as moving testimony to their courage in appalling conditions. Today, pine trees are planted in remembrance around Australia. In Gallipoli, the Lone Pine Cemetery and Memorial attracts large crowds to commemorate Anzac Day. David W. Cameron's absorbing history reveals the fate of those who fought on the ground where they gather. 'David Cameron not only leads the way for the battalions of books on Australia in World War I to come in the next six years, he sets a standard for authors to emulate'world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - gallipoli, gallipoli campaign - battles - lone pine

Index, notes, ill, p.413.non-fictionAlthough generals, historians and war scholars might have told their versions, it is only when you read the words of the men in the frontline that you know what it was really like. The complete lists of the Australians and New Zealanders killed at Gallipoli are published for the first time in this new edition.world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - gallipoli, gallipoli campaign - personal recollections

Bibliography, ill, p.300.non-fictionRoy Kyle started writing his remarkable memoirs at the age of eighty-nine and almost completed his story before he died. Bryce Courtney was asked if he would edit Roy's work with the view to it being published. Roy Kyle was a typical Anzac, fiercely patriotic and prepared to give his life for King and country. He couldn't wait to have a go and enlisted at seventeen, a year underage, and found himself in a trench in Lone Pine on his eighteenth birthday. The battle of Lone Pine, more than any other, established the legend of Gallipoli and was where a new nation was called upon to test its courage. One of the last to leave Gallipoli, Roy Kyle served in Egypt and later at the Somme where he was wounded in the head, arms and back.world war 1914-1918 - campaigns - gallipoli, gallipoli campaign - personal recollections

Ill, maps, p.288.non-fictionThe escape of Basil Embrey from occupied France escapes, world war 1939-1945 - personal narratives - britain

Index, ill, p.470.non-fictionAborigines and army service - Australian women's Army - Burma-Thailand railway - Prisoners of war (POW's).world war 1939 – 1945 – personal narratives – australia, world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – australia

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

Ill, p.320.non-fictioniraq war - personal narratives, iraq war - battle of fallujah

Ill, p.548.non-fictionThe exploits of private Johnson Beharry during the invasion of Iraq in 2003iraq war 2003 - personal narratives, johnson beharry

Ill, maps, p.345.non-fictionKay Danes is no stranger to danger, having survived a terrifying 11-month hostage ordeal in communist Laos. In 2008, she faced her fears and embarked on a humanitarian aid mission to people devastated in war-torn Afghanistan. This powerful story will have you enthralled as you travel with Kay through Taliban strongholds and the remote wastelands of Al Qaeda terrorists. Her story provides a rare glimpse of places we may never visit and the courageous Afghan people determined to persevere against overwhelming odds.afghanistan - social conditions, afghanistan - personal recollections - kay danes

Ill, p.336.non-fictionAt age seventeen, Jason Christopher Hartley joined the Army National Guard. Thirteen years later, in 2003, he was called to active duty, to serve in Iraq. Sent to a town called Ad Dujayl, made notorious by Saddam Hussein's 1982 massacre, Hartley was thrust into the center of America's war against terrorism. This is his story." "Just Another Soldier takes the reader past the images seen on CNN and the nightly news, into the day-to-day reality of life on the ground as an infantryman, attached to the First Division in the first war of the twenty-first century. From the adrenaline rush of storming a suspected insurgent's house to the sheer boredom of downtime on the base to the horror of dead civilians, Hartley examines his role as a man, as a soldier, and as an American on foreign soil.iraq war 2003 - personal recollections, iraq war - biography

p.390.fictionDonkey Simpson, a typically naive young Australian, thrust into uniform by his country, sets out on the adventure of a lifetime -- or so he thinks. But Vietnam is not what he expected. It's a horror story. It's a story over which he has no control, at first a 'typical Army stuff-up' which wrenches him this way and that, like a puppet soldier on a string, and then something far more dangerous and sinister threatens to destroy him -- but who's pulling the strings? This is the story of Simpson and his mates, caught in a war between powerful ideologies which none of them understood. They walk the fine line of sanity, swinging wildly between love and hate, pathos and humour, patriotism and treason, life and pointless death. Donkey Simpson's story is centred around the Public Relations Office of the Australian contingent, and a spy in the nearby Intelligence Office -- a spy of unclear loyalties, working for the South Vietnamese allies, working for the enemy, or working only for survival? The novel has its ugly aspects -- most soldiers' lack of respect for the Vietnamese, whether ally or enemy, the callous disregard for human life, and the treachery practised on both sides. Collapse summary vietnam war 1961-1975 - fiction, vietnam war 1961-1975 – personal recollections – australia

Index, bibliography, ill, maps, p.302.non-fictionWorking as a journalist at the Adelaide Advertiser in 1966, Jean Debelle yearned to be involved in the biggest story of the decade - the Vietnam War. But only male journalists in Australia were being sent to cover the escalating conflict. Instead, she volunteered to work in Vietnam for the Red Cross to tend to the non-medical welfare of the sick and wounded ANZAC forces. Jean had planned to report on the war in spare moments - but there were none. For one year she lived in the spotlight: a young Australian woman among 5,000 men. This intimate personal account is told from the rare and compassionate perspective of a young woman living close to the battlefront. Jean tells of the resilience of the soldiers in the face of daily atrocities and of the international medical personnel fighting to save lives and to rebuild shattered bodies and minds. It is also the story of the Vietnamese, struggling to maintain not just their traditions but their very lives in the face of brutal hardship. With infectious humour, Jean tells of striving to be like a sister to the men when sex was in the very air they breathed. But she experienced stark terror when she faced a crazed gunman, had a close call in a minefield and was caught in the midst of a Vietnamese skirmish. Jean also offers an unvarnished look at the Australians' worst battle in Vietnam, Long Tan, and their worst landmine disaster. With unblinking candour, she writes of the harsh realisation that after nine months in Vietnam she had grown cold to the unrelenting horror of war. From diaries, letters and Red Cross reports, Jean Debelle Lamensdorf has researched and written a story not only of tragedy but also of hope and humour. It is a compelling adventure story - and one of love. vietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement, vietnam war 1961-1975 - red cross - women

Bibliography, p.280.non-fictionStories from a variety of sources, Australian and Vietnamese, about the experience of the Vietnam war.vietnam war 1961-1975 – personal recollections – australia, vietnam war 1961-1975 – personal recollections – vietnam

Ill, p.464.non-fictionFifty years after they served Australia in the Vietnam War, sixteen veterans of that conflict from the Yarra Valley sat down with the Mt Evelyn RSL's historian and revealed, some for the first time, their wartime experiences.Their stories tell of our nation's involvement in Vietnam and spans the period 1964 to 1972. They served with the Navy, with the Regular Army, with the CMF and as National Servicemen. Their backgrounds varied as much as their experiences 'in country' during that time.It is a story of sacrifice and endurance, bravery and loss, good times and bad times. It reveals the environment they were forced to exist in and the role they played, from the mundane to the terrifying.Surviving all of this they then returned home to a nation where many people ignored or even condemned them. For most, those decades after the war were an ongoing battle to deal with the physical and mental scars.vietnam war 1961-1975 – personal recollections – australia, veterans - victoria - yarra valley - biography

p.399.non-fictionNearly a million copies of Chickenhawk have been sold since it was first published in 1983. Now with a new afterword and photos from the author, this straight-from-the-shoulder account tells the truth about the helicopter war in Vietnam, and a personal story of men under fire. Robert Mason, a veteran of more than one thousand combat missions, gives descriptions that cut to the heart of the combat experience: the fear and belligerence, the quiet insights and raging madness, the lasting friendships and sudden death -- the extreme emotions of a "chickenhawk" in constant danger.vietnam war - aerial operations, vietnam war - helicopter pilots - biography

Ill, map, p.192.non-fictionThis is Gary McKay's story of how he was conscripted into the Australian army and his experiences in the Vietnam War. It is an action-packed, very readable account of an Australian soldier's war experience in Vietnam, developing strongly the Australian soldiers' great sense of mateshipvietnam war 1961-1975 – australian involvement, vietnam war 1961-1975 – personal recollections – australia

Ill, p.265non-fictionA story about a boy from the bush, his life in the army and later as he wanders in the Phillipinesvietnam war 1961-1975 – personal recollections – australia, soldiers - australia - biography