Pen & Sword Books Ltd strana 25 z 40

Hillforts in modern day Britain occupy often, but not always, isolated, windswept locations on the edge of modern day society. For the Iron Age tribes of that turbulent period 2-3000 years ago, hillforts or defended settlements were built for a number of reasons, they were seen as a statement of wealth and power by local chiefs and warlords, places of refuge for the local population in times of need as well as meeting points for trade, markets and religious festivals. With the advent of aerial drone photography these obscure locations are brought to life spectacularly from above to provide an unparalleled view of the subject matter. The Iron Age Dobunni Tribe occupied the modern day counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire in the centuries leading up to the Roman invasion of AD 43. The different types, classifications and construction of hillforts are explained with aerial photographs illustrating these differences. Questions are answered on who were the Dobunni tribe and where did they come from, what social structure existed and what were their religious beliefs.This new, fully illustrated study puts forward a thesis to establish the frontiers of the tribal area using local topography and the location of hillforts. A chapter is given over to each county with individual hillforts discussed as to their location, structure, type and classification, myths and excavated finds. For each hillfort there are what3word locations on where to park, Ordnance Survey six figure map references, information on the length of walk in kilometres and a grading of the difficulty of the walk, making this book essential reading for historians, tourists, and photographs enthusiasts alike.

Between 11 October 1944 and 8 April 1945, wireless operator/air gunner Roy Andrews flew thirty-five missions with the RAF’s 215 Squadron, based in Bengal, India. His missions, some over fourteen hours long, included bombing, strafing, and Air-Sea Rescue operations against Japanese targets in Burma and Thailand, as well as three trips to the Thailand-Burma ‘Death’ Railway.Roy began as the squadron''s second wireless operator, manning a .50-calibre beam gun. By January 1945, he became the primary wireless operator and completed the majority of his missions in this role. In addition to his operational duties, Roy managed various squadron tasks, such as censoring mail and preparing jungle kits.This book, based on Roy’s personal experiences, offers insights into his upbringing in Hong Kong and Australia, his military training, and his time in India during the war. The detailed accounts of each of his thirty-five operations, as well as his two longest non-operational flights, are complemented by an analysis of 215 Squadron’s B-24 Liberator activities. Historian Matt Poole contributes additional information on the squadron, including aerial bomb-strike photos and images never before published. This comprehensive work highlights a rarely covered chapter of RAF operations in the Far East during World War II.

Throughout the first century AD, the emperors of Rome faced various threats to their rule from ambitious or embittered nobles. However, events show the Roman legionaries to be tenaciously loyal to the Julio-Claudian dynasty. The murder of Nero, the last of his dynasty, unleashed chaos where allegiance was bought by ‘the madness of the leading men.’ The troops, increasingly recruited from men who had never seen Italy, were often happy to draw their swords in support of a provincial governor against an emperor who was himself a victorious usurper. If successful in raising their own candidate to ‘the purple’ they could expect the gratitude to be tangible and spendable. Mutinies were rare and often caused by changes to conditions of service or harsh discipline which demeaned the soldier’s status and honour. This is the story of the common soldier and their often ruthless and brutal commanders.John McHugh examines each of the major cases of armed rebellion or military mutiny during the first century. Skilfully intertwined with the narrative of these dramatic and usually bloody events is his analysis of the underlying causes and the varying degrees of success in the face of the Imperial response to these threats.

The versatile and reliable Class 37s quickly established themselves as a firm favourite with engine men and enthusiasts alike. Equally at home in charge of Class 1 passenger or heavy freight trains they would prove their worth over lines the length and breadth of the network, operating from their initial delivery in 1960 through the demise of steam traction and even into the modern era.This book explains their origin, development and operation, with information on every one of the 309 examples introduced. Over time numerous modifications were made resulting in a number of sub-classes. Many are described in detail, including black and white and colour photographs depicting their transformations through the decades. Soon becoming the traction of choice to head rail-tours they were, and still are, in great demand by the preservation movement. They continue to attract enthusiasts of classic traction and several are key members of the locomotive pools of heritage railways throughout the land.David Mather describes the long and successful career of this iconic class and explains the origin and demise of those which succumbed to the cutter’s torch, together with details and up to date photographs of many in preservation, where they continue to operate to the delight of railway enthusiasts of all ages.

In 1927, mounted cavalry was still a powerful and effective force in the mountains and plains of Northern India, where it policed and protected the border of the British Empire. When, in 1939, the world was engulfed in the flames of a second world war, horsed transport was still vital to the success of all armies involved, but the rapid advance of military technology meant that the men of the British Cavalry would have to learn new skills if they were to be effective against the steel monsters that were starting to dominate the battlefield.From Yorkshire to the Northwest Frontier of India, from France to Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Italy, THE LAST CAVALRYMAN recounts the experiences of an ordinary man who along with so many others, was thrown into the turmoil of an extraordinary time. Although he also served as a hussar, and an infantryman, he was always proud to be a member of The Queen’s Own Yorkshire Dragoons, and this is his story.Richly illustrated with photographs, maps, and military documents, the memoirs of Quartermaster Sergeant Harry Holgate provide a vivid and fascinating insight into the changing role of a British cavalryman from 1927 to 1944. His letters home offer an intimate glimpse of a time when warfare was changing out of all recognition, and when the cost of defeat would be unimaginable.

In November 1981, Alan Dyer-Perry returned to the UK after a successful exchange tour with the USAF, having flown 2,900 hours on iconic British and American strike/attack aircraft, including the English Electric Canberra, Blackburn Buccaneer, and General Dynamics F-111A. Praised for his cool and unassuming approach to aviation, Dyer-Perry was optimistic about his future, expecting a rapid rise in rank.He then took on a new challenge as flight commander of the RAF’s prestigious 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, where he managed a team flying the Tornado GR 1. Despite his earlier success, he quickly learned to set aside his assumed superiority and adapt to the squadron''s unique culture. Under his leadership, the squadron won both the Curtis E. LeMay and John C. Meyer trophies in a USAF bombing competition.Later, as a NATO tactics instructor and operations wing commander at RAF Cottesmore, Dyer-Perry honed his tactical skills and gained insight into high command challenges. His career culminated as the Senior RAF Liaison Officer at HQ 3 Air Force, USAF, where he worked on various issues, including during the Balkans War and after the 9/11 attacks. This autobiography chronicles the journey of a dedicated aviator who flew nearly 4,000 hours in some of the world’s best aircraft.

At midnight of 12 August 1961 East Germany became partitioned from the West by an ideological barrier that would remain a chancroid rash upon the political landscape of post WW2 Europe for some forty-five years. Initially little more than rolls of barbed wire, this barrier soon became the concrete monolith known the world over as the Berlin Wall.Prior to the construction of the wall an exodus of some 3.5 million East Germans circumvented the Eastern Bloc emigration restrictions in order to escape the socialist nightmare that many knew was now imminent.For those on the other side of the wall their lives would be characterized by fear, oppression, the denial of basic human rights and an abject paranoia coupled with endless ques of people outside shops with no goods to sell.This book tells the story of those who lived under the German Democratic Republic (GDR) where Marxism-Leninism and Russian language were compulsory for all schoolchildren.Although hatred and resistance towards the regime soon flourished it would take many decades for communism to choke upon its own poison, but would a re-unified Germany and the rest of Europe be any safer in the wake of its demise?

William Bligh – That Bounty Bastard tells the story of a man whose reputation has been permanently ruined by his portrayal in films as a cruel and vindictive tyrant. The facts prove otherwise. This book looks at the life of a much-maligned man who was a protégé of the explorer James Cook and who enjoyed the unwavering patronage of the botanist Sir Joseph Banks throughout his life. Sent to Tahiti to transport breadfruit plants to the West Indies, he is nowadays renowned only for his part in the Mutiny on the Bounty. Critics overlook the astonishing feat of navigation and leadership in bringing his men to safety after a voyage of more than 4000 miles in an open boat – with very limited supplies.He was successful in his breadfruit mission on the second attempt and then went on to considerable naval glory due to his courage in battle. It earned him the prestigious appointment of Governor of New South Wales. This proved to be a poisoned chalice – and he was thrown out of office by an insurrection intent on preserving the army’s corrupt hold on power.The book also examines what happened to Fletcher Christian after he sailed the Bounty to Pitcairn, examines the voyage of the Pandora, which brought some of the mutineers back to Britain, and examines the ensuing courts martial.This is the story of a man who was sincere, stubborn and somewhat staid – but with astonishing temper tantrums when provoked or opposed in the execution of what he saw to be his duty.

This story of life in a German prisoner of war camp is different from the normal British POW story, as the author was a Gunner in the Royal Artillery - not an officer - who was accepted by the German Authorities as a Medical Orderly and, therefore, Protected Personnel. As such, he gives a unique portrait of being a prisoner of the Germans.He gives graphic descriptions of the day to day life in POW camps and his tasks and experiences as a medical orderly over the five year period.He also gives a vivid account of what turned out to be a forced three month, one thousand mile march, from Poland into Germany in the height of winter towards the end of the war and his experiences as a medical orderly. Out of the three thousand who started the march, he writes, only seven hundred survived.

Sir Frederick Handley Page’s aviation career began after his dismissal from Johnson & Phillips Ltd. for unauthorized aircraft experiments. Undeterred, he founded his own company, building his first aircraft in a shed on marshland. From these humble beginnings, Handley Page became one of the 20th century''s most significant aircraft manufacturers, designing models pivotal in both world wars.His creations ranged from the Handley Page Type O of the Great War to the Victor bomber of the Cold War. Despite his many achievements, his life and legacy have remained relatively unexplored—until now. Drawing on extensive correspondence preserved at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon, this biography offers a rare glimpse into his personal and professional life.The letters reveal his interactions with aviation pioneers like Louis Bleriot, Ernst Heinkel, and Willy Messerschmitt, with one proposal even suggesting Messerschmitt as a consultant. Page’s hands-on approach is evident in his correspondence, including his 1941 exploration of bomber speeds, pressurized cabins, and jet propulsion as countermeasures against enemy fighters.This biography, enriched by Page’s own words, highlights his foresight, passion, and dedication, offering insights into his role as an innovator and leader during a time of great technological change and global conflict.

Although Trotsky was dramatically assassinated just over eighty years ago, he remains a controversial figure. He has had many biographers over the decades - ranging from the overly-sympathetic, to the extremely-hostile. Robert Service, his most recent biographer, expressed the hope that his book would ‘finish off’ Trotsky - a job he believed the ice-axe had failed to do in 1940!This biography, as expected, deals with those aspects for which Trotsky is noted: his passionate and fiery oratory which captivated and inspired huge crowds; organising the Bolshevik Revolution of November 1917; masterminding the creation of the Red Army and ensuring its victory during the Civil War; becoming the most determined opponent of Stalin’s creation of a monolithic party and state; being a Marxist theoretician of socialist revolution and combatting fascism; and, of course, being the originator of the very specific brand of revolutionary socialism that, as early as 1906, became known as Trotskyism.However, this biography also explores other aspects of Trotsky’s life which are not so well-known. In particular, from a very early age, his love of writing: the world of books and publishing became his first passion; it remained his first love and, if revolutionary politics had not taken over, his life would have been a very literary one. Immediately after the November Revolution, he hoped to return to his literary work, believing his main practical work as a revolutionary was over. His writings on art and literature, when compared to the stultifying strictures of the ‘Socialist Realism’ associated with Stalinism, are remarkably sympathetic and open; while he also wrote many perceptive articles as a war correspondent, covering both the Balkan Wars and the early stages of the First World War.Other aspects covered by this biography concern his family life, and his relationships with his children. Also explored is his love-life - while it is known he had a brief affair with the Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, there are also suggestions he may have had other affairs. Whatever the truth of such allegations, he certainly maintained a passionate relationship with his long-term companion, Natalya Sedova; and readers should be aware that one proof of that, provided towards the end of this book, contains very explicit language.

Edward Watkin was a prominent figure in 19th-century Britain, renowned for his extensive railway projects and his influence on both social and economic initiatives. As chairman of nine British railway companies, Watkin also developed railways in Canada, the USA, Greece, India, and the Belgian Congo. His leadership roles included senior positions with major British railways like the London and North Western Railway and the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway, and he was president of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada.One of his most ambitious projects was the creation of the Great Central Main Line, a high-speed rail link from Manchester to London, part of his broader vision to connect Manchester to Paris and India via a Channel tunnel. He initiated work on the tunnel in 1880, but it was abandoned due to security concerns.Watkin also developed Wembley Park into a popular destination for Londoners, which later became home to Wembley Stadium. Additionally, he proposed a ‘Great Tower in London’ to surpass the Eiffel Tower, though it was never completed.Through his personal diaries, the author explores Watkin’s lesser-known private life, offering a deeper understanding of this remarkable and visionary individual.

Born to over achieving parents during the conservative and bourgeois Victorian period, in 1854, Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde would become one of Ireland’s finest poets and playwrights.The moulding of the real Oscar Wilde was shaped by his formative years, education and experiences, but he would continue to evolve and change as a poet, aesthete, a playwright, political thinker, essayist, husband, father, lover and even while he was prisoner. He was a complex and sometimes contradictory man, and was in many ways, ahead of the times in which he lived in.His professional successes including The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Ernest and A Woman of No Importance, to name but a few, are some of the most quoted works in modern times.But it is his personal life and the Victorian scandal that he caused in 1895 that Wilde is most remembered for today. Just after his second son was born, Wilde started to explore his sexuality. This new personal liberation and happiness would lead to meeting Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas. At the height of his success, Wilde’s life and the lives of his wife and children changed forever after a libel suit that lead to criminal charges and then to prison.Wilde’s time as a prisoner and his life after prison were filled with physical and mental illness, sadness, tragedy and loneliness that all contributed to his death in 1900. The real Oscar Wilde can be found in the legacy of work that he left behind, the lives of his two sons, Cyril and Vyvyan, and how his story had become important to the modern LGBTQ communities well into the twenty-first century.

On 1 April 1945, US troops launched the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War on the heavily-defended island of Okinawa. Supporting the invasion, the USS West Virginia participated in the bombardment of entrenched Japanese defenders. That evening, a Japanese aircraft launched a Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka, a rocket-powered kamikaze plane. West Virginia was hit by an Ohka, becoming the first ship damaged by such a weapon. Twelve days later, the USS Mannert L. Able became the first ship sunk by an Ohka.The deployment of the Ohka was a desperate measure by Japan as the war turned against them. This manned flying bomb evolved from earlier kamikaze tactics. However, the Germans had also considered similar weapons. As early as 1944, figures close to Hitler, such as Otto Skorzeny and Hanna Reitsch, advocated for kamikaze missions. Hitler authorized the creation of the Leonidas Staffel to prepare for these attacks, leading to the development of the Messerschmitt Me 328 and Fieseler Fi 103R, also known as the Reichenberg.Though the Fi 103R began production in October 1944, the changing dynamics of the war rendered it obsolete by the time it was ready for use. The project was formally abandoned in March 1945. This book details the development of both the Ohka and Reichenberg.

Of all the tanks in the German arsenal the Tiger was perhaps the one most feared, certainly by the Western Allies from the time they first encountered it in North Africa to the end of the war in Europe. This was no small feat for a tank of which only 1,347 were produced out of a total German tank production of around 27,000 tanks. This is not surprising given that it was armed with the dreaded 88 mm gun, the rounds of which could pass right through a Sherman tank and whose thick frontal armour meant that it was virtually invulnerable to anything the Allies could field at that time.Though a fearsome weapon on the surface the Tiger was not well suited to offensive operations. It suffered from a weak transmission, which often failed. The lack of suitable recovery vehicles, until the Bergepanther made its appearance, meant the crews would often attempt to tow it with another Tiger rather than abandon it. This usually resulted in the loss of both Tigers as the towing tank also broke down through mechanical failure, brought about by the extra strain imposed on the towing vehicle. However, as a defensive weapon it was second to none, especially in Italy. Here the country’s hilly terrain, with its scattering of small villages, restricted the routes of advance the Allies could take. Just the knowledge that Tigers were in the area imposed an extra caution on Allied tank crews, particularly after their duels with its lighter Panzer cousins.Starting at the Anzio amphibious landings in January 1944 and finishing with the Senio offensive in 1945, the book draws on official histories unit diaries, reports, and personal accounts to look at encounters between Tigers (and sometimes the Elefant based on the hull of its cousin the Porsche Tiger). In this way it seeks to examine how the crews of Allied armour leaned to deal with this menace and sometimes failed to do so to their chagrin. To illustrate this the narrative delves into a number of detailed accounts of some significant encounters at Anzio, in Tuscany and on the plains of the Po Valley.

More Irish personnel served in the Italian campaign than in any theatre of the Second World War. The greatest numbers were in the Army but airmen and sailors also played important roles. From the first actions in Sicily on 10 July 1943 until the German surrender in Italy on 2 May 1945, Irish personnel were in the front line. Those in the combat support services also gave outstanding service, as did medical officers, nurses and chaplains. Many were decorated. At least one was recommended for a posthumous Victoria Cross and there were numerous awards of the DSO, DCM, MC and MM as well as Mentions in Despatches.For most there were no decorations, only the Italy Star; and the service of many was marked only by a headstone or a name on a memorial. Their stories are equally inspiring and deserve to be told whether they were tankmen, gunners, sappers, signallers, infantry or the faithful members of support services such as drivers and mechanics or nurses who were often under threat from air attack or artillery fire. At the other end of the spectrum, many of the commanders, including General Montgomery, Admiral Cunningham and Field Marshal Alexander were also Irish.Drawing on personal memoirs, published works, official records and interviews with veterans, as well as his own in-depth knowledge of the Italian campaign, Richard Doherty reveals the service of Irish units and Irish personnel of all ranks and throughout the campaign, especially during the major battles.