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In the seventh volume of Dilip Sarkar’s groundbreaking eight-part series, the day-to-day events of the fifth and final phase of the Battle of Britain are meticulously chronicled. This volume not only details every raid and squadron action but also places them within a broader context, including the roles of Bomber and Coastal Commands and the impact on the Home Front.Sarkar, renowned for his evidence-based research, revisits primary sources to challenge established narratives. This series represents the most comprehensive and up-to-date research on the Battle of Britain, standing out in its extensive bibliography.Volume 6 explored Reichsmarschall Göring’s determination to continue Luftwaffe attacks despite mounting losses. By late September 1940, the German He 111 bombers were shifted to night operations due to unsustainable daylight losses. The final phase saw Me 109 fighter-bombers and high-altitude fighter sweeps dominating daylight engagements. While these tactics were unlikely to defeat Britain, RAF pilots recall this period as the most grueling, with intense high-altitude dogfights between Spitfires and Me 109s.This volume concludes with a review of October 1940’s key events, questioning the month’s designation as the battle’s end and reflecting on the overall significance of the summer’s aerial engagements. Sarkar’s work provides invaluable insight into this critical phase of World War II.

This is the third release in a series that aims to dissect each aspect of Operation Market-Garden as it played out in September 1944. It draws on many individual soldiers and airmens narratives to tell the story of the ongoing fight to keep the Hells Highway open to relieve 1st Airborne at Arnhem, and the brave attempts to re-supply them from the air. The account offers a unique perspective on all aspects of aerial activity during this pivotal operation, illustrating the ways in which these vital endeavours impacted operations on the ground.The story is relayed of the comprehensive Allied effort to retain supremacy in the skies. Individual tales of gallantry work to humanize the account, rooting the action very much in the human experience of conflict. Tales include the never to be forgotten story of the Angel of Arnhem and the acts of chivalry that existed on both sides - even among battle hardened units such as the SS Panzer Grenadiers. All are unique in the annals of war. These and the other personal recollections of Allied soldiers and airmen and their German adversaries tell of extreme courage, camaraderie and shared terror under fire. They are complemented throughout by the authors background information that puts each narrative into wartime perspective.

A deeply personal story. Brave. Revelatory. Digs deep into the key issues facing modern day veterans.'' - **Damien Lewis**Soldier of Conscience is the true story of Wayne Ingram M.B.E, a British soldier who, after experiencing the horrors of war and battling Complex PTSD, finds his life changed by a four-year-old boy named Stefan. Born into a war-torn country and severely disfigured, Stefan’s encounter with Wayne begins a journey of healing for both of them. Over the course of 13 years, Wayne''s aggression and trauma are softened by Stefan’s love, courage, and the bond they share. Their relationship helps Wayne rediscover a life beyond war and violence, ultimately leading him to become a better, more compassionate person.Ingram’s story takes readers through various chapters of his life—his military service in reconnaissance, the challenges of PTSD, his work as a paramedic, and his volunteer efforts as a firefighter. The book also details his career in remote medicine, including time spent in war zones like Iraq and Africa, where he faced personal and professional challenges. Along the way, readers are immersed in his fundraising efforts, such as surviving a life raft challenge and organizing a 24-hour cycling event to build an orphanage in Africa.This is an emotional and multi-faceted narrative, blending themes of love, courage, death, mental health struggles, and personal growth. Written from the heart, it is a raw and honest account of a man who overcame his past through the transformative power of love and compassion. This memoir resonates with anyone facing personal battles, making it relatable to a wide audience.

Living in the Third Reich intricately weaves together the personal stories of German historical witnesses across thematic chapters, covering diverse facets of the wartime experience. From the early years of National Socialism to the devastating bombings of German cities, these narratives are enriched with personal documents and photographs, vividly providing the human face of history.This book is more than just a chronicle of events; it is a profound exploration of human suffering and memory. Each testimony contributes to a larger mosaic, unveiling the emotional and psychological landscapes of those who endured one of history''s darkest periods.Included are German perspectives on antisemitic violence, such as the Night of Broken Glass and the deportation of Jews. The book also contains accounts from those who witnessed allied bombings across Germany, and the civilians caught up in the Russian invasion. The book goes on to cover the aftermath of the war, with people displaced and some forced into labour, and life in post-war Germany.The author''s dedication to impartial presentation allows these stories to resonate on their own, providing a rare and invaluable perspective on the past. Years of painstaking research, translation, and editing have transformed this book into a treasure trove for scholars and general readers alike. It serves as a vital preservation of a generation’s voices, fostering a deeper understanding of how the Third Reich''s profoundly impacted ordinary lives.By presenting these accounts in their unaltered and honest form, the author ensures that the true essence of these experiences is captured and conveyed.

Agricola was the great Flavian warrior governor of Britain tasked by the emperor Vespasian with conquering the far north of its main island for the first time. Initially campaigning in Wales and then the north of modern England to secure his rear, he launched his first assault into modern Scotland at the end of the 70s AD. Four more bloody campaigns beyond the Solway Firth-Tyne frontier followed, each time the Romans heading further and further into the heart of darkness, as they would have seen it. Famously, at one stage during the campaigns he also contemplated invading Ireland, only to be told no by the new emperor, Domitian. Ultimately, the primary sources say he defeated the combined armies of the natives in far north at the Battle of Mons Graupius in AD 83. After this, the successful conquest of the whole island was declared, Agricola commanded the Classis Britannia (the Roman navy in Britain) to circumnavigate the whole province for the first time, and Domitian ordered a monumental arch to be built at Richborough on the east coast of Kent to celebrate the Roman triumph. This became the imperial gateway into Roman Britain.In this new, generation-defining book on Agricola’s campaigns in Scotland new archaeological evidence will be used to show how Agricola was able to campaign so far north of the imperial frontier and in such numbers (with over 30,000 men, plus the fleet), and the exact routes he followed. Thus, for the first time, the true story of Agricola in Scotland can be told.

Captain John Grant Fraser of the Royal Artillery had succeeded to the titles of Ballindoun and Kinneries via the unexpected death of his elder brother James Fraser on 1 May 1791. John Grant died in 1798 and the title passed to his eldest son Baillie Fraser, their uncle Hugh acting as guardian until his coming of age.James Baillie Fraser joined the Army and rose to the rank of lieutenant in the 7th Fusiliers, serving in the Peninsular war. His younger brother Alexander John Fraser also joined the Army serving in the peninsula, becoming a lieutenant in the 52nd Foot. Both wrote home regularly to their sister Ann and gave fascinating details of life at war, but tragically James was killed at the Battle of Sorauren on 28 July 1813 and his brother Alexander was severely wounded and died at Bera on 20 October the same year. Within six months the war had ripped the heart out of the family.The estates passed to Ann, who tragically died on 16 December 1816, the whole then passing to their uncle Hugh. He sold the estates and the family ties to Ballindoun and Kinneries were broken for ever – effectively destroyed by the Napoleonic wars.Beyond the letters from Ann’s two tragic brothers, her collection also includes much material from her uncles on her mother’s side who were also heavily involved in the wars. George Wilkes Unett, Royal Artillery, served in the West indies, Martinique, Copenhagen and Waterloo, whilst his other brother Richard Wilkes Unett served in the West Indies. Their letters show clearly how the war was indeed a World War and how families were sucked into this ever hungry meatgrinder.Finally we have the fascinating journal of their brother John Wilkes Unett, a solicitor by trade but who happened to travel to Paris to visit his brother and experience the city shortly after the allies had taken possession in 1815.These letters and journals provide a fascinating insight into the lives of an ordinary family in extraordinary times and how two sudden tragedies destroyed it.

The Battle of Castillon, fought outside the French city of the same name on 17 July 1453,  was the final battle in the Hundred Years War. It was also a disastrous defeat for the English monarchy. It saw the death of one of England’s most famous medieval commanders and the complete collapse of the last vestiges of English rule in Gascony, which had been a possession of the English monarchy for nearly three centuries. The French King Charles VII completed his unification of his kingdom, once riven by a civil war that had forced him to flee Paris, and left England with only Calais as a toe-hold in France.Castillon drew together a wide cast of characters who had defined the end of the Hundred Years War. John Talbot and the Gascon nobility represented the English but against them were men who had fought alongside Jeanne d’Arc, mercenary captains, and soldiers from across France. The French were also supported by the cannons and defences of the Bureau brothers, who had risen from relatively modest backgrounds to become some of the defining military men of their era. It has sometimes even been seen as a transformative battle – the last medieval battle which ushered in a more modern form of warfare.Despite its importance, and Castillon is easily a rival to Crécy and Agincourt in terms of significant battles of the Hundred Years War, Castillon has been largely neglected in English language scholarship. This book is the most substantial study of the battle to date and aims to correct this oversight by examining not just the battle but how the war reached the point of being decided in Gascony in 1453 and its aftermath and legacy.Castillon: The Last Battle of the Hundred Years War covers the origins of the Hundred Years War, the Edwardian and Lancastrian phases of the war, the Military Revolution of the fourteenth century and Charles VII’s radical restructuring of the French military in the fifteenth century, as well as a detailed study of the battle and how we can know what happened on that day in Gascony. It is far reaching and comprehensive in how it analyses this key battle and will give readers a substantial understanding in not just Castillon but in late medieval Anglo-French warfare in general.

This is the history of Britain’s munitions industry in the First World War. It begins with the shortages caused by an expanding army required to fight in trenches, then shows how the country was organised, with the expansion of private companies and the introduction of state owned factories. It also explains how new laws regulated industry.The narrative describes how production was initially estimated, until experience illustrated how the armed services’ demands could be met. It also looks at the problems caused by unchecked enlistment, which took no account of men’s skills, and the attempts to recall key workers from the armed services.The story continues with the raw materials, such as coal, which was dug by one million miners, and the huge amounts of iron ore imported from Spain. Learn how Britain’s steel industry struggled to make enough forgings for shells, while many more were imported from North America. See how manufacturing issues were resolved, while battlefield experience led to modifications being made. Also see how the nation’s chemical industry expanded to produce enough explosives before working out how to make large amounts of lethal gases.Learn how the war required the relations between the government, the employers, the unions, and the workforce to change; in some cases, forever. See how diluting production allowed the workforce to increase and how tens of thousands of women entered the factories. Also hear how various issues caused widespread industrial unrest at times, as the cost of living rose and the rules became stricter. On a positive note, a desire to improve production increased awareness of health and safety, as well as the benefits of positive welfare.The story ends with a nation being pushed to its limits suddenly demobilising, leaving everyone wondering what the future would hold for them.

With its rich historical background, Surrey once included areas now part of London, adding layers of complexity to genealogical research. A comprehensive resource, Tracing Your Surrey Ancestors offers a deep dive into Surrey''s history, explaining the boundary changes that affect where records are held today. From archives to online databases, this book equips you with the tools and knowledge needed to uncover your family''s past, providing clarity and guidance every step of the way. Whether you''re new to genealogy or a seasoned researcher, this guide is designed to help you trace your Surrey roots with confidence.

Gabriele Esposito presents a detailed overview of the history, organization, equipment and tactics of the military forces deployed by Achaemenid Persia during the period 550-330 BC. The Achaemenid Empire founded by Cyrus the Great was one of the major military powers of Antiquity, conquering vast territories that straddled three continents. Its large and varied population supplied a dazzling array of troop types, producing a versatile war machine that campaigned from India to Egypt. These were the armies that drank rivers dry as they invaded Greece and, at the Empire’s zenith, defeated the Spartans at Thermopylae and torched Athens. They continued to evolve but proved unable to cope with Alexander the Great’s Macedonians.The author outlines the major campaigns fought by the Persians from Cyrus the Great to the conquest by Alexander. He details the organization, equipment and tactics of the many different contingents that made up the Persian military forces, including (but not limited to) the famous royal guard of the Immortals, and such varied troops as Persian archers, scythed chariots, Ionian Greek hoplites, Arab camel riders, Scythian horse archers, Sogdians and Bactrian armoured cavalry, Thracian peltasts, Egyptians and Indian war elephants. The text is complemented by a colourful mix of photos of reenactors and specially-commissioned artworks.

This is an insider’s history of the UK’s development of on-site inspections for nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons arms control and disarmament treaties from the late 1980s through to the first two decades of the 21st century. It provides for the first time in print a detailed narrative and analytical account from the personal perspective of a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office expert, who participated in scores of realistic and demanding verification exercises at British as well as overseas military and commercial facilities, including at the former Soviet nuclear weapons test site at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan. The book draws on the author’s personal recollections, state papers in The National Archives and official reports submitted to the Conference on Disarmament and other international meetings to pull together a fascinating and riveting account of a key, but hitherto neglected part of Cold War and post-Cold War history. Despite the differences between nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and their means of production, the UK’s verification exercises recounted in detail here revealed many common lessons applicable to the design and implementation of on-site inspections regardless of treaty. Generally nuclear, chemical and biological arms control verification is discussed separately, but this volume uniquely discuses all three in an overall coherent overview of the lessons learned. In addition to the serious nature of the subject matter, the author also recounts the humour that was ever present and many other tales that never quite made it to the formal reports produced after the exercises.

In the spring of 1910, a shocking murder rocked Edwardian England. John Innes Nisbet, a quiet, unassuming man, was found brutally shot five times in the head aboard the 10.27 Newcastle Central train, and the colliery wages he had been carrying were stolen. Days later, John Alexander Dickman, a gambler by trade, was arrested and convicted of the crime, despite the conviction resting solely on circumstantial evidence.Sent to the gallows, Dickman maintained his innocence until the end. Over a century later, this gripping investigation reopens the case, re-examining the evidence and exposing the flaws in Dickman’s conviction. Could the real killer have escaped justice? With new insights and a compelling alternative theory, Murder on the Train unveils what might truly have happened that fateful day.

History has not been kind to the memory of Tiberius Caesar (42 BC-AD 37), second emperor of the Romans. His reputation for capable generalship and sensible civic leadership are marred by reports of cruelty, treason trials and sexual depravity. Some historians have described him as a ‘tyrant’ or even a ‘monster’. But does he deserve this negative appraisa? n Tiberius, Lindsay Powell presents a fresh and penetrating reassessment of the life and legacy of the extraordinary man handpicked by Augustus to succeed him. He shows that Tiberius was the right man for the job, at the right time.Tiberius built upon the innovations of Augustus by bolstering the Roman Commonwealth’s institutions and reining in its expenditures. He used his proven leadership skills in military and diplomatic affairs to avoid war whenever possible. A no-nonsense disciplinarian willing to eschew popularity for the good of the Res Publica, he respected the Senate’s independence, recruited competent public administrators, rooted out malpractice in provincial government, and was generous to communities blighted by disaster.Tiberius examines the known facts of the personal and professional life of Ancient Rome’s third longest serving emperor. He was a poet, a collector of art and an astrologer. Lindsay Powell explores how he dealt with success, disappointment and loss all while under the unrelenting pressure of serving Augustus, and then carrying out his ultimate duty by ruling the empire in his own right.Descended from a famous family, his standing has been undermined by his infamous appointees: right-hand man, Aelius Sejanus, who betrayed him; prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilatus, who crucified Jesus of Nazareth; and his successor, Caius, better known as Caligula. Yet, when he died of old age (or was he murdered?), he left the Roman Empire both stronger and at peace.Meticulously researched, Tiberius is lucidly written by the author of the acclaimed biographies Marcus Agrippa and Germanicus.

The Royal Navy invented the aircraft carrier and most of the key innovations which have enabled carriers to remain effective, exploiting continuing changes in aircraft technology, from biplanes to supersonic jets. This book tells (and explains) how that happened over more than a century of British carrier development, based largely on declassified official documents, both British and US.Major themes include British domination of the early years of carrier development, and the audacious and highly original plans for their use during World War I, which inspired later naval thinking on the potential of carrier aviation. The introduction of armoured flight decks in the 1930s was only the first of a sequence of British innovations, the most important of which made it possible for carriers to operate jet aircraft (the angled deck, the steam catapult, and the mirror landing sight). These British developments, particularly the steam catapult, were crucial to the survival of the US carrier force in the postwar era, to an extent often forgotten. Later the Royal Navy produced the first commando carriers, and played a crucial role in the VSTOL carrier revolution, and continues to demonstrate originality and innovation as seen in the current pair of large carriers.This book covers all British-built carriers, including those in Commonwealth and foreign service, with the historical context, both operational and technical, explained in detail, as is the connection to larger British national concerns. The book is heavily illustrated with photographs, but also reproduces official plans from the National Maritime Museum, many of which have never previously been published.

The intelligence war between Germany and the Soviet Union, ignited by Operation Barbarossa on 22 June 1941, was fiercely contested over four years. Neither side was prepared for the scale of the conflict, and both quickly developed methods to assess and counter each other’s military intentions.This book explores the intelligence strategies of Stalin’s SMERSH and Hitler’s Abwehr. SMERSH coordinated three independent counter-intelligence agencies within the Red Army, while the Abwehr was Germany’s military-intelligence service. Focusing on key battles like Stalingrad and Kursk, the book examines how both sides competed for intelligence advantage.The Soviets excelled in strategic deception, manipulating German decision-making. Early in the war, they used counterintelligence to deceive the Germans, notably during their surprise counteroffensive at Moscow in December 1941 and their hidden tank formations in 1942. German intelligence chief Gehlen underestimated Soviet deception and overestimated German superiority, which hindered effective analysis.Meanwhile, the Soviets deployed agents behind German lines and employed terror tactics to destroy German operations. The pivotal battle of Stalingrad revealed the Germans'' intelligence failures, and their subsequent losses marked a turning point. By the war''s end, Soviet counterintelligence had become a critical weapon, reshaping the intelligence landscape and significantly impacting the outcome of the war.

A snow-capped hill in modern day Czech Republic, dominated by a small church with black onion dome, stands on a field of battle that cemented Napoleon’s position as Emperor of the French. His throne was secure. His power was limitless. Europe lay at his feet. The Battle of Austerlitz is almost universally regarded as the most impressive of Napoleon''s many victories. The magnitude of the French achievement against a larger Russian and Austrian force was unprecedented, the great victory being met by sheer amazement and delirium in Paris, where, just days earlier, the nation had been teetering on the brink of financial collapse. It was a time when Napoleon''s Grande Armée was at the apogee of its power.Trained on the Channel coast for over two years, the Grande Armée was considered to be the most powerful, and in many respects the most glamourous, fighting force in Europe. Using archive documents from the time, this book sets out to chart the story of the men who made up the army. Incorporating rare eye-witness reports, that have to date never been used in English or French histories, we assess if the army was indeed the best in the world. Men like Grouchy, Oudinot, Ney, D’hautpoul and many other famous names put the army through its paces – it is their judgements that confirm or deny the effectiveness of the army.These men also minutely examined the men’s clothing and equipment. Using these reports we present for the first time the true story of the Grande Armée. This has been possible due to the author’s access to a vast resource, as yet untapped by the vast majority of researchers and historians for understanding Napoleonic era in general. These are the regimental archive boxes preserved in the French Army Archives. From the regimental inspections, as well as the observations of Divisional commanders written at the time, these sources provide, potentially bias free empirical data – it is based on personal assessments thus is not error free – from which we can reconstruct the life story of a regiment, its officers and above all its clothing.More uniquely, the text is supported by an unrivalled collection of full colour illustrations, many of which have never been published before, including images of original items of equipment that are held in both museums and private collections to which the author has been granted special access.In this beautifully illustrated book, Paul Dawson critically re-examines the mythos and presents the judgement call made at the time about the army, that has ever since been overtly romanticised by both lovers and haters of Napoleon.