Pen & Sword Books Ltd strana 33 z 40

It was Pelé who popularised the idea of football as ‘the Beautiful Game’ and so it is. But football also has its uglier side.As far back as the Edwardian era matches were ‘fixed’ to benefit gamblers, or to help clubs desperately in need of points to win promotion or to avoid relegation.There have been matches so brutal that on one occasion it was necessary for the BBC to precede televised highlights with a warning to viewers that what they were about see was ‘appalling, disgusting, disgraceful’.Crowd disorders, inadequate policing, and stadiums left in disrepair have resulted in loss of life and added to the scandals that have scarred ‘the Beautiful Game’ and caused public outrage.From Bolton to Brussels, Manchester to Montevideo, Seoul to Santiago, football has seen many dark chapters, many tragedies and more than a few shady characters, from the goalkeeper who offered not to ‘accidently’ let in goals to the referee who was arrested with 13lbs of heroin hidden in his underpants.Soccer Scandals: When the Beautiful Game Turned Ugly tells of the high-ranking officials who were at the centre of some of the most remarkable widespread corruptions that football has ever seen, of the betting rings involving unscrupulous players and referees, of doping, blackmail and phone taps, of ‘shameful savagery’ on the pitch and riots off it, even of suicide and attempted murder.It is the stuff of pulp fiction rather than of just games and goals and Saturday heroes. It is the ugly side of the game that Pelé found so beautiful.

Ireland is an extraordinarily beautiful island from which millions can claim their direct ancestry. But Ireland is also an island which has experienced some truly extraordinary moments of crisis which will have directly impacted our forebears, helping to shape us into the individuals that we are today. Whenever such crises happened, whether on a national scale or within the home, there was invariably somebody standing close to hand with a quill and parchment to document the misfortunes that befell so many.In this latest book, family historian Chris Paton takes a look at some of the darkest episodes of Irish history over the last four hundred years, as well as the everyday crises that affected everyone throughout their lives. He will discuss the impact of many major events on our ancestors, including colonisation, conquest and rebellion, as well as the various pressures endured from within the family, the church, and the state.Along the way Chris highlights the records that can help us to show the various trials and tribulations faced by our ancestors, which can help to vividly bring our family histories to life, including those available both online and within Ireland''s many local and national archives.

This book is a biography of Edward Law, Lord Ellenborough (1750–1818) and a review of the Georgian ruling class from 1770 to 1820. We visit the established church, the public schools, the inns of court, the only universities in England, the law courts, the Houses of Commons and Lords, and the Royal Family.As a lawyer, a Member of Parliament and Chief Justice of the King''s Bench, Ellenborough played a part in all of the contentious legal and political issues of the late Georgian period, including the impeachment of Warren Hastings, the turbulent 1790s, the reaction against the French Revolution abroad and political radicalism at home. He was a friend to the Prince Regent in his struggle against his wife Caroline and one of the custodians of George III during his illness. Our subject supported the institutions of church and state with a ferocity that surprised even the most fervent proponents of the status quo at the time. He used his court to prosecute atheism, libel, treason and immorality and fight against any change in the political system, no matter how small. He was draconian, cruel and unforgiving, but was also a brilliantly able lawyer and judge who was a stickler for correct procedures and precedents - most of the time anyway. He was deeply unpopular with people who did not matter and regarded as reactionary even by people in his own ruling class. Ellenborough lived in an age when the ruling classes neither needed nor wanted to be popular, and he went one step further and was openly contemptuous of the notion.The book also reconstructs his life outside the Law Courts and Parliament - his private character and interests, his father and grandfather and the rapid rise of his family. The life of his wife, Anne Towry, gives a great insight into the life of women at the top of Georgian Society. Ellenborough is an outstanding and interesting figure who deserves a modern biography.

For over 70 years, from 1643 to 1715, Louis XIV fought a series of increasingly bitter wars with the Dutch, the Spanish, the British and the Austrians. During his long reign France was the foremost power in Europe and the king used his military and economic strength to expand French territory to the north into the Low Countries, to the Rhine, and south to the Pyrenees. To enable this expansion, and defend it against the powerful armies that combined to oppose him, he depended on a select group of exceptional commanders – remarkable men close to the throne, who held the prestigious title of Marshal of France. These are the distinguished soldiers James Falkner focuses on in this perceptive and original study, and their colourful careers and long-reaching campaigns give us a fascinating insight into the European warfare of the period and into their relationship with their master, the Sun King. Among them are Turenne, the pre-eminent commander of the early years of Louis’s reign; Luxembourg who never lost a battle; elegant Villeroi who confronted the Duke of Marlborough at the Battle of Ramillies; Boufflers, famous for his defence of Lille; Villars who remarkably outwitted and defeated Prince Eugene; Tallard, who endured catastrophe and capture at the Battle of Blenheim; Berwick, James II’s illegitimate son, the English Marshal; and brawling Vendôme who, though defeated at Oudenarde, later triumphed against the British and Austrians in Spain.Their skill as commanders and their qualities of leadership during a turbulent era in European history are a primary focus of James Falkner’s absorbing book, but he also looks at them as remarkable and varied individuals who expressed the military spirit of their age.

When you think of a shipwreck, what image springs to mind? A tall sailing ship on the rocks, or perhaps the sinking Titanic surrounded by lifeboats? Historian Richard M. Jones has put together 50 stories of lost ships throughout history that are among the most important, infamous and in some cases tragic ships in the whole of history.When did two liners collide and lead to one of the greatest rescues in histor? ow did a Scotsman become an American hero against his own countr? hich warship sank with gold bullion on board during the Second World Wa? his book tells the story of these fascinating cases plus many more, explores the largest shipwrecks, the treasure wrecks and the ones that are talked about still as the most famous. Starting at the tiny island of Alderney in 1592, we take a journey through history, through the First and Second World Wars, into the age of the passenger ferry and finally to the modern day migrant issues in the Mediterranean Sea.Never before have these fifty wrecks come together in a book that really brings home to the reader just how many lost vessels there are, how deadly many can be and what this teaches us today about our own history.

In 1942, following a decisive British victory at the Second Battle of El Alamein, the sands of fortune were shifting against German forces in the Sahara. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel’s inexorable advance toward Cairo was thwarted. Church bells pealed in embattled England for the first time since the start of World War II as Winston Churchill hailed the “end of the beginning.” But the elusive Desert Fox was a master of mobility. Even as the sun set on his desert glory, he was far from finished.British Gen. Bernard Montgomery, victor of El Alamein, was at then the highest point of his career. He had overcome many adversities to meet his moment of military destiny, galvanized a flagging army and smashed the proud German troops with a blow he would be proud of for the rest of his life. But Monty found his own fortunes changing as he pursued the Desert Fox. Hamstrung by a distended supply line, Monty was now vulnerable to attack by the vengeful Rommel. The British troops, flush with victory, grew fearful as they approached an eerie dune wasteland in Libya known as El Agheila. One setback would be enough to cast their laurels into the dust and shatter their faith in their rising commander.Both generals faced each other with uncertainty as another fight loomed on the horizon. One false move could have far-reaching political consequences. The outcome of the battle would answer a critical question: who would hold the gateway to Egyp? his compelling book tells the story of Monty and Rommel battling in North Africa as never before, describing them as two very different commanders and shedding light on the dissimilar characteristics that made them formidable fighters. It argues that Monty was more aggressive than many historians give him credit for and that Rommel had more of a conscience than is often attributed to him, examining the origins of his disloyalty to Hitler. This riveting read draws attention to a little-known battle with great implications on the course of World War II history, also describing the powerful external forces of politics, media coverage and the desert itself that swirled around two famous generals forced to duel on uneven footing.

"...we were bad-ass motherfuckers in the baddest place in the universe. I understood how inane that macho-thinking was but as I soared high above the jungle with the cool air in my face I was as caught up in it as the rest of them.” One of the most dangerous occupations during the Vietnam War was walking point, a role Ed Mann took on and specialized in. He served a tour of duty in Vietnam as an infantry soldier in the famed 1st Air Cavalry Division from June of 1969 to June of 1970.  Mann was wounded several times, receiving several decorations including the Silver Star, while experiencing the extreme hardships of the war with his fellow soldiers. He would continue to walk point for his entire tour, becoming more like the jungle as the days turned into weeks and months. Mann acknowledges the conflicting emotions he felt during his time in Vietnam - "I was repulsed by the senselessness and savagery of the war and I was saddened by the price it exacted but I was seduced by it too; proud to be performing an important role in a deadly fight for survival and lured by the adrenaline rushes."An intensely immersive, gritty, and tension-filled account of his experience that will transport you to the war in the jungle in a way that sets it apart from other Vietnam memoirs.

Of the thousands of commanders who served in historys armies, why is it that only a few are remembered as great leaders of men in battle? What combination of personal and circumstantial influences conspire to produce great commanders? What makes a great leader great? Richard A Gabriel analyses the biographies of ten great generals who lived between 1481 BC and AD 632 in an attempt to identify the characteristics of intellect, psychology, personality, and experience that allowed them to tread the path to greatness. Professor Richard Gabriel has selected the ten whom he believes to be the greatest of them all. Those included, and more so those omitted, will surprise many readers. Conspicuous by their absence, for example, are Alexander the Great and Attila the Hun. Richard Gabriel, himself a retired soldier and professor at the Canadian Defence College, uses his selected exemplars to distil the timeless essence of military leadership.

This book complements the author’s previous book on the Chester and Holyhead Railway and completes the story of railways associated with the London and North Western Railway in north Wales. It does so by breaking down developments to three districts working from east to west across the region. The book examines the background to the construction of the branch lines in the context of relevant wider railway developments. It provides an account of the operation of each of the lines with reference to significant incidents on the railway and the relationship of the branch to the communities it served.The dominance of railways peaked around 1914 so the book analyses the process of decline from that status. That decline was relatively rapid and featured several rounds of closures of stations and branches, culminating in the notorious Beeching cuts of the 1960s that eventually left north Wales with fewer than fifty miles of branch railways – under 20% of the original total.The book has maps and tables that provide an overview of the detail contained in the text and the 150 photographs. The book concludes with an overview of the railway system in north Wales. It reflects on how reductions might have been made without depriving so much of the region of a presence on the network, and how the railway policies adopted by private companies and the later nationalized industry paid too little attention to the relationship between the region and its trains.

The meteoric rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party cowed the masses into a sense of false utopia. During Hitler’s 1932 election campaign over half those who voted for Hitler were women. Germany’s women had witnessed the anarchy of the post-First World War years, and the chaos brought about by the rival political gangs brawling on their streets. When Hitler came to power there was at last a ray of hope that this man of the people would restore not only political stability to Germany but prosperity to its people.As reforms were set in place, Hitler encouraged women to step aside from their jobs and allow men to take their place. As the guardian of the home, the women of Hitler’s Germany were pinned as the very foundation for a future thousand-year Reich. Not every female in Nazi Germany readily embraced the principle of living in a society where two distinct worlds existed, however with the outbreak of the Second World War, Germany’s women would soon find themselves on the frontline.Ultimately Hitler’s housewives experienced mixed fortunes throughout the years of the Second World War. Those whose loved ones went off to war never to return; those who lost children not only to the influences of the Hitler Youth but the Allied bombing; those who sought comfort in the arms of other young men and those who would serve above and beyond of exemplary on the German home front. Their stories form intimate and intricately woven tales of life, love, joy, fear and death. Hitler’s Housewives: German Women on the Home Front is not only an essential document towards better understanding one of the twentieth century’s greatest tragedies where the women became an inextricable link, but also the role played by Germany’s women on the home front which ultimately became blurred within the horrors of total war.This is their story, in their own words, told for the first time.

With the ending of the Second World War, Lief Bangsboll, after distinguished service with the O.S.S. behind enemy lines in Denmark, prepared himself for a life of peace and hopefully love with the young Canadian girl he had met while training at Camp X during the war. But the United States War Department and the Office of Strategic Services had other plans for the young soldier/agent.In September 1945, Lieutenant Bangsboll was secretly sent into Soviet-occupied Germany to assess and report upon Russian military activities in and around Berlin. In December 1945, a deadly incident occurred in which a KGB agent was killed, and Leif and his O.S.S. team were forced to escape back into the American sector of Germany.With his O.S.S. identity compromised and himself now target of the KGB, Lieutenant Bangsboll was re-assigned to the regular U.S. Army and became a member of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. With the outbreak of the Korean War, Leif was part of the first airborne operation in which he and the 187th Airborne Regiment Combat Team parachuted into North Korea as part of the U.S./United Nations force confronting the North Korean invasion.During his year of combat in Korea, Captain Bangsboll, the platoon leader for the Headquarters Intelligence & Reconnaissance platoon, worked under Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Bank, also a former OSS agent. During that assignment Leif led numerous special operations missions behind enemy lines, including a mission to recover a large cache of American gold bullion which had been left behind when the U.S. 8th Army was overrun during a North Korean offensive. He also led a secret parachute mission to rescue American /United Nations’ prisoners of war held in North Korea and a daring assault on a North Korean base which earned him the Silver Star for ‘extraordinary courage in combat’.Captain Bangsboll played a crucial role in the develop of the United States’ first Special Forces unit and was appointed as one of the initial Company Commander of a Green Beret/Special Forces unit. Then, as the Army Liaison Officer to the 302nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing in Sembach, West Germany, he flew as an observer, reporting on Soviet troop movements over Warsaw Pact held territory and instructed American pilots the skills of escape and evasion. As a Company Commander with the 10th Special Forces Group in Ulm, West Germany, he stood his ground, facing Soviet and East German combat troops poised to invade Western Europe during the tense days during the U2 spy plane incident and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

For General George S. Patton, “Leadership is the thing that wins battles. I have it—but I’ll be damned if I can define it. Probably it consists in knowing what you want to do and then doing it and getting mad if anyone steps in the way. Self-confidence and leadership are twin brothers.”Indeed, Patton excelled at virtually every dimension of leadership, most vitally as a war commander. His record as a general is clear. The larger, more armored, and better supplied his armies, and the freer he was to decide what to do with them, the more rapid and further they advanced to inflict more defeats on the enemy. In that no other American army commander matched him during World War II. That ranks Patton among the Valhalla of America’s greatest generals, with him most resembling Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and Nathan Bedford Forrest as a fast-moving, hard-hitting commander who repeatedly outflanked and devastated enemy forces.Patton led from the front and tried to inspire his troops by being a model officer who exemplified bravery, problem-solving, tactical brilliance, and decisiveness. He was in near constant motion from his headquarters to rear echelon and front line troops, everywhere exhorting them to greater efforts and overcoming challenges, at times enduring shell fire, strafing, mines, snipers, and other dangers. His greatest attribute was his drive to be the best at whatever he chose or was ordered to do. He recognized that developing a successful military career depended not just on will and chance but on incessant training and study. Yet he believed that instincts were just as vital as skills in being a successful leader: “I have a sixth sense in war and…can put myself in the enemies head and I am also willing to take chances.”Patton harbored plenty of flaws. He was a narcissist who constantly strove to be center-stage and outshine his rivals. He contrived an idealized version of himself as the epitome of the brilliant general and fearless soldier, immaculately dressed, and spent his life playing that role. He was a braggart who regaled listeners with at times exaggerated tales of his past deeds and those yet to come. His boasting did have one positive element. He sought to surpass his past glories with greater future victories.Patton seesawed between elation and despair, rage and compassion. He could chew out a subordinate for some mistake in the morning and comfort him for a similar mistake in the afternoon. His quick-temper and provocative views often overpowered his self-control. Twice that cost him an army command. During Germany’s occupation in August 1945, he casually quipped to several reporters that being a Nazi in Germany was no different from being a Republican or Democrat in the United States. For that Eisenhower relieved him from Third Army’s command. Most notoriously, during the Sicily campaign he slapped two soldiers suffering combat fatigue that he accused of malingering.General George S. Patton and the Art of Leadership is his most psychologically penetrating biography that captures the paradoxical character behind his brilliant military feats and often dismaying failures. Throughout Patton explains his values and deeds through hundreds of quotes along with scores of insights from those who knew him—comrades and critics alike.

Formed in July 1940 for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering behind enemy lines, the Long Range Desert Group was the first British special force unit. In no time the LRDG earned itself an enviable reputation for deep penetration patrols into German and Italian held territory. Its successes on prolonged missions into harsh terrain and under extreme climatic conditions were out of all proportion to its size. Wide-ranging military skills, including exceptional navigation techniques, and the highest standards of discipline and leadership were required from all ranks.Many of the previously unpublished and well captioned images in this comprehensive and well researched book come from the collections of LRDG veterans. They show the weapons, equipment, uniforms and insignia used and, together with personal accounts and operational reports, bring to life the extraordinary achievements of this legendary unit.The result is a fascinating record of the LRDG’s contribution to the Allied victory in North Africa.

The Doctor wouldn’t be half the Time Lord they are, without some assistance. But how much do you know about the people who played the companion? his book is the first of its kind. It’s your comprehensive guide to the actors who have played Doctor Who companions over the years.Inside, you will find biographies of every companion actor who has been in Doctor Who. There are complete chronologies of companion arrivals and departures through the show’s history, enriched with original interviews with some of the cast.As an encyclopaedia, it is packed with dates, details and knowledge, a valuable reference source for any Doctor Who fan.As a guide, this book also offers a personal perspective on the show and explores what these talented, hard-working professionals brought to the show. The author traces its origins in 1963, through the ensuing decades, and takes you right up to the most recent serials. Doctor Who: An Encyclopaedia of Companion Actors is a testament to the actors and a meticulously-crafted love-letter to the show.

The ''ShipCraft'' series provides in-depth information about building and modifying model kits of famous warship types. Lavishly illustrated, each book takes the modeller through a brief history of the subject class, highlighting differences between sisterships and changes in their appearance over their careers. This includes paint schemes and camouflage, featuring colour profiles and highly-detailed line drawings and scale plans. The modelling section reviews the strengths and weaknesses of available kits, lists commercial accessory sets for super-detailing of the ships, and provides hints on modifying and improving the basic kit. This is followed by an extensive photographic survey of selected high-quality models in a variety of scales, and the book concludes with a section on research references - books, monographs, large-scale plans and relevant websites.The two ships covered in this volume were the only capital ships designed and built between the wars - a special concession of the Washington Treatys ban on new battleships - and they were unlike anything before them, with the superstructure three-quarters aft and all main armament turrets forward of the bridge. During the war Nelson survived mine and torpedo damage, while Rodney played a major part in the destruction of the Bismarck, both surviving to be broken up post-war.LES BROWN is a leading light in the Small Warships Group of the IPMS and the editor of their newsletter. He is the author of a number of titles in the ShipCraft series, including two on British destroyers, and, with John Lambert, he produced two larger works, one on ‘Flower’ class corvettes and another on Allied torpedo boats. He also wrote the volume on Black Swan Class Sloops in Seaforth’s ‘Original Builders’ Plans’ series. ROBERT BROWN is a Canadian ship modeller, who has contributed a number of volumes in the ShipCraft series, the most recent being British Aircraft Carriers published in 2024. He is also the author of Battleship Warspite, the first in a new series based on original builder’s plans.

In 1905 Japan and Russia were at war. With the Russian Far East Fleet destroyed, the Czar decided to send his Baltic Fleet half way around the world to exact revenge. This mammoth journey took many months and was, in itself, an amazing feat of seamanship. But, at the end of this epic adventure, the Russians were totally overwhelmed and the vast majority of the fleet went to the bottom. There was no alternative for the Czar but to sue for an ignominious peace.The story of the journey and the final battle remain fascinating, the people involved acting and deporting themselves like characters from a novel. Russian Admiral Rozhestvensky was a gunnery expert but someone who had never held active command in a major sea battle. Japanese Admiral Togo had trained in Britain, enlisting as a cadet on the Training Ship Worcester, even though he was far too old and was forced to lie about his age. Inept generalship on the part of the Russians, combined with brilliant seamanship from the Japanese Admiral Togo, saw the complete destruction of the Russian fleet.The naval battle of Tsushima is one of the forgotten actions of the twentieth century, but it has a significance that is immense in world history.