Pen & Sword Books Ltd strana 37 z 40

When the Carry On Stopped looks at how the Carry On film series made its painful transition from one film company, Anglo-Amalgamated, to another, the Rank Organisation. In examining this little-known but fascinating story, the growth of Anglo-Amalgamated is highlighted through the success of its owners, partners Stuart Levy and Nat Cohen. Levy’s sudden death in 1966 encouraged Cohen to ditch the Carry Ons in favour of more prestigious feature films.Without a film distributor, the series’ producer Peter Rogers, was forced to search for another, eventually finding the series a new home at Rank. However, Rank was unwilling to endorse the work of a rival and so dropped the ‘Carry On’ title. The Carry On series looked doomed.When the Carry On Stopped also sheds new light on the careers of the Carry On stars at this critical time. We learn of Barbara Windsor’s involvement in the stage disaster Twang!!, of Jim Dale’s stage success, Sid James’ first heart attack and Charles Hawtrey losing his mother. The book calls out the fat shaming of Joan Sims as one of the many injustices shown to her by the producer.This is essential reading for Carry On fans and those interested in the machinations of the British entertainment industry in the 1960’s.

The Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket embodies a number of revolutionary milestones for Britain; it, and the carbines and short rifles derived from it, were the first rifled firearms to be issued universally to all troops; its design owed more to the French 1777 musket than to its English forbears; it was the first firearm to be produced en masse extensively by machinery; in 1857 it became the first firearm in Britain to be made fully interchangeable.The nature of this new rifle presented a number of challenges for the private contractors who traditionally had supplied military firearms and some unique contract documents specifying standards are shown. Their failure to meet contractual obligations led to the formation of the Select Committee on Small Arms in 1854 to examine its manufacture and procurement. However, its outcome was pre-empted - in that same year the Committee on the Machinery of the United States, was sent to America to examine the machinery used in gun manufacture and given authority to purchase appropriate machines for use at Enfield.Aspects of its manufacture at Enfield are covered in a small number of contemporary accounts. These vary in the detail provided and contain errors which have been noted and corrected.Access to a wealth of specimens, drawings and documents not previously studied or published, has allowed the manufacture of this iconic rifle using these new technologies to be presented in unprecedented detail.

The action-packed flying career of aeronaut Charles Green (1785-1870), a working-class Londoner in the infancy of aviation, who defied death in a career of 35 years and over 500 balloon flights to make a unique contribution to world aeronautical history. His decision, in 1821, to use domestic coal-gas to inflate balloons ran completely contrary to perceived wisdom, but his success in doing so revolutionised flying for the remainder of the Georgian and Victorian eras. His innovation set the direction of aeronautics for the next 80 years - until the Wright brothers changed its course again. Inventor, innovative balloon constructor, shrewd businessman, flamboyant showman and a skilled and courageous pilot, he was the first to put into practice the concept of public air travel. Charles liked a ‘tipple’ in the air - but never compromised safety - and made sure his passengers enjoyed his in-flight champagne hospitality. This earned him not only the status of a national treasure – whose very name was a by-word for all things aeronautic - but also ensured he became an international legend in his own lifetime.

In a breathtaking moment lasting less than ten seconds, skimming the rooftops of Brussels, Jean de Selys Longchamps would etch his name into the annals of history. On 20 January 1943, piloting his Hawker Typhoon, he daringly strafed the Gestapo''s headquarters in Brussels, sparking an unprecedented wave of enthusiasm among the occupied Belgian populace. In that instant, a legend was forged.While the story of this audacious raid has captivated audiences worldwide, it has also been mired in a myriad of exaggerated tales and obscured by myths. This biography aims to clear the mist, leveraging an array of sources from the de Selys Longchamps family''s private archives, including the pilot''s flying logbook, personal journals, correspondence, and photo albums. Augmented by previously unreleased archives, testimonials from fellow pilots and family members, and an exhaustive bibliography, this work meticulously illuminates one of the Second World War''s most remarkable narratives.With a keen eye for detail and an unwavering commitment to accuracy, the book delves deep into the life of a man who transcended the turmoil of his times. From his early days to the pivotal raid and beyond, it paints a vivid picture of a figure who, in the face of overwhelming adversity, showcased the indomitable spirit of resistance. Richly illustrated and thoroughly researched, this biography not only honours the memory of Jean de Selys Longchamps but also provides an invaluable insight into the era that shaped his character.More than a historical account, this biography is a tribute to the endurance of the human spirit and to the bravery that compels individuals to resist oppression, offering unparalleled insights into the intricacies of wartime aviation.

The reasons behind the USA''s involvement in Vietnam remain a subject of extensive debate. Initially, America supported the French until their defeat at Dien Bien Phu, which then shifted to backing the South Vietnamese government due to fears of communism spreading throughout Southeast Asia.Why Vietnam delves into the myriad reasons for US involvement, examining theories that date back to 1918 when Woodrow Wilson ignored Ho Chi Minh''s plea for independence at the Treaty of Versailles, through to Johnson''s full commitment to the undeclared war, which restrained the military to a defensive role in protecting South Vietnam instead of an offensive one that would send troops across the DMZ into Laos and Cambodia.The questions of why the USA became involved, whether their involvement was justified, and if the war was ever winnable have been fiercely debated for over 50 years. This book seeks to address these ''whys'' by providing a thorough examination of all contributing factors, from presidential actions to foreign policy, and the social and political climates of the war era.

The men and women who found themselves responsible for Tudor princes and princesses were chosen for a variety of reasons and came from different backgrounds. The outcome of their labour was almost as varied. These are the stories of the men and women who moulded the Tudors and what happened to them in the throne''s shadow. Amongst their number were gentlewomen, veterans of the Wars of the Roses, a Plantagenet princess, Welsh speakers, royal uncles and the children of convicted traitors. For some, there were rewards, pensions and preferment. For others, there was only disaster. For those who sought power themselves, including Edward VI’s guardians Edward Seymour and John Dudley, the executioner''s axe awaited.Jasper Tudor protected his nephew Henry Tudor during thirteen difficult years in exile, fulfilling the role of bodyguard, secret agent and adviser. Lady Margaret Beaufort advised on the birth, education and marriages of her grandchildren. Princes and princesses were reared from infancy by women whom the ruling monarch could trust. Mother Jak and Sybil Penn became surrogate mothers. Governesses, including Margaret Countess of Salisbury and Lady Margaret Bryan, were loyal, kind and protective. Others, like Anne Shelton, were appointed to make the lives of their royal charge a misery. It was left to Katherine Parr, a strongminded intelligent woman, to exercise her right as Henry VIII’s queen to take a close personal interest in the education of her step-children.Faced with dysfunctional families and turbulent times, governors and governesses faced imprisonment, execution or ruin on behalf of their royal charges. But the rewards were worth the risk.

Harold Godwinson occupied his place in the chronicles for more than twenty years after bursting onto the political sphere when he was barely out of his teens. His role in English history has always been overshadowed by his failure to defend his crown and country against the might of William the Conqueror and his invaders. His demise at the hands of a Franco-Norman hit squad wrought the death knell of Anglo-Saxon rule. Reigning for just ten months, Harold''s accomplishments as dux Anglorum, and later king of England, were undermined by the Norman propaganda that was waged against his memory, long after his grisly end in 1066.But just who was this man, who some historians recall as one of England''s greatest rulers? What were his origins? Is there any truth that he could trace his ancestry to the House of Wessex, and did he really usurp the throne from Duke William, the Bastard of Normandy? In this re-examining of this great historical figure of the eleventh century, we glean new theories and ideas not only about Harold''s life, but also questions historians have pondered upon for years. Did Edward really offer the throne to William? And how much of William''s claim was truth or fictio? aula Lofting presents a thoughtful and careful critique of the previous research. Examining his life through a telescopic view of the primary sources, she offers the reader a more accurate evaluation of who he was, how he died, and what happened to his remains after his death on a field near Hastings on October 1066.

Our earliest written sources for Greek mythology, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, feature women prominently as drivers of the narratives. Though they occupy a variety of roles and speak eloquently for themselves in every role, these women have been obscured by the assumption that each epic’s central hero, Achilles and Odysseus, respectively, is also its singular hero. And yet, the story of the Iliad is not the story of Achilles, just as the story of the Odyssey is not the story of Odysseus alone. Contrary to centuries of reception, the epics are not only about fearless yet flawed men but rather explore and develop the contours of belonging and community in times of war and peace.The Epic Women of Homer untangles the women of the Iliad and the Odyssey from centuries of narrative constraints to recover their essential meaning and importance. In the process, The Epic Women of Homer challenges the commonplace assumption that the Homeric hero is ‘an individual’ who fights for ‘personal glory’, a misconception further fuelled by a lack of understanding of the oral tradition out of which Homer’s epics emerged in which linguistic and thematic patterning exists at every level. Analysing Homer’s goddesses and heroes through the lens of these patterns, their recurrence and variation reveal them to be preeminent in a wide range of skills, all of which are necessary, and yet the essence of each is in their relationships with others.The Epic Women of Homer re-establishes these goddesses and heroines to their esteemed positions in ancient Greece and reintroduces them to the modern world.

When 20-year old RAF recruit Neville Cox, or ‘Cocky’, joins up in 1946, he is dismayed that the end of the war means he will never get to fly. Instead, he will be doing more of the technical drawing he is trained for. On a mission to a former Nazi-supported laboratory in Austria, he meets pilot and scientific intelligence expert Eric Ackermann, forming a friendship that lasts for years.They encounter Russians who are, like them, combing out ‘scientific institutes’ in a search for remnants and instruments connected with the V2; the ‘wonder weapon’ that devastated London in the Blitz.Shockingly, Cocky is abducted from an airfield on his return from a trip to the UK and taken to Gorodomlya Island, where German rocket scientists have been supporting Soviet efforts to recreate and develop the V2 rocket. Utilising the expertise of their captives on the island and in several other ‘design bureaus’ around Moscow, the Soviets aim is a powerful rocket with a nuclear warhead, four times more deadly than the atomic bomb the Americans dropped on Hiroshima.When a colleague is ‘disappeared’ to a remote closed city for using a self-made radio to pass on technical secrets, Cocky is convinced he will be next. An opportunity to escape arises through a visiting string quartet, but his eventual escape is not the planned diplomatic intervention, but a risky and hair-raising effort to outwit the KGB.Following a career in signals intelligence, Cocky struggles to adjust to civilian life, and to having a civilian wife. Three children and ten years later, he escapes again with a new partner, this time to Nova Scotia in Canada, where he still lives to this day.

From the start of the war on the Eastern Front, Hitler’s Ostheer, his Eastern Army, would wage a vernichtungskrieg, or war of annihilation, in the East. Never before had such a wide-reaching campaign been fought.Preparations for Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union had included the drawing up of plans and allocation of resources to secure the newly conquered territories. These plans included the premeditated murder of many innocent civilians. Adolf Hitler said as much when in July 1941, shortly after Stalin ordered the formation of partisans, he told his Army High Command: ‘This partisan war has some advantage for us; it enables us to eradicate everyone who opposes us.’Anticipating resistance to Nazi occupation and rule, Hitler instructed the Ostheer to act ruthlessly, not only on the front lines but in the rear areas as well. When, in July 1941, Stalin ordered partisan forces to be created, the stage was therefore set for the largest and most savage conflict ever waged between a modern military force and a guerrilla army. The scale of the partisan and anti-partisan war on the Eastern Front was as costly and bitterly fought as the struggle on the front lines themselves. Employing thousands of primary source documents and scouring eight separate state archives in six countries over a twenty-two-year period, Antonio J. Munoz has produced what can be described as a definitive account of this part of the war behind the front lines in the East during the invasion of the Soviet Union.From the very beginning, the Nazis fought this war ruthlessly, by eliminating not only actual guerrillas, but a good portion of the civilian population. Employing dozens of wartime anti-partisan operational instructions, plus newly-created detailed battle maps and full orders of battle, Dr. Munoz brings this little-known conflict behind the lines into focus for the very first time.The war behind the lines is detailed by district. This includes the Reichskommissariat Ostland region, which comprised the Generalbezirk Estland (Estonia), Generalbezirk Lettland (Latvia), Generalbezirk Litauen (Lithuania), Generalbezirk Bialystok (Northeastern Poland), and Generalbezirk Weißruthenien (Belarus). The book also covers the guerrilla and anti-partisan war in the Reichskommissariat Ukraine (Ukraine region) as well as in north, central and southern Russia. For Russia proper, anti-partisan operations against the guerrillas are broken down by army group area.Not only are the operations described, but the reader will also learn about guerrilla attacks and how the entire partisan movement grew from year to year, and region to region. Hitler’s War Against the Partisans During Operation Barbarossa documents the whole of the beginning of the savage partisan war between June 1941 and the spring of 1942. Never before has every major, and some minor, anti-guerrilla operation been described in such detail.

Over thirty years ago Nick Pallant told the story of the struggle to save one of Britain''s best loved heritage railways in Holding the Line – Preserving the Kent & East Sussex Railway (Alan Sutton Publishing). That book concluded its detailed coverage with the partial reopening of the K&ESR in 1974. This new account continues the story over the thirty years which followed.The first 12 chapters mainly rely on secondary sources, particularly the K&ESR''s house journal, the Tenterden Terrier. Later chapters describe the years after he returned as a volunteer following over two decades as an ''armchair'' member and includes his subsequent experiences as a K&ESR employee and Company Secretary.The key points in the story are the extensions to the line which followed the reopening of a short section in 1974. There is also coverage of the scheme to rebuild the ''lost'' section between Bodiam and the national network at Robertsbridge. The growth of passenger traffic is detailed along with all the problems and achievements encountered along the way. The narrative is intertwined with anecdotes of heritage railway life in all its hopes, frustrations, humour and comradeship.Having begun by briefly recalling the K&ESR''s history prior to 1974, the book puts matters into further perspective by concluding with a summary of the major events from 2004 to the third decade of the 21st century.

The British Railways ‘Pilot Scheme’ orders of 1955 included ten English Electric Type 2 diesel-electric locomotives deploying Napier ‘Deltic’ engines. These locomotives, more colloquially known as the ‘Baby Deltics’, were introduced into traffic during 1959 for use on the Eastern Region of British Railways. This book looks at the history of the Class 23s, making extensive use of available but previously unpublished archive material, covering their introduction, technical idiosyncrasies, appearance design and performance. Issues with the original ‘Deltic’ engines were ultimately dealt with via a major rehabilitation exercise during the 1963-65 period; whilst various re-engining options were considered , including a new ‘U’ series English Electric high-speed engine design, the original Napier engines were ultimately retained. The work involved in the whole rehabilitation process is discussed in detail using internal English Electric archive material and forms a central focus of research. The fleet survived intact until 1968, when withdrawal commenced as a direct result of declining traffic levels across the UK, with successive National Traction Plans progressively selecting the less successful, non-standard and ‘numerically-challenged’ classes for removal from traffic. All ten locomotives were withdrawn by March 1971. Individual locomotive histories, allocations, fire and accident incidents, liveries and detail differences, storage and disposals are provided for each locomotive.

In his short life, Liverpool-born Alexander Foote went from being a volunteer in the International Brigade in Spain to becoming an agent of Soviet military intelligence in Switzerland. Pretending to his friends that he was a dim-witted Englishman with private means, Foote became the key telegraphist of the so-called ‘Red Three’ network of radio stations, communicating top secret German intelligence to the USSR from under the noses of the Swiss authorities. The information from Foote’s Morse key originated from sources in Germany and came to Foote via the enigmatic figure of Rudolph Rossler, known as Agent Lucy. Where he obtained the information from is a mystery that has never been solved. During the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, Soviet generals came to depend on the information from Foote’s transmitter and those of his comrades.On his release from a ten-month remand in a Swiss gaol on an espionage charge, Foote absconded to Paris in 1944 before being invited for debriefing in Moscow. When he arrived, he became aware that he was under suspicion of being a British spy and it took all his wit to talk his comrades in Soviet intelligence out of sending him to the gulag: a fate that waited for many of the others in his Swiss network.Disillusioned with life in the USSR, Foote approached British intelligence while he was on a Soviet mission in Berlin. He made them an offer: if they got him back to Britain he would tell them all he knew about Soviet intelligence, from the inside.This is his story.

For six seasons, royal watchers across the globe have been hooked on Netflix’s smash-hit factual drama, The Crown. Over sixty episodes, multiple casts and headline-grabbing storylines, The Crown has promised to throw open the closed doors of Britain’s palaces to reveal the deepest secrets of the House of Windsor. From the last days of George VI to the accession of Queen Elizabeth II and into the twenty-first century, it has told the story of the monarchy in an ever-changing and turbulent world.The Royal Family vs ''The Crown'' turns the spotlight on the glittering Netflix series and lays bare what’s fact and what is very definitely fiction. Season by season, episode by episode, The Royal Family vs ''The Crown'' digs deep into history to examine the plots, the trivia and the characters who have stepped out of the throne room and into the living room, telling the real stories behind the drama that has thrilled and scandalised audiences worldwide. From the abdication of a king to Princess Diana''s infamous Panorama interview, the marriage of Charles and Camilla and everything in between, this is your indispensable guide to the true stories behind the streaming phenomenon.

During the 1930s, with the end of steam locomotion being actively considered, many looked to develop engines powered by diesel and electricity. But for the coming of war in 1939, and the acute recession that followed, much more might have been accomplished. Nevertheless, the die had been cast and during the late 1940s and 1950s designers stepped up their efforts to find efficient and effective alternatives to steam. Amongst their number was John Hughes who, whilst working for English Electric designing turbine engines, saw how this power source might be used to drive locomotives. In part he was encouraged in these endeavours by William Stanier’s 1935 introduced Pacific ‘Turbomotive’ and wished to continue this experiment and exploit its potential more fully.For some the development of diesel and electric engines was the only logical course to take, but not Hughes who doggedly pursued his dream of seeing gas turbine engines dominating Britain’s railway network. Despite many setbacks, and lack of funds, he refused to give up and eventually saw his locomotive, GT3, built and then begin a prolonged period of trial running. But having finally achieved this ambition, the powers that be decided that the experiment had gone far enough and would go no further, much to Hughes’ anger and frustration.This is a ‘what might have been story’ which, although ultimately unsuccessful, tells us much about the nature of design engineering and the need for determined, radical thinkers who are prepared to push back scientific boundaries. In this case GT3 came close to being the first of a type of engine that might have changed the direction Britain’s railways took as steam came to an end. As such it is a near miss worthy of remembrance.To aid this work Hughes left a unique archive of documents, drawings and photos, in public and private hands, to help us understand the nature of his work and what drove him on despite the long odds he faced.

Following on from Andrew’s A Visual History of Caravans, this new title takes a look at the motorhome’s heritage, spanning over 100 years. The motorhome is a popular leisure vehicle with an ever-growing demand in the UK as well as abroad. From the early designs often built by one-man bands, this book shows how the motorhome was to evolve in the 1920s but was to be outsold by the popularity of the touring caravan. Images from all decades are mainly from the author’s own vast archives, while some have been loaned and supplied from motorhome industry personnel. These pictures demonstrate how the motorhome developed with the advent of smaller chassis cabs from the 1950s major manufacturers such as Bedford, Austin, Morris and Ford.Covering UK-brand motorhomes as well imported models, the book shows how different UK tastes were to the imported makes. Although not an A-Z of motorhomes book, the author has chosen images that represent as many manufacturers as possible. Andrew includes some rare images of coachbuilt motorhomes and shows how the motorhome boom began in the mid-1960s. With the further development of chassis cab designs in the 70s with brands such as Commer, Toyota and Leyland more manufacturers of motorhomes would emerge as the boom carried on.Caravan’s International motorised division was re-named Autohomes, and became the biggest UK manufacturer of coachbuilt motorhomes, going on to also be built in Germany. Well-known maker Dormobile concentrated on campervans, though several coachbuilt motorhomes such as the classic-looking Debonair were produced. From those early days, A Visual History of Motorhomes will make interesting reading to motorhome users, showing how the leisure vehicle took shape.