Pen & Sword Books Ltd strana 39 z 40

Flying at 70,000 feet, carrying nuclear weapons at Mach 3+ for thousands of miles, the North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie was not merely going to redefine military aviation, but the very nature of warfare itself. The XB-70 flew so fast and so high it would only appear on radar screens for a fleeting moment, making it impossible for enemy controllers to direct their interceptors to the target before it flew out of range. When it was first designed in the 1950s, the enemy, meaning at the time the Soviet Union, had no aircraft that could match the XB-70’s capabilities, rendering it almost invulnerable. But, just as the US was developing its technologies, so too were the Soviets. The introduction of their first surface-to-air missiles led to the US adopting low-level missions to sneak under radar. This effectively neutralised the XB-70’s main characteristics and, ultimately, the programme, which had cost the United States a staggering $800 million, the equivalent to $8.4 billion in modern terms, was cancelled. In this book, the renowned aviation historian and author Graham M. Simons explores the full story of the development of this remarkable supersonic bomber through a unique collection of images. He reveals the many challenges that the North American engineers faced, particularly with regards to engines and fuel, all of which are fully explained. As well as the technical and operational characteristics of the XB-70, Mr Simons includes first-hand testimony and analyses the accidents and incidents the aircraft were involved in. A detailed timetable allows the reader to comprehend the XB-70’s protracted history. A beautifully elegant machine, just two of the ground-breaking XB-70s were produced, the first flight taking place on 21 September 1964. In this magnificent, full colour book this unique supersonic aircraft can be seen in all its glory.

In the early hours of 7 August 1985, 24-year-old Jeremy Bamber claims to have received a chilling phone call from his father. ‘Your sister’s gone berserk, and she’s got a gun’When the line went dead, Jeremy called the police. What was eventually discovered inside White House Farm shocked the nation; Nevill and June Bamber, their daughter Sheila, and her twin six-year-old sons, Daniel and Nicholas had all been shot dead with a rifle, and at first sight everything pointed towards Sheila having been the perpetrator of a murder-suicide. Within weeks though, the case took a dramatic turn and in 1986 Jeremy Bamber was convicted of murdering his family and sentenced to life in prison without any chance of release. Despite several failed attempts at appeal, decades on his dedicated team of campaigners continues to work tirelessly to clear his name. But is the evidence they claim to have uncovered cast-iron proof of his innocence, or merely a misinterpretation of the evidence proving his guil? his compelling book revisits the original investigation, trial, and the sometimes outlandish theories that have kept the case in the public eye since 1985. Jeremy Bamber - Murder and Turmoil at White House Farm examines not just the crime but the complex and ongoing fight surrounding it.

The debt of Ancient Greece to our own society has long been recognised. However, there is another side to the culture that bequeathed us such gifts as democracy, medicine, art and sports, one that does not glitter so much. Sex and Sexuality in Ancient Greece plunges headfirst into a society that holds very different values to our own, an alien world whose top God committed adultery whilst in the guise of a swan, where Spartan brides were dressed up as boys to consummate their marriage, doctors believed women were inside out men with wandering wombs that attacked their internal organs and Olympic athletes fought literally to the death for the chance to win a crown made of leaves. It’s time to ask the hard questions: were women really so devalued that they were locked up in their homes, was every man in ancient Athens homosexual and what’s with all the hardcore pornography on everyday crocker? ex and Sexuality in Ancient Greece seeks to answer these questions and many others, whilst trying not to flinch as it explores a topic that is both provoking and fascinating. You will never look at Ancient Greece in the same way again.

Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of London to witness the royal opening of the London County Council’s first electric trams in 1903. The people loved their trams. But trams had powerful enemies. In the 1920s the tram-haters became increasingly vociferous. Articles and letters in the press condemned trams as old-fashioned and called for them to be scrapped. Over the past seven years, Mick Hamer has scoured the archives to uncover evidence of a campaign that was meant to be forever hidden. The Great Tramways Conspiracy reveals the untold story of a strategy to smear trams as obsolete and drive them off the roads. The campaign employed a propaganda technique now known as astroturfing, which gives the impression of a grassroots movement while promoting vested interests. Commonly found on social media today, a century ago, hired hacks bombarded the letters columns of newspapers to get the message across. Bankrolling this campaign were the oil companies – and lurking even deeper in the shadows were the security services, which used their propaganda expertise to provide the campaign organisers with handy hints. The incessant labelling of trams as obsolete became common currency and the mud stuck. In 1931 the Royal Commission on Transport, which was dominated by tram-hating motorists, called for trams to be scrapped. There was no pushback. The tram industry was riven by internal dissent, and the motor industry assiduously courted the malcontents. In the face of this onslaught the tram industry capitulated and the country’s tramways closed.

The Gloucestershire Regiment is the most decorated in British Army history. During its 300-year history, the regiment bore more battle honours on its Colours than any other. From the deserts of North Africa to the jungles of Burma, this book will give an insight into each individual conflict, the people who fought them and the political context that made them happen. Exclusive access to 15,000 unique archival documents, including personal accounts, secret documents and private diaries gives this work an exclusivity that no other can match, providing readers with a deeper knowledge and understanding of the regiment’s history. Never heard before personal stories of exceptional bravery are uncovered, including Lieutenant Irrwin tearing down a 12ft high brick wall with his bare hands to attack the French at Toulouse, CSM Gallagher becoming a POW in both Nazi Germany and North Korea, and Captain Maunsell leading a team of sharpshooters in the Crimea. The book is written chronologically and is sectioned according to campaigns or relevant historical periods, and is a valuable reference for those wanting to learn about the history of the ‘Glorious Glosters’.

Barry Appleton investigated some of the most notable crimes of the twentieth century, from multi-million pound robberies to cold-blooded killings that shook the world. Walking the beat of the crime-ridden East End under the rule of the Krays, Barry went toe-to-toe with the underworld, earning multiple commendations for his courage. Following a series of high-profile murder cases, he was assigned to the Flying Squad and went undercover to investigate the assassination of Martin Luther King. Life in the ‘Sweeney’ was dangerous and the detective’s dedication to the job saw him injured in the line of duty, pushing him and his family to the limit. After 20 years’ exemplary service with the Met, Barry’s crimefighting adventures continued when he achieved overnight success as the lead scriptwriter of The Bill, adding gritty realism to 50 episodes of the groundbreaking drama. Now Barry has taken on one final case to unravel his own incredible life story. How did a boy from the Welsh valleys end up in a shootout on the streets of London? What made a hard-nosed cop swap his snub-nosed Smith & Wesson for a second-hand typewriter? And who was the angel always by his sid? eaturing dramatic flashback sequences and never-before-told behind-the-scenes stories from Britain’s longest-running police procedural drama, Twentieth Century Cop is an extraordinary true crime memoir that vividly captures life as an old school copper, on the streets and on the screen.

Everyone loves adventure, mystery and the notion of celebrity and this book combines all of these with new unpublished material, supported by high quality previously unpublished images. Aviation history is full of evocative stories about the evolution of aeroplanes; flying and the perils of air travel and there are many ways of looking at these. The theme of this book is to recall some of those perils through the eyes of twenty-three internationally-famous celebrity air travellers between 1919 and 2020. What brings them all together here is that, as well as presenting the personalities, the stories showcase aeroplanes from the golden age of biplanes to helicopters, biz-jets and airliners. They also illustrate the fallibility of people and technology, while giving a flavour of the social progress of air transport over the past 100 years. Sadly, the climax of these particular stories culminates in air crashes that took the lives of the celebrities involved. While the final selection of the stars might be open to debate, the breadth of celebrity representation in these stories is very wide, being drawn from the fields of aeronautics; cinema; exploration; fashion; music; politics and sport. Mysteries and myths have grown up around some of these incidents and while some of these can be debunked, others will pose unanswered questions. All, though, will demonstrate that Fame and Fortune alone are no protection from Fate.

Why did the Soviet Union hide the facts surrounding the death of Adolf Hitler at the end of the Second World War? Australian documentary-producer Cyril Jones provides a fascinating insight into how one woman had the courage to take on the Soviet bureaucracy to get the truth to the West, and how his ground-breaking documentary on the Führer’s death enabled her to do it. Only slowly and reluctantly did the Soviets let the light in on the events which occurred in bunker of the Reich Chancellery in Berlin in 1945; it was Elena Rzhevskaya who prised open the archival vault. Rzhevskaya was a Russian military translator who was the first to speak with those still alive in the bunker within minutes of Soviet soldiers taking control of it. Her first words to them was: ‘Where is Hitler?’ Told that he was dead and his body set alight, she demanded to know where his body was. She then set about unravelling the mystery of the death of the Führer, but as soon as she discovered the whole story Soviet leader Josef Stalin instructed her to ‘keep her mouth shut’. He wanted to keep the secret to himself. Because of that the Western Allies were fed lies, it even being suggested that Hitler might still be alive. It took another twenty years of digging for the truth to come out. Rzhevskaya herself was responsible for that, having dedicated herself to lifting the veil of secrecy and ensuring the world knew of Stalin’s duplicity. In this book Cyril Jones reveals how he managed to get previously unseen film footage from the Soviet and Russian archives, material which helped reveal the facts. The author also details interviews with Elena Rzhevskaya which shows the paths she took to tell the real story. The Hunt for Hitler expands upon our understanding of those momentous days following the end of the Second World War and provides an absorbing insight into the background surrounding the fate of Hitler’s body as the chilling blast of the Cold War swept across Europe.

Pirates and Privateers of the Atlantic and the Caribbean is the most recent and broadest study of international privateering in the 18th and 19th centuries. It first examines ships themselves, which were privately financed and privately owned vessels designed, outfitted, and manned to locate, chase, capture, sink, or burn enemy ships under the auspices of a national or a local government. In addition to this, it also considers the officers and seamen aboard these ships, the investors who financed this legal trade, and the multi-racial makeup of some of their crews, as well as discussing the European and other women who played an indirect but nevertheless important role in privateering. Offering a worldwide sea-and-shore based coverage of the maritime, political, and economic reasons for privateering, it features privateers in the Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain; the vital role of France in this same war; privateers in the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain; privateers in the Carolinas and in the Caribbean; Latin American insurgent privateers; noted privateering figures; racial minorities and women associated with privateering; and naval gunnery in the age of sail.

Third volume of the critically-acclaimed series stressing maritime trade as the driver of world history, wealth-creation, technological inventiveness, art and literature. This book tackles the Maritime Enlightenment, which spurred economic liberalism and humanitarianism, unlike its continental version, breaking free from historic attitudes to slavery and serfdom, contextualising current debates on imperial history. The immediate cause of America’s War of Independence is revealed to be about illegal maritime trade. Jefferson and Madison never understood the latent wealth-creating power of US trade, misdirecting energies for some years. US north-south divisions were exacerbated by trade tariffs more than slavery. The failure of France’s Revolution and Germany’s 20th-century wars were also failures to appreciate its importance. The post 1945 rise of Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China and UAE were directly because of their encouragement of maritime trade and shipping. Britain’s decline was heralded by political indifference then hostility, contrasting with its previous encouragement; its greatest strength. Nick’s chapter on shipping’s efforts to achieve net-zero is a must read for anyone involved in the green debate. Written by someone at the heart of maritime trade since the 1970s, the series is an important counterweight to political history we are usually fed, a different way of thinking about the world, past and present.

Daughters of kings were often used to seal treaty alliances and forge peace with England’s enemies. Princesses of the Early Middle Ages: Royal Daughters from the Conquest will explore the lives of these young women, how they followed the stereotype, and how they sometimes managed to escape it. It will look at the world they lived in, and how their lives and marriages were affected by political necessity and the events of the time. Almost as interesting as the marriages these girls made are the ones that were never realised. Many English princesses were betrothed, or proposed as brides, three or more times before they were married. Their failed marriage proposals demonstrated their influence and worth on the international royal marriage market, as well as the changing allegiances between countries and the making and breaking of international friendships. Princesses of the Early Middle Ages will also examine how these girls, who were often political pawns, were able to control their own lives and fates. Whilst they were expected to obey their parents in their marriage choices, several princesses were able to exert their own influence on these choices, with some outright refusing the husbands offered to them. Their stories are touching, inspiring and, at times, heartbreaking.

Is it true that the trans-Atlantic slave trade, about which so much has been heard in recent years, would have been impossible without the willing and enthusiastic cooperation of African leaders? Slavery was a common practice in Africa long before the arrival of Europeans, with the trade in black slaves, who were transported from Africa to America and the islands of the Caribbean, aided by the African traders who benefited from the arrangement. Even when Europe and America outlawed slavery and the slave trade, those living in Africa clung tenaciously to their old ways and refused to relinquish what was, to them, a time-honoured custom. It is for this reason that slavery lingers on in Africa to this day.In this book, Simon Webb explores the history of slavery in Africa and finds that it was not necessarily imposed upon the continent by Europeans, but was rather an integral part of many, perhaps most, cultures. Even when the British deployed their army and navy to try to suppress the trade in slaves during the nineteenth century, their efforts were largely ineffectual because many societies saw no reason to give up such an old, useful and profitable system.At a time when the subject of the trans-Atlantic slave trade is seldom out of the news, this book provides a vital corrective to the popularly accepted view of the matter. Nobody reading it will ever view slavery and the slave trade in quite the same light again.

The Kent and East Sussex Railway (Heritage Guide) is the second book in a new series of guidebooks with a unique twist. Created by railway and industrial historian Dr Richard Marks, this guide introduces a fresh approach and style to travel literature. It serves as an introduction to both the heritage railway and the history of the region. There is so much more to Britain’s heritage railways than just the trains, once a key part of British industry and society they bring to life a lost past. Telling the story of the origins of the railway, as part of the Colonel Stephens group of light railways, the new guide explains why a light railway was an important development in Britain’s transport networks. It also extends beyond the railway, highlighting captivating destinations and activities nearby in Kent and East Sussex. It promises something for every reader, ensuring days out that are both enjoyable and inspiring. The book offers numerous reasons for tourists to extend their stay beyond a train ride or a single day trip. It paints a vivid picture of local life in the surrounding countryside and towns in the past. Encompassing local towns, museums, castles, and wildlife alongside the railway, the guide provides a variety of enjoyable suggestions for visitors, to match all interests. The book points out additional resources for finding more local attractions, making it a friendly and indispensable companion for any trip to the railway and beyond.

Since Richard Trevithick’s first forays into the development of the steam locomotive, Britain’s engineers have been at the forefront of railway technology. Often innovative, and sometimes unfairly maligned, the country’s locomotive engineers continually broke new barriers in traction technology although not everything was successful. From the earliest simple steam locomotives to the latest diesel and electric engines, Britain had led the way in railway locomotion, although competition from European, Japanese and American manufacturers sometimes exceeded what British engineers had achieved. In this new book, industrial and railway historian Dr Richard Marks provides fresh insights into Britain’s role in railway locomotive design and technology, and examines the highlights of British developments from Trevithick’s Coalbrookdale locomotive to the Brush Class 60 diesel locomotive. Based upon new research this useful primer aims to start the reader on a journey of discovery, unravelling some of the myths which have arisen around Britain’s railway history and explaining in an easy to follow narrative why some potentially advantageous developments failed to live up to expectations. In this new survey of 200 years of British locomotive history to accompany the Railway 200 celebrations, the reader is presented with a compelling and easy to read introduction to a complex, but intriguing subject.

From the First World War''s Zeppelins to the Second World War''s large bombers, military aircraft were vulnerable to fast, manoeuvrable interceptors. To address this, fighter escorts were used, but their limited range often left bombers exposed. A solution was the use of Composite aircraft, where larger bombers carried smaller, short-range fighters, which could be launched and retrieved as needed.Zeppelins, particularly vulnerable to interceptors, were ideal for this concept. During the First World War, Germany briefly experimented with carrying parasite aircraft, while the British conducted post-war trials using airships like His Majesty’s Airship R-23 and R-33, carrying fighters such as the Sopwith Camel and de Havilland DH.53 Humming Bird. However, successful hook-on/retrievals were only achieved with the Humming Bird.The US Navy and Army further developed this concept. In 1918, the Navy launched a Curtiss JN ‘Jenny’ from a C-1 Blimp, and in 1924, the Army successfully flew a Sperry Messenger from a TC-Class airship. The US perfected the carry/launch/retrieval method for airship defence and scouting, notably with the USS Los Angeles, which carried aircraft on a ‘trapeze’ device. The Akron and Macon airships, with internal storage for aircraft, further advanced this technique, making them some of the most remarkable aircraft of their time.

The war in Afghanistan had grown to its most violent of times, and Helmand Province had made for some of the bloodiest battles. With their departure to the front lines fast approaching, a Welsh infantry battalion was in the process of selecting their very best men to be put forward for sniper training.The young Welshmen selected grew to become the closest of friends as they navigated their way through the difficult sniper cadre. After losing one of their own to the Taliban shortly after the course, Eddie and the rest of the lads deployed to Helmand Province and the raging war for the second time. Follow their journey as they take on the Taliban, from enemy snipers to Taliban leaders. Deploying on the biggest air assault operation since the Second World War, they made shots from a mile away and even took out two enemy fighters with one round. They were battle winners, and they earned their title of sniper, but it was not without cost.As the tour in Afghanistan came to an end, Eddie began to feel the effects of what will later be diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder, and it quickly took over his life, sending him on a downward spiral. This was a humbling, terrifying experience which lasted for over a decade, and very nearly took his life. With an uninspiring diagnosis of no known cure, Eddie decides to take control of his life and find his own solutions, in this riveting story.With detailed accounts of the unravelling of his mind and intricate insights into the taking of a life with the squeeze of a trigger, Afghanistan Sniper takes readers through a journey of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows known only to those who have been on that same journey.