From the author of Endgame: 1945 comes the first ever complete and authoritative account of Britain's secret war—a potent mix of military history and clandestine derring-do behind enemy lines  Based on recently released official files, documents retrieved from other agencies, diaries, memoirs, and personal interviews, this first ever complete and authoritative account of Britain's secret war in Italy traces the the heroic exploits, the larger than life participants, and the extraordinary, against-the-odds achievements. In May 1945 Italy was liberated from Nazism and Fascism by the British Eighth and American Fifth Armies. The Italian resistance movement had emerged as one of the strongest in Europe, aided and abetted by the UK's Special Operations Executive. As what Winston Churchill graphically described as the "red-hot rake of the battle-line" advanced bloodily up the Italian peninsula, clandestine cells in the cities and partisan bands in the countryside fought to free their country from enemy occupation and shape the politics of Italy's post-war future. SOE in Italy, known as No. 1 Special Force, parachuted in dozens of missions to supply the underground with weapons and ammunition, food and supplies. In a remarkable twist it also secretly collaborated with its former enemy, the Italian military intelligence service, and with the Italian navy, which used fast torpedo boats and rubber dinghies to land British agents on heavily defended beaches.

Mission Accomplished: SOE and Italy 1943-1945

History

STAFFORD, David

Europe

RANDOM HOUSE UK

From anarchism to reformism: A study of the political activities of Paul Brousse within the First International and the French socialist movement, 1870-90

Politics & Social Sciences

Politics & Government

Weidenfeld&Nicolson

An engaging and original account of 1921, a pivotal year for Churchill that had a lasting impact on his political and personal legacy After the tragic consequences of his involvement in the catastrophic Dardanelles Campaign of World War I, Churchill’s political career seemed over. He was widely regarded as little more than a bombastic and unpredictable buccaneer until, in 1921, an unexpected inheritance heralded a series of events that laid the foundations for his future success. Renowned Churchill scholar David Stafford delves into the statesman’s life in 1921, the year in which his political career revived. From his political negotiations in the Anglo-Irish treaty that created the Irish Free State to his tumultuous relationship with his "wild cousin" Clare Sheridan, sculptor of Lenin and subject of an MI5 investigation, this broad account explores the nuances of Churchill’s private and public lives. This is an engaging portrait of this overlooked yet pivotal year in the great man’s life.

Oblivion or Glory: 1921 and the Making of Winston Churchill

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

Yale University Press

<div>An engaging and original account of 1921, a pivotal year for Churchill that had a lasting impact on his political and personal legacy "Important . . . Its power lies in a vivid re-creation not only of Churchill's public roles but also his private life--of good fortune but also family tragedy."--Paul Bew, Wall Street Journal After the tragic consequences of his involvement in the catastrophic Dardanelles Campaign of World War I, Churchill's political career seemed over. He was widely regarded as little more than a bombastic and unpredictable buccaneer until, in 1921, an unexpected inheritance heralded a series of events that laid the foundations for his future success. Renowned Churchill scholar David Stafford delves into the statesman's life in 1921, the year in which his political career revived. From his political negotiations in the Anglo-Irish treaty that created the Irish Free State to his tumultuous relationship with his "wild cousin" Clare Sheridan, sculptor of Lenin and subject of an MI5 investigation, this broad account explores the nuances of Churchill's private and public lives. This is an engaging portrait of this overlooked yet pivotal year in the great man's life.</div>

Ten days before the largest operation of World War II was launched, it was still one of the century's best-kept secrets—thanks to countless ordinary people participating in one of history's most remarkable moments. David Stafford has written a riveting account of ten of those ordinary men and women—including an American paratrooper, a German soldier, a nineteen-year-old English woman working on secret codes, a Parisian Jew in hiding, and a daring French resistance cell—as they lived through ten very extraordinary days. Drawing on previously unpublished diaries and letters, Stafford gives readers a fresh point of entry into one of the most significant battles ever fought.Ten Days to D-Day buzzes with the pace of a novel, as Stafford moves from country to country, from character to character, including some of D-Day's leaders: Hitler, Rommel, Eisenhower, and Churchill. Stafford compellingly brings to life the final days before the invasion through the eyes of its participants, the citizens and soldiers that made history on June 6, 1944.

Ten Days to D-Day: Citizens and Soldiers on the Eve of the Invasion

Military

Da Capo Press

To end a history of World War II at VE Day is to leave the tale half told. While the war may have seemed all but over by Hitler's final birthday (April 20), Stafford's chronicle of the three months that followed tells a different, and much richer, story. Endgame 1945 highlights the gripping personal stories of nine men and women, ranging from soldiers to POWs to war correspondents, who witnessed firsthand the Allied struggle to finish the terrible game at last. Through their ground-level movements, Stafford traces the elaborate web of events that led to the war's real resolution: the deaths of Hitler and Mussolini, the liberation of Buchenwald and Dachau, and the Allies' race with the Red Army to establish a victors' foothold in Europe, to name a few. From Hitler's April decision never to surrender to the start of the Potsdam Conference, Stafford brings an unprecedented focus to the war's "final chapter." Narrative history at its most compelling, Endgame 1945 is the riveting story of three turbulent months that truly shaped the modern world.

Endgame, 1945: The Missing Final Chapter of World War II

Historical Study & Educational Resources

Back Bay Books

To end a history of World War II at VE Day is to leave the tale half told. While the war may have seemed all but over by Hitler's final birthday (April 20), Stafford's chronicle of the three months that followed tells a different, and much richer, story. ENDGAME 1945 highlights the gripping personal stories of nine men and women, ranging from soldiers to POWs to war correspondents, who witnessed firsthand the Allied struggle to finish the terrible game at last. Through their ground-level movements, Stafford traces the elaborate web of events that led to the war's real resolution: the deaths of Hitler and Mussolini, the liberation of Buchenwald and Dachau, and the Allies' race with the Red Army to establish a victors' foothold in Europe, to name a few. From Hitler's April decision never to surrender to the start of the Potsdam Conference, Stafford brings an unprecedented focus to the war's "final chapter." Narrative history at its most compelling, ENDGAME 1945 is the riveting story of three turbulent months that truly shaped the modern world.

Little. Brown and Company

Instead of retracing the much-dissected actions of heads of state, Stafford brings to life the preparations for history's most formidable invasion through the eyes of the ground-level participants.

Ten Days to D-Day: Countdown to the Liberation of Europe

1st print Little, Brown1st edition 2003 hardcover fine book in fine dw In stock shipped from our UK warehouse

Ten days to D-Day: countdown to the liberation of Europe

Little,Brown

'ENDGAME 1945: VICTORY, RETRIBUTION, LIBERATION'

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by STAFFORD, David. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by STAFFORD, David

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by STAFFORD, David. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Mission Accomplished: SOE and Italy 1943-1945

From anarchism to reformism: A study of the political activities of Paul Brousse within the First International and the French socialist movement, 1870-90

Oblivion or Glory: 1921 and the Making of Winston Churchill

Oblivion or Glory: 1921 and the Making of Winston Churchill

Ten Days to D-Day: Citizens and Soldiers on the Eve of the Invasion

Endgame, 1945: The Missing Final Chapter of World War II

Endgame, 1945: The Missing Final Chapter of World War II

Ten Days to D-Day: Citizens and Soldiers on the Eve of the Invasion

Ten days to D-Day: countdown to the liberation of Europe

'ENDGAME 1945: VICTORY, RETRIBUTION, LIBERATION'