The 100 years since the beginning of World War I have undoubtedly proved that the cemeteries of the conflict have admirably fulfilled their tragic and sombre purpose. The task which faced the Imperial War Graves Commission at the end of the war was formidable indeed. The results of its hard work, to restore the resting places of the dead of the "war to end all wars," can be seen in this outstanding book. The Commission, now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, still maintains these beautiful cemeteries to provide a dignified and peaceful resting place for those who sacrificed their lives in the cause of freedom. John Garfield captures the poignancy of those cemeteries in Flanders, Marne, Aisne, Artois, Ypres Salient, Gallipoli, Verdun, The Somme, Italy, and Macedonia with exceptional photographs. Each is complemented with a short description of who was fighting whom and the place and date of each encounter. In the final chapter, "The Aftermath," John Garfield examines the memorials to the dead and murdered from the battlefields, cities and concentration camps of World War II, Dunkirk, Dresden, and Dachau, and ends with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

The Fallen: A Photographic Journey Through the War Cemeteries and Memorials of the Great War 1914-18

Arts & Photography

Garfield, John

Photography & Video

Spellmount

The meticulously researched story of the 1918 battle at Seicheprey, France that introduced American troops to 20th-century warfare Could the newly arrived American troops be trusted? They were greenhorns, having seen practically no action. The surprise attack at Seicheprey on April 20 was spearheaded by the elite German stormtroopers (Stosstruppen) supported by aircraft, trench mortars, and heavy artillery and was designed as a propaganda coup against the "weak" newcomers. On the edge of the well-named Forêt de Mort Homme, the Connecticut boys of the 102nd regiment bore the brunt. The Americans fell back in disarray in a hell of hand-to-hand fighting; one U.S. cook killed two Germans with his meat cleaver. "A delicate affair" is an actual label applied by one U.S. command report after the battle—and it was an affair with significance beyond its outcome, as the first engagement between U.S. and German forces. Relying entirely on primary sources throughout, the author uses the battle as a jumping-off point to describe how all battles developed in the war, through intelligence (or lack of it) and minute-by-minute command decisions.

A Delicate Affair on the Western Front: America Learns How to Fight a Modern War in the Woëvre Trenches

History

Finnegan, Terrence J.

Military

A detailed history of the submarine, from the first man-powered submersibles to the deep sea exploration and military crafts of todayPioneer submariners built astonishing contraptions which made perilous voyages or sank like stones. Some were driven by muscle-power or steam engines with chimneys. Others had wheels with which to trundle along the seabed. This book traces the history of early submarines and the colorful array of those who built and sailed them. From a plethora of mad-cap inventors emerged a bizarre machine that navies of the world begrudgingly accepted but viewed with distaste. The submarine matured into a weapon to usurp the mighty battleship. Subject to military and political skirmishing, it would win eventual acceptance amid the chaos and carnage of the Great War. Sea Devils brims with daring, larger-than-life personalities and their determination to make underwater voyages.

Sea Devils: Pioneer Submarines

Swinfield, John

Christina Keith came from the small town of Thurso on the far north coast of Scotland. Highly intelligent and ambitious, she became a lecturer in Classics at a time when that was still a brave and unusual choice for a woman. Towards the end of the First World War she left behind the sheltered world of academia to live and work among soldiers of all social backgrounds as a lecturer with the Army's education scheme in France. She writes with warmth and humour of her experiences. When she and a companion travel across the devastated battlefi elds, just a short time after the guns have fallen silent, her descriptions are both evocative and moving. This unique memoir is an unforgettable read.

War Classics: The Remarkable Memoir of Scottish Scholar Christina Keith on the Western Front

Biographies & Memoirs

Johnston, Flora

Leaders & Notable People

In the most legendary battle in Scottish history, a mere 7,000 followers of Robert the Bruce defeated over 15,000 of Edward II’s troops at Bannockburn. Fought over two days on June 23 and 24, 1314, the battle of Bannockburn was a decisive victory for Robert the Bruce in the Scottish Wars of Independence against the English. It was the greatest defeat the English would suffer throughout the Middle Ages, and a huge personal humiliation for Edward II. Chris Brown’s startling narrative recreates the battle and challenges our perceptions of what happened and why. In this special, commemorative edition, he also looks back at the legacy of Bannockburn and what it means for Scotland today.

Bannockburn 1314

Brown, Dr. Chris

Europe

The ultimate companion to the greatest airborne battle of all time
The greatest airborne operation in history commenced on September 17, 1944. Nine days later nearly four out five of the British 1st Airborne Division and their Polish comrades would be killed, wounded, or captured as Germany secured her last great battlefield victory of the war. The ferocious and gallant actions in Arnhem and Oosterbeek have fascinated historians and students ever since. Drawing extensively on eye-witness experience and unit diaries, and providing a detailed tactical and technical analysis of the arms, equipment and practices of the day, this book provides a fascinating day-on-day account of one of the most iconic actions of World War II. Supported by battle maps, timelines, troop diagrams as well as touring guides, this is the perfect companion for the armchair historian or the intrepid battlefield traveler.

Arnhem: Nine Days of Battle

On March 28, 1854, Queen Victoria’s government announced that Britain had declared war on Russia. Few conflicts have provoked as much debate as The Crimean War, with details right down to the name and date of it remaining discussion points for historians. This illustrated history gives a unique and exciting pictorial insight into the war, presenting illustrations from one of the early pioneers of photography, Roger Fenton, alongside artist William Simpson, the Russian painters Timms and Rubio, and artists from The Illustrated London News and Punch. With each picture placed into clear historical context, and with the inclusion of Russian paintings and artwork for periodicals of the day, this is surely the most visually appealing history of the war in print

War in the Crimea: An Illustrated History

Ishchenko, Natalia

Fletcher, Ian.

D-Day’s only Victoria Cross winner, Company Sergeant Major Stanley Hollis, was, uniquely, twice recommended for this coveted award on June 6, 1944. A tough Teesside, working-class rebel, Hollis was no model soldier. Earlier in the war he was forever being "busted" for various misdemeanors. However, few soldiers saw more close-quarter action than Stanley Hollis, who killed more than 100 enemy soldiers in combat during World War II, serving at Dunkirk, in the Western Desert, and in Sicily. It was on D-Day that Hollis created history with his inimitable brand of raw courage, being involved in two blistering VC actions. On Gold Beach he single-handedly stormed a hidden German pillbox, saving his company from certain death. Later that day, he saved the lives of two more comrades trapped by heavy enemy gunfire. He was undoubtedly a D-Day hero.

D-Day Hero: CSM Stanley Hollis VC

Morgan, Mike

Historical

In 1942 a Catalina crew of 219 Squadron, based in the Shetlands, was selected to carry out a series of top secret operations, including a flight to the North Pole. They were made at the same time as a Norwegian expedition to Spitzbergen to keep the Germans out of the area. The flights were over 24 hours long and reached the limits of human endurance in the extreme cold. Later, the Squadron provided cover for the Russian convoys. Ernest Schofield was the navigator on the crew and retained the logs. These were extraordinary missions, and on 21 September one ended with a Ju88 attack and tragedy.

Arctic Airmen: The RAF in Spitsbergen and North Russia, 1942

Conyers Nesbit, Roy

Schofield, Ernest

Sydney Litherland, at the age of 20, was called up in February 1940. After having been evacuated from Greece, he was among the 30,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers taken prisoner by the Germans at the fall of Crete in June 1941. This book documents in fascinating and historically important detail their daily life as POWs in Germany and encapsulates the experiences of tens of thousands of ordinary POWs. The German airborne invasion of Crete and the surrender by the British is still the subject of controversy. Sydney gives here his own first-hand account of the event.This is not an account of heroic escapes and derring-do by dashing officers, but of the day-to-day endurance of the other ranks, mostly very young men, separated from their officers and expected to do hard manual labour in working camps. What is revealed is a different kind of courage: a quiet resilience and dogged determination not just to endure, but to triumph. Supporting each other, they never lose hope of eventual victory or let an opportunity slip to make life more difficult for their captors. This is an enthralling record of their triumphs and tragedies over four long years.

The Junak King: Life as a British POW, 1941-45

Litherland, Sydney

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