Krig

From the time, many years ago, when Michael Palin first heard that his grandfather had a brother, Harry, who died in tragic circumstances, he was determined to find out more about him. The quest that followed involved hundreds of hours of painstaking detective work. Michael dug out every bit of family gossip and correspondence he could. He studied every relevant official document. He tracked down what remained of his great-uncle Harry's diaries and letters, and pored over photographs of First World War battle scenes to see whether Harry appeared in any of them. He walked the route Harry took on that fatal, final day of his life amid the mud of northern France. And as he did so, a life that had previously existed in the shadows was revealed to him. Great-Uncle Harry is an utterly compelling account of an ordinary man who led an extraordinary life. A blend of biography, history, travelogue and personal memoir this is Michael Palin at his very finest. ___________________________________________PRAISE FOR EREBUS:'Beyond terrific. I didn't want it to end.' BILL BRYSON'Magisterial . . . Palin brings energy, wit and humanity to a story that has never ceased to tantalise people.' THE TIMES'Everybody's talking about it . . . A brilliant book.' CHRIS EVANS'I absolutely loved it: I had to read it at one sitting.' LORRAINE KELLY

"Experience all 135 NASA space shuttle missions ever flown through the words of the astronauts themselves in this spectacularly illustrated volume"--

I Roy Jacobsens roman De uverdige følger vi en gjeng gutter og jenter fra en bygård på østkanten i Oslo under den tyske okkupasjonen. De lever i fattigdom, men bidrar på kreativt vis ved å svindle, stjæle som ravner, forfalske dokumenter og begå omfattende innbrudd. De kvier seg heller ikke for å utnytte fienden.Med denne barneflokken tegner den prisbelønte forfatteren et brutalt ærlig og varmt portrett av et miljø, en tid og en hverdag som til nå har vært nær sagt fraværende i krigshistorien. Dette er en Roy Jacobsen-roman av aller beste merke.De uverdige er både brutal og underholdende, en klok perle av en fortelling, skrevet av en forfatter på hjemmebane.]]>

The Titanic. The Britannic. The Olympic. They are some of the most famous ships in history, but for the wrong reasons.The Olympic Class liners were conceived as the largest, grandest ships ever to set sail. Of the three ships built, the first only lost the record for being the largest because she was beaten by the second, and they were both beaten by the third. The class was meant to secure the White Star Line's reputation as the greatest shipping company on earth. Instead, with the loss of both the Titanic and the Britannic in their first year of service, it guaranteed White Star's infamy.This unique book tells the extraordinary story of these three extraordinary ships from the bottom up, starting with their conception and construction (and later their modification) and following their very different careers. Behind the technical details of these magnificent ships lies a tragic human story - not just of the lives lost aboard the Titanic and Britannic, but of the designers pushing the limits beyond what was actually possible, engineers unable to prepare for every twist of fate, and ship owners and crew who truly believed a ship could be unsinkable.This fascinating story is told with rare photographs, new computer-generated recreations of the ships, and unique wreck images that explore how well the ships were designed and built. Simon Mills offers unparalleled access to shipbuilders Harland & Wolff's specification book for the Olympic Class, including original blueprints and - being made widely available for the first time - large fold-out technical drawings showing how these extensive plans were meant to be seen.

'Words are power. They can bring you down, lift you up, make your heart soar, make you fall in love. Or make you hate.'Paris 1944. Elise Chevalier knows what it is to hate. Her fiance, a young French soldier, was killed by the German army at the Maginot Line. Living amongst the enemy Elise must keep her rage buried deep within. Brittany 1963. Reaching for the old suitcase under her mother's bed, eighteen-year-old Josephine Chevalier uncovers a secret that shakes her to the core. Determined to discover the truth, Josephine travels to Paris where she learns the story of a forbidden love as a city fought for its freedom. Of the last stolen hours before the first light of liberation. And of a betrayal so deep that it would irrevocably change the course of a young woman's life for ever...A powerful portrait of war and its aftermath, THE LAST HOURS IN PARIS is also a story of retribution, atonement and redemption. (Headline Review logo) £14.999781472268037(also available in ebook and audio)Jacket credits...(Author photo)Author photo © Florentia Buckinghamwww.headline.co.uk(twitter logo) @RuthDruart

Boken med glemte navn handler om en ung kvinne hjelper hundrevis av barn å rømme fra nazistene. Boken er basert på en sann historie fra andre verdenskrig.Paris, våren 1942. Den unge studenten Eva må flykte fra Paris sammen med sin mor fordi faren, en polsk jøde, blir arrestert. Flukten fører dem til en liten landsby i den såkalte frisonen, hvor Eva kommer med i en motstandsgruppe som smuglet jødiske barn over grensen til Sveits. Mange av barna er foreldreløse, og for at deres opprinnelige navn aldri skal bli glemt, fører Eva og hennes venn Remy dem inn med en hemmelig kode i en gammel bok med religiøse tekster.Mange år senere arbeider Eva som bibliotekar i Florida. En morgen faller blikket hennes på et fotografi i et magasin. Hun stivner; det er et bilde av en bok hun ikke har sett på sekstifem år - en bok hun bare husker som Boken med glemte navn.Boken er nå trygt plassert på et bibliotek i Berlin. Den ser ut til å inneholde noen hemmelige koder, men forskere vet ikke hvor den kommer fra eller hva kodene betyr. Bare Eva har svaret på gåten, men har hun krefter nok til å oppsøke gamle minner og krigens grusomheter?

A vivid and authoritative account of the making of the modern Middle East, from the BBC's long-serving correspondent in the region.

A fascinating, beautifully illustrated study of the daring war in East Africa waged by German colonial forces under Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck against the wide array of colonial and expeditionary forces of the Allied Powers.The East African Campaign in World War I comprised a series of battles and guerrilla actions which began in German East Africa in 1914 and spread to portions of Portuguese Mozambique, northern Rhodesia, British East Africa, the Uganda Protectorate, and the Belgian Congo. German colonial forces under Lieutenant-Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck attempt to divert Allied forces from the Western Front. Despite the efforts of the Allied forces, Lettow-Vorbeck's troops remained undefeated at the end of the war.In this fascinating work, David Smith documents how a wide array of British, Indian, South African, Belgian, Portuguese and local native forces invaded German East Africa and slowly ousted the German forces, a process made tortuous by Lettow-Vorbeck's masterful management of the campaign. Among the events covered in this work are the Battle of Tanga, the scuttling of the Königsberg, the German railway campaign, and the battles at Salaita Hill, Kondoa-Irangi, Mahenge, Mahiwa and Namacurra. Colourful period and specially commissioned illustrations bring to life a wide-ranging and eventful campaign in which a high price was extracted for every inch of ground given up.

The Cold War was not just a contest of power. It was also about ideas, in the broadest sense - economic and political, artistic and personal.

This account of SOE and its agents in Denmark was written immediately after the war by a SOE staff member. A previously unpublished official history of SOE's Danish section.

Tanks is a comprehensive study of the key tanks and armoured fighting vehicles built since World War I. Arranged chronologically, each vehicle has a cutaway artwork labelled with key items of interest, and photographs showing both the interior and exterior, with full design and development history and detailed specifications.

An investigation of the effect of the Industrial Revolution on naval warfare before the battle of Lissa and a comprehensive study of the campaign.

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.

The second in a three-part series examining the Stalingrad campaign, one of the most decisive military operations in World War II, that set the stage for the ultimate defeat of the Third Reich.By early September 1942, 6.Armee and 4.Panzer-Armee had reached the outskirts of Stalingrad, and Hitler believed it was about to fall. He ordered for the capture of the city as soon as possible, but this was easier said than done. On 13 September, a direct German assault was launched against the city on the Volga and a protracted urban battle followed amid the ruins, already devastated by massive Luftwaffe raids. Although hit hard by the initial German offensive, a ruthless and obstinate Red Army was able to hold onto the city through a costly battle of attrition that sacrificed huge amounts of men and materiel. This second volume in the Stalingrad trilogy, written by a leading expert on the military history of the Eastern Front, brings the fighting in the city to life in full visual detail, including the iconic battles at the Krasny Oktyabr Steel Plant, the Grain Elevator, the Barrikady and STZ factories, the 'Tennis Racquet' and Rynok-Spartanovka. Drawing from sources on both sides, this book offers a truly comprehensive account of history's greatest urban battle.

A History of the Samurai tells the complete story of Japan's legendary warrior class from beginning to endan epic tale of intrigue, bloodshed and bravery that is central to an understanding of the Japanese character and of Japanese history. It describes in detail the core Samurai philosophy of Bushido"e;the way of the warrior"e;a complex code of conduct embracing ideals of honor and loyalty that continues to govern the Japanese way of life today.Historian Jonathan Lopez-Vera offers a compelling look at these enigmatic warriors including: The lives of famous SamuraiMiyamoto Musashi, Japan's greatest swordsman; Tomoe Gozen, the woman who became a Samurai; Tokugawa Ieyasu, the last Shogun; and many moreThe tragic tale of the 47 Ronin who chose honor over their own lives and were forced to commit ritual suicide after avenging their fallen masterThe philosophy of Bushido, "e;the Way of the Warrior,"e; the code of conduct that embraced the ideals of honor and loyalty and governed the Samurai way of livingThe decline of the Samurai and their transformation from rough, battle-hardened warriors to highly educated philosopher-poetsIllustrated with 125 archival prints and photos, the nobility and grandeur of the Samurai is brilliantly showcased in this book. Readers will enjoy immersing themselves in the Samurai's world, as historian Jonathan Lopez-Vera traces the fascinating story of the rise and fall of these enigmatic warriors throughout Japanese history.

A unique look at how evolution has shaped humans to fight wars, even when those wars kill fighters before they reproduce.

The German invasion of Norway was a pivotal moment in modern warfare, the first joint campaign that featured air power as an equal element of all operations. It was, in fact, the superior use of their air force that gave the Germans the decisive margin of victory and ensured the failure of the Allied counter-offensive in central Norway in April and May 1940.All aspects of air power were employed in Norway, from long-range bombing and reconnaissance to air transport, with the Luftwaffe's ability to transport large numbers of troops and supply ground forces over great distances being particularly important. Norway was the first campaign in history in which key targets were seized by airborne forces, and the first in which air superiority was able to overcome the overwhelming naval superiority of an enemy.Researched from primary sources, this engaging history by air power expert Dr James Corum skilfully draws out where and why air power made the difference in Norway, and analyses the campaign's influence on the coming months and years of World War II.

A highly illustrated study of some of the weapons developed by Nazi Germany to equip the Luftwaffe in their desperate war against the encroaching Allied forces.As the course of World War II turned against the Third Reich after Stalingrad some of the most inventive and radical proposals, and designs, were put forward by armaments manufacturers, scientists and technicians, aircrew, and even private individuals to the Reichsluftministerium (German Air Ministry) for consideration. Some proposals were destined never to leave the drawing board, while others not only underwent trials but were issued to operational units and used in action.In this fascinating new book, leading Luftwaffe historian Robert Forsyth examines the many different types of weapons that comprised the Luftwaffe''s increasing potent arsenal during the second half of the war. This was the period that saw the development and adoption of aerial torpedoes, wire-guided rockets and missiles, batteries fired by photo-electric cells, chemical weapons, composite bombers, and air-launched flying bombs.

Although muskets delivered devastating projectiles at comparatively long ranges, their slow rate of fire left the soldier very vulnerable while reloading, and early muskets were useless for close-quarter fighting. Consequently, European infantry regiments of the 17th century were composed of both musketeers and pikemen, who protected the musketeers while loading but also formed the shock component for close-quarter combat. The development of the flintlock musket produced a much less cumbersome and faster-firing firearm. When a short knife was stuck into its muzzle, every soldier could be armed with a missile weapon as well as one that could be used for close combat. The only disadvantage was that the musket could not be loaded or fired while the plug bayonet was in place. The socket bayonet solved this problem and the musket/bayonet combination became the universal infantry weapon from c.1700 to c.1870. The advent of shorter rifled firearms saw the attachment of short swords to rifle barrels. Their longer blades still gave the infantryman the 'reach' that contemporaries believed he needed to fend off cavalry attacks. The perfection of the small-bore magazine rifle in the 1890s saw the bayonet lose its tactical importance, becoming smaller and more knife-like, a trend that continued in the world wars. When assault rifles predominated from the 1950s onwards, the bayonet became a weapon of last resort. Its potential usefulness continued to be recognized, but its blade was often combined with an item with some additional function, most notably a wire-cutter. Ultimately, for all its fearsome reputation as a visceral, close-quarter fighting weapon, the bayonet's greatest impact was actually as a psychological weapon. Featuring full-colour artwork as well as archive and close-up photographs, this is the absorbing story of the complementary weapon to every soldier's firearm from the army of Louis XIV to modern-day forces in all global theatres of conflict.