Bøker av Ian Castle

An account of the origins, events and outcome of the Battle of Wagram in 1809, one of the hardest fought of all Napoleon's victories. It took place against an Austrian army, eager for revenge, that left the battlefield without a rout despite having to admit defeat.

By the autumn of 1916, advances in Britain's air defence capability had all but ended the Zeppelin menace, which had haunted the nation for almost two years. However, an emerging complacency regarding the aerial threat was immediately shattered by the introduction in 1917 of the Grosskampfflugzeug, better known as the Gotha bomber. Whereas Zeppelin airships had attacked individually and stealthily under the cover of darkness, the German Army now had a squadron of bomber aeroplanes capable of brazenly attacking London and south-east England in broad daylight, thereby unleashing a new wave of terror on the British population. Britain, having downgraded its aerial defences after the apparent defeat of the Zeppelins, was forced to rethink. The improvements instigated compelled the German raiders to change their tactics too, as each side strived to gain the upper hand. And all the time the German Navy Zeppelins, whose campaign had not been abandoned entirely, continued to strike when opportunity allowed. The story of these dramatic air raids is told by incorporating numerous, never-before published, eye-witness accounts, revealing a personal view of the experiences shared by those who lived through the conflict, both on the ground and in the air. The German air campaign against the United Kingdom in the First World War was the first sustained, strategic aerial bombing campaign in history. Yet it has become dwarfed by the enormity of the Blitz of the Second World War, but for those caught up in the tragedy of these raids the impact was every bit as devastating. In Gotha Terror Ian Castle tells the full story of the 1917 - 1918 raids in unprecedented detail in what is the final book in a trilogy, completing the story of Britain's Forgotten Blitz.

Ian Castle tells the full story of the 1916 raids on Britain in unprecedented detail in what is the second book in a trilogy that will reveal the complete story of the 'Forgotten Blitz'.

A comprehensive examination of German air raids until the end of 1915.

In the summer of 1914, as Europe teetered on the brink of war, the spectre of immediate Zeppelin raids on London and other major British towns and cities loomed large. This title presents the story of Britain's first strategic bombing campaign and the results it achieved.

An account of the campaign at Eggmuhl in the spring of 1809 when the Austrian army, eager to avenge their defeat at Austerlitz four years earlier, invaded Bavaria to face Napoleon and his troops. Ten days later, they were retreating back from the Abens river with Napoleon in hot pursuit.

Presents the story of the cat and mouse duel between the airship and another pioneering form of technology - the submarine during World War 1. This work features cut-away drawings that show the design and development of the airship, during and after the war, whilst illustrations depict the airship in dramatic action shots.

On a sunny May afternoon in 1917, the peace of an English seaside town was shattered when a flight of German Gotha bombers appeared without warning. Twenty-three Gothas had set out to attack London in this first bomber raid. This book tells the story of the Gotha and the massive Staaken 'Giant' bomber raids against London.

The first Zeppelin attack on London came in May 1915 - and with it came the birth of a new arena of warfare, the 'home front'. German airships attempted to raid London on 26 separate occasions between May 1915 and October 1917, but only reached the capital and bombed on nine occasions, with much terror inflicted upon the capital's residents.

Osprey''s study of one of the battles of the Boer Wars, the Battle of Majuba. In 1881 the tension between Britain and the Boer farmers of southern Africa that had existed for 75 years boiled over into open conflict. The British entered the war full of confidence, yet in a few short weeks they had suffered three separate reverses before suffering their final humiliating defeat on the isolated summit of Majuba. George Colley''s force were swept off their ''unassailable'' position and into headlong retreat. It was a defeat that sent shock waves reverberating around the Empire. Ian Castle examines not only the battle at Majuba, but also the previous engagements at Laing''s Nek, Schuinshoogte and Bronkhorstspruit.

This work covers the key period of the wars against the Zulu and Boers - the dramatic battles of Rorke's Drift, Isandlwana, Ulundi, Laing's Nek and Majuba are some of the most famous engagements in the history of the British Army.

One aspect of the Zulu War remains unexamined - the part played by the local white volunteers and irregulars, and the Africans fighting with the British against the Zulus.This work tells the story of these locally raised frontier units at Isandlwana and other dramatic battles of the Zulu War.

This title details the famous "Battle of the Three Emperors", featuring the three most powerful individuals and armies in Europe. It examines the attacks and counterattacks at Austerlitz with accompanying illustrations on the movements of the opposing armies.