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The first days of the Battle of the Bulge saw tactical defeats for several formations of the US army. The Saint-Vith sector was particularly hard hit by the surprise attack that prevailed on the morning of 16 December 1944\. Two American units, the 106th Infantry Division and the 14th Cavalry Group, were crushed in front of this small town, which was of vital importance to the German offensive in the Ardennes. To the north-west of Saint-Vith is a small hamlet consisting of a few houses: Poteau. The area is well known to military history enthusiasts thanks to a series of photographs taken by a German Propaganda Kompagnie, which were later captured by the US Army and have since become famous the world over. Although this series of photographs was a staging point for a propaganda battle, their frequent appearance in history books on the Ardennes offensive prompted the author to investigate what really happened in this small village on the border between the Ardennes and the German-speaking cantons of Belgium, and how its history is closely linked to the drama of the Battle of Saint-Vith.

With its back against the wall in the summer of 1940 methods to hit back at the Germans occupying Europe were urgently sought. The Special Operations Executive was created to operate as a secret army, able to send operatives into Europe and to fight behind enemy lines. Their role encompassed espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance. They were also key in helping to establish resistance networks in occupied countries âEUR" most notably in France in preparation for D-Day. The location of their headquarters led to them being known as âEURœthe Baker Street IrregularsâEUR? and they attracted recruits from the professional classe including lawyers, bankers, secretaries and even housewives. Another rich source was the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry.

This is a study of the officers who were promoted to the rank of general and who were also awarded the KnightâEUR(TM)s Cross during the early period of HitlerâEUR(TM)s assault upon the Soviet Union. This takes us from the great onslaught of Operation _Barbarossa_, through to HitlerâEUR(TM)s decision to abandon his attempt to capture Moscow and adopt a temporary defensive stance due to the early onset of winter. Such was the scale of operations during these momentous first six months of the war on the Eastern Front there were endless opportunities for officers to display courage and leadership. This resulted in a total of 178 generals âEUR" twenty-six _Generalmajors_; fifty-six _Generalleutnants_, eighty-four full _Generals_, eleven _Generalobersts_ and one _Generalfeldmarschall_ âEUR" being awarded the KnightâEUR(TM)s Cross in this period alone. One such recipient was _General der Artillerie_ Erich Marcks who personally directed the fire of his guns against enemy bunkers at very close range. On the day he was notified of his award of the KnightâEUR(TM)s Cross he was seriously wounded and had to have his left leg amputated. Despite this he returned to service in March 1942 and was later awarded the KnightâEUR(TM)s Cross with Oakleaves. _General der Infanterie_ Ernst Schroth, the Commanding General of the XII Army Corps, was awarded the KnightâEUR(TM)s Cross for his part in the attack on the Brest-Litvosk Fortress in June 1941\. Considered a staunch supporter of Hitler, he was appointed to the Court of Honour which investigated those members of the Wehrmacht who had participated in the 20 July 1944 _Valkyrie_ plot to kill the Fÿhrer. Hermann-Heinrich Behrend was just a Major when he was awarded the KnightâEUR(TM)s Cross on 15 July 1941\. This was for his actions while commanding I. Battalion of the 489th Infantry Regiment in its successful breakthrough of the enemyâEUR(TM)s heavily defended lines southeast and east of Tauroggen in Lithuania on 22 June 1941\. Behrend continued to display great courage and resourcefulness, which saw him rise to the rank of _Generalmajor_ and the later awards of both the KnightâEUR(TM)s Cross with Oakleaves, and the KnightâEUR(TM)s Cross with Oakleaves and SwordsWith each of these 178 entries there is a detailed description of how and where the KnightâEUR(TM)s Cross was won and in the case of the higher awards, such as the Oakleaves, Swords and Diamonds, who presented the award, where and when. This study provides details of their rank and command at the time of the award as well as also detailing their career during the war and after, with investigations into their fate and post-war life. The book is completed with a considerable number of photographs of many of these officers.

The Commandos stand out as an iconic and fascinating formation who will always be of interest to the reading public. Created in June 1940, just after the fall of France, the commandos were established as a small, elite raiding and reconnaissance force with the express intention of hitting back at the Germans when few alternatives were available. During the war the formation grew in size and complexity, taking part in the most dangerous and compelling actions, and making themselves indispensable.

Whether it is their innovative technical development or the Nazi propaganda harping them as revolutionary wonder weapons, readers interested in World War II find the research on 'German secret weapons' very interesting. The V1, a flying bomb we would now call a cruise missile, opened in June 1944 and soon dozens of them were hitting England day and night. Churchill was so worried that he issued a memorandum proposing to drop poison gas on German cities. To strengthen the faith of the German people in the final victory, despite an increasingly desperate military situation, Nazi propaganda gave the name to this new weapon, V1 for Vergeltungswaffe 1, weapon of revenge number 1. The first V2s, a large liquid-fuelled rocket, were fired against Paris and London on September 8. The V1s and V2s, but also jet engines, were produced by slave workers in the underground factory of Mittelwerk. Inmates from nearby Dora concentration camps provided the labour force, the usual gruesome methods were employed, and over 20,000 of the forced laborers of the Mittelwerk perished. The SS finally seized power not onlye of the production of V-Weapons but also of their operational command. The last months of World War II, when Germany was on the defensive on all fronts and desperately looking for 'wonder weapons', saw a number of ineffective, albeit innovative, technical developments. Among them were the HDP and the Rheinbote, the third and fourth V-Weapons, which were launched into battle in small numbers. V-weapons were indeed inventive weapon concepts, but it must be remembered that Nazi Germany failed to realize that the real super-weapon was going to come from nuclear technology. The only real superweapon of World War II, the atomic bomb, was developed by the Western Allies. The Allied powers had recognized the technical potential of the V2s and to learn German technique of launching long-range rockets, an Operation 'Backfire' was conducted in the summer of 1945 with captured German personnel supervised by British technical experts. Three V2s were launched in October. The United States wasted no time in acquiring 120 top rocket scientist Germans and the first test of a V2 on American soil took place on March 3, 1946\. The Russians also captured German rocket technicians who quickly resumed their work in Russia.

From the glamour of Kennedy's presidency to the enigma of Lee Oswald and the murky world of Jack Ruby, learn their motivations, and see the shadows that continue to linger over one of the most significant moments in modern history. Unraveling the threads of the Cold War and the Cuban conflict, this historical backdrop fuels the paranoid tension leading up to that fateful day in Dallas, and offers fresh perspectives on a pivotal period in American history. Explore the Kennedy legacy. In an era marked by skepticism towards powerful institutions, Kennedy's legacy compels us to question, analyze, and seek transparency. JFK's assassination emerges as a stark reminder of the consequences of unchecked power

Prisoners of war (POWs) are an important part in the history of the Second World War. Nikolaos Theotokis, in this vividly written book, examines the subject, taking a closer look at the hundreds of thousands of Axis military personnel, including women (mostly German), who were held in POW camps, POW cages, prisons or forced labour camps, after being captured by or surrendering to Allied forces, between 1940 and 1945, in the North African, European and Pacific theatres of operations. Hundreds of cases of officers of the Wehrmacht and the SS, as well as of the Royal Italian and the Imperial Japanese Armies have been grouped by the author in two main categories: those who were taken prisoner by Allied forces and those who surrendered to them. This is not a book about military might, but about people, many of whom were proven innocent victims of circumstance. Officers who committed suicide to avoid capture and others who were charged and punished as war criminals are separately presented, along with a great number of foreign volunteers who were captured by or surrendered to Allied forces during the war, after joining units of the German or the Japanese Armies. Members of the military and secretarial staff of Adolf Hitler who were imprisoned after the German capitulation are also highlighted in the book, along with cases of high-ranking officers in co-belligerent Romania, who were harshly punished by their countryâEUR(TM)s post-war communist authorities for being anti-communists and for having fought against the Red Army. Another category also examined by the author are the German prisoners who were handed over to Joseph Stalin by the western Allies in May 1945 as a gesture of friendship, although the Soviet Union had not signed the Geneva Convention. This book is a concise, authoritative account of the Axis POWs, being also an unrivalled source of information on the subject.

Major Alexander Sanderson DSO, MC & Bar, MiD was one of the ablest and most experienced mining engineers to serve on the Western Front in the First World War. Following on from his early, adventurous life in the outback, in this biography, written by his grandson, we reveal the full story of the highly technical war he waged below, and above, No ManâEUR(TM)s Land near Lens in France as part of the 3rd Australian Tunnelling Company. As a young New Zealand-born student of the West Australian Engineer-in-Chief, he attended the School of Mines and became an underground goldmine manager alongside H.C. Hoover, the future US President. After a construction business venture with his friend John Monash (later General Sir), he undertook camel treks across the harsh Ashburton desert, sinking artesian wells and gold prospecting, before joining the Army, having abandoned his claim to a million-acre cattle station to do so. Enrolling as a Captain (HQ staff), as a Mining Corps expert Sanderson was tasked with listing all the equipment, such as winches, fans, generators etc., necessary for speeding up a war underground. SandersonâEUR(TM)s first Military Cross was awarded for his role during the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916, during which he was wounded by shellfire while repairing an explosive charge in No ManâEUR(TM)s Land. Sent to Hill 70 at Loos, his Company was at once pitched into a silent, deadly underground âEUR¿cat and mouseâEUR(TM) war of nerves with German pioneers. SandersonâEUR(TM)s rapid survey of the galleries and his alert listenersâEUR(TM) acuity soon pinpointed the tunnels of the out-manoeuvred enemy miners. Hit by three huge camouflets, the enemy ceased mining. SandersonâEUR(TM)s second MC and wound stripe were awarded after a successful night-time raid to destroy enemy shafts. When his CO was killed by a sniper, he took over command. We also read how the Australians constructed a vast network of defensive subways for the infantry from La BassÃ(c)e to Hill 70\. SandersonâEUR(TM)s defensive Hythe Tunnel, constructed in 1918, complete with pivoting bascule doors and sliding internal walls, was considered one of the finest tunnels on the Western Front. During the Blitz in the Second World War, Sanderson was put in charge of repairs to the bomb-damaged London Underground. Such was his tunnelling skills, he was also a consultant structural engineer for both the Cabinet War Rooms and ChurchillâEUR(TM)s underground bunker, following which Winston presented him with a box of his cigars as a token of the Prime MinisterâEUR(TM)s appreciation. Such was SandersonâEUR(TM)s technical ability, in 1942 he submitted secret revolutionary âEUR¿Tilt-wingâEUR(TM) and âEUR¿Vertical Take OffâEUR(TM) aeronautical designs to the Air Ministry, all of which are revealed in this biography of one manâEUR(TM)s service in two world wars.

Rose West: Her very name is synonymous with evil. Described as a chattel by her father, a cow by her husband, and a monster by the Press, yet the only person to interview her saw her as an ordinary grandmother: she could be the old woman living next door. This is the story of how a pretty young girl became one of Britain's worst female serial killers, with expert analysis on why she embarked on a legacy of slaughter when she was a mere teen, torturing and butchering her own daughter. It sheds new light on her mental state and how, even before she was born, she was receiving an onslaught of irrevocable damage to her development in a unique set of circumstances that created the mind of a serial killer. It is also, more importantly, the stories of the other women involved; her abused mother, the women lured to their deaths, the nanny who escaped, and the family of the most notorious woman still alive in Britain today. Understanding Rose West also uncovers evidence of police involvement in the murders, and looks at more possible victims and their whereabouts, and whether Rose was more involved in the murders than previously thought. It also examines how children are still dying at the hands of abusers today - have lessons been learned?Featuring the latest views of some of the people involved in the Wests' case, Understanding Rose West is the most comprehensive analysis of the psyche of this notorious killer.

Known as âEUR¿Fat AlbertâEUR(TM), LockheedâEUR(TM)s ubiquitous C-130 Hercules was a product of combat experiences gained during the Korean War, a conflict that highlighted the need for a rugged transport aircraft designed with a do-anything, go-anywhere ethos in mind. First flown in August 1954, the C-130, powered by four turboprop engines mounted underneath a high wing which allowed for effortless loading via a rear ramp, soon proved its worth as a highly versatile aircraft. The easily configured cargo area helped the C-130 stand out from the crowd, and soon variants began to appear, with the first being a ski-equipped resupply aircraft. It was this type of tasking the C-130 excelled at, and soon air movement staff was developing new ways to deploy cargo. This included low-level drops, proving invaluable in aiding isolated disaster-struck areas. Other variants included air-to-air tankers, electronic reconnaissance platforms and weather reconnaissance aircraft. Now produced by Lockheed Martin, the C-130 has become synonymous with tactical airlifting and is the longest continuously produced military aircraft since the first one rolled off the production line in 1954\. In fact, since its introduction into service the C-130 has produced over seventy variants, including gunships, search-and-rescue and scientific research aircraft, and is currently in service with some seventy nations. As well as the military C-130, Lockheed has also produced a commercial variant of their famous aircraft, the L-100\. Not for nothing do Lockheed Martin claim that there is at least one C-130 airborne somewhere in the world at any given moment in time. With over 2,500 produced, and some almost thirty years old, that's more than plausible. This Flight Craft title offers the aviation enthusiast, historian and modeller an exciting selection of C-130-related resources through photographs, illustrations and excellent showcase examples to help build their own versions of this hugely successful, highly flexible aircraft.

It was every British servicemanâEUR(TM)s duty, be he soldier, sailor or airman, to attempt to evade capture if stranded behind enemy lines or escape if captured. As there were potentially thousands of men who would find themselves cut off or captured during the Second World War, a branch of military intelligence, M.I.9, was set up in 1939 to instruct servicemen in evasion and escape techniques. Such was the success of M.I.9, and the determination and ingenuity of individuals and groups, about 35,000 Allied military personnel escaped PoW camps or evaded capture and made their way to Allied or neutral countries. How this highly secret unit was set up and organised, and how its great success was achieved, was documented by M.I.9 officers towards the end of the war âEUR" and is published here for the first time. The history includes details of the lectures given to troops on how to avoid capture if on the run in enemy occupied territory (more than 2,000 lectures were given, to over half-a-million men), and of secret equipment issued to them to help them escape, such as the well-know silk maps and small but comprehensive escape kits. When servicemen escaped and returned to the UK, they were interrogated by specially selected M.I.9 officers and their stories were used to show troops how they too could evade capture. These provide some of the most fascinating, and often funny, stories to come out of the Second World War. How, for example, one man had to cross a bridge over a canal in Holland where a German sentry was stood on the other side. As he considered his options a Dutch woman approached pushing her baby in a pram. The man explained that he was British and the lady handed him the pram and put her arm through his, and together they crossed the bridge and passed the sentry. On another occasion at a railway station, an evader attracted the attention of a German officer. A group of French women arrived, and the man rushed over to the group, embraced one of the women and asked them to speak to him in French. This they did, pretending he was their friend, and the officer turned away. Such stories helped show servicemen how to forge documents, how to travel through enemy-occupied countries without being detected, what disguises could be used that would not attract the attention of the enemy, and also provided lists of local people willing to help escapers âEUR" and this included Pope Pius XII, who actually had a private meeting with one of the escapers in the Vatican! The troops were also instructed how to write coded messages in letters to the UK from PoW camps. All this is revealed in this utterly fascinating book.

Henry Harford was a young officer in the British Army and the adjutant of his own regiment when tensions were rising between the British colonial government in Natal and the independent Zulu kingdom in 1878\. In the face of these tensions, Harford volunteered for temporary special service and first served as a Lieutenant in the Natal Native Contingent before going on to resume his commission and adjutancy of his regiment in Natal during the 1879 Anglo-Zulu War. _The Zulu War Journal_ tells the true story of his experience during this time, providing readers with fascinating eye-witness accounts of the conflict. HarfordâEUR(TM)s journal chronicles key events in the Zulu Wars in captivating, eye-opening detail and pays tribute to all those who fought bravely alongside him. Among the episodes covered are: the disaster at Isandlwana; the heroic battle at RorkeâEUR(TM)s Drift; the recovery of the Queen's Colour of the 1st Battalion, 24th Regiment, at Fugitive's Drift; and the hunt for the Zulu king Cetshwayo. This comprehensive new edition of the journal offers readers even more insight into and details about the conflict thanks to a host of contemporary photographs and expert commentary from leading Anglo-Zulu specialist John Laband. A truly fascinating and dramatic testimony, this updated edition of _Henry Harford's Anglo-Zulu War Journal_ is essential reading for anyone interested in military history. **About the author** Colonel Henry Harford C.B. was an experienced military officer who played a significant role in the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879\. He first served as a lieutenant in the Natal Native Contingent before going on to resume his commission and adjutancy of his own regiment during the war. He became Colonel of the 99th (Wiltshire) Regiment and was invested a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (CB) in 1907.

This is the story of the women from the Indian Subcontinent who fought against British imperial power from the 1600s until the independence of India and Pakistan in 1947\. It begins by looking at the Partition of India, and the unique impact this had on women who âEUR" in addition to the displacement and violence which affected millions of South Asians, suffered uniquely through a campaign of rape, abduction, and forced suicides which left a lasting impact on the souls of women from every community. It then seeks to shine a light on the often-forgotten story of these women âEUR" who were not just passive victims of British, and later, communal violence, but who fought alongside (or sometimes at the head of) their male counterparts to secure the fall of the British Raj and the independence of their own nation. The stories of up to forty women, are examined, from various religious and racial communities across South Asia who advocated for Indian Independence and should be remembered and celebrated as influential freedom fighters in the same way that their male contemporaries have been. The book concludes by briefly examining the role of women in Indian nationalist movements today, and how this can be traced to the precedent set by their ancestors during the colonial era.

In a collective voice calling for peace tracing back to pre-World War II, Don't Call Us Girls follows the protests of women and their allies from the White House to the Arc de Triomphe, heralding their impact on today's world.Don't Call Us Girls examines the importance of women's participation in the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, and the international anti-war movement. This collective voice for peace, and an end to nuclear proliferation, reached back to before the Second World War and then firmly embedded itself during the war years when women assumed such important roles in the workplace that Franklin D. Roosevelt called them the 'Arsenal of Democracy'.When the men returned from war, women were encouraged by forces as powerful as government agencies and eminent psychiatrists to return to their 'place' at home. And return home they did, only to realize that they could use the skills they practiced as housewives to begin organizing themselves into groups that would start a wave of protest action that swept through the late 1950s, gathering up the Civil Rights Movement as it hurtled ever forward through the next two decades.In the 1960s and 1970s, no institution or convention was sacred--many aspects of women's lives were fair game for criticism, protest, and change. In this no-holds-barred era, women debated everything from international nuclear policies, pay equity and child care for women, to reproductive rights and sexual politics. They protested in the streets, outside the White House, in Trafalgar Square, at the Arc de Triomphe, on university campuses, and just about anywhere else they would be heard. They were tired of the role society had cast for them and they would not rest until they saw the substantial change that seemed promising with the emergence of Second Wave Feminism in the 1970s. While we still live in a patriarchal society, we have these women to thank for many of the freedoms we now enjoy. If they have taught us anything, it is never to stop pushing back against the patriarchy and to rest only when we are truly equal. The final chapter of Don't Call Us Girls reminds us that there is still a lot of work to do.

For its first two centuries the Roman Empire enjoyed a relatively peaceful existence. There were short periods of trouble and instability, but they had no lasting effect. At the end of the second century AD, the situation began to change and by the third century the Empire was beset by serious internal and external threats. _Rome in the Third Century_ examines this time of troubles. Michael Sage begins by analysing the available sources, which are difficult to use and provide mostly fragmentary glimpses of the period and looks at the surprising disappearance of historical writing in the western half of the empire. He then discusses in detail the increasing pressures on RomeâEUR(TM)s northern and eastern frontiers, along with the growing internal threats that the empire faced as the state weakened and experienced increasing internal disintegration. He then narrates the period between the death of the emperor Septimius Severus in 211 and the accession of the emperor Diocletian at the end of the century, when a reformed empire emerged, in many respects very different from its predecessor. The crucial changes in government and the military of this period are explained and assessed and there is a new analysis of contemporary views, both Christian and pagan, of the crisis.

In the heart of 19th-century London, a remarkable woman emerged from adversity to reshape the landscape of nursing education. Born in 1843, Rebecca Strong faced the challenges of widowhood and motherhood by the tender age of 20\. Her indomitable spirit and commitment to service led her to the hallowed halls of nursing, where she became a protege of none other than Florence Nightingale. Collaborating with the esteemed Scottish surgeon Sir William Macewen, Rebecca Strong became a catalyst for change in the field of healthcare. Together, they crafted a groundbreaking training scheme for nurses, incorporating visionary concepts that have withstood the test of time. Their legacy endures in the very fabric of nursing education, influencing generations of caregivers. Retiring in 1907 after a lifetime dedicated to healing, Rebecca Strong embarked on a global journey that transcended borders and cultures. Her adventures took her to the far reaches of the world, from meetings with the likes of Mussolini to forming lasting bonds with European royalty, including an enduring friendship with an Italian princess. Rebecca Strong's extraordinary journey came to a close in 1944, at the remarkable age of 100\. Her secret to longevity was as simple as it was profound: 'hard work and simple living.' This biography unveils the untold story of a woman whose resilience, innovation, and global influence forever altered the trajectory of nursing and healthcare. Rebecca Strong, a beacon of compassion and change, stands as a testament to the transformative power of one individual's dedication to healing and humanity.

In the days of Egyptian antiquity, many of the gods were abstract concepts rather than the actual anthropomorphic god-pictures familiar to us today. Many of the later fully-morphed deities were originally theological concepts represented by a distinctive hieroglyph, very similar to the correspondences used in modern ritual magic. As the need for a controlling religion grew, so did the spiritual need for more tangible forms on which to focus the common peopleâEUR(TM)s devotions. The common manâEUR(TM)s mind dwelt on the concrete, not the abstract, and so the gods took on those strange but easily recognisable animal-human shapes to satisfy the religious-teaching-by-pictures demands of less scholarly folk. The images recorded in tomb paintings, bas-relief and statuary were intended to represent living forms of the gods themselves, or Pharaoh as a god. There was a simple reason behind this. Egyptian life, magic and religion were inextricably intertwined, one could not, and did not exist, without the other. God, or a male/female/multiple concept of that god, was manifest in everything animate and inanimate. The authentic Egyptian religion developed over thousands of years, with each deity assuming many forms under the influence of various religious movements and/or foreign invasions. Each form also developed its own positive and negative aspects, which responded in various ways to different people, and so it is now impossible to be dogmatic about how the gods of those different theologies relate and blend. It is also important to realise that the original religion was never an earth-bound concept since the priesthood explored mysticism on a cosmic scale: their spirituality extending to the stars and beyond. The Egyptian civilisation took over 3000 years to evolve fully and a further 2000 years to decay, which is why the Egyptian Mystery Tradition cannot be encapsulated into convenient modern packaging.

Names like Ben-My-Chree, Tynwald and Lady of Mann are synonymous with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, the worldâEUR(TM)s oldest shipping line that is still in existence. In its long history, there can have been no greater test of the companyâEUR(TM)s ships or its men than the Second World War. As well as maintaining a crucial link to the Isle of Man (in spite of U-boats and mines), the vessels and their compliments saw vital service as troop carriers at Dunkirk, on D-Day and elsewhere. For the first time, this book explores what it was really like to crew these ships, often under fire, and frequently in danger. Using previously unreleased archive material, and sometimes forgotten personal accounts, this book weaves a gripping narrative of what was arguably the Isle of ManâEUR(TM)s greatest contribution to victory in the Second World War âEUR" its fleet.

Persecuted, outlawed, imprisoned, shunned. You might think this refers only to the LGBTQ+ community, but their experience is remarkably closely aligned to the experience of the Disabled community. This book examines the histories of these two movements are they ran alongside each other often intersecting. Both the Disabled and the LGBTQ+ movements have rich and intriguing pasts that date back beyond recorded history. As Holder explores the journey of these movements the journey highlights their shared history through the stories of the people who brought both into modern consciousness. They represent vital landmarks in the little-explored intersections between the two groupsâEUR(TM) past and present. Turn-of-the-century Mexican bisexual painter, Frida Kahlo, was Disabled by both polio and injury; Michelangelo turned his artistic talents toward homoerotic poetry to manage his arthritis. The iconic Marsha P Johnson lived with and cared for those with AIDs, and Dr Fryer, the psychiatrist with depression, has been credited with planting the seed that led to the removal of homosexuality from the American diagnostic manual of mental disorders. While many of these events seem small, they shape our Queer and Disability cultures and shared history, to show just how far we've come and how far we still have to go.

James Barrie has been marked in recent years as manipulative, perverted and without the ability to love. Having authored the story of _Peter Pan_, which has been enjoyed by children and adults for over 100 years, many literary critics have been intrigued about where this story epitomising childhood joy and innocence came from. Most will associate _Peter Pan_ with DisneyâEUR(TM)s colourful version, but the original story that Barrie penned is actually much darker, with a gloomier background in its making. With humble beginnings from a small town in Scotland, BarrieâEUR(TM)s childhood was filled with grief and loss, but also stories and play. He took his passion of storytelling to study English Literature at university before finding himself in the capital for all writers: central London. It was here that he came to meet the Llewelyn Davies family. His involvement with this upper-class family with relatives including Daphne du Maurier are what many say to be the sole inspiration for _Peter Pan_, and that his integration into the family was primarily with sinister intentions. Much of his writing reflected his life, including his marriage and the unhappiness that spanned from it, all of which can be found in traces throughout _Peter Pan_. The Peter that Barrie wrote was not just a boy that didnâEUR(TM)t want to grow up, but a being that was neither human nor not human, with complexities that can only be understood if BarrieâEUR(TM)s life is also looked into. This book aims to prove that much of the speculation and accusations surrounding Barrie and his nature have come from a time of misunderstanding, where many psychological terms were not coined and sexuality was a taboo subject. With the latest claims that Barrie was manipulative and perverted, these critics overlooked the likelihood that Barrie was asexual, as well as suffering from Peter Pan Syndrome. With a life littered with loss, itâEUR(TM)s clear that Barrie did not go through his life unscathed, but is it fair to mark him as the bad man heâEUR(TM)s recently been painted to be, especially after providing one of the most popular stories of all time?

This book provides a detailed analysis of the attack of the Comte dâEUR(TM)ErlonâEUR(TM)s French I Corps, and the subsequent allied counterattack, at the Battle of Waterloo. This assault by 20,000 men and eighty guns in the early afternoon of 18 June 1815 came as close as any to winning the battle for Napoleon. It was eventually repulsed âEUR" just âEUR" by two stretched Allied infantry divisions and two brigades of cavalry and was, in the words of the Duke of Wellington himself, âEURœone of the most serious attacks made by the enemy.âEUR? Until now, there has been surprisingly little in-depth analysis of this crucial moment in the battle âEUR" something that this book seeks to remedy. Graeme Callister combines a detailed narrative with a thorough analysis of how the event unfolded. All aspects of the attack are covered; from the grand tactics to the human experience of being in the firing lines, considering the soldiersâEUR(TM) experience, morale, leadership, condition and cohesion. Using rarely before analysed material from the French regimental registers, it examines the service records of individuals involved in the action, alongside the first-hand accounts and reminiscences of those who left them. The book begins with an assessment of the background of each of the forces: their composition, command structures, and the condition of their men. It then discusses how they found themselves to be in their positions on the battlefield, exploring the grand tactics, terrain, and wider strategic situation. The main part of the analysis focuses on the attack itself, looking at the formations and direction of the attacking forces (the four divisions of Quiot, Donzelot, Marcognet, and Durutte, plus the grand battery and supporting cuirassier brigade) and the tactical approach of the men set to meet them. Based on a wide range of primary sources, including those in French, English, Dutch and German, this book offers fresh perspectives on a crucial part of the Waterloo story, and helps us to understand why men advanced or stood, fought or ran, and lived or died amidst the maelstrom of battle.

Much has been written about the historical persecution of Catholics. Priests in particular became prime targets during the heightened tensions of the Armada and the Gunpowder Plot. But those whom they relied on for shelter have received little attention - until now. The underground network of lay supporters, the Catholic Resistance, mostly comprised courageous women of the great (and sometimes not so great) families of England, and their houses riddled with priest holes. These women fought a cat-and-mouse game with spymasters like Walsingham and Cecil and their spider's web of clandestine informants, knowing that one slip might lead to arrest, torture and execution. The indomitable Anne Vaux and her sister Eleanor provide the focus of this story but there were others, including their niece Frances, who as an 11-year-old boldly confronted armed raiders in search of priests; and Margaret Clitherow of York, arrested during a similar search and ultimately pressed to death. To escape the clutches of Elizabeth's brutal torturer Richard Topcliffe and others like him, men like Father John Gerard, whose 'zipwire' escape from the Tower of London is the stuff of Tom Cruise films, and genius priest-hole creator 'Little John', turned to these Sisters of Mercy.

The sequel to _The Hospitaller Knights of Saint John at Rhodes 1306-1522_, this volume covers the period 1523âEUR"1565. This volume opens with the relocation from Rhodes to Malta during the years following the OrderâEUR(TM)s heart-rending loss of Rhodes to Ottoman Sultan Suleiman. This loss was also that of 4,000 non-belligerent Christians choosing to abandon their homes and livelihoods and to accompany the Order in its search for a new home. Volume II further deals with the first thirty-five years of Hospitaller residence at Malta including operations from there along the coast of North Africa, with major sieges of Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers, with penetrating exposÃ(c)s of corsair admirals such as Kheir-ed-Din Barbarossa and Dragut, and with giants of Christian history such as Andrea Doria. Finally, this volume deals with the Ottoman EmpireâEUR(TM)s 1565 attempt to eradicate the Order with that yearâEUR(TM)s Great Siege of Malta. The author draws on the work of the OrderâEUR(TM)s official historians, Giacomo Bosio and his successor Bartolomeo dal Pozzo. He transcribes their writings for the modern reader, while also presenting new information revealed in the 400 years of scholarship since BosioâEUR(TM)s death in 1627. While initial chapters focus on Philippe Villiers de lâEUR(TM)Isle-Adam, 44th Grand Master of the Hospitaller Knights of Saint John, this history also brings to light the contributions of properly identified lieutenants, allies and opponents. This Volume is believed to be the only continuous history since Bosio of the Hospitallers during the period 1523 through 1565, and is certainly the only such history in English.

Everybody remembers where they were the day John F. Kennedy died. The presidentâEUR(TM)s assassination shocked the world and raised questions that have still not been answered today. Almost as shocking is attempted assassination âEUR" the bullet that missed; the bomb that did not go off; the poison that did not work. _Dodging the Bullet_ looks at the most spectacular of these, from attempts on royals like George II and Queen Victoria, where dysfunctional men with unreliable guns lurked in the shrubbery of parks to the astonishing 634 attempts to kill and/or discredit Fidel Castro. Anybody in the public eye is a potential victim for an assassin. Anybody with access to the most easily obtained weapons is a potential killer. The fascination lies in the mix of these two âEUR" the random meeting of the famous and the deranged. _Dodging the Bullet_ has professional hitmen working for sinister organizations and governments. It has security services who are nothing of the sort. It has arrogant and complacent rulers of states who believe in their own immortality âEUR" âEUR¿Honey, I forgot to duck,âEUR(TM) as President Ronald Reagan said. Why the bullet missed is one of the imponderables. Another is; what difference would it have made if it had not?

This first volume on the LNER 4-4-0 locomotives describes the design, construction, history, operation and performance of the Great Northern, Great Central and Great Eastern examples, classified by the LNER at the Grouping as classes, D1 - D4, D5 - D12 and D13 - D16 respectively. It covers from their emergence in the late nineteenth century to their demise in the mid or late 1950s and their performance at their peak operation times, mainly in the inter-war years of LNER ownership. It also includes the former Midland & Great Northern Railway engines that were later absorbed by the LNER as classes D52 - D54.

On 3 April 1832, a twelve-year-old girl visited her grandfather's house, a public house known as Bill's o'Jack's on the edge of Saddleworth Moor, only to find her uncle dying on the floor of a room saturated with blood. Upstairs, her grandfather lay in his bed having suffered mortal injuries. Neither man lived long enough to explain what had happened. The story of the murders of William and Thomas Bradbury quickly spread throughout the local area and beyond, precipitating a frantic hunt for suspects. No-one was ever charged and the case remains unsolved, but the story never quite went away, becoming a legend that long outlived those directly affected. The Bill's o'Jack's Murders took place at a time of great change, and the background to the case encompassed many issues, including political reform, enclosure and the growing influence of newspapers. It was a crime very much of its time, shaped by contemporary issues and concerns. Yet the legend took on a life of its own, removed from any historical context, and continued to grow for almost a hundred years before settling down into a final form that only vaguely reflected reality. Bill's o'Jack's itself, made infamous by the events of 1832, became an integral part of the local community and thrived on its notoriety until it was demolished in 1937. This book follows the story from that first morning and traces its transmutation into legend. It examines the events leading up to the death of William and Thomas Bradbury and the aftermath of the murders; it describes the lives of those affected âEUR" the families, the suspects and the journalists âEUR" and places everything within the context of the tumultuous Georgian era.

It might have ended 80 years ago, but we still have a warm, nostalgic relationship with the Second World War, due in no small part to the love we have for the entertainment from those turbulent times. Singers like Vera Lynn âEUR" the âEUR¿Forces SweetheartâEUR(TM) âEUR" Gracie Fields, Anne Shelton, and the Andrews Sisters, bandleader Glenn Miller whose fate is still a mystery, films like _Gone With The Wind_, _Casablanca_, _Mrs Miniver_, _In Which We Serve_, _Goodbye Mr Chips_, and morale-boosting radio programmes like _ITMA_, _Music While You Work_ and _Hi Gang!_ all helped Britain to stay calm and carry on as it sheltered from the bombs, worked long hours in munitions factories, and prayed that its menfolk fighting on land, sea and in the air to bring about victory would one day return home safely. _Wartime Entertainment: How Britain Kept Smiling Through the Second World War_ relives the wartime years, looking at the songs and the singers, at the role that the BBC âEUR" âEUR¿AuntieâEUR(TM) âEUR" played not only in entertaining the nation but also in keeping it informed, at how West End theatre survived the Blitz, and at the bands that played both the big dance venues and the village halls to raise spirits and, for a few hours at least, lighten the mood of those dark and dangerous days. The book considers the work of the Crown Film Unit that made short information and documentary films as well as longer drama-documentaries and even a few straight drama productions for the public in Britain and abroad, and at ENSA âEUR" the Entertainments National Service Association âEUR" that provided entertainment for British armed forces personnel both at home and abroad.

An alternative history of success rather than decline anf fall. The actual history is set out and the alternative history with Old Time Lines (OTL) for reference. It is a vivid narrative, deeply researched, full of events and people, great and minor igur6es who come to life. It is a story of division and controversy concerning imperial and dynastic ambition and struggle, often caustic family relationships, cultural and religious disputes with surviving paganism and the classical philosophy of Neo-Platonism, and exandng Christianity in church and state in both Empires. The Empires are expanding in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Division and crisis is followed by restoration, more division but finally re-unification.

One nation in turmoil, another seeking aggrandizement, smaller states jostling for security, mercenary expeditions, and political and racial armed struggles breaking out. In 1835 the northern Mexican state of Texas declared its independence and won it after defeating General Santa AnnaâEUR(TM)s forces at the Battle of San Jacinto. A few years later, as a larger and looming war with the United States approached, the gulf state of Yucatan did the same by claiming itself a separate republic. For Mexican authorities, the existence of breakaway republics on its periphery represented an existential crisis and an opportunity for U.S. and European interests. For many on both sides, the US-Mexican war officially beginning in 1846 after the Republic of Texas was annexed to the United States was merely a continuation of a conflict that began ten years earlier. Adding to the turmoil, the uprising in Yucatan by indigenous Maya against a criollo minority in 1847 and the contemplated military intervention and annexation of that republic by American leadership towards the end of the war sheds light on a conflict with ethnic, national, and international dimensions. In his second transnational history of the Mexican-American War, historian Benjamin J. Swenson examines the breakaway republics of Texas and Yucatan and demonstrates how the war was not only a manifestation of American expansionism and internal Mexican disunion, but a geostrategic contest involving European states seeking to curtail a nascent imperial powerâEUR(TM)s dominance in North America.