On the outbreak of war in 1939, Hitler's U-boat supremo, Admiral Dönitz, waged war against the Allies with a ferocity derived from his year as a British prisoner of war in WWI. The Battle of the Atlantic started hours after the declaration of war, when a U-boat attacked the passenger liner Athenia and made no attempt to rescue the survivors. Following an outcry, survivors of an attack on the Olivegrove were helped to escape, and the two captains even shook hands. Dönitz promptly issued Standing Order 154: "Rescue no-one". In the first years of the war, Dönitz's "wolf-pack" programme produced a series of successes, relying on a system that identified the sound of a ship's propeller and directed the torpedo towards the stern. But the superiority of British radar in locating surfaced submarines was continually thwarting the U-boat programme by 1943. Allied air power reached its peak in 1943 and the cracking of the Enigma code at Bletchley Park had huge consequences. The author quotes Dönitz as saying he is unable to understand his losses unless the unthinkable had happened and the enemy had captured an Enigma machine. Meanwhile long-range Liberator III RCAFs had at last closed the gap in the north Atlantic, and the first British aircraft carrier specifically designed for convoy escort work made its appearance. In one of the book's most gripping incidents, U230 was catapulted to the bottom five miles down, completely out of control, but the crew held out and survived. Finally Dönitz called off his wolf packs from the north Atlantic. He was charged with war crimes at Nuremberg but escaped with his life when an American commander admitted to similarly inhumane treatment of Japanese survivors. 240pp, photos, maps.

Britain's Traitors, Spies and Killers 1914-1918. The scale of battlefield slaughter in the Great War makes us forget that the processes of criminal trial and execution continued at home throughout the period. This fascinating book is an account of capital punishment during WWI, with details of the trials and executions of over 30 murderers and traitors. Chapters on the public hangmen consider their training and methods, including John Ellis who took his own life shortly after retiring as chief executioner in 1924. Between 1900 and 1964 there was one execution on average every two or three weeks, and during the period covered by this book the average was one every month. The author starts with razors as a murder weapon and goes through murder methods including the axe, poker, gun, knife and beating. 71-year old Charles Frembd killed his wife with a razor, probably under the influence of Alzheimer's, but insisted he was of sound mind which together with the fact that he was German led to his death sentence. The Bloomsbury Mystery was a poker murder involving the dismembered body of Emelienne Gerard whose lover was a butcher. The famous pathologist Sir Bernard Spilsbury was called in, but in the years following the execution a question arose as to whether the butcher's imprisoned accomplice Bertha Roche might have been the actual killer. Spilsbury was also instrumental in convicting George Smith, the Brides in the Bath murderer, demonstrating to the jury how it was possible to kill someone in only a few inches of water. Smith hurled abuse at witnesses and finally admitted that he was "a bit peculiar", though denying murder. Another famous trial was that of Sir Roger Casement, an English diplomat who collaborated with the Germans to eject the English from Ireland in the cause of Irish nationalism. John Ellis said Casement met his death more bravely than any other condemned man. 174pp, photos.

While battles such as Spartolus (429BC) and Solygeia (425BC) are important to our understanding of battle tactics, the sources do not allow for a thorough reconstruction like they can for Delium (424BC) or Leuctra (371BC). Most controversially, the author has chosen to leave out the Battle of Thermopylae (480BC) because although it is an amazing story of human endurance and military efficiency, 'tactically it is very boring.' The battles chosen follow a simple chronology of classical Greek warfare starting with the Peloponnesian War, which was the first fully reported conflict that pitched hoplite against hoplite. Greek sieges were varied and at times experimental, a ferocious battle for survival that included women and children amongst its participants. The placement of the battles of Marathon and Plataea at the beginning of the book about hoplite-based warfare begins with an anomaly of Greek military action. What is clear is that the Greeks did not fight the Persians in the same manner in which they fought each other. Three Persian battles have been chosen based upon the unique situations as they arose. Each battle is set in context with background, battlefield and opposing forces discussed and the aftermath of the engagements and strategic implications for both the victors and the defeated. The text is supported by dozens of tactical diagrams showing the deployment of troops and various phases of each battle. 17 battles chosen by the independent-minded historian. 284pp, a Pen & Sword publication. Illus.

Of the thousands of commanders who served in history's armies, why is it that only a few are remembered as remarkable leaders of men in battle? The book examines the role of human will and intellect as evident in the lives of 10 selected military commanders of the ancient world - Thutmose III of Egypt, Moses, Sargon II the Great of Assyria, Philip II of Macedon, Scipio Africanus, Hannibal Barca, Julius Caesar, Marcus Agrippa, Muhammad. Gabriel analyses their psychology, personality and experience that allows these generals to tread the path to greatness and conspicuous for their absence are Alexander the Great and Attila the Hun. Hannibal's movement over the Alps marked his propensity to take risks on a grand scale. Sargon died leading an attack in battle, Caesar personally led the attack at Alesia distinguishing himself by his red cloak, and Thutmose personally led the attack at Megiddo. Philip was wounded five times, Alexander seven and Muhammad twice. Himself a military man, Gabriel distils the timeless essence of military leadership. Well illustrated with maps.

A remarkable gallery of artworks, presented on big glossy white pages, all in original line art, charcoal and pencil drawings, the books showcases the work of contemporary combat artists and illustrators from the Great War era. It is a vivid graphic record of life and death on the high seas from the outbreak of the war just prior to the Battle of Jutland as reported to contemporary audiences while the events were still unfolding. There is a heart wrenchingly tragic image of rescue work after the disappearance of the Lusitania, with drowning and drowned casualties being hauled from the water into small rescue boats by sailors; a Zeppelin holding up a merchant vessel in the North Sea in a dramatic image, the sinking of the Turkish battleship Messudiyeh by submarine B11, a captioned diagram of the enemy destroyer sank at the mouth of the Ems River, a pen and ink portrait of the First Lord (Churchill with his two highest executive Officers), the famous exploit of Commander Cecil H. Fox who sent four German destroyers to the bottom, his men standing alongside their huge guns, watching the vessels flounder; upturned vessels and propellers, Britain's deadly mosquitos of the ocean, throwing overboard all inflammable luxuries when a battleship is cleared for action, mine layers at work and an amazing drawing giving a splendid idea of the hugeness of provisioning a warship with 120lbs of cake, six cases of sardines, 36 cooked hams and 270 dozen fresh eggs among the cargo. Here is a remarkable double page spread of the painting Gassed by John Singer Sargeant with many blinded casualties and 1st Artist Rifles by Paul Nash. Hundreds of images, 128 page softback, 8" x 10".

'Edward I and the Scottish Wars of Independence' is the subject of this convincing description of Edward's campaigns in Scotland. Known to posterity as Scottorum Malleus, the Hammer of the Scots, Edward I was one of medieval England's most formidable rulers. Santiuste offers a fresh interpretation of Edward's military career in what is in part a study of personality. Edward struggled with tenacious opponents including Robert the Bruce and William Wallace which have become the stuff of legend. Whilst also exploring the political background, Edward emerges as a man of great conviction who sought to bend Scotland to his will, but also on occasion as a surprisingly beleaguered figure. There is a clear and perceptive account of important military events, notably the Battle of Falkirk, and the narrative also encompasses the wider impact of Edward's campaigns. Edward attempted to mobilise resources including men, money and supplies on an unprecedented scale and his wars affected people at all levels of society throughout the British Isles. There is insight into the tactics, technology and logistics of medieval warfare and incisive discussions of important battles and sieges. 236pp, eight pages of photos plus maps for example of the Battle of Stirling Bridge.

The centre of Britain's codebreaking operation was located at Bletchley Park where a hastily assembled army of codebreakers battled to decipher Germany's secret wartime communications. A motley collection of linguists, mathematicians and crossword enthusiasts pitted their combined wits against the 'unbreakable' naval Enigma codes and Lorenz ciphers used by Hitler and the German High Command. They deciphered high-level signals intelligence disseminated to military commanders was known as Ultra, and had a major influence on the outcome of the war and success in the battle for the Atlantic. British interest in codes and ciphers stretches back to the court of Elizabeth I and her spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham. The book traces the history of the school established by him in the 1570s to the work of the Secret Office of the Post Office in the 18th century to the creation of the Government Code and Cipher School in 1919. The exploits of the two World Wars form a major aspect of the story and include the achievements of the Admiralty's Room 40 and the infamous Zimmermann Telegram, the contribution made by Alan Turing and his ground-breaking work into computing, and a brief overview of post-war developments and the importance of signals intelligence in the Cold War. 132 page extra large softback, many illus.

Bowman is one of Britain's best known WW2 aviation historians and authors and here he looks at Jet Engines 1972 to the present, illustrating how fighter-bombers and tactics have developed and evolved since the 1970s. It covers all the most significant military conflicts including the Eleven Day War of Christmas 1972 in Vietnam and the Falklands Air War 1982, when Harrier pilots engaged in aerial battles with Skyhawks and when Vulcans, supported by Victor tankers, flew 'Black Buck' raids on Argentine positions. It also explores the era of the Gulf War, which witnessed the Victor and the B-52 fighting alongside Buccaneers, Tornadoes and F-111s. Then there is the ongoing war against terror, culminating in the opening stages of 'Inherent Resolve' which has seen Tornadoes, F/A-18 Hornets, Soviet-built Su-24M2 and Su-30CM jet fighters, Su-25 SM armoured subsonic close air support/attack aircraft, Su-34 multi-role fighter/bombers and the Tupolev Tu-160 'Blackjack' heavy strategic bombers employed in the war against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Eight individual chapters look at the part played by the earliest V-bombers - the Vulcan, Victor and Valiant - and fighter-bombers in the Nuclear Age. There are a range of first-hand accounts and snippets from pilot testimony plus well researched historical narrative to create a rounded sense of events as they played out during this dynamic period of aviation history. There are gripping descriptions of the B-52 raids on Hanoi, intended to force the North Vietnamese back to the conference table, US raid on Libya. Includes many colour and dozens of mono plates, 256pp.

The Norman conquest of England in 1066 was a predictable event, but the Norman conquest of Sicily is in another category altogether, relating to a kingdom at a great distance and happening over two centuries rather than in a single battle. This well-researched account gives the detail of how Norman mercenary soldiers employed in southern Italy by the Hauteville family gradually took over as rulers. The region was part of the Byzantine empire, but the Italian Lombards wanted control, while the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor both took issue with the dominance of the Orthodox Church under Byzantine rule. Over a century of fast-moving power politics and pitched battles the Norman mercenaries gradually defeated the forces ranged against them, culminating in the control of Robert Guiscard and his brother Roger I in Sicily, a largely Muslim region. Defining the precise nature of the military administration in the region ruled by Lombards and Byzantines is not an easy task, and the author examines in detail the elite cavalries of Salerno and an infantry of archers and slingers, some of whom were mercenaries. In the early 11th century the Normans were a cavalry-based force, vassals recruited through a promise of land. They conquered other portions of the Byzantine empire and Syria, much of which was under Arab rule under the Seljuk dynasty, and like southern Italy was peopled by various ethnicities and faiths. The author looks at methods of siege warfare and battle line-ups, including details such as overhand versus underhand striking on the Bayeux Tapestry. The social and political career of Guiscard included the ducal title received from Pope Nicholas in 1059, following a marriage which improved the position of the Hauteville family and was also beneficial to the Prince Gisulf II of Salerno. By 1074 Guiscard was excommunicated and at war, but in 1081 he made peace for the battle of Dyrrachion in Albania against the Byzantine emperor Alexios Komnenos. The book concludes with the defence of the kingdom by Roger II and William II. 251pp, colour photos.

Napoleon was a charismatic and astute military leader who built an empire in a series of astounding campaigns from 1796 to 1812 in which he won many of the most famous battles of all time. He had transformed France's administrative, educational and legal systems, and most of the continent of Europe was under his control, from Portugal to Moscow. This vivid book written by one of Britain's leading historians provides an essential overview of Napoleon's career, beginning in revolutionary France with a brilliant young Lieutenant who still styled himself Napoleone di Buonaparte. Holmes examines every facet of Napoleon's military career - his astonishing victories at the Battle of the Pyramids, Marengo, Jena and Austerlitz, through to defeat and exile under the immense weight of the great powers who were determined to stop the man who would be emperor of Europe. Following his escape from Elba and return to power in March 1815, and culminating in the Battle of Waterloo in June, we can relive an extraordinary period of history through this superbly crafted history. Chapter headings include Artillery, The Italian Campaign, Egypt and Syria, Brumaire and Marengo, Grande Armée, Berlin to Tilsit, Cavalry, The Spanish Ulcer 1809-11 and The Imperial Court among them. 135pp, illustrated paperback.