Of particular interest given the very recent attacks in Gaza, this is fascinating background history. The Palestine campaign of 1917 saw Britain's armed forces rise from defeat to achieve stunning victory. After two failed attempts in the spring, at the end of the year they broke through the Ottoman line with an innovative mixture of old and new technology and tactics, and managed to advance over 50 miles, from Gaza to Jerusalem, in only two months. As well as discussions of military strategy, Stuart Hadaway's gripping narrative of the campaign gives a broad account of the men on both sides who lived and fought in the harsh desert conditions of Palestine, facing not only brave and determined enemies, but also the environment itself: heat, disease and an ever-present thirst. Involving Ottoman, ANZAC, British and Arab forces, the campaign saw great empires manoeuvring for the coveted Holy Land. It was Britain's victory in 1917, however, that redrew the maps of the Middle East and shaped the political climate for the century to come. The repercussions of the 1917 Palestine campaign continue to be felt today and the book re examines this crucial point in time when the fate of the Holy Land was changed beyond recognition. Chapters cover the first and second battles of Gaza, Ottoman Palestine, trench warfare, Into the Judean mountains and Jerusalem. Colour photos and maps and a note on names, quotes and terminology. 256 pages.

This richly illustrated book steers a course through some of history's most epic engagements on the high seas, written by the renowned naval historian Dr Helen Doe. From the medieval to modern times, this fascinating guide recalls over 50 naval battles which have changed the course of history as ships evolved from simple battering tams to sophisticated war machines. Arranged chronologically, two double pages spreads are dedicated to a different battle - including why they took place, who was in command, the technologies available to them and the battle tactics they used. Includes among many more: Battle of Sandwich (1217), the Battles of Winchelsea, Lepanto, Cadiz, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Cape Passaro, Flamborough Head, Chesapeake Bay, the Nile, Tripoli and the First Barbary War, Navarino, The Battle of Trafalgar (1805), The Battle of Jutland (1916), Pearl Harbor (1941) the Battle of the Java Sea, the Battle of Midway, the battles for Guadalcanal right up to the Falklands War (1982). Featuring dramatic paintings, detailed battle plans, incredible full-colour photography and fascinating objects and artifacts like medals and charts, this intriguing book charts the key role of naval warfare through this and explores how technology, leadership, luck, and even the weather, have played their part in defining the world we live in today. Lampooning cartoons, glorious colour artworks of sailing ships by Garneray, and the Battle of Finisterre by Samuel Scoot are among page after page images. Glamorous large 30.2 x 2.7 x 25.3cm 256 pages.
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At 04.08 hours on the morning of 13 June 1944, two members of the Royal Observer Corps were on duty at their post on the top of a Martello tower on the seafront at Dymchurch in Kent. At that moment they spotted the approach of an object spurting red flames from its rear and making a noise 'like a Model-T-Ford going up a hill'. It was a development that they, and many others throughout the UK, had been anticipating for months. The first V1 flying bomb, an example of what Hitler had called his 'Vergeltungswaffen' or Vengeance Weapons, to be released against Britain was rattling towards them. The two spotters on top of the tower may well have been aware that a new Battle of Britain had just begun. For years, key individuals in the UK had been aware of experiments by Germany to build long-range weapons. From leaked documents, reports from the French Resistance and the result of aerial photography, a picture was gradually put together of an extensive programme by the Nazis to build pilotless aircraft, the Fi 103 V1 flying bomb, and the V2, the A4 rocket, which could be directed at the United Kingdom. By 1943, enough information had been gathered for Britain and its American allies to act, and the first bombing raids were undertaken against the long-range weapons installations. From August 1943, every effort was undertaken by the RAF and the USAAF Eighth Air Force to destroy every site lined to the V-weapons. This book, written by the Air Ministry's Air Historical Branch, is the official account of the measures undertaken by the Air Defence of Great Britain, Fighter Command, Anti-Aircraft Command, Bomber Command and even the Balloon Command to defend the UK from what was potentially the greatest threat it had ever encountered. It was only through this multi-disciplinary approach that the actual effect of the V-weapons was contained to the level it was. Even so, the extent of the damage and deaths the flying bombs and rockets caused and the fear they generated, was considerable and had this coordinated approach not been undertaken the UK's resolve in the crucial months of the war might have been seriously challenged. Plans were ready for the evacuation of 100,000 of London's priority classes and 20,000 were also to be evacuated from Portsmouth and Southampton. Accommodation in the London area had been earmarked for half a million homeless people and the reserves of Morrison shelters were being concentrated near London and in the Solent area. This highly detailed, accurate and unbiased account is a valuable addition to the history of the Second World War. It demonstrates the difficulties the UK faced in identifying the nature of the highly secret German weapons and how, through an enormous, combined effort, this threat was overcome. 15.24 x 3.18 x 22.86cm, 296 pages.

In 1893, even as Gandhi, Ranji and Vivekananda were seeking to take their ideas and expertise out of India, a Western woman was making the reverse journey, bringing her ideas to India. Mrs Annie Besant and The Theosophical Society became major players in both Indian and International arenas. Benjamin Guy Horniman was a great journalist who believed that Indians should be given the same rights of liberty and freedom that Englishmen enjoyed. Freedom-loving American Samuel Evans Stokes and Madeline Slade who left England for India and became the adopted daughter of Mahatma Gandhi, Philip Spratt and his contributions in the Indian struggle for freedom are some of the seven people chosen to tell their little-known stories. Foreigners to India date from the late 19th century onwards arrived to join the freedom movement fighting for independence. Their lives thus span a century of tumultuous history incorporating two world wars, Independence and Partition, and the emergence of a state and society. Of the seven four were British, two American and one Irish, four men and three women. Before and after being jailed or deported they did remarkable and pioneering work from journalism and social reform to education, organic agriculture and environmentalism. The writer William Dalrymple called them the 'White Mughals' who slowly shed their Britishness and adopted Indian dress, studied Indian philosophy at a time when racial boundaries were more fluid. These renegades came to the sub-continent from diverse social and intellectual backgrounds. They all combined writing with activism, two of them working up north in the high and cold Himalaya, two in the deepest south, close to the hot and humid coast, and two were inspired to settle in villages, marrying Indians and raising children with them. One man stayed unmarried and was almost certainly gay, taking Indian lovers. 476pp, eight pages of photos.

The photographs collected in this unique book provide a startling visual documentation of seminal revolutionary events, from the Paris Commune of 1871 through to a series of "Unfinished Revolutions", from May 1968 in France to the Zapatista uprising in the mid 1990s. They include the Russian Revolutions of 1905 and 1917, and revolutions in Hungary, Germany, Mexico, China, the Spanish Civil War and the Cuban Revolution. The immediacy of the images tells the story of these struggles in a way that texts rarely can, with shocking contemporary photographs such as the barricade showing the scene after a battle, teeming with people, soldiers, shock troops and bystanders, the barricades riddled with holes seen in a daguerreotype taken from a window on June 20th and 26, 1948 and as described by Victor Hugo in Les Miserables. Commentary on the images is provided by leading historians Gilbert Achcar, Enzo Traverso, Janette Habel, and Pierre Rousset, and Michael Löwy. The relatively new media of photography provided a method which abstracts the subjective responsibility arising from personality culture and political choices on the part of the photographer. Chunky 540 pages, fully illus with hundreds of rare mono images.

When Alexander the Great died in 323 BC, he left an empire that stretched from the shores of the Adriatic to the mountains of Afghanistan. This empire did not survive Alexander's death, and rapidly broke into several successor states. These states, substantial kingdoms in their own right, dominated Asia Minor, Greece, the Levant and Egypt for the next 300 years. While Philip Matyszak's narrative covers their remarkable contribution of the Eastern Greeks in fields such as philosophy, science and culture, the main focus is on the rivalry, politics and wars, both civil and foreign, which the Hellenistic rulers constantly fought among themselves. As in other fields, the Successor Kingdoms were innovators in the military and diplomatic field. Indeed, their wars and diplomatic skirmishes closely presage those of 18th century Europe and the superpower rivalries of the 20th century. The complex interaction of these different kingdoms, each with its own character and evolving military systems, combined geopolitics and grand strategy with diplomatic duplicity, and relentless warfare. The epic story of the successor states is full of flawed heroes, palace intrigue, murder, treachery, incest, rebellion and conquest and chapters cover Alexander conquering the world, and the Seleucid empire, Hellenism The Next Generation, the West and Ptolemaic Egypt. Maps, 18 plates, 176 pages.

In this extraordinary book, historian Tony Insall reveals how some of the most striking achievements of the Norwegian resistance were the detailed reports produced by intelligence agents living in the dangerous conditions of the country's desolate wilderness. A definitive appraisal of Anglo-Norwegian WWII cooperation, he provides remarkable insights into the uniquely close political relationship that afforded powerful assistance for a successful resistance movement. Using previously unpublished archival material from London, Oslo and Moscow, Insall explores how SIS and SOE developed productive links with their Norwegian counterparts and examines the crucial intelligence from the Security Service and Bletchley Park codebreakers who supported their sabotage operations. Offering dramatic details on operations such as Gunnerside which targeted the heavy water plant in Vemork in order to foil the Nazis plans to build an atomic bomb and the sinking of the Tirpitz in November 1944 and Churchill 's obsession. Chapters cover the German invasion 1914, how Bletchley Park made the breakthrough cracking the Abwehr codes, espionage, agents, double agents and double cross, operations and problems 1941-43, the development of naval coverage, disrupting you both and retribution, recognition and compensation. With useful list of abbreviations, maps and illustrations. 422 pages.

Sub-titled Soldiers and Ambulances 1914-1918 In Flanders Fields and Ypres, Soldiers and Psychiatrists 1914-2014, this book is a study of the suffering of war, which can be overwhelming. The book is exceptionally well illustrated with posters, colour artworks, archive images, modern photographs and some very harrowing photos depicting blown away body parts including faces, amputated legs and very badly injured soldiers which some may find distressing, but also angelic nurses and portraits and exquisitely beautiful artworks on every page. Offering both analysis and reflection, this intensely moving book looks at the way in which psychiatrists, reporters, artists and war photographers currently perceive and treat the psychological suffering, the often invisible legacy of those involved in war and human conflict. At the beginning of the first world war, not a single European army was prepared to deal with the large numbers of victims in a humanitarian way. How were injured soldiers taken care of and who did this? How were the victims evacuated, and how many were truly traumatised or were "male hysterics"? The firepower of the armies was increased, the defence reinforced, but victim care continued to lag seriously behind. Philanthropy, private initiative and the courageous efforts of many individuals had to make up for the failing medical care during the war. Read about the Friends' Ambulance Unit which was working under the flag of the British Red Cross and the work of the Quakers. As the war progressed, medical care also developed and organisation and relief improved. The greatest breakthrough was, however, the recognition - albeit reluctantly - of mental trauma caused by the war. During World War I, many soldiers fell victim to bizarre, anxious and disturbed behaviour, which was sometimes referred to as "shell shock". The army commanders seemed reluctant to recognise a formal diagnosis, questioning whether men were really traumatised or simply cowards who were trying to stay away from the horrific and terrifying reality of the Front. Whereas in the early 20th century, the focus was mainly on the shock itself and the outward physical symptoms, today there is a far more in-depth exploration of the complex nature of the human reaction to extreme stress, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. A rare import, 192 page extra large sized illustrated paperback, colour.
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In 1937, Helene Munson's father lived with his parents in Peru and was taken to Germany to visit his Auntie Tali, a schoolteacher working in Bremen. Somehow Tali persuaded nine-year old Hans Dunker's parents that it would be good for him to stay in Germany to get a good education. He was sent to an elite school run by the Nazis at Feldafing, and towards the end of the war, as the resources of the German army failed, he was conscripted to the front line as a boy soldier. Helene knew nothing about it until her father was dying and he gave her his diaries. Prompted by this revelation, she visited Germany to retrace her father's steps and stand in his shoes at certain key points in his story. Feldafing was the most elite of the Nazi schools, founded by Ernst Röhm, but it fell into decline following the start of the war. Each day the boys raised the flag at 5.30 in the morning and had five hours of lessons before lunch, and they were taught to feel superior to the ordinary boys of the Hitler youth. Helene's researches into Nazi schools led her to speculate about the motives of famous alumni such as Gunter Grass and Joseph Ratzinger. She made contact with other Feldafing alumni, including Franz who knew her father, and learned that in 1943 her father was conscripted, like all boys aged 15 - 17, and trained as an anti-aircraft gunner. There were a few laws intended to protect children such as a prohibition on alcohol and tobacco. Americans were horrified to fight and kill, and sometimes be killed by, boys this young with inadequate training, ammunition and rations. Towards the end of the war Hans progressed to the Waffen-SS led by Himmler, architect of the Holocaust. Helene visited Zavada a village in present-day Czech Republic, the scene of the battle her father was unable to talk about, where, as squad leader, he had to pick nine boys to fight the Russian advance with inadequate artillery. The author quotes extensively from her father's diaries and examines the traumatic effect on the rest of his life and a generation of children who silently carried the shame of what they suffered into old age. 271 pages, photos.

A nostalgic selection of colour images, most of which are previously unseen, featuring fighter, bomber, transport and training aircraft in British Military or Ministry service during the 1960s. The decade saw the heyday of many of Britain's iconic post-war aircraft such as the long-serving Hawker Hunter and the English Electric Canberra which spent its entire active career as a test aircraft principally with the A&AEE whose motif is displayed on the fin. VX181 last flew in June 1969 when it was flown to RAF Pershore, Worcestershire, for use in a ground training role. Both aircraft remained in frontline service with major air forces through the 50s and 60s. Derived from its fighter predecessors as an advanced trainer for the RAF, the de Havilland Vampire T.11 brought about a revolution in flying training and survived into service into the 1960s. Pictured is the XD542 'H' which served with the Central Gunnery School and then with the Fighter Weapons School serving at Leconfield Yorkshire then Driffield in 1957. Equally the Vickers Valetta was required to supplement then replace the ubiquitous Dakota within the RAF. Due to its principal role as a humble transport, it has been largely overlooked - until now. With a superb commentary, comprehensive captions accompany the photographs to explain the various types in full detail. Serial numbers, units and aircraft histories are all covered, and four-view artwork derived from specific photographs is also included and hundreds of colour photographs. 96 big glossy pages, softback.