EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

Book Churchill s Thin Grey Line

    Book Details:
  • Author : Bernard Edwards
  • Publisher : Grub Street Publishers
  • Release : 2017-11-30
  • ISBN : 1526711680
  • Pages : 283 pages

Download or read book Churchill s Thin Grey Line written by Bernard Edwards and published by Grub Street Publishers. This book was released on 2017-11-30 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The naval historian and retired merchant navy captain recounts the contributions of Britain’s civilian ships during WWII in this “cracking read” (The Bridgend & Porthcawl Gem). The first British casualties of the Second World War were not members of the Royal Navy, the army, or the Royal Air Force. They were British merchant seamen on the transatlantic passenger liner SS Athenia, torpedoed by a German U-30 submarine on September 3, 1939. For the duration of the war, Britain’s merchant fleet performed a vital role, carrying the essential supplies that kept the country running during the darkest days and made victory possible. Their achievements came at a terrible cost with 2,535 British oceangoing merchant ships being sunk and, of the 185,000 men and women serving in the British Merchant Navy at the time, 36,749 sacrificed their lives. Another 4,707 were wounded and 5,720 ended up as prisoners of war. Their casualty rate of twenty-five percent was second only to RAF Bomber Command’s. Thoroughly researched and full of fascinating true accounts, Bernard Edwards’s Churchill’s Thin Grey Line tells the inspiring story of those brave civilian volunteers who fought so gallantly to defend their ships, cargo, and country. “A cracking read which brings home to the reader how much we in [England] owe to the Merchant Navy . . . Bernard Edwards has done them proud.” —The Bridgend & Porthcawl Gem

Book Churchill  Master and Commander

Download or read book Churchill Master and Commander written by Anthony Tucker-Jones and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2021-11-25 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'Masterful research, impeccable detail, with a beautifully flowing narrative of which Churchill himself would have been proud.' - Professor Peter Caddick-Adams From his earliest days Winston Churchill was an extreme risk taker and he carried this into adulthood. Today he is widely hailed as Britain's greatest wartime leader and politician. Deep down though, he was foremost a warlord. Just like his ally Stalin, and his arch enemies Hitler and Mussolini, Churchill could not help himself and insisted on personally directing the strategic conduct of World War II. For better or worse he insisted on being political master and military commander. Again like his wartime contemporaries, he had a habit of not heeding the advice of his generals. The results of this were disasters in Norway, North Africa, Greece and Crete during 1940–41. His fruitless Dodecanese campaign in 1943 also ended in defeat. Churchill's pig-headedness over supporting the Italian campaign in defiance of the Riviera landings culminated in him threatening to resign and bring down the British Government. Yet on occasions he got it just right: his refusal to surrender in 1940, the British miracle at Dunkirk and victory in the Battle of Britain, showed that he was a much-needed decisive leader. Nor did he shy away from difficult decisions, such as the destruction of the French Fleet to prevent it falling into German hands and his subsequent war against Vichy France. In this fascinating new book, acclaimed historian Anthony Tucker-Jones explores the record of Winston Churchill as a military commander, assessing how the military experiences of his formative years shaped him for the difficult military decisions he took in office. This book assesses his choices in the some of the most controversial and high-profile campaigns of World War II, and how in high office his decision making was both right and wrong.

Book The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Literature

Download or read book The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Literature written by Richard Bradford and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2020-09-03 with total page 912 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE WILEY BLACKWELL COMPANION TO CONTEMPORARY BRITISH AND IRISH LITERATURE An insightful guide to the exploration of modern British and Irish literature The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Literature is a must-have guide for anyone hoping to navigate the world of new British and Irish writing. Including modern authors and poets from the 1960s through to the 21st century, the Companion provides a thorough overview of contemporary poetry, fiction, and drama by some of the most prominent and noteworthy writers. Seventy-three comprehensive chapters focus on individual authors as well as such topics as Englishness and identity, contemporary Science Fiction, Black writing in Britain, crime fiction, and the influence of globalization on British and Irish Literature. Written in four parts, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Literature includes comprehensive examinations of individual authors, as well as a variety of themes that have come to define the contemporary period: ethnicity, gender, nationality, and more. A thorough guide to the main figures and concepts in contemporary literature from Britain and Ireland, this two-volume set: Includes studies of notable figures such as Seamus Heaney and Angela Carter, as well as more recently influential writers such as Zadie Smith and Sarah Waters. Covers topics such as LGBT fiction, androgyny in contemporary British Literature, and post-Troubles Northern Irish Fiction Features a broad range of writers and topics covered by distinguished academics Includes an analysis of the interplay between individual authors and the major themes of the day, and whether an examination of the latter enables us to appreciate the former. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Contemporary British and Irish Literature provides essential reading for students as well as academics seeking to learn more about the history and future direction of contemporary British and Irish Literature.

Book Churchill s Thin Grey Line

Download or read book Churchill s Thin Grey Line written by Bernard Edwards and published by Pen & Sword Maritime. This book was released on 2017 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The first British casualties of the Second World War were not members of either the Royal Navy, the Army or the Royal Air Force but British merchant seamen on the liner Athenia, torpedoed by U-30 on 3 September 1939. For the duration of the War Britain s merchant fleet performed a vital role, carrying the essential supplies that kept the country running during the darkest days and then made victory possible. Their achievements came at a terrible cost with 2,535 British ocean-going merchant ships being sunk and, of the 185,000 men and women serving in the British Merchant Navy at the time, 36,749 sacrificed their lives. A further 4,707 were wounded and 5,720 ended up in prisoner of war camps. Their casualty rate of 25 percent was second only to RAF Bomber Command s. Using casebook examples, this well researched book tells the inspiring story of those brave civilian volunteers who fought so gallantly to defend their ships and the cargoes." --Publisher description.

Book Winston Churchill s Imagination

Download or read book Winston Churchill s Imagination written by Paul Kent Alkon and published by Associated University Presse. This book was released on 2006 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although Churchill is a 1953 Nobel laureate in literature, his famous speeches have overshadowed his other writing. Winston Churchill's Imagination concentrates on key works in modes other than political rhetoric to show how Churchill engages readers with those words and ideas that are hallmarks of his imagination. Chapters take up his literary relationship with Lawrence of Arabia; Churchill's intense but little-known involvement with cinema in an essay on Charlie Chaplin and as a script writer and consultant in the 1930s for Alexander Korda's film studio; Churchill's evocation of paintings as templates for narrative in his first history and in his only novel; his imaginative engagement with science and science fiction; the depiction of time, duration, and alternative history in his biography of Marlborough; and Churchill's last testament in the realm of imagination, The Dream.

Book The Splendid and the Vile

Download or read book The Splendid and the Vile written by Erik Larson and published by Crown. This book was released on 2020-02-25 with total page 609 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of The Devil in the White City and Dead Wake delivers an intimate chronicle of Winston Churchill and London during the Blitz—an inspiring portrait of courage and leadership in a time of unprecedented crisis “One of [Erik Larson’s] best books yet . . . perfectly timed for the moment.”—Time • “A bravura performance by one of America’s greatest storytellers.”—NPR NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Time • Vogue • NPR • The Washington Post • Chicago Tribune • The Globe & Mail • Fortune • Bloomberg • New York Post • The New York Public Library • Kirkus Reviews • LibraryReads • PopMatters On Winston Churchill’s first day as prime minister, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium. Poland and Czechoslovakia had already fallen, and the Dunkirk evacuation was just two weeks away. For the next twelve months, Hitler would wage a relentless bombing campaign, killing 45,000 Britons. It was up to Churchill to hold his country together and persuade President Franklin Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally—and willing to fight to the end. In The Splendid and the Vile, Erik Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people “the art of being fearless.” It is a story of political brinkmanship, but it’s also an intimate domestic drama, set against the backdrop of Churchill’s prime-ministerial country home, Chequers; his wartime retreat, Ditchley, where he and his entourage go when the moon is brightest and the bombing threat is highest; and of course 10 Downing Street in London. Drawing on diaries, original archival documents, and once-secret intelligence reports—some released only recently—Larson provides a new lens on London’s darkest year through the day-to-day experience of Churchill and his family: his wife, Clementine; their youngest daughter, Mary, who chafes against her parents’ wartime protectiveness; their son, Randolph, and his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela; Pamela’s illicit lover, a dashing American emissary; and the advisers in Churchill’s “Secret Circle,” to whom he turns in the hardest moments. The Splendid and the Vile takes readers out of today’s political dysfunction and back to a time of true leadership, when, in the face of unrelenting horror, Churchill’s eloquence, courage, and perseverance bound a country, and a family, together.

Book North vs  South Collection

Download or read book North vs South Collection written by Jules Verne and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-05-17 with total page 10753 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DigiCat Publishing presents to you this unique collection of the carefully picked out Civil War novels and stories:_x000D_ History of the Civil War, 1861-1865 (James Ford Rhodes)_x000D_ The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane)_x000D_ The Little Regiment (Stephen Crane)_x000D_ The Veteran (Stephen Crane)_x000D_ An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (Ambrose Bierce)_x000D_ A Horseman in the Sky (Ambrose Bierce)_x000D_ Chickamauga (Ambrose Bierce)_x000D_ The Private History of a Campaign That Failed (Mark Twain)_x000D_ A Curious Experience (Mark Twain)_x000D_ The Guns of Bull Run (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Guns of Shiloh (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Scouts of Stonewall (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Sword of Antietam (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Star of Gettysburg (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Rock of Chickamauga (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Shades of the Wilderness (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Tree of Appomattox (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Crisis (Winston Churchill)_x000D_ Miss Ravenel's Conversion from Secession to Loyalty (John William De Forest)_x000D_ With Lee in Virginia (G. A. Henty)_x000D_ Who Would Have Thought It? (María Ruiz de Burton)_x000D_ The Long Roll (Mary Johnston)_x000D_ Cease Firing (Mary Johnston)_x000D_ The Victim: A Romance of the Real Jefferson Davis (Thomas Dixon Jr.)_x000D_ Kincaid's Battery (George Washington Cable)_x000D_ The Border Spy (Harry Hazelton)_x000D_ The Battle Ground (Ellen Glasgow)_x000D_ Who Goes There? (B. K. Benson)_x000D_ Ailsa Paige (Robert W. Chambers)_x000D_ Special Messenger (Robert W. Chambers)_x000D_ How Private George W. Peck Put Down the Rebellion (George W. Peck)_x000D_ Raiding with Morgan (Byron A. Dunn)_x000D_ Mohun; Or, the Last Days of Lee and His Paladins (John Esten Cooke)_x000D_ Brother Against Brother (John R. Musick)_x000D_ The Last Three Soldiers (W. H. Shelton)_x000D_ A War-Time Wooing (Charles King)_x000D_ The Iron Game (Henry F. Keenan)_x000D_ The Blockade Runners (Jules Verne)_x000D_ The Lost Despatch (Natalie Sumner Lincoln)_x000D_ My Lady of the North (Randall Parrish)_x000D_ Uncle Daniel's Story of "Tom" Anderson (John McElroy)_x000D_ The Red Acorn (John McElroy)_x000D_ Winning His Way (Charles Carleton Coffin)_x000D_ A Daughter of the Union (Lucy Foster Madison)_x000D_ Chasing an Iron Horse (Edward Robins)_x000D_ The Man Without a Country (Edward Everett Hale)

Book North vs  South  40  Civil War Novels  Stories   History Books

Download or read book North vs South 40 Civil War Novels Stories History Books written by Mark Twain and published by e-artnow. This book was released on 2021-05-07 with total page 10764 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Musaicum Books presents to you this unique collection of the carefully selected Civil War novels and stories: History of the Civil War, 1861-1865 (James Ford Rhodes) The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane) The Little Regiment (Stephen Crane) The Veteran (Stephen Crane) An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (Ambrose Bierce) A Horseman in the Sky (Ambrose Bierce) Chickamauga (Ambrose Bierce) The Private History of a Campaign That Failed (Mark Twain) A Curious Experience (Mark Twain) The Guns of Bull Run (Joseph A. Altsheler) The Guns of Shiloh (Joseph A. Altsheler) The Scouts of Stonewall (Joseph A. Altsheler) The Sword of Antietam (Joseph A. Altsheler) The Star of Gettysburg (Joseph A. Altsheler) The Rock of Chickamauga (Joseph A. Altsheler) The Shades of the Wilderness (Joseph A. Altsheler) The Tree of Appomattox (Joseph A. Altsheler) The Crisis (Winston Churchill) Miss Ravenel's Conversion from Secession to Loyalty (John William De Forest) With Lee in Virginia (G. A. Henty) Who Would Have Thought It? (María Ruiz de Burton) The Long Roll (Mary Johnston) Cease Firing (Mary Johnston) The Victim: A Romance of the Real Jefferson Davis (Thomas Dixon Jr.) Kincaid's Battery (George Washington Cable) The Border Spy (Harry Hazelton) The Battle Ground (Ellen Glasgow) Who Goes There? (B. K. Benson) Ailsa Paige (Robert W. Chambers) Special Messenger (Robert W. Chambers) How Private George W. Peck Put Down the Rebellion (George W. Peck) Raiding with Morgan (Byron A. Dunn) Mohun; Or, the Last Days of Lee and His Paladins (John Esten Cooke) Brother Against Brother (John R. Musick) The Last Three Soldiers (W. H. Shelton) A War-Time Wooing (Charles King) The Iron Game (Henry F. Keenan) The Blockade Runners (Jules Verne) The Lost Despatch (Natalie Sumner Lincoln) My Lady of the North (Randall Parrish) Uncle Daniel's Story of "Tom" Anderson (John McElroy) The Red Acorn (John McElroy) Winning His Way (Charles Carleton Coffin) A Daughter of the Union (Lucy Foster Madison) Chasing an Iron Horse (Edward Robins) The Man Without a Country (Edward Everett Hale)

Book The Tales of Civil War  40 Books Collection

Download or read book The Tales of Civil War 40 Books Collection written by Jules Verne and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2023-11-22 with total page 10763 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DigiCat presents to you this meticulously edited collection of the greatest novels and stories written in the aftermath of the Civil War, trying to show the truth in disguise of fiction, the trauma, the turmoil, the massacre and the heroism of all people involved: Stephen Crane: The Red Badge of Courage The Little Regiment The Veteran The Private History of a Campaign That Failed & A Curious Experience (Mark Twain) Ambrose Bierce: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge A Horseman in the Sky Chickamauga Joseph A. Altsheler: The Guns of Bull Run The Guns of Shiloh The Scouts of Stonewall The Sword of Antietam The Star of Gettysburg The Rock of Chickamauga The Shades of the Wilderness The Tree of Appomattox The Crisis (Winston Churchill) Miss Ravenel's Conversion from Secession to Loyalty (John William De Forest) With Lee in Virginia (G. A. Henty) Who Would Have Thought It? (María Ruiz de Burton) The Long Roll (Mary Johnston) Cease Firing (Mary Johnston) The Victim: A Romance of the Real Jefferson Davis (Thomas Dixon Jr.) Kincaid's Battery (George Washington Cable) The Border Spy (Harry Hazelton) The Battle Ground (Ellen Glasgow) Who Goes There? (B. K. Benson) Ailsa Paige (Robert W. Chambers) Special Messenger (Robert W. Chambers) How Private George W. Peck Put Down the Rebellion (George W. Peck) Raiding with Morgan (Byron A. Dunn) Mohun; Or, the Last Days of Lee and His Paladins (John Esten Cooke) Brother Against Brother (John R. Musick) The Last Three Soldiers (W. H. Shelton) A War-Time Wooing (Charles King) The Iron Game (Henry F. Keenan) The Blockade Runners (Jules Verne) The Lost Despatch (Natalie Sumner Lincoln) My Lady of the North (Randall Parrish) Uncle Daniel's Story of "Tom" Anderson (John McElroy) The Red Acorn (John McElroy) Winning His Way (Charles Carleton Coffin) A Daughter of the Union (Lucy Foster Madison) Chasing an Iron Horse (Edward Robins) The Man Without a Country (Edward Everett Hale) History of the Civil War, 1861-1865 (James Ford Rhodes)

Book American Civil War Collection

Download or read book American Civil War Collection written by Jules Verne and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2023-12-28 with total page 10762 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection includes all the great novels and stories written after the turmoil, the trauma and the heroism experienced during the American Civil War:_x000D_ The Red Badge of Courage (Stephen Crane)_x000D_ The Little Regiment (Stephen Crane)_x000D_ The Veteran (Stephen Crane)_x000D_ An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (Ambrose Bierce)_x000D_ A Horseman in the Sky (Ambrose Bierce)_x000D_ Chickamauga (Ambrose Bierce)_x000D_ The Private History of a Campaign That Failed (Mark Twain)_x000D_ A Curious Experience (Mark Twain)_x000D_ The Guns of Bull Run (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Guns of Shiloh (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Scouts of Stonewall (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Sword of Antietam (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Star of Gettysburg (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Rock of Chickamauga (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Shades of the Wilderness (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Tree of Appomattox (Joseph A. Altsheler)_x000D_ The Crisis (Winston Churchill)_x000D_ Miss Ravenel's Conversion from Secession to Loyalty (John William De Forest)_x000D_ With Lee in Virginia (G. A. Henty)_x000D_ Who Would Have Thought It? (María Ruiz de Burton)_x000D_ The Long Roll (Mary Johnston)_x000D_ Cease Firing (Mary Johnston)_x000D_ The Victim: A Romance of the Real Jefferson Davis (Thomas Dixon Jr.)_x000D_ Kincaid's Battery (George Washington Cable)_x000D_ The Border Spy (Harry Hazelton)_x000D_ The Battle Ground (Ellen Glasgow)_x000D_ Who Goes There? (B. K. Benson)_x000D_ Ailsa Paige (Robert W. Chambers)_x000D_ Special Messenger (Robert W. Chambers)_x000D_ How Private George W. Peck Put Down the Rebellion (George W. Peck)_x000D_ Raiding with Morgan (Byron A. Dunn)_x000D_ Mohun; Or, the Last Days of Lee and His Paladins (John Esten Cooke)_x000D_ Brother Against Brother (John R. Musick)_x000D_ The Last Three Soldiers (W. H. Shelton)_x000D_ A War-Time Wooing (Charles King)_x000D_ The Iron Game (Henry F. Keenan)_x000D_ The Blockade Runners (Jules Verne)_x000D_ The Lost Despatch (Natalie Sumner Lincoln)_x000D_ My Lady of the North (Randall Parrish)_x000D_ Uncle Daniel's Story of "Tom" Anderson (John McElroy)_x000D_ The Red Acorn (John McElroy)_x000D_ Winning His Way (Charles Carleton Coffin)_x000D_ A Daughter of the Union (Lucy Foster Madison)_x000D_ Chasing an Iron Horse (Edward Robins)_x000D_ The Man Without a Country (Edward Everett Hale)_x000D_ History of the Civil War, 1861-1865 (James Ford Rhodes)

Book The Warfare of Divided Allegiances  Civil War Collection

Download or read book The Warfare of Divided Allegiances Civil War Collection written by Stephen Crane and published by e-artnow. This book was released on 2021-04-01 with total page 10764 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Madison & Adams edition presents the greatest novels and stories written in the aftermath of the Civil War, trying to show the truth in disguise of fiction, the trauma, the turmoil, the massacre and the heroism of all people involved:_x000D_ Stephen Crane:_x000D_ The Red Badge of Courage_x000D_ The Little Regiment_x000D_ The Veteran_x000D_ The Private History of a Campaign That Failed & A Curious Experience (Mark Twain)_x000D_ Ambrose Bierce:_x000D_ An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge_x000D_ A Horseman in the Sky_x000D_ Chickamauga_x000D_ Joseph A. Altsheler: _x000D_ The Guns of Bull Run_x000D_ The Guns of Shiloh_x000D_ The Scouts of Stonewall_x000D_ The Sword of Antietam_x000D_ The Star of Gettysburg_x000D_ The Rock of Chickamauga_x000D_ The Shades of the Wilderness_x000D_ The Tree of Appomattox_x000D_ The Crisis (Winston Churchill)_x000D_ Miss Ravenel's Conversion from Secession to Loyalty (John William De Forest)_x000D_ With Lee in Virginia (G. A. Henty)_x000D_ Who Would Have Thought It? (María Ruiz de Burton)_x000D_ The Long Roll (Mary Johnston)_x000D_ Cease Firing (Mary Johnston)_x000D_ The Victim: A Romance of the Real Jefferson Davis (Thomas Dixon Jr.)_x000D_ Kincaid's Battery (George Washington Cable)_x000D_ The Border Spy (Harry Hazelton)_x000D_ The Battle Ground (Ellen Glasgow)_x000D_ Who Goes There? (B. K. Benson)_x000D_ Ailsa Paige (Robert W. Chambers)_x000D_ Special Messenger (Robert W. Chambers)_x000D_ How Private George W. Peck Put Down the Rebellion (George W. Peck)_x000D_ Raiding with Morgan (Byron A. Dunn)_x000D_ Mohun; Or, the Last Days of Lee and His Paladins (John Esten Cooke)_x000D_ Brother Against Brother (John R. Musick)_x000D_ The Last Three Soldiers (W. H. Shelton)_x000D_ A War-Time Wooing (Charles King)_x000D_ The Iron Game (Henry F. Keenan)_x000D_ The Blockade Runners (Jules Verne)_x000D_ The Lost Despatch (Natalie Sumner Lincoln)_x000D_ My Lady of the North (Randall Parrish)_x000D_ Uncle Daniel's Story of "Tom" Anderson (John McElroy)_x000D_ The Red Acorn (John McElroy)_x000D_ Winning His Way (Charles Carleton Coffin)_x000D_ A Daughter of the Union (Lucy Foster Madison)_x000D_ Chasing an Iron Horse (Edward Robins)_x000D_ The Man Without a Country (Edward Everett Hale)_x000D_ History of the Civil War, 1861-1865 (James Ford Rhodes)

Book Running the Gauntlet

    Book Details:
  • Author : Bernard Edwards
  • Publisher : Pen and Sword Maritime
  • Release : 2022-04-21
  • ISBN : 1399097873
  • Pages : 232 pages

Download or read book Running the Gauntlet written by Bernard Edwards and published by Pen and Sword Maritime. This book was released on 2022-04-21 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The British Merchant Navy dominated the world trade routes in the years leading up to the Second World War. The star players of the fleet were the cargo liners, faster and larger than the tramps and offering limited passenger accommodation. On the outbreak of war these cargo liners became crucial to the nation’s survival using their speed and expertise to evade Nazi warships, raiders and U-boats. Initially operating alone, but increasingly relying on Royal Navy protected convoys, these key elements of the Merchant Navy plied the oceans and seas despite mounting losses, throughout the war years. This superbly researched book describes numerous dramatic incidents. Some ended in disaster such as the New Zealand Shipping Company’s Turakina which was sunk after a running battle with the German raider Orion. Others were triumphs for example Operation Substance when six fast cargo liners succeeded against all the odds in reaching besieged Malta with vital supplies. The common denominations in all these historic voyages were the courage and skilled seamanship of the Merchant Navy crews. As Running The Gauntlet vividly illustrates, their contribution to victory, too long overlooked, cannot be overstated.

Book From Hunter to Hunted

    Book Details:
  • Author : Bernard Edwards
  • Publisher : Pen and Sword Maritime
  • Release : 2020-03-30
  • ISBN : 1526763605
  • Pages : 221 pages

Download or read book From Hunter to Hunted written by Bernard Edwards and published by Pen and Sword Maritime. This book was released on 2020-03-30 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The author of Churchill’s Thin Grey Line shares case histories from World War II’s Battle of the Atlantic featuring the German U-boat. In the early stages of World War II, Donitz’s U-boats generally adhered to Prize rules, surfacing before attacking and making every effort to preserve the lives of their victims’ crews. But, with the arming of merchantmen and greater risk of damage or worse, they increasingly attacked without warning. So successful was the U-boat campaign that Churchill saw it as the gravest threat the nation faced. The low point was the March 1943 attack on convoys SC122 and HX229 when 44 U-boats sank 22 loaded ships. The pendulum miraculously swung with improved tactics and technology. In May, 1943, out of a force of over 50 U-boats that challenged ONS5, eight were sunk and 18 were damaged, some seriously. Such losses were unsustainable, and, with allied yards turning out ships at ever increasing rates, Donitz withdrew his wolf packs from the North Atlantic. Expert naval author and historian Bernard Edwards traces the course of the battle of the Atlantic through a series of thrilling engagement case studies. Praise for From Hunter to Hunted “Expertly written, it portrayed the perils and dramas of warfare in the North Atlantic between the convoys and German U boats . . . Reading [Edwards’s] accounts made me feel as though I was present. A cracking and informative read— I will definitely read more by Captain Edwards and I highly commend it.” —Adrian Greaves, author of The Zulus at War

Book Survivors of Enemy Action

    Book Details:
  • Author : Bernard Edwards
  • Publisher : Pen and Sword Maritime
  • Release : 2023-07-06
  • ISBN : 139904222X
  • Pages : 215 pages

Download or read book Survivors of Enemy Action written by Bernard Edwards and published by Pen and Sword Maritime. This book was released on 2023-07-06 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The war years 1939 – 1945 were the most perilous in the long history of the British Merchant Navy. The figures speak for themselves. With 2,535 ships sunk and 36,749 merchant seamen lost, the proportional casualty rate was higher than any branch of the Armed Forces except for Bomber Command. The danger to the lightly armed merchant ships came from enemy air attacks, surface warships, raiders and, of course submarines. Prisoners were seldom taken so the crews of stricken vessels had to fend for themselves. Those who survived enemy action faced death by drowning, exposure and lack of food and water. Compiled mainly from experiences related direct to the author, this inspiring book draws on first-hand accounts of the lucky few who survived. With extraordinary honesty and modesty their stories describe the events leading up to the enemy attack, the actions and the aftermath. Readers will be struck by the courage and fortitude of these men who often suffered extreme hardship and privation. Too many died before reaching land or being rescued. These men are without doubt the unsung heroes of the Second World War and this fine book is an overdue recognition of their sacrifices and courage.

Book Kentuckians in Gray

    Book Details:
  • Author : Bruce S. Allardice
  • Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
  • Release : 2021-12-14
  • ISBN : 0813194067
  • Pages : 477 pages

Download or read book Kentuckians in Gray written by Bruce S. Allardice and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2021-12-14 with total page 477 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perhaps more than any other citizens of the nation, Kentuckians held conflicted loyalties during the American Civil War. As a border state, Kentucky was largely pro-slavery but had an economy tied as much to the North as to the South. State government officials tried to keep Kentucky neutral, hoping to play a lead role in compromise efforts between the Union and the Confederacy, but that stance failed to satisfy supporters of both sides, all of whom considered the state's backing crucial to victory. President Abraham Lincoln is reported to have once remarked, "I hope to have God on my side, but I must have Kentucky." Kentucky did side with Lincoln, officially aligning itself with the Union in 1861. But the conflicted loyalties of Kentucky's citizens continued to impact the state's role in the Civil War. When forced to choose between North and South, Kentuckians made the choice as individuals. Many men opted to fight for the Confederate army, where a great number of them rose to high ranks. With Kentuckians in Gray: Confederate Generals and Field Officers of the Bluegrass State, editors Bruce S. Allardice and Lawrence Lee Hewitt present a volume that examines the lives of these gray-clad warriors. Some of the Kentuckians to serve as Confederate generals are well recognized in state history, such as John Hunt Morgan, John Bell Hood, and Albert Sidney Johnston. However, as the Civil War slips further and further into the past, many other Confederate leaders from the Commonwealth have been forgotten. Kentuckians in Gray contains full biographies of thirty-nine Confederate generals. Its principal subjects are native Kentuckians or commanders of brigades of Kentucky troops, such as Morgan. The first complete reference source of its type on Kentucky Civil War history, the book contains the most definitive biographies of these generals ever assembled, as well as short biographical sketches on every field officer to serve in a Kentucky unit. This comprehensive collection recognizes Kentucky's pivotal role in the War between the States, imparting the histories of men who fought "brother against brother" more than any other set of military leaders. Kentuckians in Gray is an invaluable resource for researchers and enthusiasts of Kentucky history and the American Civil War.

Book Winston S  Churchill  The Challenge of War  1914   1916

Download or read book Winston S Churchill The Challenge of War 1914 1916 written by Martin Gilbert and published by Rosetta Books. This book was released on 2015-04-06 with total page 755 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume three of this authoritative Churchill biography chronicles his years of triumphant leadership in the Admiralty during World War I. Acclaimed British historian Sir Martin Gilbert continues the official biography of Sir Winston S. Churchill the eventful period between 1914 and 1916, with a full account of his achievements as first lord of the Admiralty during the Great War. These include Churchill’s efforts to prolong the siege of Antwerp, his support for the use of air power, and his part in the early development of the tank. It shows the forcefulness with which he argued for an offensive naval policy, first against Germany, then against Turkey. Gilbert examines the political crisis of May 1915, during which the Conservative Party forced Asquith to form a coalition government. The Conservatives insisted that Churchill leave the center of war policymaking for a position of increasing political isolation. In the next seven months, while the Gallipoli campaign was being fought, Churchill served as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, with no authority over military or naval policy. Resigning from the cabinet in November 1915, Churchill was appointed lieutenant-colonel, commanding an infantry battalion in the trenches of the Western Front. In May 1916, he returned from the trenches, hoping to reenter political life, but his repeated attempts to regain his once-substantial influence were unsuccessful. “A milestone, a monument, a magisterial achievement . . . rightly regarded as the most comprehensive life ever written of any age.” —Andrew Roberts, historian and author of The Storm of War “The most scholarly study of Churchill in war and peace ever written.” —Herbert Mitgang, The New York Times

Book Churchill s Last Stand

    Book Details:
  • Author : Felix Klos
  • Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
  • Release : 2017-09-30
  • ISBN : 1786732920
  • Pages : 336 pages

Download or read book Churchill s Last Stand written by Felix Klos and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2017-09-30 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After the Second World War, with much of Europe in ruins, the victorious Winston Churchill swore to build a peace across Europe that would last a generation.Fighting against the new 'Iron Curtain' which had fallen across the world, and battling the personal disappointment of losing the 1945 election in Britain, Churchill dedicated the rest of his life to forging a united Europe. This book, based in part on new evidence, reveals his vision: Britain as a leading member of the European family. Through Churchill's own private papers, Felix Klos unveils Churchill's personal battle to regain his place in world affairs, his confidential conversations with European leaders and the thinking and preparation behind some of his most powerful speeches. A beautifully written history of Europe after the war, and a new glimpse at one of its greatest statesmen.