Download or read book Commando Despatch Rider written by Raymond Mitchell and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2009-04-03 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A year of a man and his motorcycle during WW2 . . . The guy was catapulted from teenager to soldier in a few short bounds.” —War History Online In 1944, Ray Mitchell landed in Normandy with his unit 41 Royal Marine Commando. His role in bringing the Third Reich to its knees was that of despatch rider. Often operating alone in totally unfamiliar and hostile terrain, he and his motorbike delivered vital messages to forward units. This is a fighting soldier’s account of war—warts and all—and describes in vivid terms his and his fellow commandos’ experiences and emotions. Over the next ten months the commandos were in the thick of the action in France, the Low Countries and Germany itself. Of particular note was the amphibious landing on the Walcheren Peninsula where the beleaguered German garrison fought fiercely to deny the Allies the vital port of Antwerp. Raymond Mitchell’s vivid memoirs of life and war on the road will be of interest to both military and motorcycling enthusiasts. “A delightful account of life in battle and between battles. It is by turns gripping, exciting, colourful, authentic and human.” —Firetrench “It is a richly detailed account and would be worthy of mention if it were just that of an ordinary infantryman’s experience, but it is all the more valuable as the lot of the despatch rider has never received much attention.” —The Pegasus Archive
Download or read book Commando Despatch Rider written by Raymond Mitchell and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2001-01-01 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Raymond Mitchell, already a veteran of Sicily and Salerno, served as a Despatch Rider (DR) with 41 Royal Marines Commando throughout the North-West Europe campaign. Fortunately he considered his position in the military hierarchy as too lowly for the ban on keeping diaries to apply to him. As a result, Commando Despatch Rider is both an accurate and atmospheric record of one man's war seen from an unusual perspective. Use of the Unit's War Diary and contemporary records gives this war story a broader dimension.
Download or read book Commando Tactics written by Stephen Bull and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2011-06-13 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: British commandos are among the most celebrated soldiers of the Second World War. Their daring, ingenuity and bravery have given rise to an almost legendary reputation that makes it difficult to appreciate fully their role and their true value as fighting men.Stephen Bull, in this in-depth study of commando tactics and history, seeks to dispel the myths and the misunderstandings that surround them, and he places these elite troops of 70 years ago in the context of their times. He also demonstrates that the idea of the commando took time to develop and that commando operations were far from always successful. Commando tactics amphibious, mountain, close quarter were forged through the often-painful experience of raids and combined operations. And commando tactics and organization remained in a state of flux throughout the war as new situations and challenges arose.Stephen Bulls vivid account will be essential reading for anyone who is interested in commando fighting techniques and the early history of special forces.
Download or read book Despatch Rider written by W. H. L. Watson and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A young British soldier who went to war on two wheels When the Great War broke out, the author of this book decided to leave his university studies and join the struggle. What attracted him immediately was the potential to combine his military service with his love of motorcycles and so it was that he found himself one of a select group of motorcycle despatch riders within the 5th Division of the 'Contemptible Little Army' that went to France and Belgium to halt the overwhelming numerical superiority of the advancing German Army. This book, an account of his experiences in the early months of the war, tells the story of a conflict of fluid manoeuvre and dogged retreat. Together with congested roads filled with military traffic and refugees, the ever present threat of artillery barrage and changing front lines the author had to constantly be aware of the presence of the deadly Uhlans-mounted German Lancers-who were always ready to pitch horseflesh against horsepower.
Download or read book White Rising written by Jeremy Krikler and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2005-10-20 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Racial murder and rebellion lie at the heart of this book. It focuses on South Africa's 'Rand Revolt' of 1922, when Johannesburg and its surrounding towns were wracked by industrial strife, racial violence and insurrection. White workers rose against their employers and the State, black people were hunted through the streets, and strikers launched an onslaught upon police and the army. Krikler recreates this world of intense conflict and analyses the sources and complex nature of its extreme passions. The book suggests novel ways of looking at racial identity and violence, and breaks new ground in other areas - for example, in its assessment of the impact of the First World War on labour movements, and in its exploration of the significance of female violence during the upheaval." "Written with a determination to explore deeper meanings, the book has wide implications for our understanding of race and class in South Africa and elsewhere. It also offers a most vivid portrayal of a rebellion - with all its cruelty, heroism, drama and pathos."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Despatch Rider on the Western Front 1915 18 written by David Venner and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-04-30 with total page 219 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The colorful eyewitness-to-history diary of a young man who loved motorcycles—and used these new machines to serve his country in the Great War. This is the skillfully abridged version of the diary of a First World War motorcycle despatch rider, Sergeant Albert Simpkin, who was attached to the HQ 37th Division. The diary entries, and some longer descriptions of the main actions of the Division, provide a fascinating record of the life of a despatch rider on the Western Front—one day dodging shell holes and ammunition limbers to take his despatches to the front, the next observing the quaint but often courageous lives of the local populace. Throughout the diary are colorful and amusing anecdotes about his fellow soldiers, and critical comments on the strategies and tactics employed by the officers. “It is worth seeking out and reading and if you are a fan of Great War motorbikes and vehicles this is a must.” —War History Online
Download or read book My Reminiscences of the Anglo Boer War written by Ben J. Viljoen and published by . This book was released on 1902 with total page 586 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Adventures of a Despatch Rider written by H. L. W. Watson and published by . This book was released on 2007-04-01 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Stout Hearts written by Ben Kite and published by Helion and Company. This book was released on 2016-08-19 with total page 489 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “At last a book has been written that forensically examines how the British Armed Forces fought its way through Normandy . . . utterly absorbing.” —James Holland, bestselling author of Brothers in Arms Stout Hearts is a book which offers an entirely new perspective on the British Army in Normandy. This fresh study explores the anatomy of war through the Army’s operations in the summer of 1944, informing and entertaining the general nonfiction reader as well as students of military history. There have been so many books written on Normandy that the publication of another one might appear superfluous. However most books have focused on narrating the conduct of the battle, describing the factors that influenced its outcome, or debating the relative merits of the armies and their generals. What was missing from the existing body of work on Normandy specifically and the Second World War generally is a book that explains how an army actually operates in war and what it was like for those involved; Stout Hearts fills this gap. Stout Hearts is essential reading for those who wish to understand the “mechanics” of battle. How does an Army care for its wounded? How do combat engineers cross obstacles? How do tanks fight? How do Air and Naval Forces support the Army? But to understand what makes an Army “tick” you must also understand its people. Therefore explanations of tactics and techniques are not only well illustrated with excellent photographs and high quality maps but also effectively combined with relevant accounts from the combatants themselves. These dramatic stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things are the strength of the book, bringing the campaign to life and entertaining the reader.
Download or read book The Fighting Fourth written by James Dunning and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2010-06-17 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Covering the legendary Lofoten and Dieppe raids, the D-Day landings and the capture of Flushing, James Dunning recounts the history of No. 4 Commando, an elite wartime special service unit, from formation in 1940 to disbandment five years later. The author, himself, a 'Fighting Fourth' veteran, describes how 500 volunteers, despite initial problems, prejudices and frustrations, developed into one of the most feared fighting formations of the Second World War. The extraordinarily tough and unorthodox training undertaken by No. 4 Commando prepared them for the raids of 1941 and 1942, their protracted involvement on D-Day and for 83 days' action in the struggle for Normandy. Their last major operation was the storming and capture of the vital port of Flushing in November 1944. This readable and authoritative history of the unit reveals their important role in the Second World War.
Download or read book We Remember D Day written by Frank Shaw and published by Random House. This book was released on 2014-05-08 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'On leaving the plane I can only say I felt very lonely, except that the sky was full of bullets coming upwards. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before my feet hit the ground with a thud. Almost as soon as my feet touched the ground, I was to find that I had landed directly in front of the muzzle of a German Machine Gun and I received a burst of fire straight at me. I can remember being hit and spinning round with a sudden yell of shock and finishing up flat on my back... I lay there rather dazed for a while, expecting to be hit again at any moment.' John Hunter, Parachute Regiment, Northants. Seventy years ago, on 6 June 1944, a great Allied Armada landed on the coast of Normandy. The invasion force launched on D-Day was a size never seen before and never likely to be seen again. 150,000 soldiers, more than 6,000 ships and 11,000 combat aircraft took part in the assault. The success of that attack led 11 months later to the final liberation of Europe from a ruthless dictatorship that had threatened to permanently enslave it. Such an undertaking on such a scale could not have been achieved without tremendous cooperation between Land, Sea and Air Forces. In We Remember D-Day we hear from the men and women who were involved in the assault; those who risked their lives for a better future. Their stories tell of human bravery and endeavour, pain and heartache, and, most importantly, freedom and hope.
Download or read book On Commando written by Dietlof Van Warmelo and published by IndyPublish.com. This book was released on 1902 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Sand and Steel written by Peter Caddick-Adams and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-04-22 with total page 928 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Peter Caddick-Adams's account of the Allied invasion of France in June 1944 matches the monumental achievement of his book on the Battle of the Bulge, Snow and Steel, which Richard Overy has called the "standard history of this climactic confrontation in the West." Sand and Steel gives us D-Day, arguably the greatest and most consequential military operation of modern times, beginning with the years of painstaking and costly preparation, through to the pitched battles fought along France's northern coast, from Omaha Beach to the Falaise and the push east to Strasbourg. In addition to covering the build-up to the invasion, including the elaborate and lavish campaigns to deceive Germans as to where and when the invasion would take place, Caddick-Adams gives a full and detailed account of the German preparations: the formidable Atlantikwall and Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's plans to make Europe impregnable-plans not completed by June 6. Sand and Steel reveals precisely what lay in wait for the Allies. But the heart of the book is Caddick-Adams' narratives of the five beaches where the terrible drama played out--Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, and the attempt by American, British, and Canadian soldiers to gain a foothold in Europe. The Allied invasion of Europe involved mind-boggling logistics, including orchestrating the largest flotilla of ships ever assembled. Its strategic and psychological demands stretched the Allies to their limits, testing the strengths of the bonds of Anglo-American leadership. Drawing on first-hand battlefield research, personal testimony and interviews, and a commanding grasp of all the archives and literature, Caddick-Adams's gripping book, published on the 75th anniversary of the events, does Operations Overlord and Neptune full justice.
Download or read book The Daredevil Of The Army Experiences As A Buzzer And Despatch Rider Illustrated Edition written by Captain Austin Patrick Corcoran and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 540 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes the First World War Illustrations Pack – 73 battle plans and diagrams and 198 photos “A bikers war-compellingly recounted “The highly dangerous task of the aide-de-camp was often to carry urgent despatches with essential calls to action across the field of battle. The young men chosen for the job were invariably dashing, brave and prepared to take risks to achieve their objectives. They were, of course, always expert horsemen. The age of the military horseman had not quite come to a close at the time of the First World War, but-as with most forms of progress-he was sharing duties with that which would eventually replace him, the machines of the new age. Now there was a another breed of ‘daredevil,’ though necessarily ‘cut from the same cloth.’ The motorcycle despatch riders were a new service created in an age of innovation. All were so called ‘amateur’ soldiers though immediately at least ranked corporal so that they could, by British Army convention, address officers directly. These were invariably intelligent, accomplished young men drawn from the professions or universities. Their creed was the same as that of their horse mounted predecessors-the messages they carried had to get through and to deliver them motorcyclists often had to outpace charging Uhlans. Many of them ended their careers tangled among the wreckage of their ‘bikes.’ The author of this book has written a thrilling first hand account of his experiences riding military motorcycles along the front lines during the early stages of the First World War. Later as an officer he took command of a unit of ‘buzzers,’ whose job it was to maintain telephone links. A highly entertaining book and thoroughly recommended to all those interested in motorcycles, motorcycling and the Great War in Europe.”-Print ed.
Download or read book Kekewich in Kimberley written by Walter Alfred John O'Meara and published by . This book was released on 1926 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book DAREDEVIL OF THE ARMY written by A. P. CORCORAN and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
