From the author of D-Day: "an amazing tale of how the world's very first special force was created specifically for North Africa during WWII" ( Books Monthly).The origins of most of the West's Special Forces can be traced back to the Long Range Desert Group, which operated across the limitless expanses of the Libyan Desert, an area the size of India, during the whole of the Desert War from 1940 to 1943. After the defeat of the Axis in North Africa,...

"A really informative book . . . It whets the appetite to learn more" of the medieval warriors, their training, armor, weapons, and chivalry ( Army Rumour Service).Originally warriors mounted on horseback, knights became associated with the concept of chivalry as it was popularized in medieval European literature. Knights were expected to fight bravely and honorably and be loyal to their lord until deat...

This medieval military history uses archeological research to shed new light on this significant and bloody battle in the Wars of the Roses.The battle at Towton in Yorkshire on March 29th, 1461, was a major turning point in the Wars of the Roses. It was also the largest, longest fought, and bloodiest day in English medieval history. In terms of the number of troops involved, the ruthlessness of the fighting, the quantity of casualties, and the decisive nature of its...

This military biography reveals the secret life of a closeted Austro-Hungarian intelligence officer who became a double agent in pre-WWI Europe.On the night of May 24th, 1913, three high-ranking military officials waited outside a hotel in the center of Vienna. At around two am they heard a gunshot and knew that one of their own had just ended his life. Colonel Alfred Redl, the former deputy head of the Evidenzbüro, the Austro-Hungarian General Staff's directorate o...

An overview of Alexander's life—from his early military exploits to the creation of his empire and the legacy left after his premature death.Alexander was perhaps the greatest conquering general in history. In a dozen years, Alexander took the whole of Asia Minor and Egypt, destroyed the once mighty Persian Empire, and pushed his army eastwards as far as the Indus. No one in history has equaled his achievement.Much of Alexander's success can be traced to th...

The authors of Knights: Chivalry and Violence let readers inside the walls of the medieval period's most iconic structure.In ancient and medieval times, the castle was the ultimate symbol of power, dominating its surroundings and marking the landscape with its imposing size and impregnable design. This concise and entertaining short history explores the life of the castle, one that often involved warfare and sieges. The castle was a first and foremost a fo...

The Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 was one of the decisive battles of British history. The bitter hostility between England and Scotland which had continued since 1296, the contrasting characters of the opposing commanders Edward II and Robert the Bruce, the strategy of the campaign and the tactics of the battle itself—all these elements combine to make the event one of absorbing and lasting interest. The enormous impact of the Scottish victory on the fate of the two kingdoms means the batt...

For two years in the mid-thirteenth century England was torn by a bloody civil war between the king and his nobles. For a short time, the country came close to unseating the monarchy, and the outcome changed the course of English history. Yet this critical episode receives far less attention than the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil Wars that followed. John Sadler, in this highly readable and perceptive study of the Barons' War, describes events in vivid detail. He explores the lead...

An in-depth account of the invasion of Crete by Nazi Germany during World War II, the courageous civilian resistance, and the Allies' devastating defeat.Unlike the few other books written on the catastrophic fall of Crete in May 1941, this book concentrates on the military actions between the first German paratroop landing on 20 May and the final defeat and evacuation on 30 May. As well as studying the strengths, tactics, leadership and weapons of both sides, the bo...

In the 18th century in the town of Gorkha, just north of Kathmandu, ruler Prithvi Narayan fought campaigns against his neighbors and the British. During the fighting his warriors, renowned for their aggression and courage, gained the respect of the British, who appreciated that the steadfast warriors would make excellent soldiers. Upon the declaration of peace in 1816, a partnership was born. This alliance would play a vital role in UK defense over the next two centuries, from surviving th...

On 21 July 1403 Sir Henry Percy – better known as Hotspur – led a rebel army out at Shrewsbury to face the forces of the king Henry IV. The battle was both bloody and decisive. Hotspur was shot down by an arrow and killed. Posthumously he was declared a traitor and his lands forfeited to the crown. This was an ignominious end to the brilliant career of one of the most famous medieval noblemen, a remarkable soldier, diplomat and courtier who played a leading role in the reigns of Richard II...

Cromwell's Convicts not only describes the Battle of Dunbar but concentrates on the grim fate of the soldiers taken prisoner after the battle.On 3 September 1650 Oliver Cromwell won a decisive victory over the Scottish Covenanters at the Battle of Dunbar – a victory that is often regarded as his finest hour – but the aftermath, the forced march of 5,000 prisoners from the battlefield to Durham, was one of the cruellest episodes in his career. The march took them seven days, without ...