A deeply personal football memoir from former Newcastle United and West Ham striker Andy Carroll.In January 2011, at the age of twenty-two, Andy Carroll became the most expensive British footballer in history. A Geordie powerhouse, one moment he was the hero of Newcastle United at St James’ Park, the next he was boarding a helicopter to Liverpool FC, with a £35-million price tag.But behind the record-breaking fee lies a far more personal story. For the firs...

Lee E Russell utilises his expert knowledge to guide us through the post-WWII history of the Marines, chronicling their involvement in Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon and Grenada.The account includes such remarkable exploits as the siege of Khe Sanh during the Vietnam conflict and the gruelling Chosin Reservoir campaign, which proved a supreme test of courage and discipline. Here, the Marines were isolated and overwhelmingly outnumbered in an unhospitable terrain where tem...

A deeply personal football memoir from former Newcastle United and West Ham striker Andy Carroll.In January 2011, at the age of twenty-two, Andy Carroll became the most expensive British footballer in history. A Geordie powerhouse, one moment he was the hero of Newcastle United at St James’ Park, the next he was boarding a helicopter to Liverpool FC, with a £35-million price tag.But behind the record-breaking fee lies a far more personal story. For the firs...

In February 1942, three of the major ships of the German surface fleet – the battle-cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen – stormed out of the harbour at Brest on a dramatic voyage back to Germany. Passing through the straights of Dover, the ships faced everything the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy could throw at them. In a dramatic running fight, the ships managed to sail right under the nose of history's greatest maritime nation to reach the safety of ...

“The story of Sergeant Major Maurice Jacques is the story of a true warrior. With close to fifty months’ combat in Korea and Vietnam, he’s one of that rare breed, men who have looked the Devil in the eye—for a long time—and never blinked!”**—**LtCol. Oliver North, USMC (Ret.)COMBAT AND DEATH, SACRIFICE AND HONORMaurice Jacques served for thirty years with the U.S. Marine Corps, nearly six of them in combat. As an accomplished infantryman, parachutist, recon...

This vividly detailed WWII history chronicles the bitter conflict at sea between Allied and Japanese naval forces.The Pacific War was primarily fought at sea. Naval power allowed the Japanese to mount their attack on Pearl Harbor and then advance westwards and southwards. It also enabled the Allies to strike back and even take the war to Japan itself. The tide turned very quickly, with the US victory at Midway in June of 1942 ending any Japanese hope of domination.

A concise history of the Royal Navy's air arm during World War II, from their Arctic convoys, to the battle of Malta, and the last raids on Japan.Amazingly, the Admiralty only had 406 operational pilots and eight carriers when war broke out, but a mere six years later there were over 3,000 operational pilots and 53 aircraft carriers patrolling the seas in every theatre of the war. This book charts the rapid evolution of the Fleet Air Arm during the war as air power...

This military history chronicles nearly a century of armored combat through firsthand accounts of soldiers from WWI to Iraq.Starting with the century's first tanks as they entered no-man's-land during World War I, War Stories of the Tankers continues through a century of military conflict, all the way to Operation Desert Storm. Here are the stories of green American tankers taking on massive and well-armored German Tigers and fighting through a screaming se...

D-Day, June 6, 1944: it was the biggest amphibious operation in history. German Field Marshal Rommel, declared, "the enemy must be annihilated before he reaches our main battlefield," the Allied Forces undertook a massive invasion of the German-occupied coast of Normandy, France. First, there was the aerial onslaught by British and American airborne divisions, then the landing of the American, British, and Canadian seaborne troops. Over 150,000 Allied troops took the fight to the enemy, th...

To the US Navy they were CVEs! To the Royal Navy auxiliary carriers! To crews of endangered merchantmen in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans they were heaven-sent protection! To their crews they were Combustible, Vulnerable, Expendable!The need for air cover against enemy aircraft and submarines brought unprecedented demand for carriers. Over 100 vessels were converted on specially built for convoy duty. This is their story, warts and all.

The outcome of the Pacific War was heavily influenced by the results of naval battles between the Imperial Japanese fleet and the US Navy.One of the key elements was Japan's large fighter component, which had gained experience over Manchuria, China and Mongolia in the late 1930s. Flying A5Ms, at least 21 pilots achieved 'acedom' securing air superiority for the invaders. Manufacturer Mitsubishi derived much from these campaigns, producing one of the best fighters o...

This book provides a highly detailed account of the history, organisation, uniforms and insignia of South African Special Forces from their origins up to the early 90s.Units such as the 44 Parachute Brigade, the Hunter Group and the infamous SWA Police COIN Unit 'Koevoet' are examined in depth.These elite units of the South African Defence Force and the special anti-terrorist units of the South African Police Forces comprised the largest, best trained and best equi...