An epic account of how the Royal Navy tracked down, cornered, and sank one of the most fearsome German warships of the Second World War. Ideal for readers of Craig L. Symonds, Max Hastings and Doug Stanton. The Scharnhorst was a state of the art capital ship of Nazi Germany's navy. Launched in 1936 she had terrorized Allied shipping since the beginning of the war, famously destroying the aircraft destroyer HMS Glorious in June 1940. Since then she had made numerous sorties into the Atlantic to raid British merchant fleets and had evaded destruction in the Channel Dash of 1942 in order to interrupt convoys to the Soviet Union. The danger posed by the Scharnhorst to the Arctic convoys was monumental. Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser, commander-in-chief of the Home Fleet, devised a plan to lure their enemy from its Norwegian base and pound it with shells from the battleship HMS Duke of York and supporting cruisers and destroyers. John Winton's comprehensively researched book, drawing on British and German eyewitness accounts, uncovers how the threat of the Scharnhorst was eventually brought to an end at the Battle of the North Cape in the freezing conditions of the Barents Sea.
The engrossing but tragic history of the Royal Navy's worst loss of World War Two. Ideal for readers of Jonathan Dimbleby, Max Hastings and Craig L. Symonds. On 8th June 1940, the British aircraft carrier HMS Glorious and her two destroyer escorts HMS Ardent and Acasta were sighted by the German battle cruiser Scharnhorst and her sister ship Gneisenau. In a brutal gun battle that lasted over an hour all British ships were sunk and more than 1500 men lost their lives. Why had Glorious left the main troop convoy to proceed independently? Why was she so lightly protected? Why did British Intelligence give no warning that the German battlecruisers were close by? And why were the survivors left in freezing Arctic waters for three days before being picked up? Official documents do not answer these questions and so John Winton has drawn testimonies from men who served on Glorious in the pre-war days as well as her very few survivors to understand how this ship functioned both before and during the war, what happened on that fateful day and why is there still so much secrecy surrounding this heart-rending event. "Winton paints the best and most complete picture of any carrier of any navy" Naval War College Review Carrier Glorious: The Life and Death of an Aircraft Carrier is an extraordinary history of this ship from her early beginnings as a battle cruiser in the First World War to her conversion into an aircraft carrier and service through the interwar years before uncovering what truly went on in her battle with the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
An engrossing biography of one of the most important naval leaders of the Second World War. Perfect for people who enjoy biographies of Chester W. Nimitz, Isoroku Yamamoto or other legendary World War Two admirals. 'In the Eastern Mediterranean we found in Admiral Andrew Cunningham an officer of the highest qualities and dauntless courage.' Winston S. Churchill, The Second World War After serving in the Boer War and World War One with distinction, Andrew Browne Cunningham, popularly known as ABC, served as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet when the outlook for British forces looked bleakest at the start of the Second World War. A brilliant naval tactician, Cunningham led his fleet to smash the Italian Navy at Taranto, the first completely all-aircraft naval attack in history, and later at Cape Matapan. He successfully evacuated the army from Greece and later from Crete and worked tirelessly to keep supply lines to besieged Allied forces in Malta and Tobruk open. As the tide of the war began to turn he directed naval support for Eisenhower's landings in North Africa and Italy. From 1943, ABC became First Sea Lord and professional head of the Royal Navy, overseeing the final defeat of Nazi Germany's naval forces and assisting with setting the strategy for defeating the Japanese in the Far East. Drawing information from Cunningham's personal letters and wartime diaries has allowed John Winton to provide vivid insight into all of this naval leader's merits and flaws. Additional material from official sources and contemporary memoirs gives a thorough and unique perspective of the Second World War at sea.
"There have been seven Princess Royals throughout British history, the inaugural of whom was Princess Mary, the eldest daughter of King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria, followed by Princess Anne (daughter of King George II), Princess Charlotte (daughter of King George III), Princess Victoria (daughter of Queen Victoria), Princess Louise (daughter of King Edward VII), and Princess Mary (daughter of King George V). The current holder of the title, Princess Anne, emerges from this background, clearly demonstrating how the role or Princess Royal has evolved over the generations into one of duty and personal achievement. Drawing on royal letters, journals and associated material, the author's fascinating pen captures the first four decades of Princess Anne's life, from playful child and stylish teenager to champion rider and tireless campaigner for good causes. Along the way are royal engagements and regimental dinners, a love affair with a Dragoon and a terrifying kidnap attempt."--Back cover.
The incredible story of the discovery of the long-sought Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean across North America.Although Mackenzie's journey to the Pacific Ocean preceded the Lewis and Clark expedition by twelve years he remains much less well-known. This biography restores Mackenzie to his rightful place in the pantheon of great American explorers and should be essential reading for all who enjoy accounts of expeditions into the Far West. On 10th October 1792, Alexander Mackenzie, a Scot born in a remote island of the Outer Hebrides, left Fort Chipewyan to begin his journey across the vast American wilderness to the Pacific coast. Mackenzie had left his Scottish home as a boy after his mother had passed away. Apprenticed to a fur trading company in Montreal he learnt how to survive in the brutal conditions of these uncharted territories. Learning from First Nations people that local rivers flowed to the northwest from Fort Chipewyan, Mackenzie began the first of his astounding exploratory journeys in July 1789, travelling on the river that would eventually be named in his honor all the way to the Arctic Ocean. Noel Gerson's The Magnificent Adventures of Alexander Mackenzie brings the magnitude of these exploratory journeys to life. He uncovers not only the fascinating figure of Mackenzie himself but also his travelling companions and the awe-inspiring landscapes through which they travelled. Gerson's "admiration for his subject is well-founded in this sturdy, steadily interesting, biography." Kirkus Reviews
An engrossing memoir that uncovers the turning point of the Battle of the Atlantic against the U-boat menace. Perfect for fans of Ian Toll, Jonathan Dimbleby or C. S. Forrester's Greyhound. Vice Admiral Sir Peter Gretton's book is a brilliant account of his career in the navy through World War Two: fighting in the Second Battle of the Narvik, guarding convoys in the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, before being placed in charge of Escort Group B7, which he described as "the finest job in the Navy for a new commander". It was in this role that Gretton, and the seven warships under his command, were able to make their contribution to turning the tide against the U-boat threat. On the 22nd April 1943 Gretton was in charge of the escort for Convoy ONS 5 during its journey across the North Atlantic. Over the course of the voyage they were attacked by over fifty U-boats, and although they lost thirteen ships they managed to sink six U-boats and seriously damage many more. The U-boats had never faced such fierce resistance to their lethal raids. As the great historian Samuel Eliot Morison stated: "the glorious battle of a British escort group under Commander P. W. Gretton to the Westbound convoy ONS 5 is regarded by both the Allies and the Germans as a turning point in the struggle for the North Atlantic." What tactics had Gretton used to fend off Doenitz's terrifying submarine wolf packs? And how had these strategies developed over the course of the war? Convoy Escort Commander demonstrates how Allied commanders searched for new methods to repel U-boat assaults, including using direction-finding radio and radar, employing special tactical formations, co-ordinating with air cover, and endeavouring to keep the convoy together and prevent straggling. This book takes the reader to heart of the action and is an impressive account of the Battle of the Atlantic and the Royal Navy in World War Two. "It is a delight to read a book that still resonates today as both history of the battle against the U-Boats but also about inspiring leadership at sea. Well recommended to young and old alike." David Collins, The Naval Review "one of the best memoirs of the Battle [of the Atlantic]" Acadiensis: Journal of the History of the Atlantic Region
A stirring account of one of the bravest and most effective units in the fight against Japan in World War Two. Ideal for readers of James Holland, E. B. Sledge and James H. Hallas. By 1942 Guam, Wake Island, Hong Kong, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Malaya, Singapore, and Burma had all fallen to Japanese forces. On the Burmese-Indian border the Allies began their fight back, but to do so they needed to know the movements of the Japanese military. V Force, under the leadership of Major Denis Holmes, was created as a reconnaissance, intelligence-gathering, and guerrilla organisation to become the eyes and ears of the Allied military. Working with 3rd Commando Brigade, the 81st West African Brigade, and the support of local population, Holmes and his men were able to gather information and strike behind enemy lines. Their daring was remarkable, their information usually of exemplary accuracy and their speed instant. C. E. Lucas Phillips uses Holmes' own diary along with memoirs of various combatants to provide insight into these unconventional heroes, their impressive courage, and how their exhilarating exploits allowed the Allied forces to turn the tide against Japanese aggression. 'It is time the story of their heroism was told, so that they may never be forgotten, and Brigadier Lucas Phillips has told it uncommonly well... I welcome this exciting book.' from the Foreword by The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, KG
An engrossing biography of Washington's great cavalryman. General Henry Lee was an accomplished soldier and statesman, recognised for his heroic cavalry exploits during the American Revolutionary War. Ideal reading for those who have enjoyed the books of H. W. Brands, Craig L. Symonds and Nathaniel Philbrick. Henry Lee learnt to ride before he was 5, joined Washington's Army upon the outbreak of the American Revolution at 19, and was appointed Captain of the Fifth Troop of Virginia Dragoons at 20. At 22 Colonel Lee took command of a mixed cavalry and infantry unit known as "Lee's Legion" - the finest offensive team in the entire Continental Army. Nicknamed "Light-Horse Harry" for his lightning raids on British supply wagons, the young Virginian quickly earned a reputation for horsemanship and distinguished himself as one of the most skilled and courageous cavalry officers of the American Revolution. "No man sits a saddle more firmly" said General George Washington of Henry Lee. After the war Lee served in the Virginia legislature, in the Congress under the Articles of Confederation, in the Virginia Convention of 1788 that ratified the federal Constitution, and as governor of the state between 1791 and 1794. His political career was interrupted while he commanded the Army to put down the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. From 1799 to 1801 he served in the United States House of Representatives. George Washington's personal confidant and friend, on the President's death in 1799 Lee delivered the immortal lines: "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." Noel B. Gerson charts the triumphs and tragedies of one of the nation's most distinguished citizens, whose rapid rise to fame was overshadowed by bankruptcy, imprisonment and the injuries he received from an angry mob in later life. Drawing on a wealth of contemporary sources, including private correspondence and Lee's own published memoirs, Gerson masterfully portrays a dedicated patriot and natural-born soldier, a trait he passed on to his even more renowned son, General Robert E. Lee. "a lively and interesting account of the life and military career of General Henry Lee." The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography Light-Horse Harry is the history of a quintessential Virginia cavalryman and gallant Revolutionary war hero whose political accomplishments helped pave the way for American independence.
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