Cross of Iron - WWII Military Fiction

“I could see that still no one had been able to get out from the cockpit. It must have been at this moment that I thought I was going to die because I became remarkably calm.” Trapped inside a burning Lancaster bomber 20,000 feet above Berlin, airman John Martin consigned himself to his fate and turned his thoughts to his fiancée back home. In a miraculous turn of events, however, the twenty-one year old was thrown clear of his disintegrating aeroplane and found himself parachuting into the heart of Nazi Germany. He was captured and began his period as a prisoner of war. This is the engaging and compulsively readable true-life account of a Second World War airman, who cheated death in the sky only to face interrogation and the prospect of being shot by the Gestapo, before having to endure months of hardship as a prisoner of war.

Published in conjunction with the History Channel and the BBC, this prizewinning volume, now back in print, contains previously unpublished material and photographs documenting the reality of life under Nazi rule and the evolution of the ruthless slaughter of millions of people in Germany.In this handsome edition, BBC producer and renowned historian Laurence Rees has collected the testimonies of more than fifty eyewitnesses, many of whom were committed Nazis, free to tell their stories only after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Rees offers us the compelling voices of soldiers and civilians rarely heard from—including a remorseless Lithuanian soldier who shot five hundred people and then went out to lunch, and the anguished older sister of a ten-year-old developmentally disabled boy selected for “immunization injection” (a fatal dose of morphine) at a children’s hospital. These materials cast a harsh new light on the rise and fall of the Third Reich.

The mighty slave army, led by Spartacus, has carried all before it, scattering the legions of Rome. Three praetors, two consuls and one proconsul have been defeated. Spartacus seems invincible as he marches towards the Alps and freedom.But storm clouds are massing on the horizon. Crixus the Gaul defects, taking all his men with him. Crassus, the richest man in Rome, begins to raise a formidable army, tasked specifically with the defeat of Spartacus. And within the slave army itself, there are murmurings of dissent and rebellion.Spartacus, on the brink of glory, must make a crucial decision - to go forward over the Alps to freedom, or back to face the might of Rome and try to break its stranglehold on power forever.

World-renowned British historian Sir Max Hastings recounts one of the most horrific months of World War II.June 1944, the month of the D-Day landings carried out by Allied forces in Normandy, France. Germany’s 2nd SS Panzer Division, one of Adolf Hitler’s most elite armor units, had recently been pulled from the Eastern Front and relocated to France in order to regroup, recruit more troops, and restock equipment. With Allied forces suddenly on European ground, the division—Das Reich —was called up to counter the invasion. Its march northward to the shores of Normandy, 15,000 men strong, would become infamous as a tale of unparalleled brutality in World War II.Das Reich is Sir Max Hastings’s narrative of the atrocities committed by the 2nd SS Panzer Division during June of 1944: first, the execution of 99 French civilians in the village of Tulle on June 9; and second, the massacre of 642 more in the village of Oradour-sur-Glane on June 10. Throughout the book, Hastings expertly shifts perspective between French resistance fighters, the British Secret Service (who helped coordinate the French resistance from afar and on the ground), and the German soldiers themselves. With its rare, unbiased approach to the ruthlessness of World War II, Das Reich explores the fragile moral fabric of wartime mentality.

Wednesday 22 January 1879 was one of the most dramatic days in the long and distinguished history of the British Army. At noon a massive Zulu host attacked the 24th Regiment in its encampment at the foot of the mountain of Isandlwana, a distinctive feature that bore an eerie resemblance to the Sphinx badge of the outnumbered redcoats. Disaster ensued. Later that afternoon the victorious Zulus would strike the tiny British garrison at Rorke's Drift. How Can Man Die Better is a unique analysis of Isandlwana v of the weapons, tactics, ground, and the intriguing characters who made the key military decisions. Because the fatal loss was so high on the British side there is still much that is unknown about the battle v until now. Mike Snook is the first military professional to scrutinize the battle in print since 1879. He has an unparalleled grasp of the nuances of the ground at Isandlwana and of their implications in practical military terms. Most compellingly he has an instinctive feel for the characters who forged this supremely dramatic history, for this is µfamily' history v the battle was fought by soldiers of the author's own regiment. This is a work of unparalleled depth, which eschews the commonly held perception that the British collapse was sudden and that the 24th Regiment was quickly overwhelmed. Rather, there was a protracted and heroic defence against a determined and equally heroic foe. The author reconstructs the final phase of the battle in a way that has never been attempted before. It was to become the stuff of legend, which the author brings to life so vividly that one can almost sense the fear and smell the blood. How Can Man Die Better is essential reading for anyone interested in Isandlwana, the wider Anglo-Zulu War or the Victorian Army.

In his popular books Above Top Secret, Alien Contact & Beyond Top Secret, Good has focused on the worldwide involvement of intelligence communities in UFO research, sightings by witnesses such as military & civilian pilots, & the recovery of alien vehicles. Now he concentrates on reports of actual encounters with extraterrestrial beings, presenting evidence that Earth is actually the base of operations for several alien species. The most authoritative & comprehensive account of alien visitation & colonization in the 20th century, Alien Base is the culmination of nearly 40 years' research that for the 1st time offers an in-depth understanding of this diverse range of phenomena. New Evidence from his files includes:-An impressive collection of photographs of alien craft-The 1st convincing photographs of aliens-Retrievals of alien craft & bodies predating Roswell-Cases involving repairs carried out to grounded craft-Visits to alien bases on Earth-New stories of worldwide encounters with aliens (1920-97)-Unidentified submarine objects reported by naval observers-Remarkable new cases involving space-time distortion-Sensational new encounters reported by pilots Written by a researcher recognized internationally for his unsensational objectivity about this complex multidisciplinary subject, Alien Base provides insight into this enigma.

While the Battle of Berlin in 1945 is widely known, the horrific story of the Halbe Kessel remains largely untold. In April 1945, victorious Soviet forces encircled 80,000 men of the German 9th Army in the Halbe area, South of Berlin, together with many thousands of German women and children. The German troops, desperate to avoid Soviet capture, battled furiously to break out towards the West, where they could surrender to the comparative safety of the Americans. For the German civilians trapped in the Kessel, the quest to escape took on frantic dimensions, as the terror of Red Army brutality spread. The small town of Halbe became the eye of the hurricane for the breakout, as King Tigers of the SS Panzer Corps led the spearhead to the West, supported by Panthers of the battle-hardened 21st Panzer Division. Panzer by panzer, unit by unit, the breakout forces were cut down - until only a handful of Panthers, other armour, battered infantry units and columns of shattered refugees made a final escape through the rings of fire to the American lines. This first-hand account by the commander of one of those Panther tanks relates with devastating clarity the conditions inside the Kessel, the ferocity of the breakout attempt through Halbe, and the subsequent running battles between overwhelming Soviet forces and the exhausted Reich troops, who were using their last reserves of fuel, ammunition, strength and hope. Eloquent German-perspective accounts of World War 2 are surprisingly rare, and the recent reissue of Wolfgang Faust's 1948 memoir 'Tiger Tracks' has fascinated readers around the world with its insight into the Eastern Front. In 'The Last Panther, ' Faust used his unique knowledge of tank warfare to describe the final collapse of the Third Reich and the murderous combat between the German and Russian armies. He gives us a shocking testament to the cataclysmic final hours of the Reich, and the horrors of this last eruption of violence among the idyllic forests and meadows of Germany.

I am still surprised that Solzhenitsyn was such a good writer. Of these two short novellas I particularly liked the first which out of very unpromising material weaves an elegant and moving story about the confused state of mind likely to have existed here and there in the Soviet Union in 1941. The country had been drawn into war and the novella sucessfully and interestingly dissects the thoughts of just one young man. However, through his work and circumstances we learn so much about confusion in the whole country. It was Solzhenitsyn's literary genius to make the man work for the railways.The other novella is good too, maybe more readily and universally understood, about human greed. In a way it is shocking to realise that even in the 1953 Russia material possessions counted for something.The only thing marring this slim volume is the translation. My copy was published in 1974 when the fashion was evidently to add translator's comments in square brackets - very distracting.

As the SAS's Regimental Sergeant-Major during the Gulf War, Peter Ratcliffe is exceptionally well placed to comment on events often widely promoted as 'the full story' in other books by former SAS soldiers. His controversial autobiography corrects many of the distortions and exaggerations of earlier accounts, and proves that much of what has been written about the Regiment is fiction or fantasy. Eye of the Storm is neither. Spanning action in Northern Ireland, Oman, and South Georgia and the Falklands, the author's SAS career reached its peak during the Gulf War, in which he commanded an eight-vehicle mobile patrol behind Iraqi lines. The mission culminated in the destruction of a vital strategic target against enormous odds -- perhaps the most spectacularly successful special-forces operation of the war. He also explodes a number of myths about the SAS, and many will be surprised to find him occasionally critical of the regiment he loves. Nor does he spare its members where he found them lacking in aggression or persistence, as in his unique insider's view of the abortive SAS helicopter mission to Argentina during the Falklands War. Even more crucially, he provides the most authoritative explanation to date for the failure of the disastrous Bravo Two Zero patrol. Peter Ratcliffe's insight into SAS involvement in world events over a quarter-century is laced with first-hand descriptions of ferocious and bloody fighting, of sudden death and incredible heroism. His narrative is peopled with extraordinary characters, as well as soldiers who have since become household names, among them Generals de la Billiere, Rose, and Schwarzkopf; here too are the arcane details of SAS Selection and training, weapons, equipment and, where it is safe to give them, operations. Eye of the Storm is a balanced, honest and long-overdue account of the SAS in action and out of it, by a senior soldier uniquely fitted to tell of events as they really happened. Earthy, dramatic, humorous, occasionally disturbing, and always intensely interesting, this is the kind of fighting-soldier's memoir that appears only once in any generation.

A riveting account of the fall of Greece, the Battle of Crete, and the Cretan Resistance, from the beginning of World War II to its end.Nazi Germany expected its airborne attack on Crete in 1941 to be a textbook victory based on tactical surprise. Little did they know that the British, using Ultra intercepts, had already laid a careful trap. It should have been the first German defeat of the war when a fatal misunderstanding turned the battle around.Prize-winning historian and bestselling author Antony Beevor lends his gift for storytelling to this important conflict, showing not only how the situation turned bad for Allied forces, but also how ferocious Cretan freedom fighters mounted a heroic resistance. Originally published in 1991, Crete 1941 is a breathtaking account of a momentous battle of World War II.

For the German soldier fighting under Hitler, keeping a diary was strictly forbidden. So Gunther Koschorrek, a fresh young recruit, wrote his notes on whatever scraps of paper he could find and sewed the pages into the lining of his winter coat. Left with his mother on his rare trips home, this illicit diary eventually was lostand was not coming to light until some 40 years later when Koschorrek was reunited with his daughter in America. It is this remarkable document, a unique day-to-day account of the common German soldiers experience.

In memoriam of James Herbert.I've only discovered how much I like James Herbert fairly recently and began reading and collecting his books. Now it makes it all the sadder since his passing only leaves the readers with a finite number of books. Ghosts of Sleath is a very worthy sequel of the excellent Haunted, with David Ash as the haunted(in every sense)paranormal investigator yet again getting involved in a case that's larger and darker than it originally seems. It's also a very well executed spin on a traditional theme...dark past comes home to roost in the quiet quaint sleepy english village. Herbert writes...wrote...so incredibly well, never relying on cheap thrills, taking the time to develop the characters and really build up the dread and never insulting the intelligence of his readers or contributing to the mass produced crap of the uber prolific and utterly unimaginative best sellers sell outs out there. His writing and his books really stand out with their sheer quality, imagination and horrific awesomeness. He will be deeply missed. We, the readers, are left with his literary legacy, 23 excellent novels to cherish and enjoy.

Some things in life go unnoticed. The fact that there were ruthless, vicious and vindictive female Nazi guards is one of them. This new title from author Stewart Andel hopes to address that issue and open up the stories behind the evil Nazi plague that were the "Notorious Nazi Women." Hear the stories of "The Bitch of Buchenwald," or the "Beautiful Beast" inside this first chapter of; The Eclectic Collection.

'Nothing of Importance' is the author's record of the eight months he spent as an officer on the Western Front with a Welsh battalion (October, 1915, to June, 1916). This book, 'Nothing of Importance,' by John Bernard Pye Adams, is a replication of a book originally published before 1917. It has been restored by human beings, page by page, so that you may enjoy it in a form as close to the original as possible.

Kohima. In this remote Indian village near the border with Burma, a tiny force of British and Indian troops faced the might of the Imperial Japanese Army. Outnumbered ten to one, the defenders fought the Japanese hand to hand in a battle that was amongst the most savage in modern warfare.A garrison of no more than 1,500 fighting men, desperately short of water and with the wounded compelled to lie in the open, faced a force of 15,000 Japanese. They held the pass and prevented a Japanese victory that would have proved disastrous for the British. Another six weeks of bitter fighting followed as British and Indian reinforcements strove to drive the enemy out of India. When the battle was over, a Japanese army that had invaded India on a mission of imperial conquest had suffered the worst defeat in its history. Thousands of men lay dead on a devastated landscape, while tens of thousands more Japanese starved in a catastrophic retreat eastwards. They called the journey back to Burma the ‘Road of Bones’, as friends and comrades committed suicide or dropped dead from hunger along the jungle paths.Fergal Keane has reported for the BBC from conflicts on every continent over the past 25 years, and he brings to this work of history not only rigorous scholarship but a raw understanding of the pitiless nature of war. It is a story filled with vivid characters: the millionaire's son who refused a commission and was awarded a VC for his sacrifice in battle, the Roedean debutante who led a guerrilla band in the jungle, and the General who defied the orders of a hated superior in order to save the lives of his men. Based on original research in Japan, Britain and India, ‘Road of Bones’ is a story about extraordinary courage and the folly of imperial dreams.

A fresh and acclaimed account of the Spanish Civil War by the bestselling author of Stalingrad and The Fall Of Berlin 1945 Beevor's Ardennes 1944: The Battle of the Bulge is now available from Viking Books  To mark the 70th anniversary of the Spanish Civil War's outbreak, Antony Beevor has written a completely updated and revised account of one of the most bitter and hard-fought wars of the twentieth century. With new material gleaned from the Russian archives and numerous other sources, this brisk and accessible book (Spain's #1 bestseller for twelve weeks), provides a balanced and penetrating perspective, explaining the tensions that led to this terrible overture to World War II and affording new insights into the war-its causes, course, and consequences.

Przerażający obraz najbardziej zaciętej bitwy II wojny światowej Klasztor na Monte Cassino jest wielkim symbolem. Przez wiele wieków uchodził za bastion wiary chrześcijańskiej. Ale po zażartej i brutalnej bitwie, która odbyła się w jego cieniu podczas drugiej wojny światowej, zaczął też reprezentować coś innego: ludzkie poświęcenie i niemal niewyobrażalne cierpienie. Opierając się na bezpośrednich relacjach weteranów z całego świata, Matthew Parker odtworzył tę spektakularną bitwę i doświadczenia niezwykle odważnych ludzi, którzy w niej walczyli.

The Nazi Hunters is the incredible, hitherto untold story of the most secret chapter in the SAS's history. Officially, the world's most elite special forces unit was dissolved at the end of the Second World War, and not reactivated until the 1950s. Among their last actions was a disastrous commando raid into occupied France in 1944, which ended in the capture, torture and execution of 31 soldiers. It can now be revealed that the SAS never was dissolved: it lived on, commanded personally by Churchill and hidden even from the British government. They were tasked with hunting through the ruins of the Reich for the SS commanders responsible for the murder of their comrades, including many who had escaped the failed justice of the Nuremberg trials. Along the way, they discovered before anyone else the full horror of Hitler's regime, and the growing threat from Stalin's Russia. Still studied by the SAS today and a central part of their founding myth, the story of the Nazi hunters is now told by bestselling author Damien Lewis.