Title: Nuclear Dawn

Author: James P. Delgado

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £20.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Hiroshima

Category: Military History

The obliteration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 brought the world to a stand still. This unimaginable shock confirmed to the world that the race to develop a working atomic weapon during World War II had been won by the American-led international effort. Horrific and controversial even today, these first uses of the atomic bomb had intense ramifications not only on the continued development of the bomb, but also on politics and popular culture. As well as the technological development, historian James Delgado also examines how the US Army Air Force had to develop the capacity to deliver the weapons, and examines the sites where development and testing took place, in order to give a comprehensive history of the dawning of the nuclear age.

Title: The Art of Leadership

Author: Viscount Montgomery of Alamein

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Price: £19.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Bernard Montgomery

Category: Military History

Few people over the last century are better qualified to discuss leadership than Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, the charismatic and idiosyncratic Second World War leader. It was a subject to which he devoted much thought. 'In one short sentence, it is captaincy that counts', he writes. Using personal studies of famous political military and industrial figures, Monty analyses the qualities that make for effective leadership. Being, by any definition, a frank and honest man he does not hesitate to highlight perceived deficiencies. Among his case studies are the Generals of the two world wars, Haig, French, Gort, Wavell and Alexander. Political leaders include Cromwell and Nehru, Khrushchev, de Gaulle and Mao. In this edition a fascination and contentious comparison of Churchill and Eisenhower appears for the first time. This book was first published as The Path to Leadership in 1961. This is an expanded edition.

Title: The Mannerheim Line: 1920-39

Author: Blair Irincheev

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £11.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Finland and the Second World War

Category: Military History

In the wake of the bloody civil war that followed Finland's independence from Russia in 1917, the border between the two countries was established across the Karelian Isthmus, an area long fought over by Russia, Finland and Sweden - and only 32km from the military and industrial city of Petrograd. As such, both sides began an intensive period of fortification and defensive planning. When the Winter War broke out in November 1939, the complex and heavily defended Mannerheim Line was fought over fiercely, with the network of fortifications coming under heavy bombardment, air attack and armoured assault.Through an analysis of the background and operational history of the Mannerheim Line, this book attempts to dispel myths and provide an accurate assessment of its great historical importance.

Title: Scottish Arms and Armour

Author: Fergus Cannan

Publisher: Shire Publications

Price: £12.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Bannockburn

Category: Military History

The weapons and armour of the Scottish warrior include some of historyâ s most famous and recognisable arms. From the mighty claymore two-handed sword to the diminutive sghian dubh, these instruments of warfare have given the military history of Scotland a distinctive flavour. Carried by men such as William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, and Bonnie Prince Charlie and used on the battlefields of Stirling Bridge, Bannockburn, Flodden and Culloden, they have become symbols of Scottish heritage and national identity.

Title: Culloden

Author: Tony Pollard

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Price: £25.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Culloden

Category: Military History

In battle at Culloden Moor on 16 April 1746 the Jacobite cause was dealt a mortal blow. The power of the Highland clans was broken. And the image of sword-wielding Highlanders charging into a hail of lead delivered by the red-coated battalions of the Hanoverian army has passed into legend. The battle was decisive - it was a turning point in British history. And yet our perception of this critical episode tends to be confused by mistaken, sometimes partisan views of the events on the battlefield. So, what really happened at Culloden? In this fascinating and original book, a team of leading historians and archaeologists reconsiders every aspect of the battle. They examine the latest historical and archaeological evidence, question every assumption, and rewrite the story of the campaign in vivid detail. This is the first time that such a distinguished team of experts has focused on a single British battle. The result is a seminal study of the subject, and it is a landmark publication of battlefield archaeology.

Title: English Castles: 1200-1300

Author: Christopher Gravett

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £11.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Norman Castles

Category: Military History

The simple castles raised after the Norman conquest had been developed throughout 11th and 12th centuries, whilst the introduction of Islamic and Byzantine fortification techniques from the late 12th century led to further developments in castle architecture. These fortifications were to be well tested throughout the course of the 13th century as England was riven by the conflict, characterized by prolonged sieges, between the monarchy and powerful magnates. As well as providing the focus for warfare, castles increasingly became the centres of their communities, providing a more permanent base for the lord, his family and retainers, as well as acting as centres for justice and administration.

Title: Roosevelt's Rough Riders

Author: Alejandro de Quesada

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £11.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Theodore Roosevelt

Category: Military History

This book examines the brief but colorful history of the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry, and details the rich experiences of the men who fought in its ranks. Founded in May 1898 after the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, the unit was composed of volunteers from all walks of American life. Posted to Cuba, it fought in the battles of Las Guasimas, Kettle Hill and San Juan Hill. At this time, Theodore Roosevelt assumed command, and the unit became known as 'Roosevelt's Rough Riders'. Eventually withdrawn, the men returned to a hero's welcome in the US. The last veteran of the unit died in 1975, but a rich body of source material has survived, and much of this is covered in this fascinating work.

Title: Petersburg 1864-65

Author: Ron Field

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £14.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Petersburg

Category: Military History

In 1864, General Ulysses S. Grant decided to strangle the life out of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia by surrounding the city of Petersburg and cutting off General Robert E. Lee's supply lines. The ensuing siege would carry on for nearly ten months, involve 160,000 soldiers, and see a number of pitched battles including the Battle of the Crater, Reams Station, Hatcher's Run, and White Oak Road. After nearly ten months, Grant launched an attack that sent the Confederate army scrambling back to Appomattox Court House where it would soon surrender. Written by an expert on the American Civil War, this book examines the last clash between the armies of U.S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.

Title: The Great Islamic Conquests

Author: David Nicolle

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £10.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Rise of Islam

Category: Military History

Few centuries in world history have had such a profound and long-lasting impact as the first hundred years of Islamic history. In this book, David Nicolle examines the extensive Islamic conquests between AD 632 and 750. These years saw the religion and culture of Islam erupt from the Arabian Peninsula and spread across an area far larger than that of the Roman Empire. The effects of this rapid expansion were to shape European affairs for centuries to come. This book examines the social and military history of the period, describing how and why the Islamic expansion was so successful.

Title: Royal Marine Commando 1950-82

Author: Will Fowler

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £11.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: British Army: 1939-45

Category: Military History

One of the most prestigious and versatile units of the British armed forces, the Royal Marine Commandos served in many theatres worldwide, performing a number of conventional and specialised roles. During the period covered in this account, conscription to the Royal Marines came to an end and the unit became a professional and dedicated force, with a tough recruitment programme and a focus on teamwork. This book provides a detailed look at the service life of a Royal Marine Commando in a time of great change, exploring the developments that took place in recruitment, training, equipment, weaponry, dress and tactical deployment in the post-World War II period.

Title: Solferino 1859

Author: Richard Brooks

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £14.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

The name John Muir has come to stand for the protection of wild land and wilderness in both America and Britain. Born in Dunbar in 1838, Muir is famed as a pioneer of American conservation and his passion, discipline and vision still inspire. Combining acute observation with a sense of inner discovery, Muir's writings of his summer in what would become the great national park of Yosemite in California's Sierra valley raise a close awareness of nature to a spiritual dimension. His journal provides a unique marriage of natural history, lyrical prose and amusing anecdote, retaining a freshness, intensity and brutal honesty which will amaze the modern reader.

Title: Chindit 1942-45

Author: Tim Moreman

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £11.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Orde Wingate

Category: Military History

"In many ways I was like Alice," writes Alan Macfarlane on his first encounter with Japan, "that very assured and middle-class English girl, when she walked through the looking glass. I was full of certainty, confidence and unexamined assumptions about my categories. In this fascinating and endlessly surprising book he takes us with him on an exploration of every aspect of Japanese society from the most public to the most intimate.

Title: Strongholds of the Sumurai

Author: Stephen Turnbull

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £20.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

The earliest fortifications in Japan were developed with the appearance of the first emperors in around 250 and were often simple wooden constructions. As internal strife became a way of life in Japan, more and increasingly elaborate fortifications. This book covers the entire period of Japanese castle development from the very first fortifications, through to the sophisticated structures of the 16th and 17th century, explaining how they were adapted to withstand Samurai firearms and exploring life within these castles. With unpublished photographs from the author's private collection and full-color artwork, including detailed cutaways, this is an essential guide to the fascinating development of Japanese fortifications.

Title: Sniper: A History of the US Marksman

Author: Martin Pegler

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £17.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: United States Army

Category: Military History

Following on, from the success of "Out of Nowhere: A History of the Military Sniper", Martin Pegler gives us an in-depth study of the emergence of American rifleman, sharpshooter and sniper, examining the evolution of the rifle in America from the earliest firearms of the 15th century, to the highly accurate sniping rifles of the 21st century. Pegler analyses the technological development of the rifle, sighting systems and ammunition and uses contemporary accounts to describe how the use of the rifle during the Revolutionary War, Civil War and the conflicts of the 20th and 21st centuries have impacted on US military history. This detailed account concludes with a study of the American sniper in modern warfare, including Afghanistan and the ongoing conflict in Iraq, providing an overview of the march of weapons technology, as well as an unusual insight into the lives and the motives of the men who used them.

Title: Belisarius: The Last Roman General

Author: Ian Hughes

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Price: £25.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: The Romans

Category: Ancient World

A military history of the campaigns of Belisarius, the greatest general of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Emperor Justinian. He twice defeated the Persians and reconquered North Africa from the Vandals in a single year at the age of 29, before going on to regain Spain and Italy, including Rome (briefly), from the barbarians. It discusses the evolution from classical Roman to Byzantine armies and systems of warfare, as well as those of their chief enemies, the Persians, Goths and Vandals. It reassesses Belisarius' generalship and compares him with the likes of Caesar, Alexander and Hannibal. It will be illustrated with line drawings and battle plans as well as photographs.

Title: The Roman Army of the Principate

Author: Nic Fields

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £16.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: The Romans

Category: Ancient World

Title: The Worldwide History of Warfare

Author: Tim Newark

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £19.95

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: English Civil War

Category: Military History

The Worldwide History of Warfare combines historical engravings, diagrams and artwork with an engaging modern text to create a visual study of humankinds extraordinary capacity for ingenuity in inventing new ways to wage war. The history of military hardware is interjected with fascinating diagrams of tactics and famous battles, which alongside an extensive glossary of terms creates a complete grammar for the school of war. Navigational features include tabs with detailed cross-references and timelines of key battles and inventions, which aid the reader in exploring the complex battleground of the history of warfare from ancient times through to the American Civil War.

Title: Paying the Human Costs of War

Author: Christopher Gelpi, Peter D. Feaver and Jason Reifler

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Price: £15.95

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: The Vietnam War

Category: Military History

From the Korean War to the current conflict in Iraq, Paying the Human Costs of War examines the ways in which the American public decides whether to support the use of military force. Contrary to the conventional view, the authors demonstrate that the public does not respond reflexively and solely to the number of casualties in a conflict. Instead, the book argues that the public makes reasoned and reasonable cost-benefit calculations for their continued support of a war based on the justifications for it and the likelihood it will succeed, along with the costs that have been suffered in casualties. Of these factors, the book finds that the most important consideration for the public is the expectation of success. If the public believes that a mission will succeed, the public will support it even if the costs are high. When the public does not expect the mission to succeed, even small costs will cause the withdrawal of support. Providing a wealth of new evidence about American attitudes toward military conflict, Paying the Human Costs of War offers insights into a controversial, timely, and ongoing national discussion.

Title: From the Front Line

Author: Hew Pike

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Price: £19.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

From the Frontline is an extraordinary record of a family's military service over the last 100 years. Thanks to careful editing, each individual tells his story through letters and diaries which capture the military scene and reflect family ties that bind them all closely. The eight family members served in South Africa, West Africa, Korea, Aden, the Falklands and Afghanistan as well as both World Wars. One lost his life and others were wounded. Two became generals, many were decorated. Their records may span a century when warfare changed greatly. Yet the tone of the letters remains surprisingly constant reflecting confidence in their fellows, a pride in service to Crown and Country, love of family and understatement of the dangers. Being thinking men, their views on the conduct of operations is sometimes critical as are their opinions of their leaders. This collection is highly unusual and totally enthralling.

Title: Trailblazers

Author: Christopher Hounsfield

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Price: £19.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

Flight testing experimental and new aircraft is one of the world's most hazardous occupations. A test pilot requires the skills of a flying ace whilst maintaining the self-control and mental discipline of a scientist. They are a rare breed, carefully selected for their experience and intelligence - let alone their bravery. This book contains a series of anecdotes written by some of the world's best, flying iconic aircraft during the extensive experimental flights that must take place before a type can enter service. Each story is a unique insight into these modern day technological explorers.

Title: The Mavericks

Author: Robert Harvey

Publisher: Constable & Robinson

Price: £20.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Duke of Wellington

Category: Biography

In an age of backroom generals who command from far behind troop lines, it is often forgotten that wars have been won or lost by the personality and leadership of a maverick commander. In twelve riveting portrait, best-selling historian, Robert Harvey, explores the mind and the action of such men. From the Mediterranean sea Harvey investigates what make a military commander different - a charismatic leader of men, rational under fire, unafraid to improvise or lead his men into victory against the odds. Packed with compelling and insightful analysis and story telling, Mavericks is Robert Harvey's best book to date. The Mavericks, what made them great and their key battles include: Clive of India - a master of the decisive strike, and going for the jugular, Plassey; James Wolfe - renowned by his troops for being as demanding on himself as on them, Quebec; George Washington - patience, then boldness, Yorktown; Horatio Nelson - flamboyance, careful planning and improvisation, Trafalgar; Thomas Cochrane - Fearless commando tactics and an eye for the unexpected strike, Aix Roads; The Duke of Wellington - style and soundbites, caution and planning, Salamanca; Guiseppe Garibaldi - charismatic communicator, bold in battle, Messina; Ulysses S. Grant - Cool and rational, with determination to overcome all obstacles, Vicksburg; and, Erwin Rommel - Careful calculation followed by bold strikes, Desert Campaign.It also includes: George Patton - Aggression coupled with skill in tanks and training, The Battle of the Bulge; Field Marshal Montgomery - A natural rebel with a lightning mind, El Alamein; and, Douglas MacArthur - brilliant communicator and bold, cared for his men, Inchon.

Title: Buffalo Soldiers: African American Troops in the US Forces 1866-1945

Author: Ron Field

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £20.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: African-American Soldiers

Category: Military History

This book covers the history of African American soldiers, beginning with the American Civil War and the Plains Wars, when they were nicknamed 'Buffalo Soldiers'. It then examines their role during the age of 'American Imperialism', before distinguishing themselves in the trenches of World War I. Finally, it examines their participation in World War II, where almost half a million African Americans fought for their country, and the desegregation of the armed forces that followed.

Title: Crusader Castles in the Holy Land

Author: David Nicolle

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £11.50

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: King Richard I

Category: Military History

The debacle of the Second Crusade in 1148 caused the Crusader States to realise the necessity of developing a more cautious strategy. The original expansionist spirit largely disappeared, and the Crusader States made priorities of strengthening their existing fortifications and towns and building new castles. These structures encompassed core aspects of Western European military architecture with the integration of rapidly developing Arab and Islamic traditions. Following Fortress 21: 'Crusader Castles in the Holy Land 1097 - 1192', this book examines the design, development and defensive principles of some of the best-known Crusader fortifications and castles, including Crac des Chevaliers, Castel Blanc, Arsuf, Margat, Atlit, Montfort and Acre.

Title: Sweet William or The Butcher

Author: Jonathan Oates

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Price: £19.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Duke of Cumberland

Category: Military History

'Butcher' Cumberland is portrayed as one of the arch villains of British history. His leading role in the bloody defeat of the Jacobite rebellion in 1745 and his ruthless pursuit of Bonnie Prince Charlie's fugitive supporters across the Scottish Highlands has generated a reputation for severity that has endured to the present day. He has even been proposed as the most evil Briton of the eighteenth century. But was Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, the younger son of George II, really the ogre of popular imagination? Jonathan Oates, in this perceptive investigation of the man and his notorious career, seeks to answer this question. He looks dispassionately at Cumberland's character and at his record as a soldier, in particular at this behaviour towards enemy wounded and prisoners. He analyses the rules of war as they were understood and applied in the eighteenth century. And he watches Cumberland closely through the entire course of the '45 campaign, from the retreat of the rebels across northern England to the Highlands, through Battle of Culloden and on into the bloodstained suppression that followed.

Title: The Viking Wars of Alfred the Great

Author: Paul Hill

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Price: £19.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

In the spring of 878 at the Battle of Edington the tide of English history turned. Alfred's decisive defeat of Guthrum the Dane freed much of the south and west of England from Danish control and brought to a halt Guthrum's assault on Alfred's Wessex. The battle was the culmination of a long period of preparation by Alfred in the wilderness - a victory snatched from the jaws of catastrophic defeat. As such, this momentous turning point around which an entire nation's future pivoted, has given rise to legends and misconceptions that persist to the present day. Paul Hill, in this stimulating and meticulously researched study, brings together the evidence of the medieval chronicles and the latest historical and archaeological research to follow the struggle as it swung across southern England in the ninth century. He dispels the myths that have grown up around this critical period in English history, and he looks at Alfred's war against the Vikings with modern eyes.

Title: Attila the Hun

Author: Christopher Kelly

Publisher: Bodley Head

Price: £17.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

The name John Muir has come to stand for the protection of wild land and wilderness in both America and Britain. Born in Dunbar in 1838, Muir is famed as a pioneer of American conservation and his passion, discipline and vision still inspire. Combining acute observation with a sense of inner discovery, Muir's writings of his summer in what would become the great national park of Yosemite in California's Sierra valley raise a close awareness of nature to a spiritual dimension. His journal provides a unique marriage of natural history, lyrical prose and amusing anecdote, retaining a freshness, intensity and brutal honesty which will amaze the modern reader.

Title: Genocide in German South-West Africa

Author: Jurgen Zimmerer & Joachim Zeller

Publisher: Merlin Press

Price: £15.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Kaiser Wilhelm II

Category: Military History

Early in 1904 war broke out in German South West Africa, when the Herero tribe rose up against an oppressive colonial regime. The German army despatched to the colony brutally suppressed the uprising and set about the systematic annihilation of the Herero and Nama people. This collection of essays considers many aspects of this war of extermination. Edward Neather adds an introduction that situates these events in the context for the great African land rush by European powers and shows how racism, concentration camps and genocide in the German colony foreshadow the crimes committed during Hitler'ss Third Reich.

Title: Fatal Avenue

Author: Richard Holmes

Publisher: Vintage

Price: £9.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: 100 Years War

Category: Military History

De Gaulle called it a 'fatal avenue' - that broad sweep of low-lying country stretching north east of Paris. Over the centuries, invading armies have swept back and forth over this bloody terrain, and the names of battles fought here read like a dictionary of military history - from Agincourt, Calais and Crecy to Verdun, Vimy and Ypres. Fatal Avenue is both a history and a guide - a unique study of a region that has witnessed more bitter military conflict than any other area of its size on earth.

Title: Jungle Warfare

Author: J. P. Cross

Publisher: Pen & Sword

Price: £19.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Vietnam War

Category: Military History

The physical conditions of jungle warfare and the closeness of contact with the enemy pose unique problems and call for special soldiering skills. Colonel John Cross, a life long Gurkha officer, has an unrivalled knowledge of this demanding warfare and uses it to best advantage in this instructive yet personal account of techniques and experiences. He uses examples from British and Japanese sides in the Second World War and goes on to demonstrate how tactics and strategy developed in the Malay, Borneo and Indo-China theatres thereafter. He laces his work with vivid recollections and assessments of friend and foe along with entertaining anecdotes from a wide range of sources. This excellent book offers a perfect blend of factual military history and personal recollection and the reader gains a unique insight into this most challenging form of warfare.

Title: Shaping Strategy

Author: Risa A. Brooks

Publisher: Wiley

Price: £35.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Israel

Category: Military History

Good strategic assessment does not guarantee success in international relations, but bad strategic assessment dramatically increases the risk of disastrous failure. The most glaring example of this reality is playing out in Iraq today. But what explains why states and their leaders are sometimes so good at strategic assessment - and why they are sometimes so bad at it? Part of the explanation has to do with a state's civil-military relations. In "Shaping Strategy", Risa Brooks develops a novel theory of how states' civil-military relations affect strategic assessment during international conflicts. And her conclusions have broad practical importance: to anticipate when states are prone to strategic failure abroad, we must look at how civil-military relations affect the analysis of those strategies at home.Drawing insights from both international relations and comparative politics, "Shaping Strategy" shows that good strategic assessment depends on civil-military relations that encourage an easy exchange of information and a rigorous analysis of a state's own relative capabilities and strategic environment. Among the diverse case studies the book illuminates, Brooks explains why strategic assessment in Egypt was so poor under Gamal Abdel Nasser prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and why it improved under Anwar Sadat. The book also offers a new perspective on the devastating failure of U.S. planning for the second Iraq war. Brooks argues that this failure, far from being unique, is an example of an assessment pathology to which states commonly succumb.

Title: Israel & Palestine

Author: Bernard Wasserstein

Publisher: Profile

Price: £8.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Israel

Category: Military History

In this new edition of the classic work on the historical and contemporary realities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Bernard Wasserstein challenges the conventional view of the struggle as driven primarily by irrational, nationalist and religious ideologies. Instead he focuses on hitherto relatively neglected dimensions – population, land, labour and the social dynamics of political change. He maintains that Israelis and Palestinians live today in 'Siamese twin societies'. However much they may wish to, neither side can escape the impinging presence and influence of the other. He argues that demographic, economic and social imperatives are driving the two sides willy-nilly towards some form of symbiosis and accommodation.

Title: Liberation of Paris

Author: Stephen J. Zalagoa

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £14.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: French Resistance

Category: Military History

In July 1944, Operation Cobra broke the stalemate in Normandy and sent the Allies racing across France. The Allied commanders had ignored Paris in their planning for this campaign, considering that the risk of intense street fighting and heavy casualties outweighed the city's strategic importance. However, Charles de Gaulle persuaded the Allied commanders to take direct action to liberate his nation's capital. Steven J Zaloga first describes the operations of Patton's Third Army as it advanced towards Paris before focussing on the actions of the Resistance forces inside the city and of the Free French armoured division that fought its way in and joined up with them to liberate it on the 24th August. On the back of this morale-boosting victory, De Gaulle could finally proclaim Paris to be liberated, as one of the world's loveliest cities survived Hitler's strident command that it should be held at all costs or razed to the ground.

Title: Tudor Warships

Author: Angus Konstam

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £9.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: The Tudors

Category: Military History

In this book, maritime expert Angus Konstam explores the fledging Tudor Navy, tracing its history from its origins as a merchant fleet under Henry VII through to its emergence as a powerful force under Henry VIII. Examining the operational use of Henry VIII's warships the author analyses the battle of the Solent in 1545, in which Henry's fleet took on a French fleet of 200 ships - much larger than the Spanish Armada decades later. Despite the well-documented loss of his flagship, the Mary Rose, Henry's smaller force succeeded in preventing a French victory. Although many people will have heard of the mighty Mary Rose, this book will tell the story of more than just the tragic sinking of Henry's flagship, describing how one of history's most dynamic kings grew the navy from the five warships that were his father's legacy to 53 deadly gunships at the forefront of his empire-building strategy. Through contemporary illustrations and intricate artwork, the author traces the changing face of warship design during the Renaissance as Henry paved the way for English dominance of the sea.

Title: The Ancient World at War: A Global History

Author: Philip de Souza

Publisher: Thames & Hudson

Price: £28.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

In this, the first global survey of ancient warfare, a group of distinguished historians and archaeologists discuss major battles and wars not only from ancient Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome, but also from Central Asia, India, China, Korea, Japan and the Americas. The book ranges in time from 800 BC and the earliest definite evidence for warfare in northern Iraq to the armies of the Aztecs and Incas half a millennium ago, and includes Alexander the Great's triumphant campaigns against Persia , Hannibal's conflict with Rome and Caesar's Gallic Wars.

Title: U. S. Naval Vessels

Author: Dennis R. Jenkins

Publisher: Specialty Press

Price: £11.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: United States Navy

Category: Military History

Navy photographers with unparalleled access to ships and facilities around the world took the 300+ photos featured in U.S. Naval Vessels, Volume 1. These photographers document all aspects of operations in peace and war with photos taken from the air, aboard ship, and at bases worldwide. This book covers U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships and submarines. This volume includes combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, humanitarian missions around the world, training exercises with other nations, weapons testing, ship construction, and maintenance operations. The vast majority of these photographs are candid shots taken during actual operations conducted during 2006. All types of ships are covered, including aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, attack and ballistic missile submarines, Coast Guard cutters, oilers and replenishment ships, ice breakers, and experimental ships. All of the photos include the date it was taken and a description of the event, providing invaluable information for modelers and history buffs as a reference work.

Title: Vienna 1683

Author: Simon Millar

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £14.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

The capture of the Hapsburg city of Vienna was a major strategic aspiration for the Islamic Ottoman Empire, desperate for the control that the city exercized over the Danube and the overland trade routes between southern and northern Europe. In July 1683 Sultan Mehmet IV proclaimed a jihad and the Turkish grand vizier, Kara Mustafa Pasha, laid siege to the city with an army of 150,000 men. In September a relieving force arrived under Polish command and joined up with the defenders to drive the Turks away. The main focus of this book is the final 15-hour battle for Vienna, which peaked with a massive charge by three divisions of Polish winged hussars. This hard-won victory marked the beginning of the decline of the Islamic Ottoman Empire, which was never to threaten central Europe again.

Title: Military Harley-Davidson

Editors: Pat Ware

Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing

Price: £24.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Second World War

Category: Military History

The name Harley-Davidson is synonymous with the US motor-cycle industry. It is now, after more than a century of operation, one of only two US-based manufacturers to survive. Although the company s origins are older, 1903 is generally regarded as the year when the company s first motorcycle was produced. Three years later, the company s first factory was opened. By 1917, and the US entry into World War 1, Harley-Davidson had been making motorcycles for more than a decade and, during the USA s relatively brief involvement in that conflict, no fewer than 20,000 motorcycles were supplied to the military helping the company to become the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world by 1920. Surviving the Great Depression, Harley-Davidson was to become one of the prime suppliers of equipment again when hostilities resumed, producing no fewer than 90,000 motorcycles for US and Canadian forces during World War 2 with a further 30,000 going to the Soviet Union as part of the Lend-Lease programme. In Military Harley-Davidson, Pat Ware explores the Harley-Davidson motorcycle in military service from the earliest days onwards. Providing initially an overview of the company and its history from 1903, the bulk of the book concentrates on the range of models produced by the company and how they were exploited for military use. Whilst the book concentrates primarily on those motorcycles produced for use by the Allies in World War 2, the continuing military role of the Harley-Davidson in other theatres postwar is also covered. Alongside the narrative and a fascinating selection of images, the book also includes a full technical specification for each of the models discussed. The Harley-Davidson is one of the great names in the history of motorcycles with a fan-base that extends worldwide. The role of the company in the provision of military hardware is a less well known but fascinating part of the history of the company and its products. This book will be of interest to Harley-Davidson fans and owners and all motor cycle enthusiasts, military historians, wargamers and preservationists.

Title: U.S. Naval Aviation

Author: Dennis Jenkins

Publisher: Specialty Press

Price: £11.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

U.S. Naval Aviation, is the first in a series of photo scrapbooks using images taken by Navy photographers with unparalleled access to facilities and aircraft around the world. These photographers document all aspects of operations in peace and war with photos taken in the air, aboard ship, and at bases worldwide.

Title: U.S. Air Force Aviation

Author: Dennis Jenkins

Publisher: Specialty Press

Price: £11.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

U.S. Naval Aviation, is the first in a series of photo scrapbooks using images taken by Air Force photographers with unparalleled access to facilities and aircraft around the world. These photographers document all aspects of operations in peace and war with photos taken in the air, aboard ship, and at bases worldwide.

Title: Fighter Command Losses

Author: Norman Franks

Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing

Price: £12.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Air War

Category: Military History

During 1939-1941, Fighter Command lost around 1,000 aircrew. The reasons and circumstances for these losses are shown as crucial campaigns are enacted. Forty illustrations complement the loss details and appendices provide Fighter Command Orders of Battle at crucial periods in the conflict, plus details of the build-up of Night Fighter Squadrons during 1941, and a list of Wing Leaders. In August 1939, on the eve of war with Germany, Britain was ill-prepared and Fighter Command could muster only 37 operation squadrons to face the foe. Following a brief campaign in Norway, and the brave but disastrous Battle of France and retreat through Dunkirk, Britain stood alone, waiting. As the forefront of Britain's defence at this time was RAF Fighter Command, with its Hurricanes, Spitfires, Blenheims and a few obsolete Gladiators. The inevitable onslaught began, and somehow, against vastly superior odds, the pilots, who became immortalised as the world-famed 'few', repulsed the Luftwaffe during the frenetic air fighting that culminated in 'The Battle of Britain' in the summer of 1940. Germany's failure to overcome the RAF and its decision to attack Russia allowed Britain to consolidate, rebuild, and then begin to go onto the offensive. Norman Franks has written over 30 books related to the history of the Royal Air Force. This particular work examines the sacrifice made by Fighter Command during the desperate early years of the war. Operational losses are recorded on a day-by-day basis, identifying the units concerned, the crews involved, and the aircraft type, service serial number and code letters where confirmed.

Title: Sevastopol 1942

Author: Robert Forczyk

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £14.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Erich von Manstein

Category: Military History

In late July 1941, Hitler ordered Army Group South to seize the Crimea as part of its operations to secure the Ukraine and the Donets Basin, in order to protect the vital Romanian oil refineries at Ploesti from Soviet air attack. After weeks of heavy fighting, the Germans breached the Soviet defences and overran most of the Crimea. By November 1941 the only remaining Soviet foothold in the area was the heavily fortified naval base at Sevastopol. Operation Sturgeon Haul, the final assault on Sevastopol, was one of the very few joint service German operations of World War II, with two German corps and a Romanian corps supported by a huge artillery siege train, the Luftwaffe's crack VIII Flieger Korps and a flotilla of S-Boats provided by the Kriegsmarine. This volume closely examines the impact of logistics, weather and joint operational planning upon the last major German victory of World War II.

Title: Heinkel He 100

Author: Erwin Hood

Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing

Price: £16.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Ernst Heinkel

Category: Military History

The He 100 can certainly be described as an engimatic aircraft, about which still relatively little is known. The author of the book, a former aeronautical engineer, has spent many years researching the He 100. The book covers all aspects of the aircraft's development, the various sub-series produced, its high-speed accomplishments, and use that was made of it for propaganda and intelligence purposes. The aircraft which were supplied to Russia and Japan are examined as well as later projects based on it. This volume also includes a number of previously unpublished photographs, colour artworks and specially produced detailed technical drawings.

Title: Military Vehicles

Author: Pat Ware

Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing

Price: £24.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Armed Forces

Category: Military History

This title offers a comprehensive illustrated account of the development of military transport during the period from 1939 to 1945. Covering both Allied and Axis equipment, the book is a superbly illustrated and detailed study into an aspect of military history that has often been ignored by researchers and writers who have concentrated solely on the armoured vehicles.

Title: Panzergrenadier Divisions

Author: Chris Bishop

Publisher: Spellmount

Price: £20.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Armed Forces

Category: Military History

Organized chronologically by division and formation date, the book describes in depth the various models of tank and other armoured and soft vehicles in service with each panzergrenadier division, with listings of unit commanders, vehicle types and numbers and unit structures. Each divisional section is further broken down by campaign, accompanied by orders of battle, a brief divisional history of the campaign and any specific unit markings.

Title: All the King's Armies

Author: Stuart Reid

Publisher: Spellmount

Price: £14.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: English Civil War

Category: Military History

A military history of the English Civil War which offers a detailed and lucid examination of the principal campaigns and battles; commenting upon the development of tactics and the extent to which in the King's armies both strategy and tactics were moulded by a chronic shortage of ammunition.

Title: Pirate of the Far East

Author: Stephen Turnbull

Publisher: Osprey

Price: £11.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

Feared throughout the Far East, Japanese pirates were likened to 'black demons' and 'flood dragons'. For centuries relations between Japan, Korea and China were carried out through a bizarre trinity of war, trade and piracy. The piracy, which combined the other elements in a violent blend of free enterprise, is the subject of this original and exciting book. Stephen Turnbull vividly recreates the pirates' daily lives, from legitimate whaling and fishing trips to violent raids. He explores the bases and castles used by the pirates and uses eyewitness accounts and original artwork to give stunning descriptions of a vicious and brutal life.

Title: The My Lai Massacre

Author: Kendrick Oliver

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Price: £16.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: My Lai

Category: Vietnam War

The first comprehensive study of the massacre's reception in the United States and its place in American memory Contrary to common interpretations of the Vietnam conflict as an unhealed national wound or trauma, it argues that, if anything, Americans have assimilated the war and its violence rather too well and that they were able to do so even when the war was at its height Incorporates a wealth of different source materials - government papers, military records and legal papers, newspapers and television, opinion polls, memoirs, psychological studies and philosophical reflections, interviews, film, art, novels, poetry and popular song, as well as a visit to the site of the massacre itself Attempts to restore the perspectives of the Vietnamese victims, neglected in most American accounts, to the written record of the massacre.

Title: Healing the Nation

Author: Jeffrey S. Reznick

Publisher: Manchester University Press

Price: £35.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Women and the First World War

Category: Military History

Healing the Nation is a study of caregiving during the Great War, looking anew at life behind the lines for ordinary British soldiers who served on the Western Front. Using a variety of literary, artistic, and architectural evidence, this study draws connections between the war machine and the wartime culture of caregiving: the product of medical knowledge and procedure, social relationships, matériel, institutions and physical environments that informed experiences of rest, recovery and rehabilitation in sites administered by military and voluntary-aid authorities. Rest huts, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers served not only as means to sustain manpower and support for the war but also as distinctive sites where soldiers, their caregivers and the public attempted to make sense of the conflict, and the unprecedented change it wrought, within traditional frames of reference. Revealing many aspects of wartime life that have received limited, if any attention, including the phenomenon of rest huts as ‘homes away from home’ and the notion of ‘convalescent blues’, this study shows that Britain’s ‘generation of 1914’ was a group bound as much by comradeship of healing as by comradeship of the trenches.

Title: Liberation or Catastrophe

Author: Michael Howard

Publisher: Continuum

Price: £25.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

After a brief discussion about the meaning of 'modern' history, Michael Howard presents a fascinating analysis of the history of the 20th Century - laying much emphasis on the USA, where the author has spent much time as a Professor at Yale. It was Michael Howard who brought the study of military history into the mainstream of historical research and his readers will expect this as an emphasis in his analysis. They will expect less about suffragettes, human rights and the role of women. Howard's concern is substantially with the role of the military in the developing story of the twentieth century. At the beginning of the twentieth century, nostalgia for a lost past seems to have permeated the whole of European culture. This was the time of bucolic idylls of English musicians and poets of the Edwardian age with revivals of folk music and yearning for blue remembered hills. But thirteen million men died in the First World War and an entire world died with them. By then only rational, bureaucratic, effectively modernized states could fight such wars, with weapons designed to inflict maximum destruction. The tone for a new century was set. For if the old order died with the First World War, something else far more powerful and sinister was born, the 'rough beast' of Yeats' apocalyptic poem, that was to dominates Europe for the rest of the century. In spite of the peace of 1945, it remains alive and flourishing in many parts of the world. Such in part is the thesis of this powerfully argued book but its sub themes are skilfully interwoven and propounded.

Title: Main Battle Tank T-80

Author: Mikhail Baryatinskiy

Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing

Price: £14.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

Aimed at the modeller historian and wargamer, this latest title examines in detail the T-80, which was developed from the late 1970s onwards and represents the final phase of Soviet tank development in the era before the break-up of the Soviet Union. Amongst the most technologically advanced of all the armoured vehicles to have emerged from the old Soviet Union the T-80 and its later variants, such as the T-90 'Black Eagle' still is a major part of the inventories of the Russian army's armoured units as well as those of several of the ex-Soviet states such as the Ukraine.

Title: History of Warfare

Author: Geoffrey Parker

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Price: £14.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Military History

Category: Military History

War is a compelling subject. It is common to almost all known societies and periods of history. The Cambridge History of Warfare provides a detailed account of war in the West from antiquity to the present day, and is unique because of its controversial thesis that war in western societies has followed a unique path leading to western dominance of the globe. From the Greek victory at Marathon to the Gulf War, readable and authoritative, The Cambridge History of Warfare places in context the key events in the history of armed engagement. All aspects of war on land, sea, and in the air are covered: weapons and technology; strategy and defense; discipline and intelligence; mercenaries and standing armies; cavalry and infantry; chivalry and Blitzkrieg; guerilla assault and nuclear arsenals. This volume, first published as The Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare, includes maps and an updated bibliography.

Title: Last of the Ten Fighter Boys

Author: Jimmy Corbin

Publisher: Sutton

Price: £18.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Second World Air War

Category: Military History

"The Last of the Ten Fighter Boys" is intended to be both a prequel and a sequel to the chapter Jimmy wrote for "Ten Fighter Boys", filling in the 'missing pieces'. The book charts: his early life before the outbreak of war in 1939; the decisions he made; and, those that were made for him. He describes how an ordinary working class boy from Maidstone was propelled into the most extraordinary of situations, landing him in the thick of the action in the skies over Kent during the summer and autumn of 1940.

Title: From Barbarossa to Odessa

Author: Denes Bernad & Dmitriy Karlenko

Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing

Price: £16.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Second World Air War

Category: Military History

Aided by a large number of previously unpublished photographs, this book tells the story of the campaign from both sides and provides detailed eye-witness accounts from individual pilots who were involved in the fighting. Besides day-to-day operations, appendices will contain comprehensive victory and loss lists.

Title: Me 210/Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet)

Author: Peter Petrick and Werner Stocker

Publisher: Ian Allan Publishing

Price: £29.99

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Messerschmitt

Category: Military History

This book provides a detailed guide to the various internal and external characteristics which distinguished each version of the Messerschmitt Me 210 and Me 410 heavy fighters. It will enable readers to see the difference between the multitude of sub-types and identify the various modifications and weapon systems and conversion packs that were used. The reason or need for particular modifications are also outlined. The book based on years of research, will prove of immense interest to aviation enthusiasts, modellers and historians fascinated by the activities and aircraft of the Luftwaffe between 1933 and 1945.

Title: Crusader Warfare

Author: David Nicolle

Publisher: Continuum

Price: £30.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Medieval World

Category: Military History

This book presents as many aspects as possible of warfare during the period of the crusades within all the cultures most directly involved. To a large extent the current interest in the Crusades reflects the perceived threat of a so-called 'clash of civilisations'. While warnings of such a supposed clash in our own times are based upon a misunderstanding of the natures of both 'Western' and 'Islamic' civilisations, some commentators have looked to the medieval Crusades as an earlier example of such a clash. In reality they were no such thing. Instead the Crusades resulted from a remarkable variety of political, economic, cultural and religious factors. The Crusades, even excluding the Northern or Baltic Crusades, also involved an extraordinary array of states, ruling dynasties, ethnic or linguistic groups and the fighting forces associated with these disparate participants. This volume focuses on Western Europe and the Byzantium Crusades. Latin or Catholic Europe certainly had an 'eastern front'. Medieval Europeans, and certainly the knightly class which came to bear the brunt of Crusading warfare, would have seen all these fronts as part of Latin Christendom's struggle against outsiders. The latter ranged from infidels to schismatics, to pagans and other 'enemies of God'. Excluding Crusading or Christian frontier warfare north of the Carpathian Mountains did not reflect any real military or even political factors on the Latin side of the 'front'. It is based upon which enemies were to be included and which excluded. This study looks at Christian and in a few cases "pagan" armies whose actions or mere existence in sub-Saharan Africa and Central Asia, had a bearing upon military, political and economic relations between Christendom and Islam within the Mediterranean world.

Title: The Battle of Crecy

Author: Rupert Matthews

Publisher: Spellmount

Price: £20.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Hundreds Year War

Category: Military History

Rupert Matthews tells the story of the most dramatic military campaign of the medieval world, a thrilling tale of action, adventure, mystery and much more. Before the Crecy campaign began, France was recognised to have the greatest, most powerful and most modern army in all Christendom. England was thought of as a prosperous but relatively backward kingdom lying somewhere in the sea off the European coast. But six hours of bloodshed, slaughter and heroism beyond imagining changed all that. The pride of France was humbled, her army destroyed and her king a wounded fugitive fleeing for his life through a foggy night. This book explains to the general reader the reality of warfare in the year 1346. It seeks to recreate in our minds the tactics used in the Crecy Campaign and to put them into the context of the time. It shows what the weapons were like and how they were used in action. It describes the tactics of the different military units involved and how these would have impacted on each other in battle. Crucially, it takes the reader inside the minds of the commanders to explain what they did, why they did it and what they hoped to achieve. This is the second in Spellmount's new series, "Campaign in Context".

Title: Harald Hardrada: The Warriors Way

Author: John Marsden

Publisher: Sutton

Price: £20.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: Harald Hardrada

Category: Military History

One of the greatest medieval warriors Harald Sigurdsson, nicknamed Hardrada (Harold the Ruthless or hard ruler) fell in battle in an attempt to snatch the crown of England. The spectacular and heroic career which ended at Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire on 25 September 1066 had taken Harald from Norway to Russia and Constantinople and saw him gain a kingdom by force and determination rather than right or inheritance. He was one of the most feared rulers in Europe and was first and foremost a professional soldier, who acquired great wealth by plunder and showed no mercy to those he conquered. "Harald Hardrada: The Warrior's Way" reconstructs a military career spanning three and a half decades and involving encounters with an extraordinary range of allies and enemies in sea-fights and land battles, sieges and viking raids across a variety of theatres of war. John Marsden's superbly researched and powerfully written account takes us from the lands of the Norsemen to Byzantium and the Crusades and makes clear how England moved decisively from three hundred years of exposure to the Scandinavian orbit to a stronger identification with continental Europe following the Norman invasion.

Title: Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War

Author: Mark Moyar

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Price: £20.00

Bookshop: Amazon

Spartacus Website: The Vietnam War

Category: Military History

Drawing on a wealth of new evidence from all sides, Triumph Forsaken overturns most of the historical orthodoxy on the Vietnam War. Through the analysis of international perceptions and power, it shows that South Vietnam was a vital interest of the United States. The book provides many new insights into the overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963 and demonstrates that the coup negated the South Vietnamese government's tremendous, and hitherto unappreciated, military and political gains between 1954 and 1963. After Diem's assassination, President Lyndon Johnson had at his disposal several aggressive policy options that could have enabled South Vietnam to continue the war without a massive US troop infusion, but he ruled out these options because of faulty assumptions and inadequate intelligence, making such an infusion the only means of saving the country.

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