City Travel Guides > Books > Wars- Battles and Campaigns

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.Testament of Youth: An Autobiographical Study of the Years 1900-1925 (Virago classic non-fiction)
City Travel Guides > Books > Wars- Battles and Campaigns
by: Vera Brittain

January 01, 1933
My mother having pressed me to read this book, I finally got round to it early this year. Thank God I did.

I cannot begin to put into words how much this book touched me. Vera Brittan must be an inspiration to all women; a strong and determined character who, despite losing almost everything to the War, did not give up. Vera Brittan was a young, ambitious girl growing up pre-war with aspirations to go to University (something uncommon for the day.) She succeeded in getting into Oxford to study English. Then the War came crashing into her life, and Vera's brother and friends get called up to fight. She herself finds her place, working as a nurse first in London, then abroad. Vera Brittan lost so much to this horrific War and yet ... Read More:
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.Forgotten Voices of the Great War: A New History of WWI in the Words of the Men and Women Who Were There (Forgotten Voices/the Great War)
City Travel Guides > Books > Wars- Battles and Campaigns
by: Max Arthur

October 02, 2003
Forgotten Voices of the Great War is a collection of real life experiences of the First World War, as told by the ordinary people who lived through it.
I must admit that my knowledge of the First World War is a little blank. My only previous experience of this period was through school lessons about trench warfare, or by watching Blackadder goes forth. Therefore I can't make an analysis about the historical accuracy of the book. But what I can say is that I found it a very powerful and poignant work.

The author, Max Arthur, has spent several years listening to thousands of recordings of the men and women who lived during this period. These tapes were kept as archival records in the Imperial War Museum, after they were collected in 1972. ... Read More:
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.Make Do and Mend: Keeping Family and Home Afloat on War Rations (Official Wwii Info Reproductns)
City Travel Guides > Books > Wars- Battles and Campaigns
by: Foreword by Jill Norman

September 06, 2007
I bought the pair for my mum a year ago and they have ended up going round the whole family, young and old. Yes they have a nostalgic feel to them and it's food that nana used to make but thats what makes them so good, we are now having to live as if things are rationed, the meals that were made back then weren't full of e numbers and other nasty things (lets face it, we've all become alergic to them all anyway), they were wholesome and filling with no waste, after all I'm sure it's not only me that loves bubble and squeek on a monday with the sunday roast left overs. It has made me realize how lucky I am to have everything I want but I can survive on next to nothing.
Also the Make do and Mend is also full of cleaning tips and a definate must for anyone living ... Read More:
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.Overlord: D-Day and the Battle for Normandy, 1944 (Pan Grand Strategy Series)
City Travel Guides > Books > Wars- Battles and Campaigns
by: Max Hastings

August 13, 1999
Hasting's 'Overlord' has earned a reputation of being almost as close as one can get to becoming a definitive history of the 1944 landings in Normandy.

Whilst far superior to the work of 'historians' such as Stephen Ambrose, there is still an overwhelming feeling of this book being authored by a journalist and not an historian. Hastings makes many sweeping statements, many of which are totally unfounded, yet does very little to substantiate his claims. He constantly enforces the popular misconception, which have almost become fashionable, to criticise rather than to focus on the positives. Reading 'Overlord' found me actually questioning myself as to whether or not the Allies actually won the Battle of Normandy or not.

There is far too much unbalanced ... Read More:
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.Band of Brigands: The First Men in Tanks
City Travel Guides > Books > Wars- Battles and Campaigns
by: Christy Campbell

September 01, 2008
Not being an expert on the period I can only say that to this layman this is an interesting and very readable book. It is maybe just 50 or so pages too long because whilst I welcome the many personal anecdotes and tales (some of them very funny indeed!) I think the author may just over egg the pudding somewhat. I am sure that more technically minded folk may pick over some of the detail in here but on the whole I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in warfare and the Great War in particular
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.Generation Kill
City Travel Guides > Books > Wars- Battles and Campaigns
by: Evan Wright

April 11, 2005
After watching the mini series on DVD I ordered this book with no small amount of trepidation, the actual series was fantastic, I was totally enthralled by the characters and the often life threatening situations they found themselves in, so when I ordered the book I hoped it would live up to the series... It did and them some, the level of detail, the realism you could almost taste the ineptitude of the Marine commanders, I found it incredulous that even in a war as hi-Tec as the one portrayed they were forced to endure some officers who were blatantly mad, this is a book I would strongly recommend to anyone with an interest in the American marines or warfare in general, it's one thing to be killed by the enemy it's entirely another to be killed by your own commander because he's an idiot.
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.Italy's Sorrow: A Year of War 1944-45
City Travel Guides > Books > Wars- Battles and Campaigns
by: James Holland

March 03, 2008
James Holland's generosity of spirit and indefatiguable labour has created one of the best general histories I've read recently--and there's a lot of stiff competition about. As well as using writen sources, Holland personally interviewed survivors from all sides of the conflict; Germans, Poles, Canadians, Britons, Americans, Italian partisans and fascists. These accounts give a vivid picture of the heroism and brutality of war, and instil a sense of sympathy for (almost) all of the participants. Their stories are skillfully blended into the larger narrative, which explains what happened, and why the major players (Alexander, Mark Clark, Kesselring, Churchill, Roosevelt, Mussolini, etc) made crucial decisions. Holland is immenently fair-minded; the controversy surrounding Clark's dash for Rome ... Read More:
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.A Million Bullets: The Real Story of the War in Afghanistan
City Travel Guides > Books > Wars- Battles and Campaigns
by: James Fergusson

June 02, 2008
James Ferguson examines the experiences of a variety of Units from within the UK Armed Forces taking part in the military campaign in Afghanistan, making extensive use of first hand accounts from serving and ex-service personnel. Their testimonies underline the courage, ingenuity and resilience demonstrated on a daily basis by our troops in action on Operation Herrick.

The political aspects of the conflict are also discussed, the lack of a coherent long term plan and the apparent lack of progress in the re-development of the infrastucture in Afghanistan highlight some of the difficulties facing soldiers trying to win 'hearts and minds' on the ground.

The impact on troops encumbered by old or inappropriate equipment, the lack of investment in support services and the pressures ... Read More:
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.Berlin: The Downfall 1945
City Travel Guides > Books > Wars- Battles and Campaigns
by: Antony Beevor

October 04, 2007
While I had not read Beevor's prequel to this book, Stalingrad, I nonetheless found his account of the final days of Berlin engaging. Beevor skillfully tells the tale of the rivalries between the Russian generals as they vie for the prize of conquering the Third Reich first and bit by bit chronicles the advances of Russian soldiers towards the German capital. This is a very detailed account of the Russian side of the war and as such readers will need to persevere. Ultimately though a very rewarding read.
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.Fateful Choices: Ten Decisions That Changed the World, 1940-1941
City Travel Guides > Books > Wars- Battles and Campaigns
by: Ian Kershaw

February 28, 2008
EVENTS, DEAR BOY, EVENTS

By IAIN FRASER GRIGOR

THE PRINCIPLES of warfare are really very simple. As codified by the military sages of antiquity and modernity, they can be reduced to two simple rules. The first is to win without having to fight at all. And the second is: if you have to fight, attack a small, defenceless and entirely unconscious enemy with devastating superiority of force and absolute surprise.

The great Prussian von Moltke knew this. But he was to add one great aphorism to the principles of war, to the effect that no plan survives contact with the enemy. So it was in the wars of his nineteenth century, after all, and so it would prove to be in the first Great War of Europe's bloody twentieth century. But how much scrutiny would von Moltke's aphorism ... Read More:
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