Previously featured on
The Bargain Bookshelf in 2006
February, 2006
THE PORTRAIT OF A GENERAL
by John Colville
General Sir Charles Colville
commanded a Division under Wellington in the Penisular, and this
biography by his great-grandson is based on his letters. They
graphically portray the campaigns and battles, as well as the
military and social customs of the time. Examining the slow
progress through Portugal to Spain, Colville recounts the close
shaves at Fuentes d'Onoro and El Bodon, the siege at Badajos,
the victory of Vitoria and the desperate final battles in the
Pyrenees. After Waterloo he was served in the army of
occupation, and was later responsible for St. Helena where
Napoleon was imprisoned.
Very good in
sltly rubbed d/w -
x + 246pp, colour portrait, maps
During WWII the German Navy became
a much feared adversary on the high seas, with its marauding
U-boat 'Wolf Packs' nearly defeating Britain in the Battle of the
Atlantic. The author examines the different roles of the Fleet,
its organisation & training & operations, plus technical data for
ships, U-boats & their weaponry. A useful guide to German Navy
uniforms & insignia is also included, together will details of
rank structure & specialist trades. Fully illustrated with
photographs, maps & diagrams, this is an authoritative study of
the formidable Kriegsmarine.
A study of aerial
reconnnaissance, from the first use of the balloon to the
end of WWII. After tracing developments in between 1785
and 1914, the author goes on to discuss the role and
increasing sophistication of aerial reconnnaissance, and
introduces the reader to a largely forgotten body of brave
men, the pilots and observers of the Royal Flying Corps,
RAF, and Air Observation Post Squadrons.
G
in d/w - xiv + 274pp, 81 photos,
maps, notes, biblio, index
The New York Times wrote
of this book "Henry Steele Commager's book is one of the
most original and important works by America's greatest
historian. It deserves a place on the bookshelves of war
literature, not only of World War II but for the wars that
came afterwards". Written immediatly after the end of the
war, and first published in 1945, this is comprehensive
account of the 'people's war', written in the words of
first hand combatants and non-combatants alike.
G
in d/w - 345pp, references, index
Brassey US 'Classic' series,
1991 - ISBN 0080410669
