ETHIOPIA. 1935. With the threat of Mussolini?s army looming, recently orphaned Hirut struggles to adapt to her new life as a maid. Her new employer, Kidane, an officer in Emperor Haile Selassie?s army, rushes to mobilise his strongest men before the Italians invade. Hirut and the other women long to do more than care for the wounded and bury the dead. When Emperor Haile Selassie goes into exile and Ethiopia quickly loses hope, it is Hirut who offers...

The romance of aviation had a remarkable grip on the public imagination, propaganda focusing on gallant air 'aces' who become national heroes. The reality was horribly different. MARKED FOR DEATH debunks popular myth to explore the brutal truths of wartime aviation: of flimsy planes and unprotected pilots; of burning 19-year-olds falling screaming to their deaths; of pilots blinded by the entrails of their observers. James Hamilton-Paterson also reveals...

By January 1915 the British Expeditionary Force found themselves trapped in the murderous stalemate of trench warfare. British troops had suffered badly in the early campaigns and by January 1915 were holding some 30 miles of trench. This year 1915 was to witness some of the bloodiest and bitter battles of the Great War, including the first blooding at Neuve Chapelle, the Second Battle of Ypres and the appalling failure of Loos. By the end of the...

What had initially been a purely naval enterprise had escalated to become a full-scale Anglo-French invasion, resulting in an eight-month campaign which Churchill hoped would knock Turkey out of the war. For a campaign that promised so much, it ultimately became a tragedy of lost opportunities. By January 1916, when the last men were taken off the peninsula, the casualties totalled 205,000. This book tells the stories of the 39 men whose bravery on...

With this in mind the Germans planned an all-out offensive, Operation 'Michael', which overwhelmed the Allies and overstretched the Germans. More offensives were to follow throughout the spring, including at Aisne and Marne. It was during these bloody battles that 57 men stood out for acts of extraordinary daring and bravery. To these men the highest military honour was awarded - the Victoria Cross. This book reveals the true extent of their bravery,...

Born and raised in Paisley, educated at Paisley Grammar School, then Glasgow University, Ernest Reid intended to become a lawyer before he volunteered for war service. The author the climate in which he grew up, and the influences which formed him and his generation, the generation which supplied the subalterns of the Great War. As a result, although the book remains primarily a biography of its subject, it also explored the spirit in which Britain,...

Drawing on unpublished personal accounts by individuals at all levels and from all sides, Peter Hart combines his trademark eye for vivid personal stories with a strong narrative to bring a modern view of the military disaster of Gallipoli.

In addition to weapon development, Richard O'Neil describes the actions themselves including Pearl Harbour, the raid on Sydney Harbour and special forces mission at Guadalcanal, Midway and Okinawa. The bravery of the men from all sides who went to war in suicidal or near-suicidal weapons cannot be overestimated. The story of these special attack forces remains a testimony to ingenuity, desperation and courage.