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As a German battalion commander Rudolf Bohmler fought in the front line during the fierce battles fought at Monte Cassino. After the war he wrote this remarkable history, one of the first full-length accounts of this famous and controversial episode in the struggle for Italy. His pioneering work, which has long been out of print, gives a fascinating insight into the battle as it was perceived at the time and as it was portrayed immediately after the war. While his fluent narrative offers a strong German view of the fighting, it also covers the Allied side of the story, at every level, in graphic detail. The climax of his account, his description of the tenacious defence of the town of Cassino and the Monte Cassino abbey by exhausted, outnumbered German troops, has rarely been equalled His book presents a soldier's view of the fighting but it also examines the tactics and planning on both sides. It is essential reading for everyone who is interested in the Cassino battles and the Italian campaign.
As a German battalion commander Rudolf Bohmler fought in the front line during the fierce battles fought at Monte Cassino. After the war he wrote this remarkable history, one of the first full-length accounts of this famous and controversial episode in the struggle for Italy. His pioneering work, which has long been out of print, gives a fascinating insight into the battle as it was perceived at the time and as it was portrayed immediately after the war. While his fluent narrative offers a strong German view of the fighting, it also covers the Allied side of the story, at every level, in graphic detail. The climax of his account, his description of the tenacious defence of the town of Cassino and the Monte Cassino abbey by exhausted, outnumbered German troops, has rarely been equalled His book presents a soldiers view of the fighting but it also examines the tactics and planning on both sides. It is essential reading for everyone who is interested in the Cassino battles and the Italian campaign.
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, to give it its full name, owes its origins to the Pour le Merite (Blue Max), an imperial award dating back to 1740. The Complete Knight's Cross is the only book to tell the story of all 7,364 men who were awarded it (including all the disputed awards). The book has over 200 photos of holders of the medal and over 100 photos of their graves. Volume One deals with 1939-41 (numbers 1-1267) and is subtitled The Years of Victory. Volume Two deals with 1942-43 (numbers 1268-3685) and is subtitled The Years of Stalemate. Volume Three deals with 1944-45 (numbers 3686-7364) and is subtitled The Years of Defeat. The recipients are listed in the order of the date of award. Each entry starts with the recipients rank and name, followed by details of the action or actions for witch they were awarded it. Other interesting facts and stories are also included for many of them. Finally their burial locations, where known are given. Any higher awards (Oak Leaves, Swords, Diamonds and the ultimate Golden award) are also covered.
The Battles for Monte Cassino encompassed one of the few truly international conflicts of the Second World War. A strategic town on the road to Rome, the fighting lasted four months and cost the lives of more than 14,000 men from eight nations. Between January and May 1944, forces from Britain, Canada, France, India, New Zealand, Poland and the United States, fought a resolute German army in a series of battles in which the advantage swung back and forth, from one side to the other. From fire-fights in the mountains to tank attacks in the valley; from river crossings to street fighting, the four battles of Cassino encompass a series of individual operations unique in the history of the Second World War.
A book to challenge the status quo, spark a debate, and get people talking about the issues and questions we face as a country!
Stalin fabricated the myth that the Germans carried out the Katyń massacre and the West accepted it while always suspecting the reality. In the same way, each country tried to forget the more painful memories of its past and construct its own mythology. The Germans were never taken to task at Nuremberg for bombing because the Anglo-Americans virtually carried out a war of annihilation. The French Gaullist myth was that it was decadent politicians who caused the defeat, and that fighting France freed itself. In a similar vein, the Italian resistance was fostered as a myth and used postwar to cover the fascist period of their history. British and American popular history tends to portray thei...
Winner, 2022 Army Historical Foundation Distinguished Writing Awards, Unit History This second volume follows on from the first in recounting the WWII history of B Company, 756th Tank Battalion in vivid detail. The outfit, since upgraded from M5 light tanks to M4 ‘Sherman’ mediums, claws through some of the toughest battles of WWII—from a horrific stalemate at Cassino in February 1944, through the bloody Operation Diadem May breakout, to the stunning capture of Rome on 4 June 1944. This unique multi-volume history covers the full spectrum of experiences of the men in one tank company from inception in June 1941 through the occupation of Germany in 1945. An American tank company in WWII...
This meticulously researched book traces the development of airborne forces from their earliest mythology to their earth-shattering debut in the Second World War. More importantly, it reveals in exacting detail the story of Canada's paratroopers - from the early resistance to their establishment, the rigorous selection process and gruelling training, to their unrivalled combat record. It tells the story of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, which never failed to achieve its assigned missions, nor did it ever lose an objective once captured. Through the pages of this book the reader will experience the exceptional courage, endurance, fighting skills, and tenacity of Canada's paratroopers in the Second World War.
“With its focus on tank crew members and their commanders this is a unique addition to the literature on WWII.” —A. Harding Ganz, Associate Professor Emeritus of the Ohio State University at Newark, author of Ghost Division After the shocking fall of France in June 1940, the U.S. Army embarked on a crash program to establish a new armored force. One of the units formed was the 756th Tank Battalion (Light), activated at Fort Lewis in June 1941. Because of severe equipment shortages, the new battalion trained without tanks for several months, but by early 1942 were equipped with new M3 light tanks. While companies A and C took part in Operation Torch, B was withheld for lack of cargo spa...
World War II produced many histories which differ according to when and by whom they were written. Many historians tend to write in order to justify their home nation. In the recent Brexit debate it was claimed many times that “we won the war” and “we do not need Europe”; politicians were as guilty of this as everyone else. Britain survived rather than won the war single-handedly and managed only because of the Allies. In France, at the L’Hôtel National des Invalides, in a museum dedicated to World War II, the photographs and notes tended to imply that Germany was defeated by the French with some American assistance. All countries have their bias and special points of view regarding their shared history of World War II, always somewhat nationally self-centred. This book confronts these nationalistic populist views, and, in places, challenges accepted versions of traditional national histories.