Bob Carruthers

This is the fascinating story of how the events which befell Hitler between 1889 and 1924 influenced his political outlook and heralded the formation of the Sturm Abteilung - the notorious SA. Drawing extensively on Hitler's own biographical account in Mein Kampf, Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers illustrates how a series of violent events transformed Hitler's view of the world and led directly to the Beer Hall Putsch of 1924. Hitler's difficult relationship with his brutal father, his harsh experiences in Vienna and his involvement in the Great War conditioned Hitler to celebrate violent acts. By Hitler's own account, his love of violence and complete disregard for the consequences of his actions was vindicated by a series of victories in fierce encounters involving beer hall brawls and street battles. Each successive triumph over adversity influenced his decision-making process and culminated in the ill-fated events of November 1924, which saw Hitler imprisoned for the second time. The parallel growth of the SA from a small group of fist fighters to a feared paramilitary force is also covered in detail, along with a comprehensive survey of the violent events between 1920 and 1924, which shaped this infamous political instrument of terror.

This powerful collection, depicting the first war in the air, showcases the work of the contemporary combat artists and illustrators from the Great War era. Included here are the works of serious artists, propagandists, illustrators and humourists. The result is a stunning graphic record, which produces a powerful record of life and death in the skies above the trenches during the Great War, as reported to contemporary audiences at a time when the events of the Great War were still unfolding. During the Great War artists and illustrators produced a highly accurate visual record of the fleeting moments the bulky cameras couldn't reproduce. These works form a body of war reportage that are as valid as the written word. Today, the work of the combat illustrators and the official war artists from the Great War era is overlooked by historians in favour of photographs, but these illustrations are nonetheless important as they provide a contemporary record of hand-to-hand fighting, trench raids, aerial dogfights, sea battles, desperate last stands, night actions and cavalry charges.

It is an often overlooked fact that the SS Divisions included Cavalrymen, Paratroopers, Mountain and Ski Battalions and these rare photographs illustrate the unique role played by specialist units in action.

Rare photographs from SS sources illustrating the armoured formations which took part in this titanic struggle. Includes rare images of the Panther in action.

Rare photographs from both German and Russian sources : Today there are very few surviving vehicles from the Wehrmacht. which illustrate the fate of many of the armoured fighting vehicles of Hitler's much vaunted Panzerwaffe-

The German armoured forces lost some 10,000 armoured fighting vehicles. Today there are very few surviving vehicles from the Wehrmacht. We are fortunate therefore that these unique photographs detail the fate of the Panzers destroyed in action in the west.

A fascinating anthology of eyewitness accounts from both the British and German perspective drawn from rare contemporary publications, documents held in archives and museums, field reports, regimental records, battalion and divisional histories. The result is a comprehensive and vivid impression of what it meant to play a part in the battle for Hitler's Germany.

A fascinating anthology of eyewitness accounts from both the British and German perspective drawn from rare contemporary publications, documents held in archives and museums, field reports, regimental records, battalion and divisional histories. The result is a comprehensive and vivid impression of what it meant to play a part in the battle which has become famous for the biggest loss of life suffered by the British Army in a single day .

This is the photographic history of the Waffen-SS in combat on all fronts. The short six year history of the Waffen SS spanned triumph and disaster, and their story can be traced through these powerful images, which clearly document the reality of combat from 1940 to 1945. These rare images span the combat history of the Waffen-SS from the optimism of the opening phases of the war in the west through the challenges of Barbarossa and the long and bloody retreat against a numerically far superior enemy in both the east and the west. This powerful photographic record is essential reading for anyone with an interest in the course of the war from the German perspective and clearly demonstrates the scale of the task undertaken by the Waffen-SS on all fronts.

This book reviews the complex set of military operations played out in the Netherlands during September 1944 involving the forces of Britain, Canada, Poland, the USA and Germany, providing a wide selection of sources covering each of the belligerents. The book features the previously unpublished war diary of Captain Graham Davies, bringing a new perspective on the often overlooked contribution made by the artillerymen in support of both Operation Market and Operation Garden. The German viewpoint is covered by the contemporary newspaper account translated from the pages of "The Westkurier". The report was filed by war reporter Erwin Kirchhof and provides a powerful insight into the events of the battle as filtered through the prism of Goebbels' propaganda machine. Two extracts from the official accounts of the 101st Airborne and 82nd Airborne Divisions give an indication of the strong conviction still held in the US camp that the operation had been a complete success. Finally, an excerpt from the official account of the British First and Sixth Airborne Divisions, shows the British point of view of the battle of Arnhem, making this a compulsive purchase for all Second World War enthusiasts.

'The Art of War' is an ancient Chinese military treatise that is attributed to Sun Tzu, a high ranking military general and strategist. It is composed of thirteen chapters, each of which is devoted to one aspect of warfare. It is accepted as a masterpiece on strategy, mastering conflict and winning battles. The text is frequently cited and referred to by generals and theorists since it was first published, translated, and distributed internationally. This new illustrated edition contains the translated text, and wide ranging photography showcasing how the ideas and philosophies of the Art of War have remained relevant over the course of history.

This is the fascinating account, as told from the German perspective, of the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest-running, continuous military campaign in World War II, spanning from 1939 through to Germany's defeat in 1945. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, which was announced the day after the declaration of war, although it quickly grew to include Germany's counter-blockade. The name "Battle of the Atlantic", was coined by Winston Churchill in 1941 and he famously stated that the U-boats were the only thing that really frightened him. The U-boat war encompassed a campaign that began on the first day of the European war and lasted for six years, involved thousands of ships and stretched over thousands of square miles of ocean, in more than 100 convoy battles and perhaps 1,000 single-ship encounters. In the 68 months of World War II, 2,775 Allied merchant ships were sunk for the loss of 781 U-boats. This is the story of that massive encounter from the German perspective. Published in three volumes, this work was compiled under the supervision of the U. S Navy Department and the British Admiralty by Fregattenkapitan Gunther Hessler. The author, though without previous experience as a writer, had first hand experience of U-boat warfare having commanded a U-boat in 1940 and 1941. For the remainder of the war he was Staff Officer to the Flag Officer commanding U-boats. He had access to German war diaries and other relevant documents concerning U-boat command, and this work based on these many documents, tells the story entirely from the viewpoint of that command. For this reason this work is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of World War II from primary sources and will be of enduring interest to those engaged in attempting to unravel the true nature of submarine warfare in World War II.

The Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes. They lasted from 58 BC to 50 BC and culminated in the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, in which a complete Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the Roman Republic over the whole of Gaul. The wars paved the way for Julius Caesar to become the sole ruler of the Roman Republic. Although Caesar portrayed this invasion as being a preemptive and defensive action, most historians agree that the wars were fought primarily to boost Caesar's political career and to pay off his massive debts. Still, Gaul was of significant military importance to the Romans, as these had been attacked several times by native tribes both indigenous to Gaul and further to the north. Conquering Gaul allowed Rome to secure the natural border of the river Rhine. The Gallic Wars are described by Julius Caesar as himself in this book, which was originally titled Commentarii de Bello Gallico, it is a pertinent and only slightly tendentious and altogether the most important historical source regarding the conflict. This updated edition contains the translated text and various illustrations depicting Roman warfare and key moments in Caesar's journey.

This is the contemporary account of Jakob Walter, a Westphalian conscript in Napoleon's Grande Armee. Walter took part in the Emperor's campaigns against Prussia, Austria and finally, the disastrous Russian campaign of 1812. This is what it really meant to "march with the Emperor". This volume is illustrated throughout with the watercolours produced by Albrecht Adam, another German who served in the ranks of Napoleon's armies, who witnessed many of the same scenes as Jakob Walter. Together the text and illustrations provide a powerful primary insight in to the events of 1812 as witnessed by the men who were there. This book is part of the 'Military History From Primary Sources' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of warfare. The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie, creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.

This is the complete wartime translation by the U. S. Navy of the 1943 edition of the official handbook given to all U-boat commanders. The original handbook was compiled from combat reports and was regularly updated throughout the war. The handbook was an invaluable reference for every operational U-boat commander. Simply written and highly accessible for a wider audience, the U-boat handbook attempted to anticipate every possible situation and to advise on suitable tactics. This superb war-time primary source is enhanced by a rare series of photographs taken on an actual combat patrol and published during the time of the Third Reich in the book "U-Boot Auf Feindfahrt". Together the handbook and these rare photographs provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of the U-boats from a first hand perspective, and is essential reading for anyone interested in World War II from primary sources.