Coming Soon to a Bookshelf Near You

What looks like being the last word on the subject is now very close to release. Almost sold out already from pre-orders alone...

Kursk: The Battle of Prokhorovka by Christopher A Lawrence

Weighing in at 11.5lbs and with 1700 pages. Taken from the RZM website:

This book is unique in that it draws upon in-depth research in both the German and Russian archival records. This was research that was begun in the 1990s, after the Soviet Union had fallen, when The Dupuy Institute was able to gain access to the Russian military archives. The book is built from the actual unit records from both sides, as opposed to the sometimes distorted narratives and legends that have grown up over the battle. It then compares and contrasts those records with the stories and interviews collected from veterans. It is an attempt to cover the entire range of fighting, from the strategic decisions, the operational art, to the tactics and the personal stories. It is a detailed description of the battle, a quantitative analysis of the battle and personal description of the battle as seen through the eyes of the participants. Over hundred German and Russian participants on both sides were interviewed exclusively for this book. It is a unique body of research that will not be replicated.

The Battle of Kursk was the largest armor battle in history. On 5 July 1943, three German panzer corps, under command of German General Erich von Manstein, tore into the Soviet fortified defenses south of Kursk. Driving back the Soviet Voronezh Front’s desperate defense, under command of Soviet General Nikolai Vatutin and future Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev, the fight culminated in the famous tank battle at Prokhorovka. This book focuses on the German offensive in the south of the Kursk salient that was the high point of the Battle of Kursk. It addresses all units that fought in the battle, not just the Panther and Tiger tanks, not just the SS, not just the tank busting Stukas.

This is a large book. This is because the amount of unique material collected on the battle was unparalleled, first as part of a U.S. Army funded research project and then as an extended book project.

Approximately 6" thick and weighing in at 11.5 pounds. Premium white paper, deluxe, heavy cloth boards, deluxe sewn binding, top grade linen paper, top grade photo paper for maps and photos, heavy glossy dustjacket.

The book includes:
29 fold-out maps
94 maps in the text
41 charts, graphs and diagrams
166 tables
194 statistical sheets covering each engagement
100 separate sidebars of discussion
66 German and Soviet commander biographies, and
4 photo sections with 289 photos drawn from both German and Soviet sources.

Publishers Website... Aberdeen
RZM Website... RZM

 

Wish there was something like this in ABDA/SEAC/CBI bibliography...

A job about First Arakan, perhaps? (Even though the Arakan volume of the Indian Official History series gives the subject above-decent coverage).

 

Out March 2016

Jocks, Dragons and Sospans



July 1944: the Battle for Normandy is nearing its height. Thousands of soldiers cower in their slit trenches as huge artillery bombardments roar overhead, small arms fire tears up ground around them and tanks crash through undergrowth. Attempting to push forward around a miserable scrap of ground called "Hill 112” are the British Civilian-Soldiers of 53rd (Welsh) Division, facing the heaviest German tanks imaginable of II SS-Panzer Corps - in what would become an exceptionally brutal battle of attrition.

This fascinating dynamic account vividly explores the journey from the pacifistic aftermath of the Great War, to Britain's forced rearmament and commitment to once more assemble an archetypal 18,000 man Infantry Division from deprived industrial Wales, drawn from a disparate eclectic mixture of conscripts, Terriers and volunteers, as well as a diverse group of Allied nationalities.

The character of this near-forgotten Territorial Army Infantry Division is examined as never before, radically challenging the conventional narrative. For the first time the fate of dozens of men are told in their own words, allowing you to get closer to the action than ever before. See the stories of men such as Tasker Watkins VC and Welsh rugby legend Bill Clement evocatively brought to life. Read also a full and fresh study of Montgomery's July strategy, re-examining the crucial context of Goodwood, with Operations such as Greenline and Pomegranate raised from obscurity. The rapid shift from static warfare to the mobile armoured thrusts that characterised the drive on Falaise in August 1944 is completely reassessed thanks due to new evidence. The fighting ability of 9th and 10th SS-Panzer Divisions, as well as the myriad of other German forces that fought in the battle, are also fully scrutinised, illuminating the tactics and strategy as never before. This is essential reading for all those interested in warfare as well as the more serious student of the Normandy campaign.

The human cost was exceptional; the suffering unimaginable. This is their story.

 

I'm rather looking forward to this one...A book about RAOC Chilwell in the build up to and during the Second World War. Written by the son of the Brigadier who commanded the depot, it appears to include some wonderful high-resolution photographs of early-war vehicles.


http://www.philwilliamswriter.co.uk/


https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Central+Census+RAOC+Chilwell&safe=off&biw=1920&bih=969&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiYkcuR_4HLAhVIxRQKHaU8CVM4ChD8BQgIKAM#imgrc=6kHpr4RjjbULOM%3A

 

Thanks for pointing that one out Rich - that's this years Christmas list started.
Noel

 

Above the Battle: An Air Observation Post Pilot at War

This account is centred around the manuscript left by my late father. He intended that it should be published but was unable to complete it in publishable form. Since his death in 2002 further material has been added such as letters written from the front and information derived from research. There is also a section of letters written to him by my mother who was first a VAD then a Wren in the Fleet Air Arm working at Y stations such as Flowerdown.

The publishers intended date of 30 July should be possible but I will post again when it really is available! Nothing is certain these days..

 

I am pleased to announce that my second book, Dover's Forgotten Commando Raid: Operation Abercrombie, is now for sale. This tells the tale of the Combined Operations raid by the RNVR, No.4 Commando and a detachment of 60 Canadians from New Brunswick to the shores of Hardelot in April 1942. The raid has never been told in detail before.

It is a 96 page softback, is limited to 1,000 copies and is not available in the shops. It contains about 40 photographs, of which 28 have never been published before - they were scanned from the original negatives held at the IWM specifically for this book. They include photographs of Commandos and Canadians preparing at the Napoleonic-era Drop Redoubt Fort in Dover, embarkation onto Motor Gun Boats and returning the next morning. There is also a brand-new photo of Lord Lovat in conference with Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay at the docks.

I have been drawing together the story after five years, piecing together war diaries, operational reports, newsreel images, contacting two veterans (Jimmy Dunning and Joe Powell) and even studying graffiti in the fort. It has been a bit of a labour of love for me over the years.

The book costs £17 posted within the UK. Of that, for the first 300 copies all 100% of the cost will be handed to the Western Heights Preservation Society (50% after that). We are a volunteer charity that looks after and opens to the public the Drop Redoubt and Grand Shaft staircase in Dover for posterity. As we have no official funding, we need sales to keep going. So all sales will mean contribution to a good cause!

If you would like one, please drop me a message. It will not be available in any shops aside from in Dover.

 

Congratulations on you book, Phil, I can guess how hard you must have worked. I would also say I was sorry and disgusted to read about thefts from the fort - Some years ago I lost some irreplaceable items when vandals torched the premises of the museum that had them on loan.

 

Thank you very much Robert. Yes, that break-in was awful. It was an organised attack on the fort in the early hours in the first week of November. Our bunch of volunteers lost about £3000 worth of equipment; generators, strimmers, loppers, our PA system, water boilers, even tea bags, you name it. All lowered out on ropes and driven away in the dead of night. The positive angle is that the public support has been overwheming, donations have flooded in in excess of £6000 for which we are deeply humbled and truly grateful.

I am so sorry to hear of your break in. I heard of something similar happening to both Shoreham Fort and Ramsgate Museum recently. Stealing from a charity, how low can you go? Hopefully this new book, and continuing sales of my earlier WW1 one, will raise us some more funds.

Anyway, back to the books. Thank you for your support.

 

Okay, now for something a little different. After researching and writing almost a dozen books on Operation Market Garden, I have written a novel about the hidden reason why the operation went wrong. It is historical fiction and I've tried to make it as close to real events as possible. I have even included a number of historical figures. Of course, when my main character - who is 100% fictional - converses with them the conversation is completely fictional.

My goal in writing this was to highlight what the engineers accomplished during the battle and also to shine a light on the inner workings of the Military Industrial Complex, who I believed sabotaged the operation for their own benefit.

If you have a moment please check out: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arnhem-Conspiracy-John-Sliz/dp/192767946X/

 

My book will be launched in four days: https://www.facebook.com/gustavknittel

 

And there it is, the the book has been made available in the webshop...

http://www.boekenbestellen.nl/boek/g.../17352?lang=en

A sample chapter...









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I'll be looking forward to this ...

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gales-Eyes-Airborne-Divisions-Leadership/dp/1927679508/

 

Been on ye olde shopping list for about 6 months, mate...

Fascinating stuff anything that has to do with the air war against Japan AWAY from US air!

 

Following on a tip from Gaines in the US, I have just bought this book on Kindle.
Naples '44: An Intelligence Officer in the Italian Labyrinth , 31 Jul 2002
by Norman Lewis 4.6 out of 5 stars 65 customer reviews

It's attraction for me iis that it covers Naples in 1944 which is when I spent a month in hospital there and even mentions the 92nd British General Hospital itself.

A harrowing tale, if a tad too short for my liking and a good read.

Ron

 

GUSTAV KNITTEL

 

Dutch Courage: Special Forces in the Netherlands 1944-45

From early September 1944, Allied special forces teams were deployed in the occupied Netherlands to strengthen the armed resistance and gather intelligence. These so-called ‘Jedburgh’ groups, created by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS), supported several major Allied operations, including Market Garden and the often overlooked SAS operations Amherst and Keystone.

From behind enemy lines, the Jedburgh teams successfully assisted the Allied advance through the Netherlands. Dutch Courage tells, for the first time, the complete story of their recruitment and training and their courageous actions alongside the Dutch resistance.

See more at: Dutch Courage - Amberley Publishing

 

I'm delighted to say that Pen and Sword have now released the book and it is available.



In the words of the Author:


"This account of ‘C’ Flight’s activities between 1 April 1943, (when
I joined the Flight) to 5 May 1945 (when the German army in
NW Germany surrendered) is based on my present recollection
of them, on the notes I made after the war ended, my log books and on the
‘C’ Flight War Diary.
I have read some of the more accessible literature on the campaign in NW
Europe; that has helped me to put our doings in the wider perspective of the
Allied strategy (or the lack of it at times).
What impressed me was the matter-of-fact way the British soldier went
into battle against an enemy who had occupied almost the whole of Northern
Europe for the previous four years and was well prepared to defend its
coastline from the North Cape to the Pyrenees against just such an invasion
as was begun on D-Day, 6 June 1944.
As for ‘C’ Flight, I can only say that if one had to go to war, one could not
have done so with a better bunch of people, and I have pleasant memories of
all of them. War is always a horrible business, but it can and does bring out
much that is admirable among men who have to share their lives in adversity.
In that respect, as in many others, ‘C’ Flight was a very lucky Flight, and I
was lucky to have been part of it for so long."

 

Soon to appear a new book on Kampfgruppe Walther and 107. Panzer Brigade by the author of 'Autumngale': Kampfgruppe Walther and Panzerbrigade-107 - The book - De Zwaardvisch Publishers