Bøger om Tidlige 20. århundrede

General George S. Patton. His tongue was as sharp as the cavalry saber he once wielded, and his fury as explosive as the shells he'd ordered launched from his tank divisions. Despite his profane, posturing manner, and the sheer enthusiasm for conflict that made both his peers and the public uncomfortable, Patton's very presence commanded respect. Had his superiors given him free rein, the U.S. Army could have claimed victory in Berlin as early as November of 1944.General Erwin Rommel. His battlefield manner was authoritative, his courage proven in the trenches of World War I when he was awarded the Blue Max. He was a front line soldier who led by example from the turrets of his Panzers. Appointed to command Adolf Hitler's personal security detail, Rommel had nothing for contempt for the atrocities perpetrated by the Reich. His role in the Führer's assassination attempt led to his downfall.Except for a brief confrontation in North Africa, these two legendary titans never met in combat. Patton and Rommel is the first single-volume study to deal with the parallel lives of two generals who earned not only the loyalty and admiration of their own men, but the respect of their enemies, and the enmity of the leaders they swore to obey. From the origins of their military prowess, forged on the battlefields of World War I, to their rise through the ranks, to their inevitable clashes with political authority, military historian Dennis Showalter presents a riveting portrait of two men whose battle strategies changed the face of warfare and continue to be studied in military academies around the globe.

If caught, his captors would have killed him but Marvin Doyle was determined to document the truth in case he didn't make it out alive. There was also another reason; Marvin thought the sooner he'd write down what happened the sooner he'd be able erase it from his tortured mind. This is the true story of aerial gunner Sergeant Marvin Doyle, a World War II prisoner of war who kept a secret diary while held captive in Stalag Luft 1, a German prison camp by the Baltic Sea. Marvin was shot down on November 4, 1944 in a B-24 bomber over Mostar, Yugoslavia. He wanted history to know what he and his crew endured for America's freedom. Even more than that, he wanted the love of his life, his wife Anne, to know what happened to him. He had to be resourceful to make this happen. Once he got to Stalag Luft 1 he began to collect the wrappers from discarded cigarette packs, and he wrote his secret diary on the back of 37 of them. He knew if the Nazis discovered his secret diary, he would be put in solitairy confinement or worse, but he knew his experience had to be documented. He detailed the terror of his plane being shot down, the hard parachute landing in which he was injured, his capture by dozens of Germans ready to shoot him on the spot, the overwhelming hunger and the unbearable cold. He detailed being forced to walk miles through a blinding snowstorm to get from one prison camp to the next. He would later talk of his appreciation to his squadron for carrying him when he was injured so the Nazis wouldn't shoot him. He shared how he was haunted by the tail-gunner who froze with fear as their plane was going down and was too scared to pull his chute. He describes eating bugs and drinking vile coffee. And he writes of dreaming of sweet Anne and how he hoped she was waiting for him.Perhaps surprisingly, he didn't write of his hatred for his captors despite the horrific conditions. Instead, he hoped for peace for both sides. He wrote, "I have been in the air and also on the ground and I know how horrible war can be. It is terrible that so many people have to be slaughtered even though they are your enemies." This book also looks at other notable things which happened in Stalag Luft 1 including a hidden radio which allowed prisoners to listen to news broadcasts from Britain and America and allowed them to write a secret newspaper distributed amongst the camp. Especially poignant is his treasured letter from General George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff of the Army, in which he warns about the importance of avoiding war in the future. At the war's end Marshall wrote to Marvin and his fellow servicemen, "Choose your leaders wisely - that is the way to keep ours the country for which you fought. Make sure that those leaders are determined to maintain peace throughout the world. You know what war is. You know that we must not have another. As individuals you can prevent it if you give to the task which lies ahead the same spirit which you displayed in uniform." Sgt. Marvin Doyle wanted history to know the truth about what happened and this is the first time his diary is being publicly released.

"Extraordinary storytelling about unfathomable horror." - Library Journal (starred review)"[A] worthy tribute to the extraordinary bravery of a remarkable woman." -- Publishers WeeklyIn World War II's Poland, thirty year old Zofia Sterner and her husband Wacek refuse to be classified as Jews destined for extermination.Instead, they evade the Nazis and the Soviets in several dramatic escapes and selflessly rescue many Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto and a labor camp, later becoming active participants in the Warsaw Uprising where they are taken prisoner. This retelling, captured through diaries, interviews, war crime trial testimonies, and letters, detail the Sterners' heroic rescues, escapes, and ultimate survival. A true story of hope amid horrifying tragedy, How We Outwitted and Survived the Nazis illustrates how war brings out the worst and the best in people, and how true humanity and heroism of ordinary people are revealed by their willingness to risk everything and help others. This story is about being human under the most inhumane conditions.

National Bestseller"A landmark and long-overdue cultural history." ?VogueThe stylish, wild story of the marriage of Dennis Hopper and Brooke Hayward?a tale of love, art, Hollywood, and heartbreak ?Those years in the sixties when I was married to Dennis were the most wonderful and awful of my life.? ?Brooke HaywardLos Angeles in the 1960s: riots in Watts and on the Sunset Strip, wild weekends in Malibu, late nights at The Daisy discotheque, openings at the Ferus Gallery, and the convergence of pop art, rock and roll, and the New Hollywood. At the center of it all, one inspired, improbable, and highly combustible couple?Dennis Hopper and Brooke Hayward?lived out the emblematic love story of '60s L.A.The home these two glamorous young actors created for themselves and their family at 1712 North Crescent Heights Boulevard in the Hollywood Hills became the era's unofficial living room, a kaleidoscopic realm??furnished like an amusement park,? Andy Warhol said?that made an impact on anyone who ever stepped into it. Hopper and Hayward, vanguard collectors of contemporary art, packed the place with pop masterpieces by the likes of Roy Lichtenstein, Ed Ruscha, and Warhol, and welcomed a who's who of visitors, from Jane Fonda to Jasper Johns, Joan Didion to Tina Turner, Hells Angels to Black Panthers. In this house, everything that defined the 1960s went down: the fun, the decadence, the radical politics, and, ultimately, the danger and instability that Hopper explored in the project that made his career, became the cinematic symbol of the period, and blew their union apart?Easy Rider.Everybody Thought We Were Crazy is at once a fascinating account of the Hopper and Hayward union and a deeply researched, panoramic cultural history. It's the intimate saga of one couple whose own rise and fall?from youthful creative flowering to disorder and chaos?mirrors the very shape of the decade.

Bestselling author Pam Jenoff shows the unimaginable sacrifices one woman must make in a time of war.Nineteen-year-old Emma Bau has been married only three weeks when Nazi tanks thunder into her native Poland. Within days Emma's husband, Jacob, is forced to disappear underground, leaving her imprisoned within the city's decrepit Jewish ghetto. But then, in the dead of night, the resistance smuggles her out. Taken to Krakow to live with Jacob's Catholic aunt, Krysia, Emma takes on a new identity as Anna Lipowski, a gentile.Emma's already precarious situation is complicated by her introduction to Kommandant Richwalder, a high-ranking Nazi official who hires her to work as his assistant. Urged by the resistance to use her position to access details of the Nazi occupation, Emma must compromise her safety--and her marriage vows--in order to help Jacob's cause. As the atrocities of war intensify, Emma must make choices that will force her to risk not only her double life but also the lives of those she loves.

This book examines the different forms of violence found in three plays by Irish playwright Martin McDonagh: The Beauty Queen of Leenane (1996), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2001) and The Pillowman (2003). It can be seen that the writer works on the theme of violence constantly and recurrently, although the treatment of this theme varies and differs from one play to the next. The aim is to prove, through critical analysis, that McDonagh's writings are not a censure of Irish society, as suggested in various academic works; his plays are, in fact, a reflection on globalised society and the human beings who inhabit this global community.

The gripping historical debut about a family separated by the Berlin wall - perfect for fans of All the Light We Cannot See, In Memoriam and Alone in BerlinSHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2024'A tautly plotted, deeply involving novel that packs a real emotional punch ... I can't recommend this novel highly enough' Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us'A hauntingly beautiful exploration of love, family and societal unrest all set against the backdrop of the Berlin Wall' Glamour_____Imagine waking up and a wall has divided your city in two. Imagine that on the other side is your child...Lisette is in hospital with her baby boy. The doctors tell her to go home and get some rest, that he'll be fine.When she awakes, everything has changed. Because overnight, on 13 August 1961, the border between East and West Berlin has closed, slicing the city - and the world - in two.Lisette is trapped in the east, while her newborn baby is unreachable in the west. With the streets in chaos and armed guards ordered to shoot anyone who tries to cross, her situation is desperate.Lisette's teenage daughter, Elly, has always struggled to understand the distance between herself and her mother. Both have lived for music, but while Elly hears notes surrounding every person she meets, for her mother - once a talented pianist - the music has gone silent.Perhaps Elly can do something to bridge the gap between them. What begins as the flicker of an idea turns into a daring plan to escape East Berlin, find her baby brother, and bring him home....Based on true stories, The Silence in Between is a page-turning, emotional epic that will stay with you long after you finish reading.______BOOKSELLER LOVE for THE SILENCE IN BETWEEN:'Without a doubt one of the best books I have read this year... I can't recommend this book enough'Abbey Rowlinson'Absolutely heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. A must-read'Dominika 'A sublime story, told beautifully'Kurde, Horsham'A truly compelling and moving novel with two incredible female characters I won't forget in a hurry'Tilly Fitzgerald 'Kind, thoughtful and poignant... an uplifting and hopeful story'Lauren'A powerful and emotional book'Neil Challis, Windsor 'A thought provoking, ultimately kind and beautifully researched debut'Beth, Chesterfield 'I genuinely loved this - it's definitely a stand out novel of 2024'Helen, Scarborough 'A cracking debut from this talented new author'Jen Mackay, Windsor 'This truly has the potential to be the next big story, so full of heart as it is!'Libby Low'A powerful story of human resilience and family bonds'Emma Smith, Bedford 'A beautiful but heart-breaking read from a wonderful new voice in historical fiction'Victoria, Aviemore 'An excellent novel... a sensitive retelling of two critical and terrible periods of Berlin history'Sean Farrell'An incredible book full of heartbreak, hope, unbreakable love... I don't think this book will ever leave me. I will be recommending it to customers as a must read'Hayley Ralls, St Neots

The 2nd Tank Army was not an ordinary force; by 1945 it was an elite Guards formation which played a role in the Soviet offensive operations and whose tanks were the first to enter Berlin's streets. This study is based on the operational documents of the Army and provides an analysis of every battle it fought in World War II.

A New York Times BestsellerLess a mystery unsolved than a secret well kept...Using new technology, recently discovered documents and sophisticated investigative techniques, an international team?led by an obsessed retired FBI agent?has finally solved the mystery that has haunted generations since World War II: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family? And why?Over thirty million people have read The Diary of a Young Girl, the journal teen-aged Anne Frank kept while living in an attic with her family and four other people in Amsterdam during World War II, until the Nazis arrested them and sent them to a concentration camp. But despite the many works?journalism, books, plays and novels?devoted to Anne's story, none has ever conclusively explained how these eight people managed to live in hiding undetected for over two years?and who or what finally brought the Nazis to their door.With painstaking care, retired FBI agent Vincent Pankoke and a team of indefatigable investigators pored over tens of thousands of pages of documents?some never before seen?and interviewed scores of descendants of people familiar with the Franks. Utilizing methods developed by the FBI, the Cold Case Team painstakingly pieced together the months leading to the infamous arrest?and came to a shocking conclusion. The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation is the riveting story of their mission. Rosemary Sullivan introduces us to the investigators, explains the behavior of both the captives and their captors and profiles a group of suspects. All the while, she vividly brings to life wartime Amsterdam: a place where no matter how wealthy, educated, or careful you were, you never knew whom you could trust.

?A beautifully evocative reminder of what it means to come back from war and to face the age-old question of whether it is better to have survived or to have died. Highly recommended.??Library Journal, starred reviewIn the tradition of Jennifer Robson and Hazel Gaynor, this unforgettable debut novel is a sweeping tale of forbidden love, profound loss, and the startling truth of the broken families left behind in the wake of World War I.1921. Survivors of the Great War are desperately trying to piece together the fragments of their broken lives. While many have been reunited with their loved ones, Edie's husband Francis has not come home. Francis is presumed to have been killed in action, but Edie believes he might still be alive.Harry, Francis's brother, was there the day Francis was wounded. He was certain it was a fatal wound?that he saw his brother die?but as time passes, Harry begins questioning his memory of what happened. Could Francis, like many soldiers, merely be lost and confused somewhere? Hired by grieving families, Harry returns to the Western Front to photograph gravesites. As he travels through battle-scarred France and Belgium gathering news for British wives and mothers, he searches for evidence of Francis.When Edie receives a mysterious photograph of Francis, she is more convinced than ever he might still be alive. And so, she embarks on a journey in the hope of finding some trace of her husband. Is he truly gone? And if he isn't, then why hasn't he come home? As Harry and Edie's paths converge, they get closer to the truth about Francis and, as they do, are faced with the life-changing impact of the answers they discover. Artful and incredibly moving, The Poppy Wife tells the unforgettable story of the soldiers lost amid the chaos and ruins, and those who were desperate to find them.

When Nicholas Shakespeare stumbled across a box of documents belonging to his late aunt, Priscilla, he was completely unaware of where this discovery would take him and what he would learn about her hidden past. The glamorous, mysterious figure he remembered from his childhood was very different from the morally ambiguous young woman who emerged from the trove of love letters, photographs, and journals, surrounded by suitors and living the dangerous existence of a British woman in a country controlled by the enemy. He had heard rumors that Priscilla had fought in the Resistance, but the truth turned out to be far more complicated.As he investigated his aunt's life, dark secrets emerged, and Nicholas discovered the answers to the questions over which he'd been puzzling: What caused the breakdown of Priscilla's marriage to a French aristocrat? Why had she been interned in a prisoner-of-war camp, and how had she escaped? And who was the "Otto" with whom she was having a relationship as Paris was liberated?Piecing together fragments of one woman's remarkable and tragic life, Priscilla is at once a stunning story of detection, a loving portrait of a flawed woman trying to survive in terrible times, and a spellbinding slice of history.

The gripping story of the American army chaplain sent to save the souls of the Nazis incarcerated at NurembergLutheran minister Henry Gerecke was fifty years old when he enlisted as an army chaplain during World War II. As two of his three sons faced danger and death on the battlefield, Gerecke tended to the battered bodies and souls of wounded and dying GIs outside London. But at the close of the European theater, with Hitler defeated and scores of American troops returning home to resume their lives, Gerecke received his most challenging assignment: he was sent to Nuremberg to minister to the twenty-one imprisoned Nazi leaders awaiting trial for crimes against humanity.A crucial yet largely untold coda to the horrors of World War II, Mission at Nuremberg unearths groundbreaking new research and compelling firsthand accounts to take us deep inside the Nuremberg Palace of Justice, into the very cells of the accused and the courtroom where they answered to the world for their crimes. Never before in modern history had man accomplished mass slaughter with such precision. These twenty-one Nazis had sat at the right hand of Adolf Hitler; Hermann Goering, Albert Speer, Wilhelm Keitel, Hans Frank, and Ernst Kaltenbrunner were the orchestrators, and in some cases the direct perpetrators, of the most methodical genocide in history.As the drama leading to the court's final judgments unfolds, Tim Townsend brings Henry Gerecke's impossible moral quandary to life: How, having risked his own life (and those of his sons) to eliminate the Nazi threat, could he now win the confidence of these men? In the months after the war ended, Gerecke had visited Dachau. He had touched the walls of the camp's crematorium. He had seen the consequences of the choices these men had made, the orders they had given and carried out. As he worked to form compassionate relationships with them, how could he preach the gospel of mercy, knowing full well the devastating nature of the atrocities they had committed? And as the day came nearer when he had to escort these men to the gallows, what comfort could he offer?and what promises of salvation could he make?to evil itself? Detailed, harrowing, and emotionally charged, Mission at Nuremberg is an incisive new history of the Nuremberg trials as well as a nuanced reflection on the nature of morality and sin, the price of empathy, and the limits of forgiveness.

From the Diary of Leonie Noirot: The perfect corset should invite its undoing . . .Lethally charming Simon Blair, Marquess of Lisburne, has reluctantly returned to London for one reason only: a family obligation. Still, he might make time for the seduction of a certain redheaded dressmaker?but Leonie Noirot hasn't time for him. She's obsessed with transforming his cousin, the dowdy Lady Gladys, into a swan.Leonie's skills can coax curves?and profits?from thin air, but his criminally handsome lordship is too busy trying to seduce her to appreciate her genius. He badly needs to learn a lesson, and the wager she provokes ought to teach him, once and for all.A great plan, in theory?but Lisburne's become a serious distraction and Leonie's usual logic is in danger of slipping away as easily as a silk chemise. Could the Season's greatest transformation be her own?

A searing novel of love and war, betrayal and redemption.Having grown up in an exclusive circle of wealthy British ex-pats in Florence in the 1920s, Alice Orsini shocks everyone when she marries the son of a minor Italian landowner and begins restoring San Martino, a crumbling villa in Tuscany, to its former glory. But after years of hard work, filling the acres with orchards, livestock, and farmhands, Alice's growing restlessness pulls her into the heady social swirl of wartime Rome and a reckless affair that will have devastating consequences. Her indiscretion is noticed by careful eyes?those of Robert Marshall, a renowned dealer of renaissance art. In exchange for his silence, he demands Alice hide a priceless Caravaggio, a national treasure that he has sold to the Germans, at San Martino. As the front creeps toward Tuscany, sending a wave of orphans, refugees, and wounded Allies to San Martino, Alice trusts that the painting she's hiding will keep the Germans at bay. What she doesn't know is the truth about a brilliant young artist she harbors named Kristín, a prodigy who can restore any painting, and whose secrets may ruin them all. Trapped between loyalists and resistors, cruel German forces and Allied troops, Alice and Kristín must withstand the destruction of everything around them while painfully confronting the consequences of their past mistakes.In this sweeping story of passion and betrayal, Olafsson works his profound magic once again, creating a novel that grapples with the moral abyss of war while rendering the psychological portraits of those living through it with masterful strokes.

In the context of the First Republic, intellectuals like Euclides da Cunha and military men like Marshal Cândido Rondon turned their eyes to the interior of Brazil. In republican schools, children learned geography from teaching programmes, textbooks and children's magazines. How do the representations of the territory produced in these two spaces converge or diverge? This is the theme investigated in this book.

Lesen Sie jetzt die spektakuläre Biografie des Bomberpiloten Klaus Deumling, der mit der geheimen Fernlenkbombe Fritz X das italienische Flaggschiff Roma versenkte!September 1943: Klaus Deumlings Einheit, das Kampfgeschwader 100 ¿Wiking¿, erhält einen brisanten Auftrag: Italien ist aus dem Krieg ausgeschieden und plant, seine Flotte in Malta an die Alliierten zu übergeben. ¿Wiking¿ erhält den Befehl, den italienischen Verband auf der Überfahrt anzugreifen und seine Schiffe mit neuartigen Fernlenkbomben vom Typ Fritz X zu versenken. Klaus Deumling nimmt als junger Pilot an diesem Einsatz teil, der als spektakulärer Erfolg in die deutsche Militärgeschichte eingeht.Diese Biografie erzählt von Deumlings militärischem Werdegang als Bomberpilot im 2. Weltkrieg. Die im Buch beschriebenen Stationen seines Lebens sind:- Die harte Ausbildung zum Kampfpiloten der Luftwaffe- Die Übergabe der Fritz X an die Truppe- Der aufsehenerregende Angriff auf die italienische Flotte und die Versenkung der Roma- Das Chaos der letzten Kriegsmonate- Die grauenvolle sowjetische KriegsgefangenschaftD-Day-Experte Helmut Konrad von Keusgen hat Deumlings Geschichte nach zahllosen Gesprächen und akribischen Recherchen zu Papier gebracht. Seine Hingabe zu den Details und seine präzisen Beschreibungen zeichnen diese Biografie aus. Zahlreiche Originalfotografien und Abbildungen von Dokumenten liefern Ihnen zudem spannende Einblicke in das Leben Deumlings.Dieses vielschichtige Buch eröffnet verschiedene höchst interessante Blickwinkel: den des jungen Deutschen, der sich im Glauben an das Regime mit 17 Jahren freiwillig zur Luftwaffe meldet. Den des eifrigen Bomberpiloten, der den Einsatz der Fernlenkbombe Fritz X von der ersten Stunde an miterlebt. Und schließlich den des desillusionierten Soldaten im Chaos der letzten Kriegsmonate und dann in Kriegsgefangenschaft. Erfahren Sie zudem alles über die verworrene Vorgeschichte des Angriffes auf die Roma als Folge des ¿Doppelspiels¿ der italienischen Führung.Sichern Sie sich jetzt diese überarbeitete Neuauflage des lange vergriffenen Buchs, das erstmals im Jahr 2008 erschienen ist. Die spektakuläre Biografie des Bomberpiloten Klaus Deumling liefert Ihnen einmalige Einblicke in den Einsatz der geheimen Fernlenkbombe Fritz X!

Zu Zeiten der aufkommenden Macht der Nazis und infolge einer unglücklichen Liebe entscheidet sich der Metzgergeselle Gustav aus Schlesien dazu, seine Heimat in Deutschland zu verlassen und den Weg nach Amerika anzutreten. Sein Lebensweg erstreckt sich von den 1920er bis in die 1980er Jahre, während derer er sich in Chicago eine erfolgreiche Existenz aufbaut, eine Familie gründet aber dennoch am Ende alles verliert. Der Leser taucht ein in eine Ära, die von weltweiten politischen und technologischen Umwälzungen geprägt ist. Dabei durchlebt der Protagonist nicht nur persönliche Höhen und Tiefen, sondern wird auch mit den Herausforderungen von Identität, Zugehörigkeit und Vorurteilen konfrontiert. Ein zentrales Thema des Romans ist daher das stetige Spannungsfeld zwischen dem "wir" und "den anderen" - eine facettenreiche Betrachtung, die durch die Augen eines Auswanderers zu unterschiedlichsten Konflikten führt.

A riveting journey through the history of mountaineering - before Everest.

From the first prehistoric inhabitants of the island to the St Andrews Agreement and decommissioning of IRA weapons, this uniquely concise account of Ireland and its people reveals how differing interpretations of history, ancient and modern, have influenced modern Irish society. Combining factual information with a critical approach, Coohill covers all the key events, including the Great Famine, Home Rule, and the Good Friday Agreement. Updated with two new chapters expanding the discussion of pre-modern Ireland, as well as developments in the 21st century, this highly accessible and balanced account will continue to provide a valuable resource to all those wishing to acquaint themselves further with the complex identity of the Irish people.

52 Jahre lang lebte die in Königsberg geborene Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945) in Berlin - die wachsende Metropole mit ihren Widersprüchen war ihr zur Heimat geworden. Die Publikation stellt dreizehn Orte in der Stadt vor, die im Leben der Künstlerin von Bedeutung waren. Dabei wird deutlich, dass Käthe Kollwitz nicht nur in Prenzlauer Berg ihre Bahnen zog. Ateliers, Ausstellungen, Freunde finden sich auch im Berliner Umland oder in der bis 1920 noch selbständigen Stadt Charlottenburg.Mit der zweisprachigen, handlichen Broschüre wurde eine neue Reihe des 1986 gegrün­deten Käthe-Kollwitz-Museums Berlin eröffnet. Dessen Umzug aus der Fasanenstraße ins Schloss Charlottenburg bot den willkommenen Anlass für eine aktualisierte Neuauflage des seit längerem vergriffenen Titels.

This book traces the history of the Third Reich, from the Nazi movement's beginnings in the beer halls of 1920s Germany to the outcome of the Nuremberg trials, which took place in the aftermath of the Second World War. Masters of manipulation, double standards, and deceit, the Nazis were bent on world domination and engineered a global conflict in order to achieve their ends. As their figurehead, they chose an Austrian corporal with a twisted psyche, who rose from obscurity to command the world's most formidable military machine. The Nazis includes fascinating psychological profiles of Nazi henchmen in an attempt to discover the character flaws that made them commit their terrible crimes. This gallery of social misfits was held together by its admiration for Hitler, who dragged the German nation towards the abyss and brought about the deaths of more than 60 million people worldwide. ABOUT THE SERIES Sirius Military History provides gripping, illustrated accounts of different battles and conflicts, featuring contemporary photographs, feature spreads and fascinating testimonies.

The Indian Army was the largest volunteer army during the Second World War. Indian Army divisions fought in the Middle East, North Africa and Italy - and went to make up the overwhelming majority of the troops in South East Asia. Over two million personnel served in the Indian Army - and India provided the base for supplies for the Middle Eastern and South East Asian theaters. This monograph is a modern historical interpretation of the Indian Army as a holistic organization during the Second World War. It will look at training in India - charting how the Indian Army developed a more comprehensive training structure than any other Commonwealth country. This was achieved through both the dissemination of doctrine and the professionalism of a small coterie of Indian Army officers who brought about a military culture within the Indian Army - starting in the 1930s - that came to fruition during the Second World War, which informed the formal learning process. Finally, it will show that the Indian Army was reorganized after experiences of the First World War. During the interwar period, the army developed training and belief for both fighting on the North West Frontier, and as an aid to civil power. With the outbreak of the Second World War, in addition to these roles, the army had to expand and adapt to fighting modern professional armies in the difficult terrains of desert, jungle and mountain warfare. A clear development of doctrine and training can be seen, with many pamphlets being produced by GHQ India that were, in turn, used to formulate training within formations and then used in divisional, brigade and unit training instructions - thus a clear line of process can be seen not only from GHQ India down to brigade and battalion level, but also upwards from battalion and brigade level based on experience in battle that was absorbed into new training instructions. Together with the added impetus for education in the army, by 1945 the Indian Army had become a modern, professional and national army.

On 22 August 1914, on a battlefield one hundred kilometers wide, stretching from Luxembourg to the River Meuse, two French and two German armies clashed in a series of encounters known collectively as the Battle of the Ardennes. On that day 27,000 young French soldiers died, the bloodiest day in the military history of France, most of them in the Ardennes, and yet it is almost unknown to English-speaking readers. There has never been an operational study of the Battle of the Ardennes, in any language, at best a single chapter in a history of greater scope, at least a monograph of an individual tactical encounter within the overall battle. This book fills a glaring gap in the study of the opening phase of the First World War the Battles of the Frontiers and provides fresh insight into both French and German plans for the prosecution of what was supposed to be a short war.At the center of this book lies a mystery. In a key encounter battle one French army corps led by a future Minister of War, General Pierre Roques, outnumbered its immediate opposition by nearly six-to-one and yet dismally failed to capitalize on that superiority. The question is how, and why. Intriguingly there is a six-hour gap in the war diaries of all General Roques' units, it smacks of a cover-up. By a thorough investigation of German sources, and through the discovery of three vital messages buried in the French archives, it is now possible to piece together what happened during those missing hours and show how Roques threw away an opportunity to break the German line and advance unopposed deep into the hinterland beyond. The chimera of a clean break and exploitation, that was to haunt the Allied High Command for the next four years in the trenches of the Western Front, was a brief and tantalizing opportunity for General Roques.The final part of this book seeks to answer the question "why?" The history of both French and German pre-war preparation reveals the political, economic and cultural differences that shaped the two opposing national armies. Those differences, in turn, predicated the behavior of General Roques and his men as well as that of his German opponent. With a clear understanding of those differences, the reader may now understand how the French lost their best opportunity not only to stymie the Schlieffen Plan, but to change the course of the rest of the war.The author's text is supported by a separate map book containing 60 newly-commissioned color maps.