Bøger af Gerald Astor

Praise FOR Gerald Astor"No one does oral history better than Gerald Astor. . . . Great reading."-Stephen Ambrose on "The Mighty Eighth""Gerald Astor has proven himself a master. Here, World War II is brought to life through the hammer blows of their airborne triumphs and fears."-J. Robert Moskin, author of "Mr. Truman's War, on The Mighty Eighth""Astor captures the fire and passion of those tens of thousands of U.S. airmen who flew through the inferno that was the bomber war over Europe."-Stephen Coonts on "The Mighty Eighth""Oral history at its finest."-"The Washington Post" on Operation Iceberg"Quick and well-paced, this will please even the most jaded of readers."-"Army" magazine on Battling Buzzards"A stout volume by a distinguished historian of the modern military makes a major contribution on its subject."-"Booklist" on The Right to Fight (starred Editor's Choice)"Today, as we lose the veterans of World War II at an alarming rate, we must not lose sight of their sacrifices or of the leaders who took them into battle. Astor, an acclaimed military historian, provides an in-depth look at one of the war's most successful division combat commanders, Maj. Gen. Terry Allen. . . . This well-written portrait makes for enjoyable reading."-"Library Journal" on Terrible Terry Allen

In the third volume of this series that closely examines the major campaigns of World War II, the author highlights the exploits of General MacArthur in the Phillipines and General Patton in Germany, taking the reader from the Battle of the Bulge to the bombing of Hiroshima.

First time in paperback: An all-encompassing chronicle of African Americans' in the armed forces of the United States

The Korean War, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, Cambodia, Lebanon, El Salvador, Grenada, Iran-Contra, Nicaragua, Panama, the Gulf War, Somalia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, IraqWhat do these events and scores of others have in common? Each of these wars, incursions, invasions, and covert actions was undertaken by the United States without the benefit of a declaration of war. Where congressional sanction was sought, it usually took the form of a resolution, frequently issued after the fact.Presidents at War is the first book to examine all of America's post-World War II military actions through the lens of the president's authority as commander in chief. Author Gerald Astor analyzes the various presidents' rationales for undeclared warfare, from Truman's citing of an international agreement (the United Nations) to Eisenhower's domino theory, to Kennedy's defense of the Monroe Doctrine, to bald assertions of authority by a commander in chief because of fears of communist expansion, threats to oil in the Middle East, humanitarian concerns in the Balkans, or provocations by terrorists. Each commander in chief served as a precedent for those who followed. Astor contends this cumulative process was accelerated by the September 11, 2001, attacks that led to the war on terrorism, the invasion of Iraq to oust the cruel regime of Saddam Hussein for his alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction, and the potential trampling of civil liberties in the United States.Has the president become free to take military action on the slightest whim? Is it now true that, as Richard Nixon said, "e;If the president does it, then it is not illegal"e;? Is the Constitution obsolete? And does Congress have the tools with which to curb this seemingly unbridled power? Read Presidents at War and find out.

The definitive account of one of World War II's bloodiest campaigns-the five-month battle between American and German forces in the Huertgen Forest-told through the words of the men who were there. From the preface:"In the course of research and interviews while writing a series of books on World War II, I became increasingly aware of the campaign for the Huertgen Forest. While survivors of other battles sometimes criticized the strategy and the orders they were given, there was a depth of anger about the Huertgen that surpassed anything I had encountered elsewhere. The unhappiness with what occurred and the absence of much objective coverage in the memoirs of those in the top command slots convinced me to produce this history. As I have reiterated in all of my books, which rely heavily on oral or eyewitness reports, there are always the dangers of flawed memory, limited vantage points, and the possibility of self-interest in such accounts. But the almost universal condemnation of their superiors' critical decisions by individuals who were under fire in that 'green hell' offers a cautionary note on the accuracy and the truths of histories that draw from the official documents and the personal papers of the likes of Dwight Eisenhower, Omar Bradley, Courtney Hodges (who apparently left little in the way of records), J. Lawton Collins and others in similar positions. . . . Each new war differs from that of the past, but to ignore what happened in the Huertgen enhances the possibilities for another bitter victory, if not a defeat."

Here, one of America's most popular military historians re-creates, using their own moving and powerful voices, the true stories of the U.S. Marine pilots who flew the Allies to victory in World War II. These riveting accounts recreate conflicts ranging from the Marines' gallant defense of Wake Island, where Captain Henry "Baron” Elrod destroyed two enemy planes before joining the fight on the ground, earning a posthumous Medal of Honor in the last-ditch attempt to stave off the Japanese, to the Battle of Midway and Guadalcanal.Running the gamut from Second Lieutenant Alvin Jensen's single-handed destruction of twenty-four grounded Japanese aircraft on Kahili to Lieutenant John W. Leaper's sawing off a Kamikaze's tail with his propeller over Okinawa, these thrilling oral histories of the Pacific war's air battles bring them to life in all their terror and triumph.

From the depths of defeat...On December 8, 1941, one day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Air Force struck the Philippines in the first blow of a devastating invasion.With an undersupplied patchwork army at his command, General Douglas MacArthur led a valiant defense of the Philippines. When defeat came, MacArthur swore he would return, while thousands of POWs fell into Japanese hands — and faced a living hell that many would not survive.To the dawn of victory...In this gripping oral history, Gerald Astor brings to life the struggle to recapture the Philippines: the men who did the fighting, the battles that set the stage for an Allied invasion, and the acts of astounding courage and desperation that marked the campaign on both sides.From Corregidor to the Battle for Manila, from horrifying jungle warfare to cataclysmic clashes at sea, on beachheads and in the air, Crisis in the Pacific draws on the words of the men who were there — capturing this crucial heroic struggle for victory against Japan.