Pen & Sword Books

The remarkable life of Leif Bangsboll, a Danish sailor, aviator, Green Beret, and O.S.S. secret agent during WWII.More than a Viking call to arms, An O.S.S. Secret Agent Behind Enemy Lines chronicles the incredible life of Leif Bangsboll up to and including the Second World War. Compiled by Bangsboll’s son, this book explores the life of, variously, a Danish sailor, Norwegian aviator, American airborne serviceman, Green Beret soldier, and secret agent with the Office of Strategic Services.Brook G. Bangsboll heard his father’s stories told and retold around the dinner table as far back as he could remember. He recalled his father talking of his christening at five weeks old aboard His Danish Majesty’s Ship Grønsund in the middle of the North Sea during the First World War; about his attendance as a young man at German Chancellor Adolf Hitler’s 50th birthday celebration in Berlin; and about his unplanned role in a rescue mission off the embattled shores of Dunkirk.Invigorated by the heroic efforts of the Allies at Dunkirk, Leif then joined the Norwegian Air Force and was trained as a pilot in Canada as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Prior to being assigned to an operational squadron, Flight Sergeant Bangsboll was recruited into the United States Army by Colonel William ‘Wild Bill’ Donovan to become a field agent for the Office of Strategic Services, or O.S.S..After completing his O.S.S. training at the top-secret facility known as Camp X, located on the shores of Lake Ontario, Second Lieutenant Bangsboll was sent to the United Kingdom to work with the O.S.S.’ counterparts at Special Operations Executive. In October 1944 Lieutenant Bangsboll was parachuted into in the dark skies over occupied Denmark to lead the Danish Resistance forces in the central region of Jutland, operating out of the city of Aarhus.Operating under the field name of Mr. Jorgen Bech, ostensibly a Danish Maritime Engineer and businessman, Bangsboll trained Danish resistance fighters, planned and led sabotage missions against the German occupation forces and hunted down and eliminated known collaborators. For ten months he played a dangerous and daring game of cat and mouse with the Gestapo.In the spring of 1945, Lieutenant Bangsboll was reassigned by the O.S.S. to Copenhagen where during the final days of the war, he led an assault to capture the fortified German garrison at Ryvangen. His efforts in this assault would earn him the United States Distinguished Service Cross as well as the Danish Royal Knights Order of King Christian X — sighted for ‘courage and selfless bravery in the face of the enemy’.

“This gripping, brilliantly written middle grade biography tells the powerful story of Natan Sharansky, a proud Jew living in the Soviet Union forbidden from practising his faith. Choosing to be true to his heritage, he petitioned his government to emigrate to Israel. Denied, Sharansky became one of the most famous refuseniks, spending nine years in Soviet prisons. Reader will be awed by his wife, Avital, who tirelessly spoke at rallies, petitioned world leaders. And gave interviews to free him. This is a must-read for all ages. I also highly recommend it becomes required reading in ever Jewish religious school and day school.” — Liz Wiemer in Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle“There is something you should know,” Natan's father said. «Comrade Stalin was not a great leader. He killed many innocent people, and he has been telling everyone to hate the Jews. We're better off with him dead.”«But,” he added, «don't tell anyone what we really think. You must act the same as everyone else.”Standing Together tells the remarkable, true story of Natan Sharansky, the famous Jewish Soviet dissident and Refusenik who spent nine years in Soviet prison. The book spans most of Natan’s life, from his earliest memories in kindergarten, when he learned of the death of Stalin, through his discovery of his Jewish identity, to his rebellion against the repressive Soviet society in which he lived, his involvement with the Refusenik and human rights movements that led to his imprisonment, and everything that came after.This is not only a biography of Natan, however, but of his wife Avital, who spent the nine years that Natan was in prison working tirelessly to raise global awareness of these repressive Soviet societies and to free her husband. Alongside Avital’s tale, readers also learn about the Jewish communities across the globe that came together in this remarkable time of unity and dedication to help bring about the release of millions of Soviet Jews — like Natan — from prison.Educational, moving and interspersed with moments of humor and light, Standing Together is essential historical reading for children aged 8 to 12 that will teach them about the importance of family and community, of being true to yourself and of not giving up hope even when things get tough.

“This is a very nice reference book that contains a well written informative text, subject specific photographs, well detailed captions and more, all detailing Erich Bachem's Ba 349 Natter…” -AeroscaleWell before Yuri Gagarin or Alan Shepard, Lothar Sieber became the first man to take off vertically from the ground under rocket power on March 1, 1945. The plane crashed after flying for 55 seconds and he was killed. The launch marked a milestone on the road to spaceflight, even though it remained virtually unknown to the general public for more than half a century.But the Natter was a weapon of war born out in the closing months of World War II when Germany was desperately looking for 'wonder weapons' to fight the inevitable defeat.A vertical take-off rocket fighter, the Natter would reach the Allied bomber altitude in seconds, then the pilot would get within firing distance of a bomber, and fire all 24 rockets into the nose in a single shot. Its fuel running out, the pilot will then glide the plane at high speed to a lower altitude, at which point he will trigger the plane to break up, a large parachute opening at the rear, popping off the nose and the pilot with it. The pilot and the tail with the Walter rocket engine would land under their separate parachutes, while the disposable nose, fuselage and wings were to crash to the ground.The Natter is unquestionably an exciting aircraft but it is safe to assume that it would have been a failure as a bomber interceptor.

Highlights 150 influential women from pre-classical civilizations, ancient Egypt, and Israel, reshaping history by defying patriarchal norms.Countless books have been written about prominent women in Greece and Rome, so we know all about Medea, Sappho, Lucretia, Boudica and Cleopatra and their significant actions and achievements. This book extends the invaluable story of women in early history to pre-classical civilizations, ancient Egypt and Israel to include prominent women in those civilizations as well, thus introducing them, and their roles and places in their respective societies and social histories, to a wide audience.The aim of this book is to demonstrate how 150 women (most little known) significantly influenced, informed and changed the worlds in which they lived. We show how a small, disparate body of women in each of these periods, united by their determination and strength of mind, were able to break free from the norms and values of the patriarchal societies which confined and restricted them to make a valuable difference to their individual societies, cultures, politics and foreign policies; in so doing they have changed perceptions of women and the role women were subsequently allowed to play. Some of the women are well known, others less so. The book reinforces the reputations of those who have endured popularity over the centuries and, where necessary, realigns those reputations after years of prejudice and the vicissitudes of sexism, misogyny, Hollywood and sensationalist literature. For those who have been written out of mainstream history and relegated to footnotes at best, this is a chance to re-introduce them and the impact they have made on their and our world. Their relative anonymity does not mean that they are less important — on the contrary, they are equally significant and the more we know about them, the better if we want a rounded picture of the civilizations to which they contributed so much.Each chapter is followed by suggestions for further reading to encourage further research.

Offers a comprehensive and visually engaging guide to key figures, events, and themes of sixteenth-century England.The Illustrated Tudor Dictionary is unique. For the first time, the Tudor Age has been brought to life in an illustrated dictionary format that is clear and easy to read. It is aimed at anyone who wants to widen and deepen their knowledge of sixteenth-century England. Cross-referencing is made easy with highlighted text and numerous, beautiful images provide further insight into this period.All notable characters, events and themes are covered, ranging from Henry VIII, education and the Battle of Bosworth to Francis Drake, the Reformation and the Spanish Armada. Several entries also deal with lesser-known characters and aspects such as Will Somer, marriage and Parliament.The book aims to include all of the important facts but, at the same time, provide the reader with fascinating trivia. The following questions, for example, are answered:Which king’s head was used as a football?Who was the first female ambassador in European history?Who had to be buried at midnight to prevent a riot?Why was a leading European academic abducted, blindfolded and forced into a fishing boat?Which ‘wizard’ claimed he could communicate with angels?Why is a hangman’s rope displayed in a school cabinet?Which monarch always cheated at cards?Written in a concise and balanced style, The Illustrated Tudor Dictionary is the best introduction for students and lovers of history to the heroes and villains, the saints and sinners and the glories and disasters of the Tudor Age.

Mrs. Amelia Dyer was probably the most notorious baby farmer, but she was not working in isolation. The wider story of the myriad of others also classed as baby farmers is told here. Detailing the stories of over 100 baby farmers, the good, the bad and the murderous, it looks at why baby farming became so prevalent during the Victorian period. Why did so many mothers choose to hand their babies over to the care of these people, usually, women? What ‘care’ was meted out to the innocent victims of these crimes? How did baby farmers come to the notice of the authorities, and how did the police track down the perpetrators of this darkest of businesses? What were the punishments meted out to them? And how, eventually, the practice was brought to an end? Find the answers to the questions about the darkest business to be carried out during the Victorian and early Twentieth Century periods in this book that traces the stories of so many baby farmers, many of whom have not had their stories told before. Was there a baby farmer in your family? Did one of your ancestors survive a baby farmer, or had they found a good family to give them the love and care a child needs? This book not only tells of a business that has long gone for its historical interest, but also, can be of use to family historians, and social history researchers.

Explores the identities of Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, questioning their legitimacy and examining their rebellions against Henry VII.For more than a decade after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, Henry VII's fledgling dynasty was threatened by two Yorkist claimants. Lambert Simnel's rebellion, though short-lived, ended at the Battle of Stoke in 1487, a far bloodier affair than Bosworth two years earlier. The second rebellion, centred on Perkin Warbeck, ended in ignominious surrender but was the fulcrum of a power struggle involving the major European powers for most of the 1490s.Who were these two men? Were they the imposters claimed by the King and generally accepted as such by most historians, or were they the nobles they claimed to be — Edward, Earl of Warwick and Richard, second son of Edward IV? What became of the other “Prince in the Tower”, Edward V? Were Edward IV's two sons really murdered by their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, or were both alive and involved in the two rebellions? Was there any link between the rebellions, or were they the last desperate and uncoordinated rolls of the dice by remnants of the House of York unwilling to accept the new Tudor regime? Do we really know what became of Simnel and Warbeck after their rebellions failed other than what Henry VII told us?Part I of this book examines the evidence for the identity of Lambert Simnel while Part II recreates a courtroom trial for Perkin Warbeck allowing you, the reader, to act as jury.

It might have ended 80 years ago, but we still have a warm, nostalgic relationship with the Second World War, due in no small part to the love we have for the entertainment from those turbulent times.Singers like Vera Lynn — the ‘Forces Sweetheart’ — Gracie Fields, Anne Shelton, and the Andrews Sisters, bandleader Glenn Miller whose fate is still a mystery, films like Gone With The Wind, Casablanca, Mrs Miniver, In Which We Serve, Goodbye Mr Chips, and morale-boosting radio programs like ITMA, Music While You Work and Hi Gang! all helped Britain to stay calm and carry on as it sheltered from the bombs, worked long hours in munitions factories, and prayed that its menfolk fighting on land, sea and in the air to bring about victory would one day return home safely.Wartime Entertainment: How Britain Kept Smiling Through the Second World War relives the wartime years, looking at the songs and the singers, at the role that the BBC — ‘Auntie’ — played not only in entertaining the nation but also in keeping it informed, at how West End theater survived the Blitz, and at the bands that played both the big dance venues and the village halls to raise spirits and, for a few hours at least, lighten the mood of those dark and dangerous days.The book considers the work of the Crown Film Unit that made short information and documentary films as well as longer drama-documentaries and even a few straight drama productions for the public in Britain and abroad, and at ENSA — the Entertainments National Service Association — that provided entertainment for British armed forces personnel both at home and abroad.

Explores the history, legacy, and mysteries of the Knights Templar, from their valor in battle to their brutal downfall.The Knights Templar have fascinated us for centuries. They were holy warriors who fought with incredible bravery in the Crusades but were then destroyed by their own side. In battle they were the bravest knights — first on the battlefield and the last to quit. Charging towards the enemy with their white cloaks emblazoned with the red cross of martyrdom. Every young man in medieval Europe yearned to be a Knight Templar.The reality, though, could be tough. Battles fought against fearsome foes sometimes resulted in terrible defeat with a huge loss of life. The Templars were always the target of jealousy and hatred because of their military prowess, financial acumen, and strict organisation. Eventually, their enemies got the better of them. Not the Saracens they had fought in the Holy Land, but kings and bishops back home.The Templars were accused of bizarre initiation rituals and heretical beliefs. Many were executed for the sole crime of being a Templar. But their memory was not extinguished. It has endured. Today, millions of people still want to understand the history and mystery of the Knights Templar. Is it true they possessed the Holy Grail? Why were they destroyed so brutally?This book sets out to find the answers.

A retired criminal and his son lead a diverse crew in a high-stakes heist of the Bank of England.In the heart of London, where the whispers of wealth and power echo through the cobblestone streets, a daring plan unfolds to pull off the ultimate heist: stealing from the prestigious Bank of England without plunging the nation into chaos. Going Underground is a gripping crime thriller that brings together an unlikely band of criminals for a high-stakes robbery that could change their lives forever.Tommy, a retired criminal seeking one last score to fund his luxurious lifestyle, enlists his son Terry, who yearns to surpass his father's legendary status. Together, they assemble a team including Jack, a fearless rooftop burglar,, Keith the Quiff, a well-connected facilitator with a penchant for vintage style, tech-savvy Veronica, and quiet and determined insider Jane.As their intricate plan unfolds, tensions rise, and the stakes grow higher with each passing moment. Will this eclectic crew of thieves pull off the impossible, or will their ambitions lead them to ruin?

At the Emperors Pleasure follows the young couple Christopher and Topsy Man through the savage battle for Hong Kong and the years of enforced separation, she interned in Stanley Camp, Hong Kong, he as a prisoner of war and forced labourer in Kobe, Japan.The book is not about Christopher and Topsy Man alone but also of friends and colleagues close to them forced to endure the cruel torture and execution by the Kempeitai.Amongst those close to them some of Topsy’s friends and colleagues were raped and murdered, one was imprisoned within shouting distance of her husband being tortured then executed by the Kempeitai, while another died when their camp was mistakenly bombed by the Allies. Topsy was herself the reluctant witness to ritual executions.Christopher lost brother officers and many of the Cockney soldiers under his command in the battle for Hong Kong. Others drowned in the East China Sea, victims of a barbaric but little-known mass war crime, the sinking of the Lisbon Maru. Still others survived the sinking only to succumb to the harsh regime of the POW camp in Japan. Perhaps most tragic of all, four of Christopher’s men came through the battle, the Lisbon Maru sinking and cruel imprisonment only to die when the aircraft carrying them to freedom crashed into the sea during a typhoon.Like many of their generation who suffered at the hands of the Japanese during the second world war, Christopher and Topsy Man rarely spoke of their experience, and when they did, they were guarded in what they chose to share of it, even with those closest to them in their post-war lives.With privileged access to personal letters, diaries and records from the wartime years, from memories exchanged with Christopher’s and Topsy’s contemporaries and from knowledge shared by other historians, the author has written a compelling and moving account of the young couple’s lives being torn apart by world events in late 1941.

Great War Land Girls were all very different individuals — they radiated vitality, resolve and determination. In this book, their sense of fun and infectious humour shines through the myriad of humorous stories and poems penned while doing their National Service. Amidst the troubling times they worked through, their ability to ‘stick it if it kills’ no matter what, earnt them a richly-deserved respect.Using previously unpublished photographs from personal collections that intimately depict the ups and downs of their daily lives, this book attempts to immerse readers in the quirky and unusual world of the Great War Land Girl and discovers exactly how they interacted, lived together, socialised, relaxed, fell in love, went off the rails and got through difficult times.The minutiae of life as a recruit in land organizations, (established early on in the war) and later in the Women’s Land Army, is vividly brought back to life through previously untold accounts. Ultimately, their legacy tells of unwavering devotion to duty and to the country they held dear.Land Girls broke new ground and turned their hand to any task that was asked of them with an inextinguishable wartime spirit. The attitudes and approaches they showed to their work when faced with such adversity remain inspirational more than a century later.Their forgotten testimonies are shared in this book. They fizz off the page as a true record of ‘I was there.’

Reveals the provocative and irreverent life of Dorman-Smith through his private letters and war diary, highlighting his military brilliance and conflicts with Churchill.A follow-up to the best-selling biography ‘Chink’, this selection from private letters and intimate war diary has the impact of a fresh ‘no holds barred’ autobiography. Dorman-Smith the man — flesh and blood — comes alive here on the page.Provocative, irreverent, caustic and witty, his disdain for Churchill — and for the Establishment in general — increases as his military career unravels. Egotistical? Yes. Arrogant? Certainly. His own worst enemy? Perhaps. But Dorman-Smith’s grasp of tactics and strategy was unsurpassed, as his exchanges with Basil Liddell-Hart demonstrate.Full of contradictions, he was externally reserved and inwardly super-sensitive. Growing up in style in Ireland and educated at public school in England, his religion was Catholic and he scorned any Anglo-Irish tag. His private life while rising up the Northumberland Fusiliers proved colorful, while a brief dalliance with the IRA in the 1950s never endangered his vow of silence over the Enigma/Ultra secret.This book gives a marvellous picture of personal war experience in two world wars, from RMC Sandhurst and life in the trenches, via the Staff College to high command in Egypt and India between the wars, until service in North Africa under Wavell began, and working side by side with Auchinleck at the First Battle of El Alamein. That would lead to confrontation with Churchill and Brooke, and subsequent breakout from Anzio under fire. Readers will know what it was like to survive the trenches, to serve in HQ as crises arose, and to have command involving losses — the reality of war is dramatic and moving.The First Battle of El Alamein, fought under Auchinleck in the emergency that dangerous summer of 1942, was to be followed within three months by Montgomery’s celebrated battle and its consequent fame. The important argument of Military Maverick, however, is that First Alamein was the real turning point in the Desert War, and that makes Dorman-Smith’s account even more valuable.The letters and diary entries are linked by commentary and explanation by the editor Lavinia Greacen, and by the military historian John Lee.

In 1917, Siegfried Sassoon defied military authority by refusing further service and condemning Britain's war aims, risking court-martial.On 13 July 1917 a thirty-year-old junior officer on leave from the Western Front arrived at London’s Euston Station, with its famous arch and great hall. Siegfried Sassoon was heading for Liverpool on a journey likely to end in his arrest. His destination was the headquarters of his battalion. A week earlier he had written to tell his commanding officer that he was refusing further military service. He enclosed a statement written to be read out in Parliament declaring that Britain’s war aims were no longer worthy. He was committing, as he admitted’, ‘an act of wilful defiance of military authority’. He was ready to face court-martial and imprisonment (or worse). He was known in the Army as a brave and efficient soldier, already decorated and now recommended for a DSO. His speciality was in bombing. Now he had delivered a bombshell of a different kind. He hated what the war had become. He had lately turned his poetic talent into a new kind of satire. A recent composition, ‘The One-Legged Man’, was about what soldiers yearned for: ‘a Blighty wound’ to take them home to safety. The poem ends: ‘He hobbled blithely through the gate; And thought ‘Thank God they had to amputate’. Sassoon wanted a fair peace settlement to end the war, as did his friends in the House of Commons. There were possibilities. The day before he caught his train, the German Reichstag had passed a declaration demanding ‘peace with no annexations and no indemnities’: if agreed to by Britain and its Allies and followed through this would mean a settlement including German withdrawal from all occupied territory. These were days of drama for a soldier — and perhaps for the world. This book tells Sassoon’s story.

Reexamines the women of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, restoring their essential roles and challenging traditional heroic narratives.Our earliest written sources for Greek mythology, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, feature women prominently as drivers of the narratives. Though they occupy a variety of roles and speak eloquently for themselves in every role, these women have been obscured by the assumption that each epic’s central hero, Achilles and Odysseus, respectively, is also its singular hero. And yet, the story of the Iliad is not the story of Achilles, just as the story of the Odyssey is not the story of Odysseus alone. Contrary to centuries of reception, the epics are not only about fearless yet flawed men but rather explore and develop the contours of belonging and community in times of war and peace.The Epic Women of Homer untangles the women of the Iliad and the Odyssey from centuries of narrative constraints to recover their essential meaning and importance. In the process, The Epic Women of Homer challenges the commonplace assumption that the Homeric hero is ‘an individual’ who fights for ‘personal glory’, a misconception further fuelled by a lack of understanding of the oral tradition out of which Homer’s epics emerged in which linguistic and thematic patterning exists at every level. Analysing Homer’s goddesses and heroes through the lens of these patterns, their recurrence and variation reveal them to be preeminent in a wide range of skills, all of which are necessary, and yet the essence of each is in their relationships with others.The Epic Women of Homer re-establishes these goddesses and heroines to their esteemed positions in ancient Greece and reintroduces them to the modern world.

William Parry, Arctic explorer and naval reformer, shaped exploration, science, and the Navy’s transition to steam.Parry’s life began two hundred and twenty years ago. The Revolutionary Wars against France and Napoleon were just beginning. His naval career started in wartime and lasted throughout the next fifty years during which significant changes took place in the Royal Navy. He pioneered Arctic exploration, led a memorable albeit unsuccessful expedition to reach the North Pole, reformed and improved the operations of the Hydrographers office, and oversaw the difficult transition from sail to steam power in British warships. Throughout his career he strove to improve the educational standards and living conditions of all lower deck sailors.He was knighted by William IV alongside his close friend John Franklin in 1829. Both survived years of hardship and became national and international celebrities. Tragically though it was Parry and his in laws, the aristocratic Stanley family, who were partly responsible for Franklin’s death in 1846 commanding one more expedition to complete the Northwest Passage.During their lifetime Parry and Franklin contributed new information on sciences only just emerging from the generalised description of ‘natural philosophy.’ Subjects such as, geography, meteorology, geology, and astronomy. Parry was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and was an expert navigator and fearless surveyor. His grave at Greenwich Hospital was destroyed during an air raid in World War II.This book is intended to secure his well-deserved place at the forefront of British Arctic exploration and science.

The area of Hispania, this being the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces, had a great influence on the development of the history of Ancient Rome. In part this was because some of Rome’s main emperors, such as Trajan or Hadrian, politicians, including Lucius Cornelius Balbus the first consul of the Republic born outside of Italy, writers and poets like Martial or Lucanus, and philosophers, like Seneca, came from the Iberian Peninsula.It was also a consequence of the enormous commercial flow that existed between the colony and the metropolis, and because some of the events that took place in Hispania deeply marked Rome. For this reason, many of the main protagonists of its history, at some point in their lives lived, and fought, in Hispania, including such individuals as Sulla, Pompey, Julius Caesar and Augustus, among many others.Iberia became a battleground between Rome and Carthage in the Second Punic War, followed by the endless bloody struggle against the Iberian and Celtic tribes that turned Hispania into a kind of Vietnam for the Romans. It was also the scene of bitter fighting during the Civil Wars that led to the end of the Republic and the beginning of the Empire, with the great battles between Julius Caesar and the sons of Pompey, as well as the final defeat of Quintus Sertorius who had held out in Spain for over a decade. There was also three years of struggle by the Emperor Augustus trying to quell the revolts of the Cantabrian tribes.Lastly, Spain, as with other parts of the Empire, had to battle the barbarian incursions. Those by the Mauri came from the south, while from the north poured the Goths. At first, they became foederati of the Romans, fighting for the Empire in exchange for land, but when Rome ended up collapsing, the Goths occupied the space of power left by the Romans.This, though, did not mean the disappearance of the Hispano-Romans, but rather that they began to collaborate with the new occupiers of Hispania, and their influence and legacy can still be felt today. This is seen not only through its language and culture, but also through a multitude of public works and an enormous amount of historical heritage that we can still enjoy.

Jean de Selys Longchamps’ daring 1943 Gestapo headquarters raid is vividly explored in this myth-dispelling biography.In a breathtaking moment lasting less than ten seconds, skimming the rooftops of Brussels, Jean de Selys Longchamps would etch his name into the annals of history. On 20 January 1943, piloting his Hawker Typhoon, he daringly strafed the Gestapo's headquarters in Brussels, sparking an unprecedented wave of enthusiasm among the occupied Belgian populace. In that instant, a legend was forged.While the story of this audacious raid has captivated audiences worldwide, it has also been mired in a myriad of exaggerated tales and obscured by myths. This biography aims to clear the mist, leveraging an array of sources from the de Selys Longchamps family's private archives, including the pilot's flying logbook, personal journals, correspondence, and photo albums. Augmented by previously unreleased archives, testimonials from fellow pilots and family members, and an exhaustive bibliography, this work meticulously illuminates one of the Second World War's most remarkable narratives.With a keen eye for detail and an unwavering commitment to accuracy, the book delves deep into the life of a man who transcended the turmoil of his times. From his early days to the pivotal raid and beyond, it paints a vivid picture of a figure who, in the face of overwhelming adversity, showcased the indomitable spirit of resistance. Richly illustrated and thoroughly researched, this biography not only honours the memory of Jean de Selys Longchamps but also provides an invaluable insight into the era that shaped his character.More than a historical account, this biography is a tribute to the endurance of the human spirit and to the bravery that compels individuals to resist oppression, offering unparalleled insights into the intricacies of wartime aviation.

Eleven years after Reinhard Gehlen, the head of Adolf Hitler’s Eastern Front military intelligence unit, emerged from hiding to hand himself over to US forces, he had, with the help of the American CIA, created a legend for himself as founder and first president of the West German Secret Service. In this role he employed many of the same Wehrmacht and SS officers he had served with during the Second World War.All through the steady progression of his career before and during the Second World War, Gehlen had been far too industrious and committed to court the limelight. Then after the defeat of Germany, when he transferred his allegiance to the CIA and later became head of the Bundesnachrichtendienst, he became a man whom Hugh Trevor Roper’s described as someone who ‘always moved in the shadows’.For some, the German intelligence network that Gehlen had controlled since 1942, was part of an unbroken tradition going back to the days of Bismarck. For a great many in Gehlen’s organisation the Cold War was merely an extension of an anti-Soviet campaign that had begun on 22 June 1941, when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa.After the war, Gehlen had emerged unscathed from Hitler’s bunker and no war crimes charges were ever brought against him. His name, and those of 350 of his Wehrmacht command, were redacted from the official lists of German prisoners of war. Gehlen protected and employed men like Heinrich Schmitz who had been part of Einsatzgruppe A, the murder squad that massacred so many, including communist functionaries and Jewish women, men and children, in the Baltic States.Though Gehlen had remained loyal to Hitler right to the end, once state authority collapsed he wasted little time in making contact with the Americans and offered to place his vast intelligence resources at their disposal in the new fight against Soviet communism. While German generals Heinz Guderian and Franz Halder placed great store by Gehlen’s reports on the tactical level, Hitler called them ‘defeatist’ and gave them barely a glance when making his disastrous strategic decisions. Allen Dulles, head of the CIA, did not repeat Hitler’s mistake, but Gehlen deeply resented the way that his reports to Dulles were mishandled.It became Gehlen’s ambition initially to head up a completely independent West German foreign intelligence service. However, it was not until 1951 that talks to establish a West German intelligence service at federal level began. In the immediate post-war years, Gehlen tirelessly made his case to defend the harbouring of former Wehrmacht and SS personnel in his organisation and battled to prove his worth to the Americans.This book looks at Gehlen’s life from his early career in the chaos of Weimar, through his elevation to General Staff intelligence officer on the Russian Front. It describes how he survived the defeat of the Third Reich and offered himself to the Americans as a foil against the Soviet Union in the Cold War. In doing so it closely examines Gehlen’s record to separate fact from his self-serving fictions.

For General George S. Patton, “Leadership is the thing that wins battles. I have it—but I’ll be damned if I can define it. Probably it consists in knowing what you want to do and then doing it and getting mad if anyone steps in the way. Self-confidence and leadership are twin brothers.”Indeed, Patton excelled at virtually every dimension of leadership, most vitally as a war commander. His record as a general is clear. The larger, more armored, and better supplied his armies, and the freer he was to decide what to do with them, the more rapid and further they advanced to inflict more defeats on the enemy. In that no other American army commander matched him during World War II. That ranks Patton among the Valhalla of America’s greatest generals, with him most resembling Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and Nathan Bedford Forrest as a fast-moving, hard-hitting commander who repeatedly outflanked and devastated enemy forces.Patton led from the front and tried to inspire his troops by being a model officer who exemplified bravery, problem-solving, tactical brilliance, and decisiveness. He was in near constant motion from his headquarters to rear echelon and front line troops, everywhere exhorting them to greater efforts and overcoming challenges, at times enduring shell fire, strafing, mines, snipers, and other dangers. His greatest attribute was his drive to be the best at whatever he chose or was ordered to do. He recognized that developing a successful military career depended not just on will and chance but on incessant training and study. Yet he believed that instincts were just as vital as skills in being a successful leader: “I have a sixth sense in war and…can put myself in the enemies head and I am also willing to take chances.”Patton harbored plenty of flaws. He was a narcissist who constantly strove to be center-stage and outshine his rivals. He contrived an idealized version of himself as the epitome of the brilliant general and fearless soldier, immaculately dressed, and spent his life playing that role. He was a braggart who regaled listeners with at times exaggerated tales of his past deeds and those yet to come. His boasting did have one positive element. He sought to surpass his past glories with greater future victories.Patton seesawed between elation and despair, rage and compassion. He could chew out a subordinate for some mistake in the morning and comfort him for a similar mistake in the afternoon. His quick-temper and provocative views often overpowered his self-control. Twice that cost him an army command. During Germany’s occupation in August 1945, he casually quipped to several reporters that being a Nazi in Germany was no different from being a Republican or Democrat in the United States. For that Eisenhower relieved him from Third Army’s command. Most notoriously, during the Sicily campaign he slapped two soldiers suffering combat fatigue that he accused of malingering.General George S. Patton and the Art of Leadership is his most psychologically penetrating biography that captures the paradoxical character behind his brilliant military feats and often dismaying failures. Throughout Patton explains his values and deeds through hundreds of quotes along with scores of insights from those who knew him—comrades and critics alike.