Military History from Swainby Books

By Christmas Eve 1941 the war could hardly have been worse for Britain or the United States. The Japanese had entered the war, first bombing Pearl Harbor where they sank five US battleships; a few days later Japanese torpedo-bombers sank the Royal Navy's battleship Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser Repulse. Their forces were soon landing on Hong Kong Island,… Read more about this item

This fascinating collection of letters traces the exchanges between a young subaltern on the front, Gerard 'Ged' Garvin, and his mother and father at home. Correspondence was eagerly awaited by all. Ged savoured letters home like 'Jim Hawkins trickling the doubloons through his fingers'. Equally, his mother and father at home were always fearful that each letter they received would… Read more about this item

Gripping...an outstanding portrait of a technocrat, at work and at home - The Wall Street Journal Evocative...relentless - The New York Times Book Review This is biography and history at its best. - Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Team of Rivals and The Bully Pulpit The remarkable life of one of the most influential men of the greatest generation, James B.… Read more about this item

One of the best books ever for military modellers.

Alongside the open conflict of World War II there were other, hidden wars - the wars of communication, in which success depended on a flow of concealed and closely-guarded information. Smuggled written messages, secretly transmitted wireless signals, or months of eavesdropping on radio traffic meant operatives could discover in advance what the enemy intended to do. This information was passed… Read more about this item

Very good in good dustjacket with small tear bottom right. The Afrika Korps - the German forces that fought in North Africa under Rommel from 1941-1943. Background, campaigns, uniforms & equipment. Study based on a private collection of military artefacts. Over 250 colour and b/w photographs. With 20 pages of colour photographs of original uniforms, insignia and equipment.

As the Muslim sultan of Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Palestine, Saladin achieved great successes in the wars against Christian crusaders, particularly with his capture of Jerusalem in 1187, ending its 88-year occupation by the Franks. The discipline of his army then was in marked contrast to the indiscriminate slaughter that had followed the Christians' victory in 1099. In this thoroughly… Read more about this item

The seven-year campaign that saved Europe from Napoleon told by those who were thereT. What made Arthur Duke of Wellington the military genius who was never defeated in battle? In the vivid narrative style that is his trademark, Peter Snow recalls how Wellington evolved from a backward, sensitive schoolboy into the aloof but brilliant commander. He tracks the development of Wellington's… Read more about this item

Wargaming as a hobby rather than a method of instructing army officers has seen a phenomenal surge in popularity over recent years and a corresponding growth in sophistication and complexity. Beginning with an introduction that explains the origins and basic principles of wargaming, the book is divided into chapters each of which outlines the warfare, weapons and tactics of… Read more about this item

Since 1945, the European states which had previously glamorised their military elites, and made going to war the highest expression of patriotism, have renounced violence as a way of settling their disputes. Violence has been eclipsed as a tool of statesmen. This astonishing reversal is the subject of James Sheehan's masterly book. It is also a timely reminder of the… Read more about this item

Hundreds of thousands of small arms are produced around the world every year & this book is a review of those currently available. Divided into 4 sections -- rifles, pistols, shotguns & machine guns -- it provides encyclopedic coverage of more than 150 firearms. Each entry describes the weapon, giving the major technical features & dimensions, & offers critical comment… Read more about this item

Bungled cover-ups, acts of blinding incompetence, miscarriages of justice, sexual escapades, and downright stupidity scandals which have helped to make the world's armed forces the much loved institutions they are today. Take an irreverent look at the public outcries that both governments and soldiers would rather we forgot. From Julius Caesar's sex life and the frolics of Charles d'Eon, the… Read more about this item

Winston Churchill called the cracking of the German Enigma Code "the secret weapon that won the war." Now noted British journalist Hugh-Sebag-Montefiore reveals the complete story of the breaking of the code by the Allies--the breaking that played a crucial role in the outcome of World War II. This fascinating account relates the never-before-told, hair-raising stories of the heroic British and… Read more about this item

Bombers & Mash tells the story of the Second World War on the domestic home front. It takes us from the kitchen to the nursery showing how women managed without almost everything from potato peelers, prams, food, fuel, transport, and cosmetics to men. These women coped with rationing, evacuation, separation from families, and long hours of work in factories, hospitals,… Read more about this item

The civil war that tore Spain apart between 1936 and 1939 and attracted liberals and socialists from across the world to support the cause against Franco was one of the most hard-fought and bitterest conflicts of the 20th century: a war of atrocities and political genocide and a military testing ground before WWII for the Russians, Italians and Germans, whose… Read more about this item

In the course of human history there has probably been no more terrible place than Eastern Europe in 1941-45. The annihilatory war between Fascism and Communism and the dreadful fate of those cursed to live on this vast battlefield are the subjects of Russia's War. Richard Overy has set out to recreate the whole course of the Great Patriotic War both… Read more about this item