Searching for Charlie: In Pursuit of the Real Charles Upham VC and Bar by Tom Scott

$39.99 NZD

$49.99 (20% off)

Category: Military History

Captain Charles Hazlitt Upham is the only combat soldier ever to win the Victoria Cross twice. His acts of bravery in World War II meant he probably deserved six more.   The mystery of how a reserved, modest, slightly built farm valuer from New Zealand, could be so ferocious and fearless in battle has intrigued and fascinated Tom Scott ever since he read about Charles Upham as a schoolboy. ‘Searching for Charlie’ is his epic quest to unravel the “real” Charles Upham. ...Show more

From Taranto to Trieste by Jennifer Mallinson

$49.50 NZD

Category: Military History

Taranto to Trieste is an account of the author’s fascinating journey to retrace the actual path of the 2nd New Zealand Division in Italy from its arrival in October 1943 until the end of the European war. Although a personal journey with personal reflections, the real story is about the largely off-the- beaten track places which the troops passed through, what they saw and experienced along the way and, in some cases what they missed. To complement the Division’s story, the historical context and military actions are explained with many maps as well as war-time photographs and colourful quotations from official military histories. As the author says, “There are many people of the post-war generation, and their children, with direct connections to the Italian campaign, who would like to know more about the small, mysterious places the Division passed through which appear in diaries, letters and on the back of photographs, but many of which do not appear on maps.” The author’s own photographs, descriptions of the places visited, the landscapes travelled and the roads followed will delight those wanting to follow in the footsteps of the 2nd Division in Italy. ...Show more

Sicily '43 by James HOLLAND

$40.00 NZD

Category: Military History

This is the story of the biggest seaborne landing in history. Codenamed Operation HUSKY, the Allied assault on Sicily on 10 July 1943 remains the largest amphibious invasion ever mounted in world history, landing more men in a single day than at any other time. That day, over 160,000 British, American a nd Canadian troops were dropped from the sky or came ashore, more than on D-Day just under a year later. It was also preceded by an air campaign that marked a new direction and dominance of the skies by Allies. The subsequent thirty-eight-day Battle for Sicily was one of the most dramatic of the entire Second World War, involving daring raids by special forces, deals with the Mafia, attacks across mosquito-infested plains and perilous assaults up almost sheer faces of rock and scree. It was a brutal campaign - the violence was extreme, the heat unbearable, the stench of rotting corpses intense and all-pervasive, the problems of malaria, dysentery and other diseases a constant plague. And all while trying to fight a way across an island of limited infrastructure and unforgiving landscape, and against a German foe who would not give up. It also signalled the beginning of the end of the War in the West. From here on, Italy ceased to participate in the war, the noose began to close around the neck of Nazi Germany, and the coalition between the United States and Britain came of age. Most crucially, it would be a critical learning exercise before Operation OVERLORD, the Allied invasion of Normandy, in June 1944. Based on his own battlefield studies in Sicily and on much new research over the past thirty years, James Holland's SICILY '43 offers a vital new perspective on a major turning point in World War II. It is a timely, powerful and dramatic account by a master military historian and will fill a major gap in the narrative history of the Second World War. ...Show more

Battle of Britain - The Pilots and Planes That Made History by Simon Pearson; Ed Gorman

$37.99 NZD

Category: Military History

In Battle of Britain: The Pilots and the Planes That Made History, Ed Gorman and Simon Pearson paint a vivid picture of the men and their machines as the battle for air superiority over Britain is played out across the skies of Europe, from western Ireland to the German capital. They tell remarkable st ories involving hitherto unknown airmen from across the world who flew aircraft, including some that will be new to many readers: the New Zealander who "borrowed" a seaplane from the Royal Navy to set up a freelance air-sea rescue service that saved the lives of dozens of British and German pilots; the Swiss baron who destroyed nine British fighters in a day; the vainglorious Dane whose RAF squadron was wiped out trying to disrupt Nazi invasion plans; and the German bomber pilot who fought the last battle involving foreign troops on British soil since Culloden - before repairing to a pub in Kent for a pint with soldiers from the Irish Rifle, who had taken him prisoner. Illustrated with contemporary photographs of the pilots and their aircraft, these are enthralling stories from both sides of a conflict that shaped the modern world, full of courage, endeavour and above all, humanity. ...Show more

Jungle Green Shadows by Tony Howell

$75.00 NZD

Category: Military History

The New Zealand Government ordered the deployment of combat forces to Vietnam in 1965 to join Australia and other Allies engaged in that War. Victor 2 Rifle Company arrived in Vietnam on 12 November 1967 and left on 13 May 1968. Major Brian Worsnop was the commander, and the author, Lieutenant Tony Howe ll, was one of the Platoon Commanders. Jungle Green Shadows is a very important historical record of Victor 2 Company's participation in New Zealand's most unpopular war. What is fascinating is how Tony has managed to weave the thoughts and experiences of so many surviving Company soldiers into this factual account. As a result it reads more like an educational novel than a history book. There is one chapter that deals with a typical day in the life of a Lead Scout, a tense and thought-provoking look at how these young men cared for themselves and each other. The reader may find the Scout's contact with two Viet Cong too graphically described - but it is indicative of what these young men were asked to do. The Company was deployed to Vietnam during the most violent period of the Vietnam War - the Tet Offensive. If you had any questions about how this Rifle Company became a legend, this book will provide the answers. The defining hours for Victor 2 Company were when they were attacked and surrounded by a Battalion of Viet Cong on 7 February 1968. For several hours the Company fought off the attackers, initially without artillery or air support. The book is not all combat action, however, although there is enough of that there. Tony deals thoroughly with the battlefield stress and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) issues that arose from being constantly in the front line. He is very sympathetic in the way he covers these stress issues and their effects on families and, in turn, their children. Tony brings to light the brutality of the Hanoi regime and the huge toll they inflicted on their own people, both during the War and after the Allies withdrew from Vietnam in 1972. It is not pleasant reading of assassination squads and 're-education camps' but that was the reality behind the bamboo curtain. He even follows the re-education fate of three key Phuoc Tuy Province officials who were in office during the time Victor 2 Company was in Vietnam. The real value of this book is that, while it may have been written for the families of the Victor 2 Company soldiers, the author's easy flowing style will appeal to all New Zealanders. This book is well-researched and the sources are all identified. Jungle Green Shadows is a must for Vietnam Veterans, families, schools, stress counsellors, amateur or professional military historians and researchers on the Vietnam War. ...Show more

The Crew: The Story of a Lancaster Bomber Crew by David Price

$55.00 NZD

Category: Military History

The Crewrecounts the intimate, personal testimonies to the author of Wing Commander Ken Cook who served as Bomb Aimer with the Comans crew. The Crewspecifically follows Flying Officer Jim Comans and his crewmen from their enlistment as volunteers, through training and into operational service. The Coman s crew flew forty-five hazardous bombing missions - mostly deep into Germany at night - through the winter of 1943 to the summer of 1944. At ninety-five Ken Cook is the crew's last survivor. Enlisting in RAF Bomber Command at nineteen his extraordinary story brings a moving insight into the bombing campaign. His experiences, particularly during the Battle of Berlin, highlight the extreme danger each bomber crew faced. With Bomber Command's casualty rate of over 44%, the book describes how the airmen overcame immense physical and mental challenges to survive. There are now very few surviving RAF Bomber Command airmen from the Second World War. The Crewwill be one of the final eyewitness testimonies to a momentous time in our history. ...Show more

Tank Attack at Monte Cassino - The Cavendish Road Operation 1944 by Jeffrey Plowman

$69.99 NZD

Category: Military History

Early morning, 19 March 1944. Tanks manned by New Zealanders, Indians and Americans launch a daring attack along a narrow mountain track on German positions north of Monte Cassino. So began one of the most audacious Allied attempts to break through the Gustav Line and advance on Rome - and it almost suc ceeded. Yet the extraordinary story has seldom been told, and it has never been told before in the vivid detail Jeffrey Plowman brings to this new account.Using operational orders, combat reports, unit diaries, post-battle photos from private and public archives and the graphic personal accounts of those who took part, he describes the construction of Cavendish Road and the course of the entire operation that followed. The planning for the attack and the men involved are described in a gripping and clear-sighted way, as is the attack itself - its initial rapid success and its ultimate failure.Eighty years later Jeffrey Plowman reveals exactly what happened and shows how and why this bold thrust against the German strongpoints at Monte Cassino, which could have turned the course of the battle, ended in retreat. His book also features a visitor's guide that covers the length of Cavendish Road from the village of Caira to Massa Albaneta, linking each spot with the events described in the narrative. ...Show more

Normandy '44 - D-Day Battle for France by Holland, James

$24.00 NZD

Category: Military History

'A superb account of the invasion that deserves immense praise. To convey the human drama of Normandy requires great knowledge and sensitivity. Holland has both in spades' The Times Renowned World War Two historian James Holland presents an entirely new perspective on one of the most important moments in recent history, unflinchingly examining the brutality and violence that characterised the campaign, and totally recalibrating our understanding of this momentous event. D-Day and the 76 days of bitter fighting in Normandy that followed have come to be seen as a defining episode in the Second World War. Its story has been endlessly retold, and yet it remains a narrative burdened by both myth and assumed knowledge. In this reexamined history, James Holland challenges what we think we know. Drawing on unseen archives and testimonies from around the world, introducing a cast of eye-witnesses from foot soldiers to bomber crews, sailors, civilians and resistance fighters. ...Show more

The Silent Division & Concerning One Man's War 1914-1919

$59.99 NZD

$75.00 (20% off)

Category: Military History

The book is in three parts. Part One: a re-issue, unaltered, of the acclaimed The Silent Division - New Zealanders at the Front 1914 - 1919, first published in 1935, but now including maps and illustrations. Part Two: issued for the first time; that part of Ormond Burton's hitherto unpublished autobiogr aphy which deals with his heroic, front-line service in The Great War, entitled Concerning One Man's War, 1914-1918. This is a vibrant account at an individual level; arguably the finest writing by a New Zealander about that war. Edited by John H Gray, an acknowledge historian and published author, specialising on the The New Zealand Division in the Western Front. Part Three: a brief biography of the author by, David Grant, author, historian and lecturer Victoria University. ...Show more

Undercover Agent - How a Young SOE Agent Thwarted the Nazis in Occupied France by Mark Seaman

$24.99 NZD

Category: Military History

The secret war of SOE's youngest agent at the heart of the French Resistance, Tony Brooks, who built a vast resistance organisation in Occupied France that defied the Nazis for two years until the liberation.

Courage Under Fire by Daniel Keighran; Tony Park (As told to)

$49.99 NZD

Category: Military History

'A man selfless in the face of threat. Courageous in the face of terror. Generous in the face of suffering. And humble in the face of an honour bestowed.' Dame Quentin Bryce On 24 August 2010, in battle in Afghanistan, Corporal Daniel Keighran risked his life in a hail of gunfire to save his fellow sold iers. His actions saw him awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia, making him the 99th Australian to receive our country's highest award for bravery. Courage Under Fire tells of Daniel's unlikely journey to become one of Australia's most celebrated soldiers. Growing up was tough for Daniel. When he was eleven, his father showed up in his life, for the first time, with a gunshot wound to the stomach. He relocated his son, daughter and their mother 400 kilometres away from their loving grandparents and a coastal home to a shack with a dirt floor in outback Queensland. From then on, Daniel fought to maintain a sense of order and purpose amid the chaos of family violence and criminal activity. Inspired by his much-loved grandfather, a WWII veteran, Daniel joined the army. There he found the structure that was missing from his teen years. Although just 17, Daniel adapted quickly to the demands of life in the military, always willing to learn, always wanting to grow, always seeking to emulate the example of his grandfather. Courage Under Fire is an outstanding military memoir, packed with tales of multiple tours, accounts of extraordinary camaraderie, and a reflection on the unseen cost of service. Most of all it is a testament to the idea that anything is possible if you know what you stand for. PRAISE FOR COURAGE UNDER FIRE 'One of Australia's most reluctant heroes. A raw, honest, humorous and inspirational story of a modern soldier and the burden of heroism.' Mark Donaldson VC 'From a tough upbringing in outback Queensland to selfless courage on the battlefield in Afghanistan to save his mates, this book tells the inspirational story of a soldier's soldier.' Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston AK, AFC (Ret'd) 'Daniel Keighran would say that he was an ordinary man, just a soldier doing his job. From the occasional chaos and sometimes drama, of his upbringing, in the Army he became remarkable. His gallantry and willingness to put his life on the line is an inspiration to every other man and woman in uniform and to the wider Australian community. His humility and self-effacement since his award only adds to our admiration of this exceptional man.' General Sir Peter Cosgrove AK, AC(Mil), CVO, MC (Ret'd) 'Courage Under Fire reveals the character of a man who wears humility more comfortably than his medals. Leadership can't be taught, but it can be learned. The power is in the story. To read this one is to be a better person and a better leader.' Dr Brendan Nelson AO'Daniel Keighran's story, from humble beginnings to national celebrity, is one of personal character, extraordinary courage and deep compassion for his mates. His story will make all Australians proud.' Major General John Cantwell AO, DSC (Ret'd) 'The Royal Australian Regiment, to which Dan belonged, has the motto "Duty First". He is the epitome of what that requires of those who serve in its ranks. He is a great Australian with a great Australian story to tell.' Lieutenant General David Morrison AO (Ret'd) ...Show more

B-29 Superfortress, Vol. 1 - Boeing's XB-29 Through B-29B in World War II by David Doyle

$45.00 NZD

Category: Military History | Series: Legends of Warfare: Aviation Ser.

The Boeing B-29 Superfortress was not only the largest and most advanced US aircraft to see combat in World War II, it was also the most expensive weapons system of the war, even exceeding the cost of developing the atomic bombthe weapon that ultimately would be delivered to Hiroshima and Nagasaki by a pair of B-29s in August 1945. Through a broad range of photos gathered from around the world, this book, the first of a two-volume series, chronicles the design, development, and World War II combat of the iconic Superfortress. The story of this historic aircraft is told through carefully researched photos, which are reproduced in remarkable clarity. Large, clear photos, coupled with descriptive and informative captions, unlock the secrets of this aircraft. ...Show more