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Before the Fallout: From Marie Curie to Hiroshima
by Diana PrestonOn December 26, 1898, Marie Curie announced the discovery of radium and observed that "radioactivity seems to be an atomic property." A mere 47 years later, "Little Boy"exploded over Hiroshima. Before the Fallout is the epic story of the intervening half century, during which an exhilarating quest to unravel the secrets of the material world revealed how to destroy it, and an open, international, scientific adventure transmuted overnight into a wartime sprint for the bomb. Weaving together history, science, and biography, Diana Preston chronicles a human chain reaction of scientists and leaders whose discoveries and decisions forever changed our lives. The early decades of the 20th century brought Einstein's relativity theory, Rutherford's discovery of the atomic nucleus, and Heisenberg's quantum mechanics, and scientists of many nations worked together to tease out the secrets of the atom. Only 12 years before Hiroshima, one leading physicist dismissed the idea of harnessing energy from atoms as "moonshine." Then, on the eve of World War II, the power of atomic fission was revealed, alliances were broken, friendships sundered, and science co-opted by world events. Preston interviewed the surviving scientists, and she offers new insight into the fateful wartime meeting between Heisenberg and Bohr, along with a fascinating conclusion examining what might have happened had any number of events occurred differently. She also provides a rare portrait of Hiroshima before the blast.As Hiroshima's 60th anniversary approaches, Before the Fallout compels us to consider the threats and moral dilemmas we face in our still dangerous world.
Before the Killing Fields: Witness to Cambodia and the Vietnam War
by Leslie FieldingA gripping portrait of a country poised between peace and war.In the mid-1960s, Cambodia's position within South East Asia was highly vulnerable. The Americans were embroiled in war in Vietnam, the Viet Cong were gaining clandestine control over Cambodian frontier areas, while the Cambodian government - under the leadership of a charming but difficult Head of State, Prince Norodom Sihanouk - wanted nothing more than to preserve their neutrality and keep out of the war. Highly distrustful of any perceived foreign interference, the Cambodians had even rioted and attacked the American and British Embassies in Phnom Penh and their debris was still strewn on the streets when Leslie Fielding arrived in the city. Yet against this grim and dramatic backdrop, the daily round of international foreign policy somehow had to continue and Before the Killing Fields offers a compelling and fascinating account of how this was achieved.Leslie Fielding was propelled to a position in charge of the British Embassy at the unusually young age of thirty-one as a result of the fraught international situation of the time and he makes a sensitive and thoughtful witness. Within an overview of Cambodia's history, he describes the events of the 1960s and Britain's attempts at peace-making in the region - something which he argues should have been more vigorously pursued - and offers his own informed and independent analysis of how the British failure contributed to Cambodia's disastrous spiral towards the horrors of Pol Pot's genocidal rule. Parallels with the later situation in Iraq are unmissable and Fielding questions whether any British government today would have the courage to resist the kind of pressure from the US that Britain faced in the 1960s to commit troops to the war in Vietnam and generally conform with American policy in the region.As well as a political history this is also a portrait of an exotic but overlooked country at a critical stage in its development. Violence, intrigue and even the supernatural mingle with issues of day-to-day management and office morale. From diplomatic meetings conducted in opium dens and dancing lessons with beautiful princesses at the Royal Palace to candid portraits of the rest of the international community of Phnom Penh, Before the Killing Fields is an illuminating insight into a lost world.
Before We Go To War With China And North Korea: The Unmastered Lessons Of America's Wars Against Confucian Asia, From Pearl Harbor To The Fall Of Saigon
by David WilliamsEssential reading for those concerned about Trump’s America.A war with China and North Korea is not inevitable, but neither is an American victory should such a war come. To prepare Americans for all eventualities, we might want to learn more about how East Asians think and fight.In such matters of grave seriousness, our past may become our prologue. We have engaged in five wars with Confucian Asia since Pearl Harbor. As we have had one victory, one stalemate and three defeats, it is time to master the lessons of these struggles before we go to war with China and North Korea.
Before We Were Yours: The heartbreaking summer read that has sold over one million copies
by Lisa WingateA heartbreaking story of love and loss, based on a true story OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLDTHE NO.1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERWINNER OF GOODREADS CHOICE AWARDS 2017 BEST HISTORICAL FICTION AWARD***************************Memphis, Tennessee, 1939Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family's Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the hospital one stormy night, Rill is left in charge, until strangers arrive in force. Wrenched from all that is familiar and thrown into a Tennessee Children's Home Society orphanage, the Foss children are assured that they will soon be returned to their parents - but they quickly realize the dark truth...Aiken, South Carolina, present dayBorn into wealth and privilege, Avery Stafford seems to have it all: a successful career, a handsome fiancé, and a lavish wedding on the horizon. But when Avery returns home to help her father weather a health crisis, a chance encounter leaves her with uncomfortable questions and compels her to take a journey through her family's long-hidden history, on a path that will ultimately lead either to devastation or to redemption.*********************Based on one of America's most notorious real-life scandals, in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country, Before We Were Yours is a riveting, wrenching and ultimately uplifting global bestseller. 'A tale of enduring power' Paula McLain'It is impossible not to get swept up in this near-perfect novel' Huffington Post
Begegnung auf fremder Erde: Verschränkungen deutsch- und hebräischsprachiger Literatur in Palästina/Israel nach 1933 (Exil-Kulturen #1)
by Sebastian SchirrmeisterDeutschsprachige Literatur jüdischer Autor*innen in Palästina/Israel galt lange als Schwanengesang der ‚deutsch-jüdischen Symbiose‘. Dieses Buch nimmt eine neue Perspektive ein, sieht sie als Teil des „Jewish literary complex“ (Dan Miron) und fragt nach ihrer Beziehung zum hebräischen Literaturbetrieb. Basierend auf umfangreichen Archivrecherchen sucht die Studie drei deutsch-hebräische Konstellationen auf: in der Anthologie, in der Übersetzung und in der variantenreichen Erzählung der Einwanderung. Die untersuchten Texte (u.a. von Max Brod, M. Y. Ben-Gavriêl, Josef Kastein, Baruch Kurzweil und Amos Oz) erweisen sich dabei als kritische Auseinandersetzung mit dem „zionistischen Masternarrativ“ (Gershon Shaked) von der sozialen und kulturellen Erlösung des jüdischen Volkes im Gelobten Land.
Beginning postcolonialism: Second edition (Beginnings)
by John McLeodPostcolonialism has become one of the most exciting, popular and stimulating fields of literary and cultural studies in recent years. Yet the variety of approaches, the range of debate and the critical vocabularies often used may make it challenging for new students to establish a firm foothold in this area. Beginning Postcolonialism is a vital resource for those taking undergraduate courses in postcolonial studies for the first time and has become an established international best-seller in the field. In this fully revised and updated second edition, John McLeod introduces the major areas of concern in a clear, accessible and organised fashion. He provides an overview of the emergence of postcolonialism as a discipline and closely examines its many established critical approaches while also exploring important recent initiatives in the field. In particular, Beginning Postcolonialism demonstrates how many key postcolonial ideas and concepts can be effectively applied when reading texts and enables students to develop their own independent thinking about the possibilities and pitfalls of postcolonial critique.
The Beginnings of Strategic Air Power: A History of the British Bomber Force 1923-1939 (Studies in Air Power)
by Neville JonesUsing official records, the author traces the origins and early development of strategic bombing, and examines its organs in the operations and staff planning of the First World War. The experiences of the First World War should have been a valuable legacy to those who devised the 'counter offensive' strategy in the years between the war. Unfortunately the lessons learnt were soon forgotten and many of the operational and technical problems which the planners had begun to tackle in 1918 were not even seen to exist by the Air Staff during the 1920s and early 1930s.
The Beginnings of Strategic Air Power: A History of the British Bomber Force 1923-1939 (Studies in Air Power)
by Neville JonesUsing official records, the author traces the origins and early development of strategic bombing, and examines its organs in the operations and staff planning of the First World War. The experiences of the First World War should have been a valuable legacy to those who devised the 'counter offensive' strategy in the years between the war. Unfortunately the lessons learnt were soon forgotten and many of the operational and technical problems which the planners had begun to tackle in 1918 were not even seen to exist by the Air Staff during the 1920s and early 1930s.
Beguiled By The Forbidden Knight (Mills And Boon Historical Ser.)
by Elisabeth HobbesHe’s her enemy… …and she must not fall for him!
Behind Barbed Wire: An Encyclopedia of Concentration and Prisoner-of-War Camps
by Alexander MikaberidzeAn indispensable reference on concentration camps, death camps, prisoner-of-war camps, and military prisons offering broad historical coverage as well as detailed analysis of the nature of captivity in modern conflict.This comprehensive reference work examines internment, forced labor, and extermination during times of war and genocide, with a focus on the 20th and 21st centuries and particular attention paid to World War II and recent conflicts in the Middle East. It explores internment as it has been used as a weapon and led to crimes against humanity and is ideal for students of global studies, history, and political science as well as politically and socially aware general readers.In addition to entries on such notorious camps as Abu Ghraib, Andersonville, Auschwitz, and the Hanoi Hilton, the encyclopedia includes profiles of key perpetrators of camp and prison atrocities and more than a dozen curated and contextualized primary source documents that further illuminate the subject. Primary sources include United Nations documents outlining the treatment of prisoners of war, government reports of infamous camp and prison atrocities, and oral histories from survivors of these notorious facilities.
Behind Barbed Wire: An Encyclopedia of Concentration and Prisoner-of-War Camps
by Editor Alexander MikaberidzeAn indispensable reference on concentration camps, death camps, prisoner-of-war camps, and military prisons offering broad historical coverage as well as detailed analysis of the nature of captivity in modern conflict.This comprehensive reference work examines internment, forced labor, and extermination during times of war and genocide, with a focus on the 20th and 21st centuries and particular attention paid to World War II and recent conflicts in the Middle East. It explores internment as it has been used as a weapon and led to crimes against humanity and is ideal for students of global studies, history, and political science as well as politically and socially aware general readers.In addition to entries on such notorious camps as Abu Ghraib, Andersonville, Auschwitz, and the Hanoi Hilton, the encyclopedia includes profiles of key perpetrators of camp and prison atrocities and more than a dozen curated and contextualized primary source documents that further illuminate the subject. Primary sources include United Nations documents outlining the treatment of prisoners of war, government reports of infamous camp and prison atrocities, and oral histories from survivors of these notorious facilities.
Behind Enemy Lines: The Autobiography of Britain's Most Decorated Living War Hero
by Richard Bath Sir Tommy MacphersonWith three Military Crosses, three Croix de guerre, a Légion d'honneur and a papal knighthood for his heroics during the Second World War, Sir Tommy Macpherson is the most decorated living soldier of the British Army. Yet for 65 years the Highlander's story has remained untold. Few know how, aged 21, he persuaded 23,000 SS soldiers of the feared Das Reich tank column to surrender, or how Tommy almost single-handedly stopped Tito's Yugoslavia annexing the whole of north-east Italy. Twice captured, he escaped both times, marching through hundreds of miles of German-held territory to get home. Still a schoolboy when war broke out, Tommy quickly matured into a legendary commando, and his remarkable story features a dizzyingly diverse cast of characters, including Winston Churchill, Field Marshal Montgomery and Charles de Gaulle.
Behind enemy lines: Gender, passing and the Special Operations Executive in the Second World War (Cultural History of Modern War)
by Juliette PattinsonBehind enemy lines is an examination of gender relations in wartime using the Special Operations Executive as a case study. Drawing on personal testimonies, in particular oral history and autobiography, as well as official records and film, it explores the extraordinary experiences of male and female agents who were recruited and trained by a British organisation and infiltrated into Nazi-Occupied France to encourage sabotage and subversion during the Second World War. With its original interpretation of a wealth of primary sources, it examines how these ordinary, law-abiding civilians were transformed into para-military secret agents, equipped with silent killing techniques and trained in unarmed combat. This fascinating, timely and engaging book is concerned with the ways in which the SOE veterans reconstruct their wartime experiences of recruitment, training, clandestine work and for some, their captivity, focusing specifically upon the significance of gender and their attempts to pass as French civilians. This examination of the agents of an officially-sponsored insurgent organisation makes a major contribution to British socio-cultural history, war studies and gender studies and will appeal to both the general reader, as well as to those in the academic community.
Behind enemy lines: Gender, passing and the Special Operations Executive in the Second World War (Cultural History of Modern War)
by Juliette PattinsonBehind enemy lines is an examination of gender relations in wartime using the Special Operations Executive as a case study. Drawing on personal testimonies, in particular oral history and autobiography, as well as official records and film, it explores the extraordinary experiences of male and female agents who were recruited and trained by a British organisation and infiltrated into Nazi-Occupied France to encourage sabotage and subversion during the Second World War. With its original interpretation of a wealth of primary sources, it examines how these ordinary, law-abiding civilians were transformed into para-military secret agents, equipped with silent killing techniques and trained in unarmed combat. This fascinating, timely and engaging book is concerned with the ways in which the SOE veterans reconstruct their wartime experiences of recruitment, training, clandestine work and for some, their captivity, focusing specifically upon the significance of gender and their attempts to pass as French civilians. This examination of the agents of an officially-sponsored insurgent organisation makes a major contribution to British socio-cultural history, war studies and gender studies and will appeal to both the general reader, as well as to those in the academic community.
Behind Iraqi Lines: "soldier A: Sas - Behind Iraqi Lines", "soldier B: Sas - Heroes Of The South Atlantic", "soldier C: Sas - Secret War In Arabia" (SAS Operation)
by Shaun ClarkeUltimate soldier. Ultimate mission. But will the SAS survive the inferno of Operation Desert Storm?
Behind The Lines: Revealing and uncensored letters from our war-torn world
by Andrew Carroll'Quite simply, this is one of the greatest, most riveting books of war letters I have ever read.' Stephen E. Ambrose on War LettersIn 2001 Andrew Carroll authored the US top ten bestseller, War Letters - a unique compilation of extraordinary correspondence from American soldiers serving in US conflicts throughout history. Following the publication of this landmark work Andrew was inundated with letters from soldiers all around the world (to date he has a staggering 75,000 letters). Inspired by these messages he embarked on a quest to discover other previously unpublished letters written during conflicts around the globe. For three years Andrew travelled the world zealously collecting letters from over 35 different countries including Great Britain. Behind the Lines is the remarkable anthology that has been put together as a result of this work.The first book of its kind, Behind the Lines will be a dramatic, intimate and unprecedented look at warfare as seen through the eyes of troops and civilians. Unparalleled in geographical and historical scope it covers all major global conflicts from World War I and II and the American Revolution, up to Afghanistan and Iraq. Featuring never-before-seen letters and emails from war zones, and including the memories and thoughts from those on both sides of the hostilities documented, Behind the Lines will be a truly emotive and poignant depiction of war assembled by a uniquely talented and driven author who always keeps the general reader and narrative in mind.
Behind The Lines: The Oral History of Special Operations in World War II
by Russell MillerCompiled from interviews, diaries, letters and contemporaneous first-person accounts - many unpublished until now - this oral history follows the adventures of the courageous men and women who volunteered for service with Britain's Special Operations Executive and the United States' Office of Strategic Services. They parachuted behind enemy lines, often alone, with orders to cause mayhem. Arrest almost always resulted in torture and imprisonment; sometimes in execution. Trained in the black arts of warfare - sabotage, subversion, espionage, guerrilla tactics and undermining enemy morale by the distribution of insidious propaganda - theirs' was a war fought in the shadows. Their activities extended to every theatre of operations: in occupied France, equipped with false identities, they played a deadly game of cat and mouse with the Gestapo; in the Balkans they discovered that the fiery politics of the region were as dangerous as the enemy; in the Burmese jungle, in some of the worst combat conditions of the war, they led native marauders in surprise attacks against the Japanese. From Britain they were supported by a team of back-room boffins who produced expertly forged documents and dreamed up ingenious devices like exploding rats and invisible ink. The special agents of World War II really were a breed apart. This is their extraordinary story, in their own words.
Behind Soviet Lines: Hitler’s Brandenburgers capture the Maikop Oilfields 1942 (Raid #47)
by David R. HigginsIn the summer of 1942, following the invasion of Russia the previous year, Hitler's 'Brandenburger' commando units undertook a daring operation deep inside Soviet-held territory. Disguised as members of Stalin's NKVD, the secret police dreaded by most Soviet citizens and soldiers, the Brandenburgers passed unsuspected past the Red Army's checkpoints, before launching their surprise operation to seize the vital Soviet oil facilities around Maikop – delivering them intact into Nazi hands. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this expert assessment of the Maikop operation casts new light on German special-forces operations on the Eastern Front.
Behind Soviet Lines: Hitler’s Brandenburgers capture the Maikop Oilfields 1942 (Raid)
by Johnny Shumate Mark Stacey David R. HigginsIn the summer of 1942, following the invasion of Russia the previous year, Hitler's 'Brandenburger' commando units undertook a daring operation deep inside Soviet-held territory. Disguised as members of Stalin's NKVD, the secret police dreaded by most Soviet citizens and soldiers, the Brandenburgers passed unsuspected past the Red Army's checkpoints, before launching their surprise operation to seize the vital Soviet oil facilities around Maikop – delivering them intact into Nazi hands. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this expert assessment of the Maikop operation casts new light on German special-forces operations on the Eastern Front.
Behind the Black Door
by Sarah BrownIn this personal memoir about life at 10 Downing Street, Sarah Brown shares the secrets of living behind the most famous front door in the world.Sarah gave up a successful career in business to serve the country. A passionate campaigner for women and children, she mobilised over a million people through her early adoption of Twitter.If you've ever wondered what it's like to pack for a photo call with supermodels or pause a speech in front of hundreds when the autocue fails, it's all here - from what to do when the school play clashes with a visit to the White House to what it feels like to support the man you love as he takes tough decisions to stave off global financial meltdown...Intimate, reflective, surprising and funny, Behind the Black Door takes us backstage to reveal what it's like to be an ordinary woman, wife and mother in extraordinary circumstances.
Behind the Enigma: The Authorised History of GCHQ, Britain’s Secret Cyber-Intelligence Agency
by John FerrisYou know about MI5. You know about MI6.Now uncover the mystery behind Britain's most secretive intelligence agency, in the first ever authorised history of GCHQ. For a hundred years, GCHQ – Government Communications Headquarters – has been at the forefront of innovation in national security and British secret statecraft. Famed for its codebreaking achievements during the Second World War, and essential to the Allied victory, GCHQ also held a critical role in both the Falklands War and Cold War. Today, amidst the growing threats of terrorism and online crime, GCHQ continues to be the UK's leading intelligence, security and cyber agency, and a powerful tool of the British state. Based on unprecedented access to classified archives, Behind the Enigma is the first book to authoritatively tell the entire history of this most unique and enigmatic of organisations – and peer into its future at the heart of the nation's security.
Behind the Enigma: The Authorised History of GCHQ, Britain’s Secret Cyber-Intelligence Agency
by John Ferris'Fascinating … This monumental work completes the authorised picture of a century of British intelligence' BEN MACINTYRE, THE TIMES '[A] revelatory look at the world of GCHQ … There is much in the book that illuminates' Mark Urban, Sunday Times You know about MI5. You know about MI6.Now uncover the mystery behind Britain's most secretive intelligence agency, in the first ever authorised history of GCHQ. For a hundred years, GCHQ – Government Communications Headquarters – has been at the forefront of innovation in national security and British secret statecraft. Famed for its codebreaking achievements during the Second World War, and essential to the Allied victory, GCHQ also held a critical role in both the Falklands Conflict and Cold War. Today, amidst the growing threats of terrorism and online crime, GCHQ continues to be the UK's leading intelligence, security and cyber agency, and a powerful tool of the British state. Based on unprecedented access to classified archives, Behind the Enigma is the first book to authoritatively tell the entire history of this most unique and enigmatic of organisations – and peer into its future at the heart of the nation's security.
Behind the Wire: Prisoners of War 1914-18 (General Military Ser.)
by Robert JacksonBefore World War I the Geneva Convention established 'rules' for the treatment of Prisoners of War, and all belligerents during the war were to adhere to them; however, the rules were in many ways ambiguous and as a result, the treatment of POWs varied from nation to nation. In this book Robert Jackson examines the treatment POWs received from both sides of the lines, from British airmen shot down to German POWs and from American escapes to the armistice.
Behind the Wire: Prisoners of War 1914-18
by Robert JacksonBefore World War I the Geneva Convention established 'rules' for the treatment of Prisoners of War, and all belligerents during the war were to adhere to them; however, the rules were in many ways ambiguous and as a result, the treatment of POWs varied from nation to nation. In this book Robert Jackson examines the treatment POWs received from both sides of the lines, from British airmen shot down to German POWs and from American escapes to the armistice.
Behold the Dark Gray Man: Triumphs and Trauma: The Controversial Life of Sholto Douglas
by Katherine CampbellKatharine Campbell’s father Sholto Douglas was the hero of her childhood, an unconventional senior commander in the Royal Air Force described as ‘a gloriously contentious character’. Following childhood abandonment and poverty, Sholto rose through the ranks of the fledgling RAF in the First World War before taking on a crucial role in the Second as head of Fighter Command and going on to serve as Military Governor in Germany in the war’s devastating aftermath.But when Katharine was five years old, he began to be stolen away by strange night-time wanderings and daytime distress – including vivid flashbacks to his time signing death warrants in post-war Germany. The doctors called it dementia, but decades later, Katharine started researching her father’s story and realised that she had observed the undiagnosed consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder.PTSD is a hot topic today. We’re aware of the front-line soldier suffering from ‘shell-shock’ – but what about the senior officer giving the orders, who may be carrying hidden wounds accumulated over many years? We don’t expect our military leaders to have PTSD, nor is it something they often recognise or acknowledge in themselves, yet this secret burden likely affects a surprising number of those making important tactical decisions. A thought-provoking insight into the damage done by military conflict, Behold the Dark Gray Man is the story of a daughter’s search to understand the impact of war upon one of its most charismatic senior commanders.