24. Hoyt, Edwin P.: Submarines at War

Published by Stein & Day, New York. 1983.

1st edition US hardback in very good condition. There are no previous owner names or other marks. The dust wrapper is not price clipped. The History of the American Silent Service.

572. Hoyt, Edwin P.: Ghost of the Atlantic

Published by Arthur Barker, 1974

Hardback 1st edition. The book leans slightly shows some shelf wear. The jacket is unclipped but is rubbed and worn at the edges with a couple of small tears, otherwise very good condition. The Kronprinz Wilhelm was one of the largest luxury ships afloat prior to the First World War. Stripped down and completely re-equipped she was destined to become one of the most lethal sea raiders of the war. Captained by Paul Thierfelder the Kronprinz Wilhelm wreaked havoc among Allied merchant ships in the Atlantic earning the nickname "Ghost of the Atlantic".

Published by Hodder & Stoughton, London. 1984

Hardback, UK 1st edition, in fine condition. The dust wrapper is also fine being only slightly rubbed at the edges. There are no previous owner names or inscriptions. The full story of the Nazi whose career straddled continents and spanned two generations of Fascism. His time in the Gestapo was only a small part of an astonishing secret life. He was a spy, counter-intelligence agent, gun-runner, security expert and adviser on techniques of interrogation and torture.

574. Manning, Captain T.D.: The British Destroyer

Published by Putnam, 1961

Hardback 1st edition. No d/w. Original blue cloth boards, well used. A good example of this excellent reference work giving a complete record of every class of destroyer which served the British fleet from 1893 until the giant daring class of the 50's. With all illustrated in b+w photos. Manning takes the reader from such vessels as the four-funnelled Destroyers such as Sparrowhawk (1895), HMS Hornet (1902) and Ferret (1906) right up to the latest thing afloat (as at the time of first going to print in 1961) in British Destroyers such as HMS' Crossbow and Delight. This is the story of the evolution of the British Destroyer and of the men and machinery which served those ships. With over 130 photographs of the ships in question, this is the most excellent resource available to those with an interest in the subject.

1546. Mars, Alistair: H.M.S. Thule Intercepts

Published by Elek Books, London, 1956

1st edition hardback in very good condition. The dust wrapper is rubbed and worn at the folds and chipped at the corners but otherwise very good, clean, bright and unclipped. A direct sequel to the successful submarine story "Unbroken" and it takes up the author's naval life about half way through the war when he was given command of the Thule and sent east in to the unpredictable perils of warfare with the Japanese.

575. Mayer, S.L. (Editor): Signal: Hitler's Wartime Picture Magazine

Published by Purnell Book Services/ Bison, 1976

Hardback 1st edition. Fine in a very good dustwrapper which is very slightly sunned to the spine. Facsimiles of excerpts from this well illustrated magazine published by the Wehrmacht and Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda. This fascinating book features a selection of articles from Nazi Germany's version of Life magazine. What's especially interesting about it is that among the 20 languages into which the magazine was translated, the articles included here were actually published in English and marketed to an English speaking readership in the United States, Ireland and the occupied Channel Islands. We're used to thinking of Nazi propaganda as consisting solely of angry men in uniforms orating wildly in front of stadia full of fanatics, but that misconception is belied by Signal magazine, which is slick, subtle, convincing and rather a fun read.

138. Merry, Bob: The Last Of Many

Published by Penshurst Press, England. 1994.

First edition in card covers. Slight soiling to the front cover otherwise fine. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. Signed by author. A collection of verses mostly scribbled on the backs of old cigarette packets and odd bits of paper by the author, as the incidents happened throughout WWII, illustated with black and white photographs. Inscribed "Best wishes Bob Merry"

1662. Messenger, Charles: Hitler's Gladiator: The Life and Times of Oberstgruppenfuhrer and Panzergeneral-Oberst der Waffen-SS Sepp Dietrich

Published by Brassey's Defence Publishers, London, 1988

Stated 1st edition, hardback in very good condition, no previous names or other marks. The dust wrapper has some surface marks and wear at the edges, slight sunning at the spine but generally very good. The story of Hitler's personal bodyguard and the man who led the German attack in the Battle of the Bulge.

576. Mitchell, R. Keith: Forty-two Months in Durance Vile: Prisoner of the Japanese

Published by Robert Hale Ltd, London. 1997

1st edition hardback. Both book and dustwrapper are in fine condition. There are no previous owner names or marks. 253pp. With 7 black and white photographs and 8 maps. This book is one man's fascinatingly detailed account of his experiences as a prisoner of the Japanese.

578. Moxon, Oliver: The Last Monsoon

Published by Robert Hale, 1957

Hardback 1st edition. Very good in a good+ unclipped d/w. The jacket front panel having been ripped at the top with approx 1"x1" lost. Based on true experience, The second in the "monsoon" trilogy, continues the story of a beleaguered fighter squadron in the Valley of Imphal in 1944. The story commences at the precise point where "Bitter Monsoon" came to a tense and dramatic end.

579. Narracott, A. H.: Unsung Heroes of the Air

Published by Frederick Muller Ltd, 1943

Hardback 1st edition. Very good book in a scarce d/w which is unclipped, a little soiled and rubbed with some small chips lost and a tape repair. 168pp. B/w photos in plates. Civilian test pilots, Air Transport Auxiliary pilots, civil aviation e.g. BOAC pilots and others whose contribution to the war effort was often overlooked. The then air correspondent for "The Times" looks at the thousands of airmen and women behind the scenes of the RAF of whom the public heard little or nothing.

580. Nettleton, John: The Anger of the Guns

Published by William Kimber, 1979

Hardback 1st edition. Some edge wear and a tear to the unclipped d/w otherwise very good. As is the book, some pages have had corners folded and there is a previous owner's book plate to the front end-paper. Deals with the author's service during the Great War in France. He joined up in 1915 and was commissioned in 1916, serving with the Rifle Brigade until 1919. He saw action at Ypres, Passchendaele and the Aisne. 206pp, 20 b&w illustrations and a map.

581. Nunneley, John: Tales from the King's African Rifles

Published by Cassell & Co. 2000

Hardback reprint of the 1998 1st edition. Fine book in a very good+ unclipped d/w. A last flourish of empire. The story of one young man's odyssey through war. This is John Nunneley's account of how as a 19-year-old officer in World War II he arrived in Kenya to join the King's Africa Rifles, a famous colonical regiment, to lead his askaris first in Africa and them in Burma's Kabaw Valley, the "Valley of Death", fighting the elite White Tigers of the Imperial Japanese Army.

2151. Parker, John: The Gurkhas: The Inside Story of the World's Most Feared Soldiers

Published by Headline, London. 1999

1st edition hardback. Both book and unclipped dust wrapper are in fine condition. There is a small previous owners sticky label at the front pastedown but it is hidden by the wrapper. This goes beyond the normal boundaries of military history: travelling extensively in Nepal, Parker has met many Gurkhas to investigate the background to their traditional service to Britain and the threat that this is now under. He recounts famous battles during which these fighters collected a huge number of VCs, earning worldwide admiration.

582. Pearce, Nigel: The Shield and the Sabre: The desert rats in the gulf 1990-91

Published by HMSO, 1992

Hardback 1st edition. Fine in like unclipped d/w. Transporting 35,000 British troops and their equipment from Europe to Saudi Arabia was a huge operation. What followed was an even greater challenge. This book is the British Army's account of its involvement in the containment of Iraqi aggression and the liberation of Kuwait. The author had access to Army files and documents and interviewed over 100 soldiers of all ranks who went to the Gulf, as well as key decision-makers back home. Extensive use of anecdotes and quotations gives the story immediacy and also reveals aspects of an army's experience before, during and after war that do not normally reach the public's attention.

Published by Arms and Armour Press, London. 1989

Hardback, UK 1st edition, in very good condition. The book lacks its front end paper otherwise very good. The dust wrapper is also very good being only slightly rubbed at the edges. There are no previous owner names or inscriptions. The men of the lower deck speak up for themselves in recollections of times at sea, illustrated by more than 100 special photographs.

583. Powell, Geoffrey: The Devil's Birthday: The Bridges to Arnhem 1944

Published by Franklin Watts, Inc, 1985

Hardback 1st us edition. Very good in good+ d/w which has some loss to the bottom rear panel. First published in 1984 to mark the 40th anniversary of "Operation Market Garden", this book tells the story of the doomed Allied attempt to seize three major river crossings (including the "bridge too far" at Arnhem) and thus secure a back door into Germany, effectively shortening the war. This edition has corrections, additions and amendments by the author, who was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry during the Arnhem battles, where he commanded a company and, later, a composite group that included the remnants of his entire battalion. He escaped back over the Lower Rhine with the survivors of British 1st Airborne Division.

2124. Rankin, Nicholas: Ian Fleming's Commandos: The Story of 30 Assault Unit in WWII

Published by Faber & Faber, London. 2011

1st edition hardback. The book is in fine condition. The dust wrapper would be except for the torn and creased top edge of the rear panel, but still very good. In 1942, Lieutenant-Commander Ian Fleming was personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence - the dynamic figure behind James Bond's fictional chief, 'M'. Here, Fleming had a brilliant idea: why not set up a unit of authorised looters, men who would go in hard with the front-line troops and steal enemy intelligence? Known as '30 Assault Unit', they took part in the major campaigns of the Second World War, landing on the Normandy beaches and helping to liberate Paris. 30AU's final amazing coup was to seize the entire archives of the German Navy - thirty tons of documents. Ian Fleming flew out in person to get the loot back to Britain, where it was combed for evidence to use in the Nuremburg trials. Rankin puts 30 Assault Unit's fascinating story in a strategic and intelligence context. He also argues that Ian Fleming's Second World War service was one of the most significant periods of his life - without this, the most popular spy fiction of the twentieth century would not have been written.

242. Reed, Arthur: F-14 Tomcat: Modern Combat Aircraft 3

Published by Ian Allen, London. 1978.

1st edition hardback in very good condition. Unclipped dust wrapper and no previous owner names. There are two F-14 stickers at the rear endpaper and slightly darkened at the jacket spine otherwise fine.

1547. Robertson, Terence: The Golden Horseshoe

Published by Evans Brothers Limited, 1955

1st edition hardback in very near fine condition. There is tape residue at the end papers and a previous owner name at the front end paper otherwise fine in a fine unclipped dust wrapper. The legendary U-Boat ace Otto Kretschmer was branded "the Wolf of the Atlantic", and for good reason. In his dramatic wartime career he sank ship after ship, sowing terror among Allied convoys and dismay in those charged with their protection. Kretschmer was a daring officer who favoured bringing his U-Boat into the heart of the convoy and destroying it from within. He earned himself a tremendous reputation before his capture in March 1941, and The Golden Horseshoe makes it clear why. Terence Robertson's biography of the U-Boat ace draws upon first-hand experience of conditions and the deadly game as the hunter sought to outfox the hunted. He paints a masterly portrait of life at sea and weaves in the fascinating story of Kretschmer and the exploits of his U-Boats. Kretschmer was eventually captured and interviewed by Captain McIntyre of HMS Walker, an episode which is also recounted in this book. Otto Kretschmer became a prisoner of war in March 1941 and spent most of the rest of the war in Bowmanville camp, Canada, before his release in 1947. The best single account of Kretschmer and U-99.

1617. Royle, Trevor: National Service: The Best Years of Their Lives

Published by SevenOaks, London. 2008

1st edition hardback, fine in a very good unclipped dust wrapper. No previous owner names or marks. More than 2 million men were conscripted to serve in Britain's armed forces during the period of National Service, which began after the Second World War and was phased out by 1963. Aged just eighteen, these individuals, many of whom had never left their home towns, were put in uniform to serve their nation. It was an experience that left a profound mark on the post-war generations, as described using first-hand accounts and official documents in this detailed, entertaining and hugely informative account of the National Service years.

2410. Schröter, Heinz: Stalingrad

Published by Michael Joseph, London, 1958

1st edition UK hardback. Translated from the original German by Constantine Fitzgibbon. The book shows wear at the top and toe of the spine but is otherwise very good. The dust wrapper is worn at the edges with some tears, creasing and small areas of loss. There are no previous owner names. Schröter was a communications officer given the task of writing the final report on Stalingrad for Hitler and the German people. It wasn't published at the time as its unrelenting honesty was a damning indictment of Hitler and many of his officers. He had access to all the orders, radio transcripts, teletype messages that went back and forth between Army Group and the Sixth Army and to the final letters home of the soldiers that were never delivered.

Published by William Kimber, London. 1970

1st edition UK hardback in very good condition. The dust wrapper is not clipped and is good but worn at the edges with a couple of tears and creasing at the back. There are no previous owner names or marks. In the summer of 1942 one of the main issues in the balance was the fate of Malta. The island was still a bastion of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean and a constant threat to the supply route for the enemy land forces in North Africa. It bravely resisted every onslaught of the Axis powers, but food supplies were desperately short and fuel oil running low. In August of that year Operation Pedestal was launched - a last attempt to relieve Malta. Fourteen merchant ships were allocated to it and the Royal Navy provided the most powerful force ever to escort a convoy including four aircraft carriers. Operating from Sardinia and Sicily, the Germans and Italians let fly with their shore-based aircraft on an unprecedented scale. The losses on the British side were appalling, but the objective was achieved and the blockade of Malta was finally lifted.

1633. Smith, Peter C. and Edwin Walker: The Battles of the Malta Striking Forces: Sea Battles in Close-up 11

Published by Ian Allan Ltd, 1974

1st edition UK hardback. The book leans very slightly otherwise near fine book and unclipped dust wrapper. No previous owner names, marks or fading. Details the very successful operations of Force K from April to December 1941. Ian Allan's acclaimed "Sea Battles in Close-Up" series, launched in 1970 and continued through to 1976, constitutes a landmark in British naval publishing. Compiled by a carefully selected cadre of authors, many of whom have since developed reputations as naval historians of international standing, the 16 volumes are uniformly praised for their accuracy and detail; certainly their relatively small physical size wholly belies their value and importance to scholar and historian alike. All volumes are now increasingly scarce, especially in this condition. This is one of the scarcest of the series.

2099. Sparks, William with Michael Munn: The Last of the Cockleshell Heroes: A World War Two Memoir

Published by Leo Cooper, London, 1992

1st edition UK hardback. Both the book and the dust wrapper are in fine/as new condition. In December 1942, one of the most daring and innovative attacks on enemy shipping was launched by 12 canoes manned by commandos who were to become known as the Cockleshell Heroes. Of the 12, two were unable to pursue their mission when their canoe was damaged on the submarine transporting them to France, and two came back alive. In this book William Sparks, DSM, one of the two survivors - and now the only living one - tells his story of the raid. The book is also an account of the escape by Marine Sparks and Major "Blondie" Hasler across German-occupied France. For nearly three months while they desperately sought assistance from the suspicious French Resistance and dodged German soldiers at every turn, the two men found themselves in a seemingly futile bid to avoid capture and death.

585. Spick, Mike: Designed for the Kill: The Jet Fighter - Development & Experience

Published by Airlife Publishing, 1995

1st edition hardback in fine condition, inscription to the front end paper, dustwrapper in very good condition, there is a very faint water stain on the top edge. Traces the development of the jet fighter from around 1970 to the present day in the light of what was learned from combat situations in the Middle East and Vietnam. The author examines the prevailing trends in fighter development in the US, such as the preference for larger, more technically capable and therefore more expensive aircraft. The F-14 and F-15 are examined in this respect. The controversy about the superiority about such technologically advanced aircraft over more lightweight fighters such as the F-16 is highlighted. The problems in the development of European fighters such as the Sea Harrier, Tornado F-3 and Mirage 2000 are examined, along with their solution. Finally, the author provides an overview of the situation in the '90s and looks at the advances made in avionics and weaponry and their effect on tactical use.

586. Thomas, Tommy: Signal Success

Published by The Book Guild, Sussex, 1995

1st edition hardback in fine condition. Apart from a couple of light surface marks, the dust wrapper too is fine and not price clipped. There are no previous owner names or marks. 40 years of travel and adventure with the Royal Corps of Signals. Full of incident and humour, this is a detailed account of vanished eras and altered places.

587. Turner, John Frayn: Service Most Silent - The Navy's Fight against Enemy Mines

Published by George G. Harrap, 1955

Hardback 1st edition. Book in very good condition, however the jacket has some loss and is only good although not clipped. The Royal Navy's Mine Service (in which the author served) & the German magnetic & other mine menaces.

347. Utley, Robert M.: Frontier Regulars: The United States Army and the Indian, 1866 - 1890

Published by Macmillan, London, 1973

1st edition hardback in near fine condition.The book has no previous owner names or inscriptions. The dust wrapper has been price clipped, it is in very good condition, rubbing to top spine edges. An account of the Frontier Army and the Indians Wars of the West, the Sioux, Cheyenne, Nez Perce, Apache, Kiowa, Comanche, and their leaders, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Chief Joseph, Quanah Parker, etc., and the Frontier Military, Crook, Sheridan, Custer, Cooke, Miles, Howard, etc., the 4th Cavalry, The 7th Cavalry, The 10th Cavalry, The 9th Cavalry, etc. Illustrated with photographs, and two by Charles Schreyvogel, a title page drawing by Fredric Remington, an extensive notes and bibliography section.

589. Warner, Philip: The Special Air Service

Published by William Kimber, London. 1980

Hardback fourth impression of the 1971 1st edition. Both, book and jacket, in near fine condition. The front bottom corner slightly bumped otherwise fine. The dust wrapper is not price clipped and there are no previous owner names. The full story of Britain's toughest and most secret regiment, the S.A.S.

591. Warren, Charles Esme Thornton and James Benson: Above Us the Waves: The Story of Midget Submarines and Human Torpedoes

Published by Harrap & Co, 1955

Hardback reprint in very good + condition but no dustwrapper. Minimal shelf wear, there is some marks at the beginning of the book on the page/page edges but no previous owner names or inscriptions. From those very early days in Scotland during World War Two to the valiant attack on the Tirpitz, operations in the Mediterranean, Far East and more, this is the complete story of how a small tight-knit group of dedicated men fought an impossible battle against the odds. Altogether, they lost 39 of their number and earned no fewer than 168 decorations which included four VC's and one Polish equivalent of the VC.

592. Wilmot, Chester: The Struggle for Europe

Published by Collins, 1952

Hardback, sixth impression. Very good in a very good- if slightly edgeworn d/w. Blue cloth and gilt. Map decorated endpapers. Military strategy, maps and political comment. An important book on the subject of W.W.2 and the allied struggle to free Europe.

593. Wilson, Michael: A Submariners' War: The Indian Ocean 1939 - 45

Published by Tempus Ltd, 2000

First edition paperback in fine condition, no previous owner names or inscriptions. Warfare in the Indian Ocean was an entirely different affair to that in the Atlantic. Here, submarines of seven nations operated - Great Britain, the Netherlands, USA, France, Italy, Germany and Japan. This is a study of underwater warfare, based on archives from all seven countries, giving an overall picture of deployment and success. Three appendices include a table of British mine laying operations. The author commanded three submarines during his career in the Royal Navy and so this is the voice of experience.