Mont St Quentin: A Soldier's Battle by Bill Billett

$9.99 AUD

Category: Military

This is the story of the third significant Australian victory (after Viller-Brettoneux and Hamel)fought over 31 August to 5 September 1918. Mont St Quentin and Peronne, were both keys to German defence of the Somme River. The village of St Quentin was taken, held against counterattack, and the Australia n forces then advanced on Pronne, which was cleared street by street and house by house. This book gives a detailed account of the planning and execution of the battle, the sometimes horrific human experience of the battle, and the courage that led to eight members of the First AIF being awarded the Victoria Cross. ...Show more

The Miracle Typist by Leon Silver

$32.99 AUD

Category: Military

In the tradition of THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ, a heartbreaking true story of love, loss and survival against all odds during the Second World war. Conscripted into the Polish army as Hitler's ground and air forces are bearing down on his country, Jew Tolek Klings vows to return to his wife, Klara, and son, Juliusz. However, when the Luftwaffe's bombs start falling and the Polish cause looks hopelessly lost, Tolek finds himself under fire from his supposed brothers in arms. The Polish army is rife with anti-Semitism and he is relentlessly tormented. As the Germans cross the border, he is faced with a terrible dilemma: flee to protect his family - and risk being shot as a deserter - or ride out the war, hoping rumours of women and children being spared in the concentration camps are true.  What follows is an odyssey that will take Tolek from a Hungarian internment camp, where his ability to type spares him from the frontline, on to Palestine, Beirut, Egypt, Tobruk and Italy. A broken telegram from Klara, ending with the haunting words, 'We trouble', pushes him to the brink.      ...Show more

Submarine Six: Australian Naval Heroes by Tom Lewis

$9.99 AUD

Category: Military

Any Australian asked to mention our war heroes could probably name General Monash and Albert Jacka VC from World War I, and then Weary Dunlop, and perhaps Field Marshal Blamey from WWII. A knowledgeable few might be able to suggest Australia's greatest fighting air ace, Clive Caldwell. But who could nam e our naval heroes? Naval conflicts take place often far from our shores. Ships and men sometimes disappear, to leave only mystery in their wake. In the 1990s the Royal Australian Navy broke with tradition, and for the first time named six submarines after six naval heroes. This book shows the true depths of their achievements. These were men whose warrior exploits stand alongside those of any from other nations. But they have been largely unrecognised, save for those submarines. Captain Hec Waller, for example, fought to the end in HMAS Perth, alongside fellow cruiser USS Houston. The Houston's Captain Rooks was deservedly awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour, America's highest honour. Captain Waller, by comparison, was given distinction, but not of the highest rank. Should he have been given the Victoria Cross? Other heroes stand alongside him. Emile Dechaineux, hero of Dunkirk and the North Sea, battling it out against Japanese kamikaze attack. John Collins, taking HMAS Sydney to victory against Italian cruisers. Hal Farncomb - the first Australian to command an aircraft carrier, in action off the French coast. But The Submarine Six also examines whether two more of its men deserve further honour. Teddy Sheean, tenacious gunner from Tasmania, fought to the end in HMAS Armidale. Robert Rankin commanded HMAS Yarra against fearful odds, dying in defence of his convoy, attacked by overwhelming Japanese forces. Are they also VC candidates? Three of the men are from Tasmania, the island state which in WWII contributed more seamen per head of the population than any other state. All of the six are men of determination, bravery, and incredible resolve. Worth analysis, worth following, and worthy of greater recognition - Australian heroes all. The Submarine Six brings forward six naval warriors to stand alongside any other military achiever. ...Show more

Sniper Encyclopedia by John Walter

$39.95 AUD

Category: Military

The Sniper Encyclopaedia is an indispensable topic-by-topic guide to a fascinating subject. This beautifully illustrated, comprehensive volume covers virtually any aspect of sniping. The work contains personal details of hundreds of snipers, including not only the best-known, world-renowned marksmen suc h as Vasiliy Zaytsev and Chris Kyle, but also many crack shots whom history generally overlooks. Among them are some of more than a thousand Red Army snipers, men and a surprising number of women, who amassed dozens and even hundreds of kills in the ferocious fighting of World War II's Eastern Front. Some of the best-known victims of snipers are identified, and the veracity of some of the most popular myths is explored. The book pays special attention to the history and development of the many specialist sniper rifles - some more successful than others - that have served the world's armies since the American wars of the nineteenth century to today's technology-based conflicts. Attention, too, is paid to the progress made with ammunition, without which, of course, precision shooting would be impossible. The development of aids and accessories, from optical sights to laser rangefinders, is also considered. Finally, The Sniper Encyclopaedia examines places and specific campaigns - describing the ways marksman have influenced the course of the individual battles and the locations which have played a crucial part in the history of sniping. ...Show more

Great Railway Journeys in Australia & New Zealand by David Bowden

$24.99 AUD

Category: Military

  35 trips that highlight some of the most interesting, scenic and rewarding railway journeys in Australia and New Zealand. They include the renowned long-distance journeys, such as The Indian Pacific in Australia that takes travellers on a three-day trip from Perth to Sydney or the The Northern E xplorer in New Zealand's North Island that stretches from Wellington to Auckland, as well as those that traverse stunning scenery, such as New Zealand's TranzAlpine train or the Spirit of the Outback in Australia. There are also routes on which restored steam locomotives operate and other lines included for the wonder of their engineering.   Trains are a great way to travel in these countries, taking you at ground level past superb scenery that often cannot be seen by any other means of transport. David Bowden's entertaining text describes the route, the major features of interest along the way and any special technical details about the locomotive or the track.   ...Show more

On Our Doorstep: When Australia Faced the Threat of Invasion by the Japanese by Craig Collie

$27.99 AUD

Category: Military

In 1942 Australia faced the threat of invasion by the Japanese. This is what happened.  

Darwin's Submarine 1-124 by Tom Lewis

$9.99 AUD

Category: Military

The first attacks on Australia by the Japanese were made by four submarines of the Sixth Submarine Squadron of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Together, these 80-man boats laid mines, and then waited in their killing zones for targets to torpedo.

Rails Across Australia: A Journey Through the Continent by David Cable

$75.00 AUD

Category: Military

Rails Across Australia is an album of photographs taken by David Cable, a well-regarded British author of several albums of train pictures throughout the world. The photos were taken initially during the period between 1967 and 1973 when David lived in Adelaide, and then during several visits around the Commonwealth during the twenty-first century. The photos cover a wide variety of trains in the mainland states, from Queensland to the Pilbara region of Western Australia, and include pictures showing trains in the landscapes, as well as close-up photos of locomotives for the modelling enthusiasts. The well-known problems of different gauges originally established in the various states are illustrated by the individual classes designed for them, in addition to the newest designs for the standard gauge tracks now linking them. ...Show more

Anzac on the Western Front: The Personal Recollections of an Australian Infantryman from 1916 to 1918 by H. R. Williams

$36.99 AUD

Category: Military

This is a graphic account of one soldiers service in the First World War an account that is based on a diary he maintained whilst on active service. It has been described by one senior officer as the best soldiers story I have yet read in Australia. H.R. Williams enlisted in 1915, joining A Company, 56t h Battalion AIF. With this unit he would see service in Egypt and then the Western Front participating in some of the biggest battles of the First World War.Arriving in France on 30 June 1916, the battalion entered the front line trenches for the first time on 12 July and fought its first major battle at Fromelles a week later. The battle was a disaster, resulting in heavy casualties across the division. Despite these losses the 5th Division continued to man the front in the Fromelles sector for a further two months.After a freezing winter manning trenches in the Somme Valley, in early 1917 the 56th Battalion participated in the advance that followed the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line. It was spared the assault but did, however, defend gains made during the second battle of Bullecourt. Later in the year, the AIFs focus of operations switched to the Ypres sector in Belgium. The 56ths major battle here was at Polygon Wood on 26 September.With the collapse of Russia in October 1917, a major German offensive on the Western Front was expected in early 1918. This came in late March and the 5th Division moved to defend the sector around Corbie.Once the German offensive had been defeated, the Allies launched their own offensive in August 1918. he 56th fought its last major battle of the war, St Quentin Canal, between 29 September and 2 October 1918. It was resting out of the line when the Armistice was declared on 11 November. ...Show more

The Lost Boys by Paul Byrnes

$35.00 AUD

Category: Military

Agent Sonya: Lover, Mother, Soldier, Spy by Ben Macintyre

$35.00 AUD

Category: Military

In the quiet Cotswolds village of Great Rollright in 1944, a thin, and unusually elegant, housewife emerged from her cottage to go on her usual bike ride. A devoted mother-of-three, attentive wife and friendly neighbour, Sonya Burton seemed to epitomise rural British domesticity. However, rather than pe dalling towards the shops with her ration book, Sonya was heading for the Oxfordshire countryside to gather scientific secrets from a nuclear physicist. Secrets that would enable the Soviet Union to build the atomic bomb. Far from an obedient homemaker, Sonya Burton was a dedicated communist, a decorated colonel and a veteran spy who risked her life to keep the Soviet Union in the nuclear arms race. In Mrs Burton, Ben Macintyre reveals the astonishing story behind the most important female spy in history. ...Show more

Gallipoli : Anzac - The Landing (Battleground Europe) by Stephen Chambers

$24.99 AUD

Category: Military

The Anzac legend was born on the shores of Gallipoli during the historic morning of 25th April 1915. Landing on a hostile beach, under the cover of darkness, the Anzacs moved inland rapidly, but the response of the Ottoman forces was equally quick. The outcome of the campaign was arguably sealed during the first day, when the door for an Anzac victory was closed. With the order to dig, dig, dig and to stick it out, a stalemate was secured from the clutches of almost total disaster. After the Australians and New Zealanders received their baptism of fire, they became a stubborn thorn in the sides of the Ottoman army. Futilely after eight grueling months of fighting, the campaign came to an end with the complete evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula. Failure did not mar the actions and sacrifice of the Anzacs who bestowed a powerful legacy, as well as being a landmark in the birth of modern Turkey. Almost a century later, with all the veterans now sadly gone, their legacy still survives in Anzac Day and with the ever increasing numbers of pilgrims who visit the battlefield today. This attractive and well-written book will serve as either a handy guide or concise history (or both). To be published May 2008. ...Show more