Mine Warfare - 1st Australian Task Force's Struggle for South Vietnam by Andrew Ross

$19.99 AUD

Category: War/Military

Mine warfare, in its various forms, is a favoured weapon used by insurgents against government forces. By June 1966, when the 1st Australian Task Force (1ATF) arrived in Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam, the Viet Cong and People's Army of Vietnam forces were well entrenched in the province and used min es extensively. The mine campaign risked few enemy lives and was a powerful statement to everyone, including civilians, that the Viet Cong were still in the war and not a spent force. The intense patrolling practised by 1ATF inevitably put its men in close contact with enemy mines. Indeed, 1ATF suffered more casualties from the Viet Cong mine warfare campaign than from any other single cause, yet enemy casualties were minimal.  So why did the enemy mine campaign collapse in the period July to December 1970 and continue its rapid decline until 1ATF ended combat operations in September 1971? Counterinsurgency has been described as a competition in learning and, facing a well-organised mine campaign against them, 1ATF learned and adapted to the enemy's mine warfare techniques. Supported by statistical analyses of operational research data, this book details the complex tactics adopted by 1ATF to eventually defeat the Viet Cong mine campaign, and how enemy forces were reduced to a negligible military presence in Phuoc Tuy Province.  ...Show more

Blackbird by James Hamilton-Paterson

$36.00 AUD

Category: War/Military

It was conceived in the late 1950s by Lockheed Martin's highly secret 'Skunk Works' team under one of the most (possibly the most) brilliant aero designers of all time, Clarence "Kelly" Johnson. Once fully developed in 1964, the Blackbird represented the apogee of jet-powered flight. It could fly at wel l over three times the speed of sound above 85,000 feet and had an unrefueled range of 3,200 nautical miles. It flew with great success until 1999). Despite extensive use over Vietnam and later battlefields, not one was ever shot down (unlike the U2 in the Gary Powers incident).The Blackbird's capabilities seem unlikely ever to be exceeded. It was retired because its function can be performed by satellites--and in today's steady trend toward unmanned military aircraft, it is improbable that another jet aircraft of this speed and caliber will ever again be conceived. ...Show more

The CIA and the U-2 Program, 1954-1974 by Thomas Fensch (Editor)

$63.99 AUD

Category: War/Military

The Emperor's Grace: Untold Stories of the Australians Enslaved in Japan during World War II by Mark Baker

$34.95 AUD

Category: War/Military

The Emperor's Grace is the story of the men of "C" Force – the first contingent of Australian, British and Dutch POWs shipped from Singapore to Japan in November 1942 – who worked in the Kawasaki Shipyard in Kobe before the American firebombing campaign razed the city, and then the infamous Fukuoka coal mine before the atomic bombings brought World War II to an end.When the Japanese seized most of South-East Asia in early 1942, they captured 22,000 Australian military personnel. More than a third would die over the next three years from malnutrition, disease and violent abuse. The horrors of the Thai–Burma Railway and Sandakan are well documented. Less well known is the fate of the 3,800 Australians sent to work as slave labourers in the factories and mines of mainland Japan.The Emperor's Grace is a compelling story of hardship, heroism and endurance – and the ultimate triumph of the human spirit – told for the first time from the unpublished diaries, memoirs and personal accounts of the men who survived. ...Show more

Artillery at Anzac: Adaptation, Innovation and Education by Chris Roberts

$34.99 AUD

Category: War/Military

This meticulously researched book provides the first comprehensive study of the employment of artillery and naval gunfire support at Anzac. Faced with huge difficulties on inferior ground the Australian, New Zealand, Indian, and British gunners quickly adapted to a hostile environment, employing innovat ive techniques to counter superior numbers of Ottoman artillery and provide fire support to their infantry and light horse colleagues. How well they performed is a central theme of The Artillery at Anzac. Using a host of primary sources including official manuals, war diaries, operation orders, letters, and private papers the authors trace the story of this neglected feature of the Gallipoli campaign. Commencing with an evaluation of the nascent pre-war Australian and New Zealand artillery, they take the reader through the testing introduction to the realities of modern warfare, the trials and difficulties the gunners experienced throughout the campaign, to the phased evacuation in December, without alerting the Ottomans to the reduced number of guns. Along the way, they challenge a long held controversy concerning the light horse charge at the Nek, and evaluate the effectiveness of the fire support provided to the infantry attacks, including that at Lone Pine, the attacks on the Sari Bair Range, and at Hill 60. In doing so, the authors illuminate long-buried information to provide new and penetrating insights into the campaign at Anzac. The Artillery at Anzac reveals a largely unknown aspect of the campaign, deepening our understanding of it, and providing a new perspective that is of value not only to Gunners past and present, but to historians, and the wider public. Although occurring over a century ago the experience at Anzac offers lessons to today's Gunners. ...Show more

Colditz: The Full Story by P R Reid

$19.99 AUD

Category: War/Military

In Colditz: The Full Story, Major Pat Reid brings together his extensive research and many dramatic discoveries about the supposedly escape-proof prisoner of war camp. From all walks of life, Belgian, Czech, Dutch, French, German and Polish prisoners - as well as those from the British Commonwealth and USA - were incarcerated in suffocating intimacy for five years in an alien and hostile land. Under these conditions, they proved that men could live together and that loyalty and generosity could thrive, transcending the natural prejudices of race, creed, language and intellectual diversity. There were more than 300 escape attempts at Colditz and in this fascinating portrayal, Reid vividly describes this unique period in Second World War history. Furthermore, from his own experience as one of the first captives to be imprisoned at Colditz during World War Two, he reveals the code systems between the War Office and Colditz; shows how he obtained information on Germany's secret weapons; and investigates the existence of traitors and the situation of non-collaborators in the castle. This is a true story, which nonetheless possesses the mythical qualities that cause a legend to live forever. ...Show more

Hitler's Tanks by Chris McNab

$56.99 AUD

Category: War/Military

The Panzers that rolled over Europe were Germany's most famous fighting force, and are some of the most enduring symbols of World War II. However, at the start of the war, Germany's tanks were nothing extraordinary and it was operational encounters such as facing the Soviet T-34 during Operation Barbaro ssa which prompted their intensive development. Tactical innovation gave them an edge where technological development had not, making Hitler's tanks a formidable enemy. Hitler's Tanks details the development and operational history of the light Panzer I and II, developed in the 1930s, the medium tanks that were the backbone of the Panzer Divisions, the Tiger, and the formidable King Tiger, the heaviest tank to see combat in World War II. Drawing on Osprey's unique and extensive armour archive, Chris McNab skilfully weaves together the story of the fearsome tanks that transformed armoured warfare and revolutionised land warfare forever. ...Show more

The Spymaster of Baghdad by Margaret Coker

$35.00 AUD

Category: War/Military

'Authentic, moving, visceral, chilling, utterly revelatory, truly masterful. A stunning tour de force by an author who has lived every word of it on the ground. A story of our time that absolutely needs to be told' Damien Lewis, author of Zero Six Bravo The Spymaster of Baghdad is the gripping story of the top-secret Iraqi intelligence unit that infiltrated the Islamic State. More so than that of any foreign power, the information they gathered turned the tide against the insurgency, paving the way to the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019. Against the backdrop of the most brutal conflict of recent decades, we chart the spymaster's struggle to develop the unit from scratch in challenging circumstances after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, we follow the fraught relationship of two of his agents, the Sudani brothers - one undercover in ISIS for sixteen long months, the other his handler - and we track a disillusioned scientist as she turns bomb-maker, threatening the lives of thousands. With unprecedented access to characters on all sides, Pulitzer Prize-finalist Margaret Coker challenges the conventional view that Western coalition forces defeated ISIS and reveals a page-turning story of unlikely heroes, unbelievable courage and good old-fashioned spycraft. *** Margaret Coker is an investigative journalist. She has lived and worked in Iraq and the wider Middle East since 2003. An ex-Baghdad Bureau Chief for the New York Times, she honed her reporting skills at The Wall Street Journal where she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize as part of a team chronicling Turkey's failed coup, political purges and teetering democracy. Her coverage of national security issues won the Overseas Press Club Award and the Edwin M. Hood Prize from the National Press Club, America's top prize for diplomatic reporting. This is her first book. ...Show more

Bastard Behind the Lines: The Extraordinary Story of Jock Mclaren's Escape from Sandakan and His Guerrilla War Against the Japanese by Tom Gilling

$29.99 AUD

Category: War/Military

He escaped from Singapore's Changi prisoner of war camp to become one of Australia's greatest World War II guerrilla fighters. 'The way I look at it is this...When you're behind the line and get yourself into trouble, you've got to get your bloody self out irrespective of anybody else. That's why I lik e it.'Scottish-born but a Queenslander to the bone, Jock McLaren was a true Australian hero. As a prisoner he escaped twice, first from Changi and later from the infamous Sandakan POW camp in Borneo. After paddling a dugout canoe across open sea, he fought for two years with American-led Filipino guerrillas, his exploits so audacious the Japanese put a price on his head.At the helm of his 26-foot whaleboat, the Bastard, McLaren sailed brazenly into enemy-held harbours, wreaking havoc with his mortar and machine guns before heading back out to sea. In early 1945 he joined Australia's secretive Z Special Unit, parachuting into Borneo to carry out reconnaissance and organise anti-Japanese resistance ahead of Allied landings. He cheated death on numerous occasions and saved his own life by removing his appendix without anaesthetic, using 'two large dessert spoons' and a razor blade. Drawing on Allied and Japanese wartime documents, Bastard Behind the Lines brings the story of a courageous digger vividly to life and throws light on a rarely explored aspect of Australia's Pacific war.  ...Show more

Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual Mk1-MOD1 by Jocko Willink

$42.99 AUD

Category: War/Military

The instantNew York Timesbestseller! FIND YOUR WILL, FIND YOUR DISCIPLINE--AND YOU WILL FIND YOUR FREEDOM Jocko Willink's methods for success were born in the SEAL Teams, where he spent most of his adult life, enlisting after high school and rising through the ranks to become the commander of the most highly decorated special operations unit of the war in Iraq. InDiscipline Equals Freedom, the #1New York Timesbestselling coauthor ofExtreme Ownership describes how he lives that mantra: the mental and physical disciplines he imposes on himself in order to achieve freedom in all aspects of life. Many books offer advice on how to overcome obstacles and reach your goals--but that advice often misses the most critical ingredient: discipline. Without discipline, there will be no real progress.Discipline Equals Freedomcovers it all, including strategies and tactics for conquering weakness, procrastination, and fear, and specific physical training presented in workouts for beginner, intermediate, and advanced athletes, and even the best sleep habits and food intake recommended to optimize performance. Within these pages discover the keys to becoming stronger, smarter, faster, and healthier. There is only one way to achieve true freedom: The Way of Discipline. Read this book and find The Way. ...Show more

Preserving Our Proud Heritage - The Customs and Traditions of the Australian Army by L. I. Terrett; S. C Taubert

$59.99 AUD

Category: War/Military

The Australian Army's customs and traditions represent the symbols and substance of much of our national character, adopted from Army's forebears and developed since 1901 to where we are today. In the form of the 'Rising Sun', these traditions shape Army's institutional values and to an extent its colle ctive personality, which provides - along with serving members both past and present - the Army's beating heart. Army's foundations, exhibited through its customs and traditions, will ensure it continues to draw the pride and respect of the nation. Much can be learnt from the past and Army constantly draws on the importance of its comparatively young but rich history. These origins have provided the forms for its badges, insignia and symbols of office; the way Army demonstrates respect for the past through formal functions and dinners, the way it addresses its people and the way they wear their uniform. These tangible links to Army's past, like the weft and warp of a rich historical tapestry, set it up well for its future. Just as Army respects its past, it and its people will respect it today and tomorrow. This is a thoroughly researched and beautifully presented full colour edition of Preserving Our Proud Heritage: Customs and Traditions of the Australian Army. ...Show more

The Bielski Brothers : The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews by Peter Duffy, QC

$30.00 AUD

Category: War/Military

In 1941, three brothers witnessed their parents and two other siblings being led away to their eventual murders. It was a grim scene that would, of course, be repeated endlessly throughout the war. Instead of running or giving in to despair, these brothers -- Tuvia, Zus, and Asael Bielski -- fought back , waging a guerrilla war of wits against the Nazis. By using their intimate knowledge of the dense forests surrounding the Belarusan towns of Novogrudek and Lida, the Bielskis evaded the Nazis and established a hidden base camp, then set about convincing other Jews to join their ranks. As more and more Jews arrived each day, a robust community began to emerge, a "Jerusalem in the woods." After two and a half years in the woods, in July 1944, the Bielskis learned that the Germans, overrun by the Red Army, were retreating back toward Berlin. More than one thousand Bielski Jews emerged -- alive -- on that final, triumphant exit from the woods. ...Show more