Military History

In the first book of its kind, author Jenny Haworth shows World War II through the eyes of five of New Zealand's commissioned war artists - Peter McIntyre, Austen Deans, Russell Clark, Allan Barns-Graham and John McIndoe. Stationed to the areas where New Zealand soldiers were fighting in the Mediterranean, North Africa, the Middle East, the Pacific and Europe, these five men saw it as their duty to depict the war in line with the government's attempt to reassure those at home. Beautifully illustrated throughout with large full-colour reproductions of each artist's work, as well as numerous drawings and photos. 224 pages 248 x 248 mm First published September 2007.

'It's the end of the 1916 winter and the conditions are almost unbelievable. We live in a world of Somme mud. We sleep in it, work in it, fight in it, wade in it and many of us die in it. We see it, feel it, eat it and curse it, but we can't escape it, not even by dying...'. Edward Lynch enlisted when he was just 18 - one of thousands of fresh-faced men who were proudly waved off by the crowds as they embarked for France. It was 1916 and the majority had no idea of the reality of the Somme trenches, of the traumatised soldiers they would encounter there, of the innumerable, awful contradictions of war.Private Lynch was one of those who survived, and on his return home ... read more

HMS Ark Royal was the most powerful warship the Royal Navy had ever put to sea. 50,000 tons of British Sovereign Territory - a floating airfield that was home to 2700 men, a stockpile of nuclear weapons, and the most modern, capable air force in Europe. But by the early seventies, Ark Royal was in the twilight of her career. Only kept in service to help face down the Cold War threat from the powerful Soviet Navy, it seemed Ark would play no further part on the world's stage. Then, in January 1972, intelligence reached Whitehall that British Honduras - now Belize - was threatened with imminent invasion. To defend the colony Britain's response had to be immediate and un... read more

HMS Ark Royal was the most powerful warship the Royal Navy had ever put to sea. 50,000 tons of British Sovereign Territory - a floating airfield that was home to 2700 men, a stockpile of nuclear weapons, and the most modern, capable air force in Europe. But by the early seventies, Ark Royal was in the twilight of her career. Only kept in service to help face down the Cold War threat from the powerful Soviet Navy, it seemed Ark would play no further part on the world's stage.Then, in January 1972, intelligence reached Whitehall that British Honduras - now Belize - was threatened with imminent invasion. To defend the colony Britain's response had to be immediate and uneq... read more

A world away from the killing fields of France was a battle that could have changed the face of history. Over the course of 1917, German bombers threatened to engulf London in firestorms - a portent of the London Blitz and the Battle of Britain over twenty years later. They were determined to bring London to its knees. The First Blitz took place over eight nights in 1917, but it was the second wave of attacks in the summer of 1918, following the development of the 'Elektron' incendiary bomb, that came within an ace of obliterating London. The margin between the survival of the world's greatest capital city and its total destruction came down to less than one hour. The ... read more

Stuart A. Herrington was an American intlligence advisor assigned to root out the enemy in the Hau Nghia province. His gripping memoir recounts his personal experience with Operation Phoenix, the program created to destroy the Vietcong's shadow government, which thrived in the rural communities of South Vietnam. 274 pages including black-and-white photo insert and maps.

DoP - August 2008, Auckland This gripping history has been written using the diaries, letters, photographs and personal reminiscences of members of 488 Squadron, who were based just outside Singapore City and valiantly kept planes in the air against Japanese attacks until just before the city was overwhelmed. The story of their day-to-day life at a time of crisis, their hard work and their valour is eye-opening. The remaining ground crew were granted passage on one of the last ships to leave the island, when the Japanese were just 1 kilometre from the city centre. The ship had accommodation for 23 passengers, yet there were approximately 3000 people crammed on board. ... read more

160 pages in A4 portrait format A superb all-colour reference book to all the badges and insignia worn by the elite troops of the two countries, past and present. Includes brief histories of the units with some photographs, in both colour and black and white. In all there are over 700 colour illustrations.

The mysterious world of elite combat units blown wide open… Find out how elite teams prepare for Close Quarter Battle. Discover how they launch assaults against pirate boats. Learn the secrets to directing air attack against a key intelligence target. Read how units manage to enter hostile territory undetected, and carry out long-ranges reconnaissance mission deep behind enemy lines? In his new book, former SAS hero Chris Ryan delves into the secretive world of elite warfare, revealing the nuts and bolts of some of the toughest, sharpest and most legendary fighting units in existence around the world today. Drawing on his experience as a soldier in the Regimen... read more

Leslie Illingworth was one of the most distinguished British political cartoonists of the 20th century and remains for many 'the cartoonists' cartoonist. Yet, though his career spanned more than 50 years very little has been published about his life and works. Some of Illingworth's best cartoons were published for the "Daily Mail" during the Second World War (examples were even found in Hitler's bunker) and this book collects together for the first time 100 of his greatest to mark the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the conflict. Illingworth joined the "Daily Mail" soon after the war started, and remained with the paper for 30 years. A superb draughtsman and an acu... read more