Anthony H. Farrar-Hockley

En beskrivelse af Army Aviation ved den elgelske hær fra brugen af militære balloner til vor tids kamphelikoptere.

2 v. : 26 cm

It may at present be of mutual interest to East and West to reduce their military capabilities. The persistent economic difficulties of the Soviet Union have impelled it to negotiate for disarmament on a more realistic basis. But the members of the Atlantic Alliance should heed the lessons implicit in their memorials to those lost in two world wars, and in the Korean War. As the following pages manifest, disarmament which changes the balance of forces adversely for those dedicated to defence does not reduce the risk of war but enhances it. If this is a statement of the obvious, it was not obvious in Washington, Paris or London between the two world wars. Lest we forget.

In April 1951, at the height of the Korean War, Chinese troops advanced south of the 38th parallel towards a strategic crossing-point of the Imjin River on the invasion route to the South Korean capital of Seoul. The stand of the 1st Battalion, the Gloucestershire Regiment, against the overwhelming numbers of invading troops has since passed into British military history. In The Edge of the Sword General Sir Anthony Farrar-Hockley, then Adjutant of the Glosters, has painted a vivid and accurate picture of the battle as seen by the officers and soldiers caught up in the middle of it. The book does not, however, end there. Like the majority of those who survived, the author became a prisoner-of-war, and the book continues with a remarkable account of his experiences in and out of Chinese prison camps. This book is not an attempt at a personal hero-story, and it is certainly not a piece of political propaganda. It is, above all, an amazing story of human fortitude and high adventure.

This is another nicely readable look at World War II military campaigns and tactics from Ballantine Classics. Here readers learn about Airborne troops, and specifically the Allies bold but failed operation in Operation Market Garden (¨A Bridge too Far¨) in the Netherlands and Germany in September, 1944. Readers learn about training and tactics, and why this bold gambit to flank the Wehrmacht and cross the Rhine asked more of the troops than could be accomplished. As we see in both prose and photos, the airborne troops easily captured and held two bridges but lacking support, could not hold the third for very long against harsh counter-attack. Meanwhile the Allied spearheads were unable to break through to save them. This is a solid, readable, informative look.

This text describes the first battle of Ypres in October and November 1914, in which the British Army was destroyed. In this epic struggle, the old British Regular Army, whose fighting qualities have never been surpassed, stood and died facing odds of up to seven to one.