Richard Holmes

D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion in history, took place on 6 June 1944. The subsequent battle of Normandy involved over a million men, and helped seal the fate of The Third Reich. This is a graphic account of the planning and execution of Operation Overlord, as well as the campaign which effectively destroyed the German forces in France, opening the way for the Allied advance. Including a wealth of superb photographs and maps, the book also contains 30 facsimile items of rare memorabilia, including diaries, letters and memos, as well as an audio CD containing 72 minutes of veteran interviews, bringing this 'Day of Days' dramatically to life.

"In this book, foremost military historian Richard Holmes has drawn on testimonies of officers and soldiers of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, of which he is Colonel, to capture in detail the day-to-day experience of soldiering. Their words are illustrated with digital photos taken by the soldiers themselves. Embroiled in a conflict often too dangerous for reporters to cover, these men and women - most of them young, many without any previous experience of combat - have kept records of their exceptional seven-month tour in Iraq and have given interviews that capture the exhiliration, drudgery, anxiety and horror involved in fighting a violent and increasingly unpopular war against a ruthless enemy. All have risked their lives: some have died. Others have been recognized for their courage, resourcefulness and gallantry - Private Johnson Beharry recently became the first person for 23 years to be awarded the Victoria Cross."--BOOK JACKET.

"[B]egins with India's rise from commercial enclave to great Empire, from Clive's victory of Plassey, through the imperial wars of the eighteenth century and the Afghan and Sikh wars of the 1840s, through the bloody turmoil of the Mutiny, and the frontier campaigns at the century's end. With its focus on the experiences of the ordinary soldiers, Sahib explains why soldiers of the Raj joined the army, how they got to India and what they made of it when they arrived"--Fly leaf.

Skillfully clarifies the complexities of four major World War II military campaigns: El Alamein, Italy, Arnhem, and the Battle of Britain. In this study of war Holmes recreates what it was really like to be in the midst of bloody conflict from the eye-witness accounts of servicemen and women.

Photographs from the archives of the Imperial War Museum provide images of the war on each front, from the initial outbreak of war to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

For the first time in its history, the Imperial War Museum has collaborated on a book that showcases 500 of the best black-and-white and colour images from its photographic archive, including many previously unpublished.

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