The Life & Campaigns of General Hughie Stockwell

The Life & Campaigns of General Hughie Stockwell PDF Author: Jonathon Riley
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473814553
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 394

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Book Description
The career of General Hugh Stockwell culminated in the ill-fated Suez Operation of 1956 but no stigma can attach to him for this. It was a military success but a political nightmare which resulted in the fall of Prime Minister Eden, the lowest point in relations between the Western allies, the departure of France from the NATO military structure and the huge loss of British national confidence. Stockwells career up to that point had been exemplary. Although commissioned into the Welch Fusiliers he had fought in Norway 1940, commanded the Special Training Centre at Lochailort and 2nd battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers in 29 Independent Brigade during the successful invasion of Madagascar in 1942. He was a brigade and divisional commander in Burma and commander of 6 Airborne Division in Palestine before becoming Commander Land Forces during the Malayan Emergency under Templer. After the Suez debacle he went on to be Adjutant General and Deputy SACEUR during the height of the Cold War (Cuban missile crisis and erection of Berlin Wall). This is a timely biography of a soldier who was at the heart of the action during the Second World War and the turbulent post-war years

The Life & Campaigns of General Hughie Stockwell

The Life & Campaigns of General Hughie Stockwell PDF Author: Jonathon Riley
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1473814553
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 394

Get Book

Book Description
The career of General Hugh Stockwell culminated in the ill-fated Suez Operation of 1956 but no stigma can attach to him for this. It was a military success but a political nightmare which resulted in the fall of Prime Minister Eden, the lowest point in relations between the Western allies, the departure of France from the NATO military structure and the huge loss of British national confidence. Stockwells career up to that point had been exemplary. Although commissioned into the Welch Fusiliers he had fought in Norway 1940, commanded the Special Training Centre at Lochailort and 2nd battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers in 29 Independent Brigade during the successful invasion of Madagascar in 1942. He was a brigade and divisional commander in Burma and commander of 6 Airborne Division in Palestine before becoming Commander Land Forces during the Malayan Emergency under Templer. After the Suez debacle he went on to be Adjutant General and Deputy SACEUR during the height of the Cold War (Cuban missile crisis and erection of Berlin Wall). This is a timely biography of a soldier who was at the heart of the action during the Second World War and the turbulent post-war years

Strategy in War and Peace

Strategy in War and Peace PDF Author: Aaron Edwards
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
ISBN: 0748683992
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
A lively introduction to the practical application of strategy in war and peaceRead and download the introduction for free now (pdf)Strategy is a central concept in international security, and one that travels across the academic disciplines of politics, international relations and history. By why is it so important? Aaron Edwards unpacks key strategic episodes from world history and politics to help readers to understand the role of strategy and the scholarly and policy debates surrounding it.Discover how strategic theory can be used to navigate the complex and uncertain international security environment that we live in today.Assesses the practical utility of strategy in the modern world and emphasises its analytical value in the practical business of national and international securityExamines the politics of strategy in times of both war and peaceThemes covered include:International relations *; technology *; ethics *; irregular war (including counter-insurgency, counter-terrorism and hybrid warfare) *; the resurgence of great power rivalries in the early 21st century *; the rise of non-state actorsCase studies include:Guerrilla warfare and strategy in regions from South East Asia to the Middle East *; US nuclear strategy in the Cold War *; Russian intervention in Ukraine *; British strategy at the end of empire *; the UN's role in resolving conflict after the Cold War *; US-led coalition strategy in Afghanistan *; the challenge posed by Al Qaeda and Islamic State/Daesh"e;

A Matter of Honour

A Matter of Honour PDF Author: Jonathan Riley
Publisher: Frontline Books
ISBN: 1896941656
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 351

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Book Description
The monument to Isaac Brock (1769–1812) on Queenston Heights in Canada, as high as Nelson’s column in London, pays tribute to the military commander of all troops opposing the American invasion of Canada during the War of 1812. Brock’s service during the War of 1812 includes leading the capture of Detroit. He was killed on the morning of 13 October 1812, leading a company of the 49th Foot in a counter-attack on the American lodgement atop Queenston Heights. Although Brock died and his uphill charge against the American muskets failed, the invasion was repulsed soon afterwards. A Matter of Honour focuses on Brock’s career as a military commander and also as a civil administrator for the government of Upper Canada. Early chapters deal with his life and military service up to 1791. The book also records his command of the 49th Regiment in the Low Countries and at Copenhagen up to his arrival in Canada in 1802. Brock spent more time in Canada than any other British general who fought in the War of 1812. He faced a difficult situation in Canada, defending a long frontier with meagre resources. However, he was renowned for his resourcefulness, inspiring leadership and ability to keep opponents off-balance

Defending the realm?

Defending the realm? PDF Author: Aaron Edwards
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 1526129957
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Britain is often revered for its extensive experience of waging ‘small wars’. Its long imperial history is littered with high profile counter-insurgency campaigns, thus marking it out as the world’s most seasoned practitioner of this type of warfare. This is the first book to detail the tactical and operational dynamics of Britain’s small wars, arguing that the military’s use of force was more heavily constrained by wider strategic and political considerations than previously admitted. Outlining the civil-military strategy followed by the British in Palestine, Malaya, Kenya, Cyprus, Aden, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan, Defending the realm? argues that Britain’s small wars since 1945 were fought against the backdrop of an irrevocable decline in British power. Written from a theoretically-informed perspective, grounded in rich archival sources, oral testimonies and a revisionist reading of the literature on counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism, this is the definitive account of the politics of Britain’s small wars.

Democracy Goes to War

Democracy Goes to War PDF Author: Nigel White
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199218595
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
British troops are increasingly deployed around the world. This book considers the different constitutional frameworks that operate at national and international levels within which troop deployments are made by the British government, and assesses whether mechanisms of democratic accountability can contribute to upholding international law.

That Astonishing Infantry'

That Astonishing Infantry' PDF Author: Michael Glover
Publisher: Pen and Sword
ISBN: 1844156532
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 377

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Book Description
The Royal Welch Fusiliers were present at all Marlborough's great victories; they were one of the six Minden regiments; they fought throughout the Peninsula and were present at Wellington's final glorious victory at Waterloo. In The Great War their officers included the writer poets Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves; their 22 battalions fought not just on the Western Front but at Gallipoli, in Egypt, Palestine, Salonika, Mesopotamia and Italy. In WW2 they won battle honours from the Reichswald to Kohima. More recently they have served with distinction in the war against terror in the Middle East. Like so many famous regiments the RWF are no longer in the British Army's order of battle having been amalgamated into the Royal Regiment of Wales. But this fine book is the lasting memorial to a fiercely proud and greatly admired regiment.

Pioneers of Irregular Warfare

Pioneers of Irregular Warfare PDF Author: Malcolm Atkin
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
ISBN: 1526766019
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
Covert operations and ingenious weapons for irregular warfare were developed rapidly, and with great success, by the British during the Second World War, and the story of the most famous organizations involved like SOE, the SAS and Section D of SIS is now well known, but Military Intelligence (Research), the smallest but one of the most influential of these units is relatively unknown. Malcolm Atkin’s intriguing and meticulously researched account describes their role at the heart of the War Office in trying to develop a ‘respectable’ arm of irregular warfare and their innovations ranging from the early Commandos, sticky bombs, limpet mines, booby traps, and even helicopters to the creation of the MI9 escape organization. They were an ‘ideas factory’ rather than an operational body but the book describes their worldwide operations including Finland, Norway, Romania, the Middle East and Central Africa. This is also a story of conflicting personalities between Jo Holland, the visionary but self-effacing head of MI(R) and his ambitious deputy, Colin Gubbins (later head of SOE), and the latter’s private war with SIS.

England's Last War Against France

England's Last War Against France PDF Author: Colin Smith
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN: 0297857819
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Genuinely new story of the Second World War - the full account of England's last war against France in 1940-42. Most people think that England's last war with France involved point-blank broadsides from sailing ships and breastplated Napoleonic cavalry charging red-coated British infantry. But there was a much more recent conflict than this. Under the terms of its armistice with Nazi Germany, the unoccupied part of France and its substantial colonies were ruled from the spa town of Vichy by the government of Marshal Philip Petain. Between July 1940 and November 1942, while Britain was at war with Germany, Italy and ultimately Japan, it also fought land, sea and air battles with the considerable forces at the disposal of Petain's Vichy French. When the Royal Navy sank the French Fleet at Mers El-Kebir almost 1,300 French sailors died in what was the twentieth century's most one-sided sea battle. British casualties were nil. It is a wound that has still not healed, for undoubtedly these events are better remembered in France than in Britain. An embarrassment at the time, France's maritime massacre and the bitter, hard-fought campaigns that followed rarely make more than footnotes in accounts of Allied operations against Axis forces. Until now.

The British Army in Palestine and the 1948 War

The British Army in Palestine and the 1948 War PDF Author: Alon Kadish
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429843321
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
Following the end of the Second World War, the main mission of the British Army in Palestine was to contain Jewish attacks and illegal immigration while the fate of the Mandate was being decided. This book is a record of the British Army during the final year of the Mandate and its impact on the course and outcome of the 1948 War. With the decision of the UN General Assembly on 29th November 1947 to partition Palestine and the anticipated eruption of inter-communal violence, the Army was made responsible for the maintenance of law and order throughout Palestine until the termination of the Mandate on 15th May 1948. These crucial months are considered from the point of view of the ranks of the British Army, soldiers and field commanders rather than that of generals and statesmen. It makes extensive use of memoirs, contemporary writing and private diaries, as well as archival material and regimental journals. Subjects such as regimental culture and leisure activities are explored in addition to operations and peace-keeping. The book offers an important contribution to the history of the Middle East, and readers interested in political science, the history of the British Army, military history, Palestine and Israel will find in this book a new and innovative view of the 1948 War.

Battlefield Rations

Battlefield Rations PDF Author: Anthony Clayton
Publisher: Helion and Company
ISBN: 1910294284
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 120

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Book Description
An Army marches on its stomach, observed Napoleon, a hundred and fifty years later General Rommel remarked that the British should always be attacked before soldiers had had an early morning cup of tea. This book, written to raise money for the Army Benevolent Fund and with a Foreword by General Lord Dannatt, sets out the human story of the food and "brew-ups" of the front-line soldier from the Boer War to Helmand. Throughout, the importance of the provision of food, or even a simple mug of tea, for morale and unit fellowship as well as for the need of the calories required for battle is highlighted with many examples over the century. For many, until 1942, the basis of food was "bully beef" and hard biscuit, supplemented by whatever could be found locally, all adequate but monotonous. Sometimes supply failed, on occasions water also. The extremes of hardship being when regiments were besieged, as in Ladysmith in the Boer War and Kut el-Amara in Iraq in the 1914-18 war. At Kut soldiers had, at best, hedgehogs or birds fried in axle-grease with local vegetation. On the Western Front the Retreat from Mons in August 1914 was almost as severe. The transport of food is as interesting a story as the food itself, ranging from oxen, horses, mules, camels, even reindeer and elephants to motor transport and aircraft in different theatres at different times. The first airdrop of food, not very successful, was in fact at Kut el-Amara in 1916. The inter-war years experiences of mountaineers and polar explorers, supplemented by academic diet studies of the unemployed in London and North England led to the introduction of the varied composite, or 'compo' rations, marking an enormous improvement in soldiers' food, an improvement commented upon by the bully beef and biscuits-fed 8th Army advancing into Tunisia from Libya on meeting the 1st Army which had landed in Algeria with tins of compo. The Italian campaigns of 1943-45, especially the Salerno and Anzio landings and the battle for Monte Cassino, presented particular difficulties. At Cassino food reached forward units on mules with Basuto muleteers and Indian porters for the last stage to men in ground holes or scrapes. Soldiers landing in Normandy and fighting on into Germany were generally well fed even during a hard 1944-45 winter. The worst suffering, though, fell on soldiers in the Burma campaign, especially in the Chindit columns. In one unit, the only food available at one time was the chaplain's store of Communion wafers. Many men died unnecessarily from the results of poor feeding. In the end of empire colonial campaigns soldiers were generally well fed even if the food was monotonous. Units in the Korean War experienced difficulties at the onset; in the Borneo jungle campaigns of the 1960s the problem was not so much the provision of food for patrols as how to eat it without the smell of the food and refuse from the packs giving positions away. For the Falklands War special cold weather compo had to be provided and was eaten on the long 'yomps' or 'tabs' marches. The soldier on the streets of Northern Ireland often lived on egg "banjo" sandwiches but real hardship was suffered by one Welsh battalion besieged by the Serbs in Gorazde during the Bosnia operations when Vitamin C deficiency led to scurvy. The book ends with food supply, often based on whole or part swapping with American military food (usually below British standards) in the Iraq operations and in Afghanistan. An appendix sets out the contents of a typical box of rations issued to a soldier in Helmand in 2011, very generous in quantity and easily prepared. One side of the box carries a stern message to the effect that a soldier must consume the entire contents in order to maintain full fighting efficiency. Such injunctions were not marked on the boxes of food sent forward to the troops in the Boer War; there the boxes were stamped with the initials of the Senior Catering Office Field Force. "Scoffs here at last." The work has been compiled from documents in the Royal Logistic Corps Museum at Deepcut, from memoirs, letters and interviews, and from the superb collection of regimental histories in the library of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. All royalties due to the author for this book will be sent to the Army Benevolent Fund, The Soldiers' Charity.