Battle of Britain - The Pilots and Planes That Made History by Simon Pearson; Ed Gorman

$37.99 NZD

Category: Military History

In Battle of Britain: The Pilots and the Planes That Made History, Ed Gorman and Simon Pearson paint a vivid picture of the men and their machines as the battle for air superiority over Britain is played out across the skies of Europe, from western Ireland to the German capital. They tell remarkable st ories involving hitherto unknown airmen from across the world who flew aircraft, including some that will be new to many readers: the New Zealander who "borrowed" a seaplane from the Royal Navy to set up a freelance air-sea rescue service that saved the lives of dozens of British and German pilots; the Swiss baron who destroyed nine British fighters in a day; the vainglorious Dane whose RAF squadron was wiped out trying to disrupt Nazi invasion plans; and the German bomber pilot who fought the last battle involving foreign troops on British soil since Culloden - before repairing to a pub in Kent for a pint with soldiers from the Irish Rifle, who had taken him prisoner. Illustrated with contemporary photographs of the pilots and their aircraft, these are enthralling stories from both sides of a conflict that shaped the modern world, full of courage, endeavour and above all, humanity. ...Show more

Crucible of Hell: Okinawa - Stalingrad of the Pacific by Saul David

$39.99 NZD

Category: Military History

'Excellent' Antony BeevorFrom award-winning historian Saul David, an action-packed and powerful new narrative of the Battle of Okinawa - the last great clash of the Second World War, and one that had profound consequences for the modern world. For eighty-three blood-soaked days, the fighting on the isl and of Okinawa plumbed depths of savagery as bad as anything seen on the Eastern Front. When it was over, almost a quarter of a million people had lost their lives, making it by far the bloodiest US battle of the Pacific. In Okinawa, the death toll included thousands of civilians lost to mass suicide, convinced by Japanese propaganda that they would otherwise be raped and murdered by the enemy. On the US side, David argues that the horror of the battle ultimately determined President Truman's choice to use atomic bombs in August 1945.It is a brutal, heart-rending story, and one David tells with masterly attention to detail: the cramped cockpit of a kamikaze plane, the claustrophobic gun turret of a warship under attack, and a half-submerged foxhole amidst the squalor and battle detritus. The narrative follows generals, presidents and emperors, as well as the humbler experiences of ordinary servicemen and families on both sides, and the Okinawan civilians who were caught so tragically between the warring parties.Using graphic eyewitness accounts and declassified documents from archives in three continents, Saul David illuminates a shocking chapter of history that is too often missing from Western-centric narratives of the Second World War. ...Show more

The Tank Book

$24.99 NZD

Category: Military

Combat Aircraft

$24.99 NZD

Category: Military

Eddie Norman And 25 Battalion by Elizabeth Kay

$40.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military

When World War Two broke out, three theological students left their college in Auckland to the sound of bagpipes and volunteered to fight. Eddie Norman, aged 22 from Hawke's Bay, was one of them. A natural leader, his first experience of action was at El Alamein in 1942 as a platoon commander, and durin g the Italian campaign he quickly rose to command 25 Battalion. Under Eddie, the battalion was responsible for the division's sole success at Cassino, almost single-handedly smashed the German defensive line south of Arezzo and led the advance across the Senio to the Sillaro River. He was awarded the Military Cross, Distinguished Service Order and American Legion of Merit. Eddie's regular letters home to his new wife, Margaret, described daily army life during the desert fighting in the Middle East and the wet winter campaign in Italy when the men were holed up in the ruins of Cassino and pursued the enemy through Tuscany to the Adriatic Coast. Eddie returned home to Margaret and his studies for the Anglican priesthood, eventually becoming Anglican Bishop of Wellington in 1973 and knighted. Eddie Norman and 25 Battalion is told by Eddie's daughter Elizabeth Kay using his letters and other writings, 200 images and a series of custom-made maps. ...Show more

From Taranto to Trieste by Jennifer Mallinson

$49.50 NZD

Category: NZ Military

Taranto to Trieste is an account of the author’s fascinating journey to retrace the actual path of the 2nd New Zealand Division in Italy from its arrival in October 1943 until the end of the European war. Although a personal journey with personal reflections, the real story is about the largely of f-the-beaten track places which the troops passed through, what they saw and experienced along the way and, in some cases what they missed. To complement the Division’s story, the historical context and military actions are explained with many maps as well as war-time photographs and colourful quotations from official military histories. As the author says, “There are many people of the post-war generation, and their children, with direct connections to the Italian campaign, who would like to know more about the small, mysterious places the Division passed through which appear in diaries, letters and on the back of photographs, but many of which do not appear on maps.” The author’s own photographs, descriptions of the places visited, the landscapes travelled and the roads followed will delight those wanting to follow in the footsteps of the 2nd Division in Italy. ...Show more

Soldiers, Scouts & Spies: A Military History of the New Zealand Wars 1845 - 1864 by Cliff Simons

$55.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military

As interest in the New Zealand Wars grows, Soldiers, Scouts and Spies offers a unique insight into the major campaigns fought between 1845 and 1864 by British troops, their militia and Maori allies, and Maori iwi and coalitions. It was a time of rapid technological change. Maori were quick to adopt west ern weaponry and evolve their tactics and even political structures as they looked for ways to confront the might of the Imperial war machine. And Britain, despite being a military and economic super power, was challenged by a capable enemy in a difficult environment. ...Show more

Whitiki! Whiti! Whiti! E!: Maori in the First World War by Monty Soutar

$69.99 NZD

Category: Māori Military History

This major publication about Maori participation in the First World War is written by NZ's leading Maori military historian Dr Monty Soutar, author of the award-winning Nga Tama Toa C Company, Maori Battalion. A fascinating look at the Pioneer Battalion (the Battalion created for Maori to serve) that wi ll shed light on the reasons why some men signed on to serve, and others staunchly resisted the call to join the imperial conflict. As with Dr Soutar's first book, it combines the story of the war and the role of Maori in it, with the words and thoughts of the men themselves, as well as those back home. Over 300 images, many from family collections and not published before. ...Show more

Le Quesnoy 1918 by Christopher Pugsley

$39.99 NZD

Category: NZ Military

The New Zealand Division's capture of the French town of Le Quesnoy was its last and most successful action in the First World War. Breaking through defensive lines and scaling the town walls by ladder, the New Zealanders overwhelmed the defenders, freeing the town after years of German occupation. It w as a victory that resounded around the world, and helped convince German high command they could no longer hold the front. Based on his intimate knowledge of the landscape and those involved, Christopher Pugsley puts together the story with his mastery of drama and detail - producing a book that is thrilling at the same time as a tribute to the New Zealanders who died (and whose details are fully recorded here for the first time). Strikingly illustrated with maps, photographs and the stunning paintings of the battle by George Butler, Le Quesnoy 1918 will be an inspiring read for this summer and many seasons beyond. ...Show more

With Them Through Hell: New Zealand Medical Services in the First World War by Anna Rogers

$65.00 NZD

Category: NZ Military | Reading Level: near fine

The thousands of New Zealand men who fought in the First World War went through hell. And right beside them was another fighting force, armed with scalpels, bandages and drugs. Hundreds of doctors, nurses, stretcher-bearers, orderlies and ambulance drivers,dentists, chiropodists, pharmacists, physi otherapists and chaplains cared for the sick and wounded, often at great personal risk. Veterinarians did the same for horses, camels and other animals. The challenges were enormous - horrific injuries, gas and deadly diseases, especially the influenza of 1918. There were some astonishing successes - most famously by plastic surgery pioneers Harold Gillies and Henry Pickerill - but the price was high, for patients and carers. The skilled, compassionate and courageous New Zealand medical personnel of the Great War have not always received the attention they deserve. Anna Rogers tells their remarkable story. ...Show more

The Battle of Messines Road by J. K. Moloney

$29.99 NZD

Category: NZ Military | Reading Level: new

'My war was a good war, as was the next one. Your father's is a bad one. But in the end it makes no difference. It's all war. It's always the same.' A man at the end of his life, trying to make sense of war, for a boy at the start of his. The story of how these unlikely friends find solace and together fight what they see as the unfairness of it all. A fight that culminates in a series of battles; one on Messines Road and one on Anzac Day. Told both through the eyes of 10-year-old Zac, living in 1968 Wellington and a 21-year-old World War I soldier, The Battle of Messines Road is a coming-of-age story, a World War I diary and a novel about friendship and families. It is a book of how two wars, 50 years apart, changed New Zealand and its people. With the centenary of WWI now in progress The Battle of Messines Road is a chance to get a fresh perspective on a period of New Zealand's history which is presently in the spotlight. The combination of historical document, carefully researched history and fiction gives readers a unique insight into WWI and the nature of war alongside an exciting story line. The two intertwined narratives will hold a wide-range of reader interest and the perspective of 10-year-old Zac will capture the attention of the young adult market while still appealing to more mature readers. ...Show more

Park: The Biography of Air Chief Marshall Sir Keith Park, GCB, KBE, MC, DFC, DCL

$39.99 NZD

Category: Military

'If ever any one man won the Battle of Britain, he did. I don't believe it is realized how much that one man, with his leadership, his calm judgment and his skill, did to save not only this country, but the world.' So wrote Marshal of the RAF Lord Tedder in 1947. As commander of No. 11 Group, Fighter Co mmand and responsible for the air defense of London and South-East England, Keith Park took charge of the day-to-day direction of the battle. In spotlighting his thoughts and actions during the crisis, Vincent Orange reveals a man whose unfailing energy, courage and cool resourcefulness won not only supreme praise from Churchill but the lasting respect and admiration of all who served under him. However, few officers in any of the services packed more action into their lives, and this book covers the whole of his career - youth in New Zealand, success as an ace fighter pilot in World War I, postings to South America and Egypt, Battle of Britain, Command of the RAF in Malta 1942/43, and finally Allied Air Commander-in-Chief of SE Asia under Mountbatten in 1945. His contribution to victory and peace was immense and this biography does much to shed light on the Big Wing controversy of 1940 and give insight into the war in Burma, 1945, and how the huge problems remaining after the war's sudden end were dealt with. Drawn largely from unpublished sources and interviews with people who knew Park, and illustrated with maps and photographs, this is an authoritative biography of one of the world's greatest unsung heroes. Professor Vincent Orange was born in the UK, gained a PhD at Hull University, and now lives in New Zealand lecturing in History at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. He enjoyed the privilege of unrestricted access to Park's papers while writing this book. Park was originally published in hardback by Methuen in 1984. This is the first paperback edition. ...Show more