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How to fly the legendary fighter plane in combat using the manuals and instructions supplied by the RAF during the Second World War. An amazing array of leaflets, books and manuals were issued by the War Office during the Second World War to aid pilots in flying the Supermarine Spitfire, here for the first time and using the original 1940s setting, they are collated into a single book. An introduction is supplied by expert aviation historian Dilip Sarkar. Other sections include aircraft recognition, how to act as an RAF officer, bailing out etc.

Everyone is familiar with the story of D-Day and the triumphal liberation of France by the Allies: a barbaric enemy was defeated by Allied ingenuity, courage and overwhelming military force, helped by dreadful German command errors and the terrible state of Wehrmacht forces in the West – but is this all true? The Wehrmacht was hugely experienced, equipped with some of the best weaponry of the war and was holding its own in Italy and Russia at the time. Berlin knew the invasion was coming and had had years to prepare for it. So how did the Germans view the impending invasion and campaign, did they feel ready, what forces did they have and could they have done better?Previous histories have focused on the ‘clash of the generals’; the battle between von Runstedt and Eisenhower, Montgomery and Rommel, but on the German side in particular this was a battle that would be fought by divisional and regimental commanders; the ‘German D-Day colonels’ upon whom the real business of trying to defeat the invasion fell – it was they and their men, outnumbered and outgunned, who somehow held Normandy for ten whole weeks against the greatest seaborne invasion force ever assembled, and occasionally even came close to defeating it.In the end they lost, and the majority of these unsung leaders ended up killed, wounded or captured in the fighting. As for their men, they ranged from élite Waffen-SS stormtroopers through to bewildered teenagers, old men, ‘recycled’ invalids and even anti-communist Eastern legions. Written from the ‘other side’ and told through the words of the veterans, this book is a revelation.

Spring 1941 – the Third Reich triumphant! Having taken over Germany in 1933, Hitler launched a series of lightning campaigns across Europe that crushed Poland, Denmark, Norway, France, the Low Countries and then the Balkans. Only Great Britain had withstood the Nazis, but even it was battered and bruised and close to defeat. Then, on 22 June 1941 – in the most momentous decision of the war – the Nazi dictator turned East and flung his victorious armies into the vastness of the Soviet Union.Having signed a Non-Aggression Pact with Hitler back in 1939, Stalin was taken completely by surprise by the German attack. Hitler’s Wehrmacht – buoyed by years of untrammelled success and led by some of the greatest commanders Nazi Germany had to offer – crashed across the border and sent the Red Army reeling.The German plan was simple and its scale staggering; over three million men, armed with over three thousand panzers, the same number of aircraft, more than seven thousand guns and carried by over six hundred thousand vehicles and even more horses, would be joined by over half a million soldiers from allied countries, and together they would destroy the largest army in the world while advancing a thousand miles to the very borders of Asiatic Russia. There they would halt and what remained of the Soviet Union and the communist faith that spawned it would wither and die. In the newly conquered lebensraum, Hitler and the Nazis would then commence the biggest mass human extermination programme in history. Barbarossa was huge, but it was fought by men; and on the German side in particular, it would be fought by junior officers and simple soldiers as the Wehrmacht tried to win the war once and for all.

Adriatic spans over two thousand years of history and the whole of the eastern Mediterranean region around the Adriatic Sea and part of the neighbouring Ionian Sea. Ever since the Romans, these lands and their peoples have experienced the coming and going of great empires, including occupation by the British in recent centuries, and the demise of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the First World War, which had its origins in this combustible region. The book untangles a rich and complex history into the twentieth century, before the former Yugoslavia once again fractured.The fascinating and highly accessible account emphasises the interplay between different parts of the Adriatic: on the plus side, the alliances that countries formed, often through trade or royal marriage, and on the negative side, the rivalries that divided states and ended in war, invasion or the overthrow of government. The narrative is filled with personal stories of individuals from many different periods that illuminate the real issues of their day, and explores the political, cultural and economic developments, together with the major conflicts from earliest Roman times, through the Crusades, right up to the battles of the Second World War.

This book traces the design, development and production history of the iconic classic Saab 900 model, manufactured from 1978 to 1993, looking at every variant from the basic single carburettor Saab 900 GL to the blisteringly fast turbocharged Saab 900 turbo 16S.This unique car accelerated Saab into the global executive car market, and was its most successful model ever, with more than 900,000 sold across the world. A combination of attractive Swedish styling, reliability, balanced handling, safety and performance endeared the Saab 900 to loyal owners who kept coming back for more over its long production run. Today, the model that enthusiasts and casual observers immediately identify as ‘the Saab’ is fast becoming a collector’s car, and deservedly so, with good examples fetching premium prices. This book is an essential reference for all the classic Saab 900s produced.This book features dozens of rare and previously unpublished photographs that the author, a Saab enthusiast and owner for twenty-five years, has researched and obtained from archives in the UK and Scandinavia. There is growing interest in this modern-day classic from enthusiasts and investors, and prices for the best survivors are steadily rising. This book will act as a useful, concise and attractive single reference point to this audience.

Launched in 1977, the V8 front-engine Porsche 928 Grand Tourer received widespread praise as an engineering masterpiece and won the European Car of the Year award in 1978. The Porsche 928 was so advanced that it continued in production, but with increased engine power, for eighteen years until 1995.Porsche 928 includes a detailed history of the 928 with updates on each model, including the little-known Special Editions, always beloved by the factory in Stuttgart. The book includes details of all European, USA and Canada models and the 928’s technical developments, and also looks at the highly refined V8 engine and the subtle body changes. The book also provides information on servicing and parts – useful for those who are considering buying what the factory now calls a Classic 928.Lavishly illustrated with full colour photography, including original Stuttgart photos from Porsche, this is the essential book on the Porsche 928.

The twentieth century ushered in new forms of warfare. On the high seas the submarine would challenge the supremacy of surface craft, and in the air the aeroplane offered new forms of both attack and reconnaissance. The advent of the tank made cavalry redundant and speeded-up the pace of war.Concealment, or the ability to confuse the enemy, could profoundly affect military operations and individual survival. Uniforms became drab for concealment, but in their camouflaged forms could denote elite fighting units. Artists were mobilised to devise concealment and the natural world played its part. Assumptions were made that had to be corrected. This book explains the fascinating challenges of the new ways of warfare and how concealment by camouflage played its part.

From humble beginnings as slaves in Egypt, the Mamluks trained as soldiers and rose in status to seize control of the largest empire in Islam. They ruled over Egypt and Syria for over two centuries. They saved the region from devastation by the Mongols and expelled the last of the Crusaders from the Holy Land. The Mamluks presided over the last flowering of the culture of medieval Islam, when scientific and artistic achievements were at least preserved, if not greatly advanced.The first Mamluks were Turks, chosen for their reputed pugnacious nature. A Turk and his horse always made a formidable combination, according to writings from the early period of the Arab conquests. As author John Brunton explains, ‘The tibaq system made soldiers of slaves. As a hybrid of the harsh nomadic tribesman and the well-trained knight, a Mamluk faris (cadet trooper) could certainly produce results.’Conquest by the Ottomans of 1517 may have ended the Mamluke Sultanate, but the Mamluks themselves continued as a powerful military class until modern times. They fought Napoleon when he invaded Egypt in 1798. Their alleged end in 1811 was as bloody as the rest of their history, but there is even evidence of the Mamluks continuing longer, possibly until the later nineteenth century.

On the night of 14/15 April 1912, a brandnew, supposedly unsinkable ship, the largest and most luxurious vessel in the world at the time, collided with an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage. Of the 2,208 people on board, only 712 were saved. The rest either drowned or froze to death in the icy-cold waters of the North Atlantic. How could this ‘unsinkable’ vessel sink and why did so few of those aboard survive?The authors bring the tragedy to life, telling the story of the ship’s design, construction and maiden voyage. The stories of individuals who sailed on her, many previously known only as names on yellowing passenger and crew lists, are brought to light using rarely-seen accounts of the sinking. The stories of passengers of all classes and crewmembers alike, are explored. They tell the dramatic stories of lives lost and people saved, of the rescue ship Carpathia, and of the aftermath of the sinking. Never again would a large passenger liner sail without lifeboats for all.Despite the tragedy, the sinking of the Titanic indirectly led to untold numbers of lives being saved due to new regulations that came into force after the tragedy. Profusely illustrated, including many rare and unique views of the ship and those who sailed on her, this is as accurate and engrossing a telling of the life of the White Star Line’s Titanic and her sinking as you will read anywhere. Made special by the use of so many rare survivor accounts from the eye witnesses to that night to remember, the narrative places the reader in the middle of the maiden voyage, and brings the tragic sinking to life as never before.

Radio Hitler follows the life of Deutschlandsender, the Nazi equivalent of BBC Radio 4, and its sister stations that transmitted to Germany and the world at large. Using first-hand interviews, archives, diaries, letters and memoirs, this book examines what Nazi radio was and what it stood for.Detailed here is the vast ‘fake news’ effort, which bombarded audiences in the Middle East, Africa, the United States and Great Britain. A light is also shone on the home service stations that, with their monumental announcements including Stalingrad, the assassination attempt on Hitler and the invasion of France, provided the soundtrack to everyday life in Nazi Germany. Details of entertainment shows and programmes designed to lift morale on the Home Front are abundant and offer a fresh insight into the psyche of the nation. The book also looks at Nazi attempts to develop television throughout Germany and in occupied France.A rich cast of characters is featured throughout, including Ernst Himmler, brother of Heinrich, who worked as technical chief at Deutschlandsender, and Lord Haw‑Haw, the infamous British mouthpiece of the Nazi propaganda machine.Nathan Morley had unlimited access to former Reich radio studios and transmitter sites in Hamburg, Berlin, and Vienna, as well as to a vast archive of recordings and transcripts. The result is a fascinating and revealing portrait of propaganda, communication and media in Nazi Germany.

Conjuring up a time when butchers and executioners knew more about anatomy than university-trained physicians, the phrase ‘medieval medicine’ sounds horrific to those of us with modern ideas on hygiene, instant pain relief and effective treatments. In those days no one could allay the dread of plague or the many other horrible diseases we have now forgotten. However, the medieval medical profession provided patients with everything from cosmetic procedures and dietary advice to life-saving surgeries and post-operative antibiotics. Intriguingly, alongside such expertise, some still believed that unicorns, dragons and elephants supplied vital medical ingredients and that horoscopes could predict the sex of unborn babies.This book explores the labyrinth of strange ideas and unlikely remedies that make up the weird, wonderful and occasionally beneficial world of medieval medicine.

Pitched into the maelstrom of air fighting in the summer of 1940, twenty-four-year-old Gordon Olive barely lived to tell this extraordinary tale of courage and endurance.As Britain fought alone for its survival, ‘the Few’ of RAF Fighter Command took to the air grievously outnumbered, many reaching breaking point, exhausted physically and mentally by unrelenting, intense combat.Gordon Olive flew the iconic Spitfire for over 125 missions above London and the south-east in the white heat of the aerial battle for supremacy of the skies. One of the most heavily engaged pilots of the Battle, he claimed ten enemy aircraft destroyed in those frantic months.This is his story of what it was like to dogfight with Messerschmitts at speeds of 400 mph, experiencing G forces close to blackout, at one moment to be drenched in sweat with exertion, the next to be freezing at 25,000 feet, to smell the cordite of your own fighter’s machine guns and feel cannon shells explode against the back of your armoured seat.Illustrated in colour with forty unique paintings of the aerial battle of summer 1940 by the author.

British Airways has an almost unique history. Spanning over a century from the first flight of Aircraft Transport and Travel Ltd from London to Paris in 1919 to the modern fuel-efficient aircraft of its current fleet, British Airways has proudly connected Britain to the World and the World to Britain. Over that journey through the rapidly evolving early years of pioneering aviation, taking days to cross continents with biplanes and seaplanes, through the post-war piston-engine luxury, the iconic jet age of the fabulous Boeing 707 and 747, the supersonic marvel of Concorde into the modern era of travel, British Airways has seen many historic events and carried literally billions of customers. Along the way that journey has generated vast amounts of treasured items, many of which are now displayed or stored at British Airways headquarters near Heathrow in its truly incredible museum, the Speedbird Centre. Much of the archive has true national importance and is kept as part of the nation’s heritage. From simple in-flight mementos to the Olympic torch, the items featured in this book represent just a flavour of that collection and bring decades of flight to life.

‘If Germany stays united and marches to the rhythm of its revolutionary socialist outlook, it will be unbeatable. Our indestructible will to life, and the driving force of the Führer’s personality guarantee this.’ (Joseph Goebbels, 4 June 1943.) It wasn’t and it didn’t.After the collapse of the German Army in the West in August 1944, the western Allies raced towards the borders of the Reich itself, and in the East the victorious Red Army was doing the same – everyone believed the war would be over by Christmas. But it wasn’t. Somehow, Nazi Germany managed to stave off final defeat until May the following year. In the end the agony was brought to a close with the hammer and sickle flying over the ruins of Berlin. The much-vaunted ‘Thousand Year Reich’ had lasted just a dozen years, but in that time it had wrought havoc across the globe. With defeat came the wholesale surrender of the once-proud Wehrmacht; hosts of men suddenly found themselves miles from home in territories ravaged by war. Amongst their ranks were thousands of non-Germans from all over Europe, men – mostly ex-Waffen-SS – who had thrown in their lot with the Germans; they were now ‘collaborators’ and ‘traitors’ and would return home to face the justice of the victors.Most histories focus on the fate of Adolf Hitler and German High Command on the road to the bunker beneath the rubble of Berlin, but on the German side in particular, as defeat loomed this was a battle that would be fought by junior officers and other ranks as the Wehrmacht fell apart. Following on from his successful D-Day Through German Eyes: How the Wehrmacht Lost France, Jonathan Trigg seeks with this second volume to tell the story of Nazi Germany’s final defeat through the voices of the men – and women – who witnessed it first-hand. This narrative is written from the ‘other side’ and told as much as possible through the words of the combatants and civilian witnesses.

The first Jaguar was presented by William Lyons in 1935 and heralded a line of saloons and sports cars that would be celebrated throughout the world. After the Second World War, Jaguar Cars became established as a foremost manufacturer of innovative high-performance cars. From the launch of the XK engine and XK120 sports car in 1948, through the sensational arrival of the E-Type, icon of the 1960s, and the XJ6, the definitive Jaguar for more than twenty years, Jaguar continued to be a byword for speed and style. The company successfully navigated the tight bends of changing ownership against the backdrop of industrial unrest in the British motor industry. While other famous car marques were consigned to history, Jaguar renewed itself and met the challenges of new markets and tastes. Independent ownership under Sir John Egan in the 1980s was followed by a takeover by Ford and an expanded model range to include the S-Type and X-Type. In 2008 the company was sold again to Tata Motors of India and further widened with the development of the F-Pace SUV and the i-Pace, its first electric car.Award-winning motoring journalist Ray Hutton’s long experience and inside knowledge of the motor industry makes this book an essential companion to Britain’s most successful manufacturer of sporting luxury cars.

The invasion of Ukraine in 2022 began a new episode in history and was surrounded by a miscellany of historical claims. This book is a succinct, up-to-date guide to the histories on offer about and from Russia, one that seeks to make sense of present issues and future prospects, as well as of the past. There is a heavy emphasis on war and international relations, but that is appropriate not only for the past but also for a present in which both are to the fore. Peter the Great (r. 1689-1725), an eager moderniser, was viewed as an un-Russian evil phenomenon in light of his denial of the divine identity of traditional Russian monarchy, his blasphemy, his theft of time from God when he changed the calendar, and his sacrilegious violation of the image of God in man when he forced men to cut off their beards.Vladimir Putin cuts off no beards, he is no moderniser; the fall of the Berlin Wall left him with an abiding mistrust of democracy and ‘People’s Power’. At Davos in 2000, American journalist Trudy Rubin asked a panel of top Russian officials: ‘Who is Mr Putin?’ None of them could answer, except to say: ‘He is the President of Russia.’ How did this KGB foreign intelligence officer become (temporarily) Trump’s favourite running dog of capitalism? To answer the question, we have to understand what Russia was. There is a continuity that will give us a clue about what it is and will become.

The Airbus A350 is a twin-engine, long-range, wide-body airliner, which was launched in 2006, partly in response to Boeing’s development of the 787 Dreamliner. It is available in two variants: A350-900 and A350-1000. Over 70 per cent of the airframe is constructed from carbon composites and aluminium alloys leading to a light structure which, when combined with the latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent XWB turbofans, has resulted in an aircraft with 25 per cent lower operating costs and a significant reduction in fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions. The A350-900 first flew in June 2013 and entered service less than two years later. The stretched A350-1000 made its maiden flight in November 2016 and began commercial flights in February 2018. The A350 provides airlines with flexibility and versatility in the range/payload combinations that it offers and by September 2013, almost 1,000 aircraft had been ordered.In celebration of the aircraft’s tenth anniversary in commercial service, Nigel Richardson describes the evolution, design and development of the A350 through to its entry into service with major airlines and how it may further evolve in the future with high-quality illustrations and technical information.

At the beginning of the Second World War Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Denmark and Norway, but left neutral Sweden alone. Less than a year later citizens from all three of those Scandinavian nations volunteered to join the Nazi Waffen-SS and go and fight on the newly formed Eastern Front against Stalin’s Soviet Union. By the end of the war in 1945 the number of Scandinavians who had fought in the Waffen-SS had reached the thousands. Casualties were high, but there were survivors and they returned home, often to face retribution and condemnation. As time marches on the veterans are passing away. This book is about the war they fought in their own words – their last testament before they are all gone.The motivation of these men was complex: many volunteered through a deep hatred of communism, particularly in light of Moscow’s invasion of Finland in the Winter War. Some simply believed in Hitler’s vision of a new world order, while others were just young men with a craving for adventure.The Scandinavian Waffen-SS, in various configurations, saw action on the Eastern Front from 1941 onwards – at the siege of Leningrad, in the cauldron of the Demyansk Pocket, in the Caucasus, and famously at Narva in Estonia and back into Germany itself with the remnants fighting to virtual extinction in the ruins of Berlin as the war came to a bloody close. For these men who had chosen the ‘wrong’ side, the war was certainly not over. Some fled to Germany, some returned home to recrimination and prison. Jonathan Trigg has interviewed some of the last survivors, who tell their story with absolute truthfulness: after so many years, they have nothing to lose. The interviews and images gathered within are vital historical documents.

Car production at Volvo began in 1926 in Stockholm with a prototype. By 1927 small goods vehicles based on the car designs were in production at Gothenburg, and heavier three-tonners were being produced by 1928.Already known for their robust cars, Volvo lorries first came to British roads in 1967 after Jim McKelvie, a former road haulier, saw the need for better trucks than UK manufacturers were producing at the time, and imported the Volvo F86 model as a 30/32 ton artic unit. The lorry was light, had a high power-to-weight ratio and provided incomparable comfort for the driver. It took the UK market by storm.This early import was the forerunner of later Volvo trucks across the entire range, with various models of bus chassis also being introduced to the UK markets. Volvo production has gone forward in leaps and bounds, today being a major player on the world stage.Though a relative newcomer to the UK scene, Volvos have gained a very large following. Lavishly illustrated with rare and unpublished photographs, Volvo Lorries traces their history in Britain from the early F86 imports of the 1960s to the FH16 750 bhp fleet flagships seen on the roads today.

It seems impossible to think that a company who imported their first passenger vehicle into Britain in 1972 would, less than twenty years later, take over what was once Britain’s largest passenger and commercial vehicle manufacturer. It is a testament to the quality of Volvo’s products that they are one of the most popular chassis on the road today.Covering Volvo from their entry into the UK market, this book gives an overview of all the models to enter the UK market. With a brief description of each chassis type and 180 photographs, all in colour and with informative captions, it showcases Volvo’s products in their operating heyday.

Everyday life in the teeming metropolis during William Shakespeare's time in the city. Shakespeare's London was a bustling, teeming metropolis that was growing so rapidly that the government took repeated, and ineffectual, steps to curb its expansion. From contemporary letters, journals and diaries, a vivid picture emerges of this fascinating city, with its many opportunities and also its persistent problems. By far the largest city in the country, it was the centre of government, the law and the church, the focus of politics and culture. It had a vigorous economy, with a range of industries and a lucrative trade in luxury goods for the courtiers and wealthy citizens. Growth produced overcrowding and high mortality, with shockingly high death tolls during the periodic plague epidemics, yet London attracted an endless stream of people, who were absorbed into its diverse communities and economic structures. Here the first playhouses were built, patronised by large audiences, who were treated to a rich and varied diet of plays to keep them, and the court, entertained. The London that Shakespeare knew was an expanding, changing and exciting city.

This is the definitive biography, and the first in twenty years, of Louis-Napoléon III, whose controversial achievements have notoriously divided historians. Here, pre-eminent Napoléon Bonaparte expert and Pulitzer Prize-nominated historian Alan Strauss-Schom focuses on his successor Louis-Napoléon, overshadowed for too long by his more romanticized forebear.Strauss-Schom employs years of primary source research to explore the massive cultural, social, economical, financial, international, and military impact of France's most polarizing emperor. Louis-Napoléon completely revolutionized the state and the economy, but amid gross financial scandals. His expansion of the French Empire was praised by the French military and resisted by the socialists. He expanded the railways to rival England's; created new transoceanic steamship lines and a modern navy; introduced a new banking sector supported by seemingly unlimited venture capital; and even oversaw the creation of the first large department stores.Napoléon III wanted to surpass the legacy of his famous uncle, Napoléon I. In The Shadow Emperor, Alan Strauss-Schom sets out his true legacy.

Scania’s first venture into the British double-decker bus market came in 1973, when with partner MCW, based in Birmingham, they produced the ‘Metropolitan’ double-decker. In 1980, after a brief hiatus, Scania re-entered the British double-decker market with a chassis for bodying by all the major UK builder.Featuring a wonderful array of previously unpublished images, this book is a fond tribute to forty years of Scania double-decker buses on Britain’s roads.

The 1970 merger of Northern Pacific; Great Northern; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; and Spokane, Portland & Seattle created a new super railroad spanning the northern and central United States over a 25,000-mile network. For twenty-five years, BN was one of United States’ premier railroads. In its first decade BN had its hands full, paring down duplicate lines and forming a cohesive system from all the predecessor railroads, as well as investing in the explosive growth of Powder River Basin coal shipments. By the early 1980s though, BN had clearly become its own railroad, decked out in uniform Cascade green and black paint. The BN of the 1990s experienced continued growth in intermodal, grain and coal traffic, along with adding more hues to the company colours.With wonderful original photographs, Mike Danneman takes a look at the last dozen years of the Burlington Northern before the merger with Santa Fe to form BNSF in 1995.

With nearly 200 unique images photographed on the streets of Berlin by the author between 1959 and 1966, Berlin in the Cold War depicts a city which demonstrated the conflict between East and West at that time like no other. The photographs throw into focus the situation existing both before the building of the Berlin Wall, when anyone could move freely between the two halves of the city, and after its construction, when most Westerners could, with some difficulty, make the crossing. Allan Hailstone took many photographs during several visits in those years, some surreptitiously, despite restrictions placed on photography in East Berlin. These photographs provide a taste of this once dramatically divided city.

The appeal of the Beatles is everlasting. Millions of fans from all over the world continue to revel in the band’s eternal hits and their music stands out as one of Britain’s greatest cultural successes. This book takes the reader on a journey to the Fab Four’s home town of Liverpool and explores the significant sites and locations associated with the band’s unparalleled rise to stardom. We delve into the archives and uncover nostalgic images of Mathew Street, Strawberry Field and Penny Lane, as well as many other familiar landmarks and witness the changes that have taken place in the city through time.This book will appeal to any true Beatles fan who wishes to discover that little bit extra about the world’s most famous boy band.

During the eighteenth and early years of the nineteenth century, the red tide of British expansion had covered almost the entire Indian subcontinent, stretching to the borders of the Punjab. There the great Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh had developed his military forces to thwart any British advance into his kingdom north of the River Sutlej. Yet on the death of Ranjit Singh, unworthy successors and disparate forces fought over his legacy while the British East India Company seized on the opportunity and prepared for battle. In the winter of 1845, the First Anglo-Sikh War broke out. From the start, the two-month campaign was marred by Victorian arrogance and bluster on the British side and personal ambition, intrigue and treason in the Sikh camp. Five keenly fought contests ensued, including the great battle of Ferozeshah where the British force found itself caught between two powerful Sikh armies and came close to destruction. Declining to retreat, Sir Hugh Gough, the British Commander-in-Chief, told his second in command: ‘My mind is made up. If we must perish, it is better that our bones should bleach honourably at Ferozeshah than rot at Ferozepore: but they shall do neither the one nor the other.’ The fate of the British Empire in India would be decided that day. Amarpal Singh writes a warts-and-all tale of a conflict characterised by treachery, tragedy and incredible bravery on both sides. In an innovative approach to history writing, the narrative of the campaign is accompanied by battlefield guides that draw on eyewitness accounts and invite the reader to take a tour of the battlefields, either physically or virtually. Fully illustrated with period drawings, modern-day photographs and new maps, The First Anglo-Sikh War gives a forgotten conflict the meticulous attention it deserves.

In this readable and informative book, motoring expert Malcolm Bobbitt tells the story of one of the most iconic cars in motoring history. Designed as affordable and practical transport for French farmers travelling on either bad roads or ploughed fields, it also found its way into the fashionable quarters of Paris.This book shows how designers successfully achieved the specification for rugged and utilitarian design suitable for times of austerity while at the same time producing a truly classless car.The author explains the history of the car, conceived when Citroën was owned by the Michelin tyre company, and how the idea evolved. He covers the ingenious design aspects of the car, including the corrugated metal bonnet, hammock seats, push-pull gear lever and twin-cylinder air-cooled engine. Such was the success of the 2CV that it spawned variants such as the Dyane, Ami 6 and Ami 8 and the British-built Bijou, all of which are covered here.Illustrated with an evocative collection of high quality photographs and written by an authority on Citroën cars, this concise book tells you all you need to know about the famous 2CV.

Peter Robinson and Peter Cox embark on a thoughtful exploration of the rich and diverse history of the British hospitality industry. From the earliest Roman establishments to the refined hotels of today, they detail how historical events, cultural shifts, and technological advancements have continually reshaped the hospitality experience.Beginning in ancient times, the Romans introduced public lodging and communal bathing to Britain, setting the stage for future hospitality services. Medieval and Tudor hospitality revolved around monasteries and manor houses which were essential in providing shelter and sustenance. The Industrial Revolution brought new culinary traditions and the emergence of coaching inns and railway hotels, revolutionising travel and accommodation. European influences introduced fresh culinary techniques and service styles, raising the standards of British hospitality, while iconic establishments such as The Ritz and The Savoy set new benchmarks for luxury and service.Through careful research and with fascinating period images, this book offers a glimpse into the different eras of the multifaceted hospitality industry, weaving together stories of tradition, innovation, and the timeless human desire for connection and comfort.