Bob Carruthers – författare

Originally published in 1900, this book features excerpts from Alexander Cavalié Mercer's account of the battle of Waterloo. As an artillery officer at the sharp end, this is his eye-witness account of the events that lead to Napoleon's final defeat in June 1815. This is the contemporary view of how the events were conveyed to the public of Great Britain. Featuring original engravings from the Illustrated London News and the Graphic, and many paintings from the era, this book was written during the height of the British Empire, and the triumphalist mood of the day is reflected in the tone of the text. This detailed military history provides an echo of the contemporary attitudes to this turbulent time which shaped the destiny of the British Empire. This book is part of the 'Military History From Primary Sources' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of warfare. The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie, creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.

This powerful collection, depicting the first war in the air, showcases the work of the contemporary combat artists and illustrators from the Great War era. Included here are the works of serious artists, propagandists, illustrators and humourists. The result is a stunning graphic record, which produces a powerful record of life and death in the skies above the trenches during the Great War, as reported to contemporary audiences at a time when the events of the Great War were still unfolding. During the Great War artists and illustrators produced a highly accurate visual record of the fleeting moments the bulky cameras couldn't reproduce. These works form a body of war reportage that are as valid as the written word. Today, the work of the combat illustrators and the official war artists from the Great War era is overlooked by historians in favour of photographs, but these illustrations are nonetheless important as they provide a contemporary record of hand-to-hand fighting, trench raids, aerial dogfights, sea battles, desperate last stands, night actions and cavalry charges.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is one of the most important sets of historical documents concerning the history of the British Isles. Without these vital accounts we would have virtually no knowledge of some of the key events in the history of these islands during the dark ages and it would be impossible to write the history of the English from the Romans to the Norman Conquest. The history it tells is not only that witnessed by its compilers, but also that recorded by earlier annalists, whose work is in many cases preserved nowhere else. At present there are nine known versions or fragments of the original 'Anglo-Saxon Chronicle' in existence. All of the extant versions vary (sometimes greatly) in content and quality, and crucially all of the surviving manuscripts are copies, so it is not known for certain where or when the first version of the Chronicle was composed. The translation that has been used for this edition is not a translation of any one Chronicle; rather, it is a conflation of readings from many different versions containing primarily the translation of Rev. James Ingram from 1828. The footnotes are all those of Rev. Ingram and are supplied for the sake of completeness. This edition also includes the complete Parker Manuscript. The book is illustrated throughout with paintings and engravings.

The Panther V evidenced a number of problems in combat, and this was the proof of the rushed development programme that
was made obvious from the events at Kursk. However, despite its disappointing battlefield debut, the Panther is frequently hailed as the best all round tank of the war.

This fascinating study by Emmy award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers draws on a wide variety of combat reports and unique primary sources to weigh up the facts in order to produce the definitive single volume overview of a legendary fighting machine. Included are numerous examples of wartime combat reports from both Allied and German sources,additionally there are a large selection of extracts from the Pantherfibel, the
original crew training manual.

This superb book is essential reading for anyone interested in tank warfare during World War II.

"Once you heard that pinging sound you knew they had got to you, then the depth charges came. Terrible, just terrible." Kurt Wehling, u-boat survivor The steel coffins was the name given to the U-boats of the Kriegsmarine by their own crews. Their fatalistic view of the war was certainly justified; it is estimated that seventy-five per cent of the 39,000 men who sailed in the U-boat fleet paid the ultimate price as the tide of war turned inexorably against Hitler's Germany. This is the illustrated history of the U-boat war from the perspective of the men who sailed into battle in the service of the Third Reich. Drawing heavily on the accounts of the last remaining survivors, 'The U-boat War' traces the grim story of the rise and fall of the grey wolves. The memories of the brief days of the "happy times" of superiority and success were soon replaced by the stark terror of the enfolding nightmare as the realisation dawned that the hunters had become the hunted. Written by Emmy award winning author Bob Carruthers, this powerful account of the U-boat war features extensive personal recollections, rare photographs and extracts from contemporary propaganda magazines producing a vivid picture of what it meant to fight beneath the waves.

During the Second World War Tiger tank crews had to be trained as quickly and effectively as possible. To assist in this process General Heinz Guderian authorised the publication of the Tigerfibel, the illustrated manual which was issued to Tiger I crews from 1943 onwards. This highly unorthodox publication was full of risqué drawings and humorous illustrations and was designed to convey complex battlefield instructions in a simple and memorable manner.

This unique primary source has now been translated into English by Emmy Award winning historian Bob Carruthers. It makes for indispensable reading for anyone interested in tank warfare in World War II. The manual contains everything the reader could ever wish to know concerning how the crews were instructed to handle the Tiger I under combat conditions. The Tigerfibel contains the original German publication with a complete English translation and a new overview and introduction. The Tigerfibel contains detailed instructions on aiming, firing, ammunition and close combat. There are extensive sections on maintenance, driving, radio operation and the essentials of commanding a Tiger I in combat.

This priceless information is now being made available to a wider English speaking audience as an electronic publication for the first time. Interesting and highly accessible, the Tigerfibel is essential and rewarding reading for all readers interested in the history of this famous tank.

This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht.

The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.

"It is the leaders of the country who determine the policy ...voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders." Hermann Göring 

This is the history of the Luftwaffe through the eyes of those who served in combat. The rise of the Luftwaffe from the ashes of the Great War is traced through recollections of Luftwaffe personnel who manned the gliders and perpetuated the charade that this was a civilian undertaking. The heady optimism generated by the stunning successes of the Blitzkrieg era are soon overturned by the grim experiences of the Battle of Britain and the life or death fight for the skies over Germany as the road leads ever downwards to defeat and Hitler's promised Götterdämmerung. The book is illustrated throughout with extensive selections from Der Adler, the wartime Luftwaffe propaganda magazine. This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht. The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.

The Sturmgeschütz rumbling forward into action is one of the iconic images of World War II. As mobile assault guns, the StuGs were essentially designed as infantry support weapons, but they also proved themselves as highly effective tank destroyers.

Written by Emmy Award winning author Bob Carruthers this fascinating study encompasses the design, development and combat history of the StuG II and IV.

Drawing on a variety of rare primary sources and photographs this outstanding study explains the role of the StuG in context and examines the combat records of the StuG aces such as Franz von Malachowski, and Knight's Cross holder Oberwachtmeister Hugo Primozic of Stug.Abt.667. Indispensable reading for anyone with an interest in armoured warfare.

This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht.

This is the complete wartime translation by the U.S. Navy of the 1943 edition of the official handbook given to all U-boat commanders. The original handbook was compiled from combat reports and was regularly updated throughout the war. The handbook was an invaluable reference for every operational U-boat commander. 

Simply written and highly accessible for a wider audience, the U-boat handbook attempted to anticipate every possible situation and to advise on suitable tactics. This superb war-time primary source is enhanced by a rare series of photographs taken on an actual combat patrol and published during the time of the Third Reich in the book “U-Boot Auf Feindfahrt”.

Together the handbook and these rare photographs provide a fascinating glimpse into the world of the U-boats from a first hand perspective, and is essential reading for anyone interested in World War II from primary sources.

This photographic journal was originally published in the spring of 1941. It was edited by and carried a forward by Hauptsturmführer Gunter d'Alquen, commander of the SS Propaganda Kompanie and editor of the official SS paper, Das Schwarze Korps.

Many of the pictures taken in this book feature the men of Waffen SS Standarte "Germania". In 1940 the men who bore the word Germania on their cuff bands were fighting as a motorised regiment under the command of SS-Standartenführer Karl-Maria Demelhuber.

This is a unique account of the Waffen SS on campaign in the west from a primary source, edited by, and with an introduction by Emmy award winning author Bob Carruthers.

The Panzer III was designed to be the backbone of the Panzer force and was deployed on every front. However, due to its deficient armament and poor armour, and despite its outstanding reliability, it was obsolete by 1942.

This comprehensive overview of the Panzer III in action was compiled by Emmy Award winning historian Bob Carruthers. It draws heavily on war-time intelligence reports to produce a fascinating insight into the development and combat history of the Panzer III at the tactical and operational level.

Also featured are rare developments such as the flame thrower variant alongside unpublished photographs and illustrations which provide an absorbing study, from an array of primary sources, of the world of the Panzer III and its crews, which conveys to the modern reader a vivid sense of how they were viewed at the time.

This unique collection of contemporary combat accounts provides a primary source insight into the reality of anti-tank warfare on the Eastern Front. Both armoured and infantry based operations are considered.

This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht.

The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.

This unique collection of contemporary combat accounts provides a primary source insight into the reality of artillery operations on the Eastern Front. Mobile, rail and towed artillery are all considered in this fascinating compilation. 

This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht.

The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'

The first vehicle to be produced in any numbers for the Panzerwaffe was the tiny Panzer I known as the MG Panzerwagen. Almost from the outset the limitations of the design for the Panzer I were obvious. It was essentially a training vehicle which was only pressed into service as a last resort. It was to be succeeded by the Panzer II which could at least engage armoured cars and combat against tanks with approximately the same armour as itself.

Together these two tanks formed the bulk of the armour which between 1939 and 1941 conquered half of Europe.

This comprehensive overview of the light Panzers in action was compiled by Emmy Award winning historian Bob Carruthers. It draws heavily on war-time intelligence reports to produce a fascinating insight into the development and combat history of the light Panzers at the tactical and operational level.

Also featured are rare developments such as the Panzer II flame thrower variant alongside unpublished photographs and illustrations which provide an absorbing study, from an array of primary sources, of the world of the light Panzer and their crews from contemporary Allied sources.

The ferocious battles for survival fought by trapped German forces in Russia have become synonymous with that most terrible of all military campaigns. shortly after the war the personal experiences of those who had fought in the battles were collected together as the German report series. These reports include invaluable information from impeccable sources on the pockets formed at Klin, Velikiye Luki, Cherkassy and Kamenets-Podolskiy.

Also included are contemporary reports featuring German encirclement tactics, and an in-depth feature on the Kiev operation. This new compilation is essential reading for anyone interested in discovering the real experience of the German forces trapped in Russia.

This book is part of the 'Hitler's War Machine' series, a new military history range compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers. The series draws on primary sources and contemporary documents to provide a new insight into the true nature of Hitler's Wehrmacht.

The series consultant is David Mcwhinnie creator of the award winning PBS series 'Battlefield'.

This fascinating collection of primary source accounts focuses on the combat actions of the Wehrmacht in the final battles of the war. The material is drawn from a variety of wartime sources and encompasses fascinating writings concerning the tactical, operational and strategic aspects of the battle for Berlin. Compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers, this absorbing assembly of primary source intelligence reports encompasses rare material originally drawn from both German and Russian original sources to provide the reader with a unique insight into the last battles in the east. This is the unvarnished reality of what it meant to fight in this titanic struggle to the death.

Featured in the book are reports concerning little known and neglected tactical aspects of the war including weapons, street fighting techniques and improvised anti-tank measures. Original illustrations from US wartime intelligence manuals are also featured. This compelling compilation is essential for readers with an interest in discovering more about the last days of the Wehrmacht from a range of unusual and diverse primary sources.

This fascinating collection of Allied reports focusing on the combat actions of the Wehrmacht in Russia is drawn from a variety of wartime sources. Compiled and edited by Emmy Award winning author and historian Bob Carruthers, this absorbing assembly of primary source intelligence reports encompasses rare material drawn from both German and Russian original sources, to provide the reader with a unique insight into how the bitter war in Russia was conducted at the tactical level. This is the unvarnished reality of what it meant to fight in this titanic struggle to the death.

Featured in the book are reports of little known and neglected aspects of the war from armoured trains and the construction of field defences through to mainstream reports on street fighting techniques and improvised anti-tank measures. Many original illustrations from US wartime intelligence manuals are also featured. Essential reading for readers with an interest in discovering more about the Wehrmacht In Russia from primary sources.

The Handbook On German Military Forces is an indispensable primary reference source for historians and enthusiasts. In 1945 the Allies were still engaged in bitter fighting against stiff resistance from the German armies in the west. The US War Department was determined to do its best to equip the US forces fighting the Germans in the field with as much knowledge as possible. March 1945 saw the issue of an astonishing document entitled the Handbook On German Military Forces. This was a truly remarkable work of intelligence gathering which formed a vast compendium of all the relevant knowledge amassed on the German Wehrmacht.

Amazingly accurate and comprehensive, the Handbook ran to over six hundred pages and was designed to equip commanders in the field with everything they were likely to need to know about the German forces. The Handbook remained classified until 1953 and then slipped into obscurity.

This new paperback reprint rescues this great work from obscurity, covering the psychology, organisation, tactics and operational aspects of the German forces. The weapons, machines, aircraft and uniforms of the German forces are also documented within the Handbook.

The Handbook On German Military Forces is a fascinating primary reference source for historians and enthusiasts alike, providing an invaluable insight into the detail of the German Army which is still an unrivaled source of information today.

Der Adler was the official magazine of the Luftwaffe in World War II. In the years before Hitler declared war on America an English language edition of Der Adler costing eight cents was published and widely sold in the USA. The magazine was available on American news stands and the surviving English language editions provide readers who do not speak German with a fascinating primary source from inside the Third Reich. 

The magazine was at its best and most interesting during the years of German ascendancy between 1940 and 1942. From that point onwards the Luftwaffe had less and less to celebrate and Der Adler tended to concentrate on the exploits of the Luftwaffe ground forces especially the burgeoning Falshirmjaeger divisions. This selection of the best of the English language articles from Der Adler provides a privileged glimpse inside the Luftwaffe during its years of triumph between 1940 and 1942.

This is the fascinating account, as told from the German perspective, of the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest-running, continuous military campaign in World War II, spanning from 1939 through to Germany’s defeat in 1945. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, which was announced the day after the declaration of war, although it quickly grew to include Germany's counter-blockade. The name "Battle of the Atlantic", was coined by Winston Churchill in 1941 and he famously stated that the U-boats were the only thing that really frightened him. The U-boat war encompassed a campaign that began on the first day of the European war and lasted for six years, involved thousands of ships and stretched over thousands of square miles of ocean, in more than 100 convoy battles and perhaps 1,000 single-ship encounters. In the 68 months of World War II, 2,775 Allied merchant ships were sunk for the loss of 781 U-boats.

This is the story of that massive encounter from the German perspective. Published in three volumes, this work was compiled under the supervision of the U.S Navy Department and the British Admiralty by Fregattenkapitan Gunther Hessler. The author, though without previous experience as a writer, had first hand experience of U-boat warfare having commanded a U-boat in 1940 and 1941. For the remainder of the war he was Staff Officer to the Flag Officer commanding U-boats. He had access to German war diaries and other relevant documents concerning U-boat command, and this work based on these many documents, tells the story entirely from the viewpoint of that command. For this reason this work is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of World War II from primary sources and will be of enduring interest to those engaged in attempting to unravel the true nature of submarine warfare in World War II.

This is the second of three volumes covering the U-boat campaign in the Atlantic during the Second World War.

This is the fascinating account, as told from the German perspective, of the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest-running, continuous military campaign in World War II, spanning from 1939 through to Germany's defeat in 1945. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, which was announced the day after the declaration of war, although it quickly grew to include Germany's counter-blockade. The name "Battle of the Atlantic", was coined by Winston Churchill in 1941 and he famously stated that the U-boats were the only thing that really frightened him. The U-boat war encompassed a campaign that began on the first day of the European war and lasted for six years, involved thousands of ships and stretched over thousands of square miles of ocean, in more than 100 convoy battles and perhaps 1,000 single-ship encounters. In the 68 months of World War II, 2,775 Allied merchant ships were sunk for the loss of 781 U-boats.

This is the story of that massive encounter from the German perspective. Published in three volumes, this work was compiled under the supervision of the U.S Navy Department and the British Admiralty by Fregattenkapitan Gunther Hessler. The author, though without previous experience as a writer, had first hand experience of U-boat warfare having commanded a U-boat in 1940 and 1941. For the remainder of the war he was Staff Officer to the Flag Officer commanding U-boats. He had access to German war diaries and other relevant documents concerning U-boat command, and this work based on these many documents, tells the story entirely from the viewpoint of that command. For this reason this work is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of World War II from primary sources and will be of enduring interest to those engaged in attempting to unravel the true nature of submarine warfare in World War II.

This is the third of three volumes describing U-boat operations in the Atlantic during the Second World War.

This is the fascinating account, as told from the German perspective, of the Battle of the Atlantic, the longest-running, continuous military campaign in World War II, spanning from 1939 through to Germany's defeat in 1945. At its core was the Allied naval blockade of Germany, which was announced the day after the declaration of war, although it quickly grew to include Germany's counter-blockade. The name "Battle of the Atlantic", was coined by Winston Churchill in 1941 and he famously stated that the U-boats were the only thing that really frightened him. The U-boat war encompassed a campaign that began on the first day of the European war and lasted for six years, involved thousands of ships and stretched over thousands of square miles of ocean, in more than 100 convoy battles and perhaps 1,000 single-ship encounters. In the 68 months of World War II, 2,775 Allied merchant ships were sunk for the loss of 781 U-boats.

This is the story of that massive encounter from the German perspective. Published in three volumes, this work was compiled under the supervision of the U.S Navy Department and the British Admiralty by Fregattenkapitan Gunther Hessler. The author, though without previous experience as a writer, had first hand experience of U-boat warfare having commanded a U-boat in 1940 and 1941. For the remainder of the war he was Staff Officer to the Flag Officer commanding U-boats. He had access to German war diaries and other relevant documents concerning U-boat command, and this work based on these many documents, tells the story entirely from the viewpoint of that command. For this reason this work is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of World War II from primary sources and will be of enduring interest to those engaged in attempting to unravel the true nature of submarine warfare in World War II.

The Gallic Wars were a series of military campaigns waged by the Roman proconsul Julius Caesar against several Gallic tribes. They lasted from 58 BC to 50 BC and culminated in the decisive Battle of Alesia in 52 BC, in which a complete Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the Roman Republic over the whole of Gaul. The wars paved the way for Julius Caesar to become the sole ruler of the Roman Republic.

Although Caesar portrayed this invasion as being a preemptive and defensive action, most historians agree that the wars were fought primarily to boost Caesar's political career and to pay off his massive debts. Still, Gaul was of significant military importance to the Romans, as these had been attacked several times by native tribes both indigenous to Gaul and further to the north. Conquering Gaul allowed Rome to secure the natural border of the river Rhine.

The Gallic Wars are described by Julius Caesar as himself in this book, which was originally titled Commentarii de Bello Gallico, it is a pertinent and only slightly tendentious and altogether the most important historical source regarding the conflict. This updated edition contains the translated text and various illustrations depicting Roman warfare and key moments in Caesar's journey.

The Athenian Thucydides (c490-395BC) wrote this history of the Peloponnesian War between the Spartans and the Athenians, believing that it would be a greater war than any that had preceded it, and his version of events would serve as “a possession for all time”.

The fragmentary nature of ancient Greece increased the frequency of conflict, but conversely limited the scale of warfare. Unable to maintain professional armies, the city-states relied on their own citizens to fight, reducing the potential duration of campaigns. The rise of Athens and Sparta as preeminent powers, however, led directly to the Peloponnesian War, which saw further development of the nature of warfare, strategy and tactics. Fought between leagues of cities dominated by Athens and Sparta, the increased manpower and financial resources increased the scale, and allowed the diversification of warfare. Set-piece battles during the Peloponnesian war proved indecisive and instead there was increased reliance on attritionary strategies, naval battle and blockades and sieges.

This book is essential reading for anyone interested the military history of the classical world.

As seen in All About History Magazine.