John Laffin – författare

The Australians have had a brief military history, by world standards.Yet, they have taken part in nine wars and, British troops apart, they have fought in more countries than the soldiers of any other nation. Friend and foe alike have assessed them as men-at-arms perhaps equalled but never surpassed. This absorbing text by John Laffin examines the history, uniforms and organisation of these colourful and courageous troops, from the Diggers of the First World War to their role in Vietnam.

Israel assumes in advance that defeat in war means an end to its state, and it wages war accordingly.This fact influences the Israeli approach to its army and to the strategy, tactics, training and conduct of war. Surrounded by hostile nations, Israel has fought six victorious wars between 1948 and 1973, despite having begun as an irregular, impoverished and improvised group.Backed by plenty of photographs and eight full page colour plates, this detailed text examines the six wars fought between 1948–73, including the substantial Israeli victory of 1967.

The modern wars of the Middle East began in 1947, when the Syrians, Egyptians, Jordanians and Lebanese were unofficially at war with the Jewish settlers of Palestine.On the 15 May, the day after Israel was declared a sovereign state, the Arab invasion began. Between then and 1973 five wars occurred: those of 1948; the Sinai War; the Six-Day War; the 1968–1970 War of Attrition and the 1973 October War.This book examines the organization, training and equipment of the key Arab armies during these conflicts and the variety of uniforms are illustrated by a number of contemporary photographs and full colour artwork.

Victor's book is the first to show that implementing the Final Solution was actually the root of Hitler's most disastrous military decisions.

Victor's book is the first to show that implementing the Final Solution was actually the root of Hitler's most disastrous military decisions.

Israel assumes in advance that defeat in war means an end to its state, and it wages war accordingly.This fact influences the Israeli approach to its army and to the strategy, tactics, training and conduct of war. Surrounded by hostile nations, Israel has fought six victorious wars between 1948 and 1973, despite having begun as an irregular, impoverished and improvised group.Backed by plenty of photographs and eight full page colour plates, this detailed text examines the six wars fought between 1948–73, including the substantial Israeli victory of 1967.

Israel assumes in advance that defeat in war means an end to its state, and it wages war accordingly.This fact influences the Israeli approach to its army and to the strategy, tactics, training and conduct of war. Surrounded by hostile nations, Israel has fought six victorious wars between 1948 and 1973, despite having begun as an irregular, impoverished and improvised group.Backed by plenty of photographs and eight full page colour plates, this detailed text examines the six wars fought between 1948–73, including the substantial Israeli victory of 1967.

For too long, Dr John Laffin maintains, the military reputation of British Generals in World War I has not been examined critically enough, and he asks how those responsible for catastrophic defeats were able to retain their commands. Haig, whose army suffered 60,000 casualties on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916, was still in command after five months more fighting and another 400,000 casualties. By the war's end the numbers of dead ran into millions - doggedly brave British Empire soldiers who, Laffin believes, were killed, wounded or broken by commanders who were vain, egocentric and incompetent. But the generals, who blamed the dead and junior in rank, cannot be excused on the grounds that there was "nothing else that they could do". Even now, more than 75 years after that "Great War for Civilization", this book raises questions that are uncomfortable. Laffin draws on the memories and writings of those who took part and quotes the judgements of other military historians to provide analysis of just what went wrong in the generals' leader, and how it resulted in such appalling and tragic losses - and concludes that they were not merely incompetent but uncaring.

For too long, believes John Laffin, the image of the German soldier has been distorted by the atrocities of the Nazis. In Jackboot, the author gives the ordinary German soldier his due, tracing his background and influences from the time of Frederick the Great to the end of World War II.