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A military history of the campaigns of Belisarius, the greatest general of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Emperor Justinian. He twice defeated the Persians and reconquered North Africa from the Vandals in a single year at the age of 29, before going on to regain Spain and Italy, including Rome (briefly), from the barbarians. It discusses the evolution from classical Roman to Byzantine armies and systems of warfare, as well as those of their chief enemies, the Persians, Goths and Vandals. It reassesses Belisarius' generalship and compares him with the likes of Caesar, Alexander and Hannibal. It will be illustrated with line drawings and battle plans as well as photographs.

The rigging of period ship models is the most complex task which any modeller has to take on, for an eighteenth-century man-of-war boasted mile on mile of rigging, more than 1,000 blocks, and acres of canvas. To reduce this in scale, and yet retain an accurate representation, is an awesome undertaking. This now classic work untangles the complex web, and, using some 400 drawings, the author shows clearly how each separate item of rigging is fitted to the masts, yards and sails. Each drawing deals with only one particular item so that it can be seen clearly in isolation. The lead of a particular halliard, the arrangement of a bracing line, these and every other detail is depicted with startling clarity. Based on the author's research of numerous eighteenth-century models, each one with its contemporary rigging still extant, the information is both meticulous and accurate. The remarkable visual immediacy and clarity of this work makes it truly unique and no modeller of period ships can afford to be without it at his side. In addition, the book is a 'must-have' practical reference work for all those involved in the rigging and repair of historic ships.

Pet Shop Boys—Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe—are the most successful duo in the history of the UK pop charts, worldwide superstars, and legends in dance music on both sides of the Atlantic. From their first international smash hit ‘West End Girls’ in 1985 to the present day, their 40-plus years of songwriting and recording have seen them release fifteen studio albums, more than seventy singles, scores of non-album tracks, and an ambitious string of outside projects that include a stage musical, a film score, a ballet, a ‘classical’ work for the BBC Proms, and numerous collaborations with other artists. This book, the second of two volumes, delves into their entire output, every song they’ve written or recorded during the second half of their astounding career—not just the hits, but also album tracks and obscurities, revealing the remarkable depth and breadth of their artistry. Compiled by an acknowledged expert on their music who has been writing about their career in detail for more than 20 years, this book clues you in, song by song, on their inspirations and influences, as well as the fascinating stories behind and ideas expressed throughout their richly varied catalogue.

The house-to-house fighting encountered in Stalingrad convinced the Wehrmacht that a heavily armoured vehicle mounting a weapon capable of destroying enemy strongpoints should be developed as a matter of urgency. The 15cm-armed Brummbär, built on the chassis of the ever-reliable Pzkpfw IV, was rendered obsolete by developments in man-portable anti-tank weapons and so the decision was made to mount an even more powerful gun on the suspension and hull of the Tiger I tank. The original intention was to equip the new design with a 21cm howitzer but as sufficient stocks were unavailable a specially adapted version of the Kriegsmarine's 38cm depth charge rocket launcher was employed. Hitler expected great things from these imposing looking vehicles and ordered that vast stocks of ammunition be produced but in the event less than twenty Sturmmörserwagen 606/4 mit 38cm RW 61, better known as the Sturmtiger, were built. Drawing on official documentation and unit histories Dennis Oliver investigates the formations that operated these deservedly famous vehicles and uses archive photos and extensively researched colour illustrations to examine the markings, camouflage and technical aspects of the Sturmtigers that fought in the last battles of the war. A key section of his book displays available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined, providing everything the modeller needs to recreate an accurate representation of these historic vehicles.

Adrian Carton de Wiart's autobiography is one of the most remarkable of military memoirs. He was the son of a Belgian barrister, Leon Constant Ghislain Carton de Wiart (1854-1915). He, himself, was intended for the law, but abandoned his studies at Balliol College, Oxford, in 1899 to serve as a trooper in the South African War. He abandoned the law for all time on 14 September 1901 when he received a direct commission in the 4th Dragoon Guards. Carton de Wiart's extraordinary military career embraced service with the Somaliland Camel Corps (1914-15), liaison officer with Polish forces (1939), membership of the British Military Mission to Yugoslavia (1941), a period as a prisoner of war (1941-43), and three years as Churchill's representative to Chiang Kai-shek (1943-46). (Churchill was a great admirer.) During the Great War, besides commanding the 8th Glosters, Carton de Wiart was GOC 12 Brigade (1917) and GOC 105 Brigade (April 1918). Both these command were terminated by wounds.He was wounded eight times during the war (including the loss of an eye and a hand), won the VC during the Batlle of the Somme, was mentioned in despatches six times, and was the model for Brigadier Ben Ritchie Hook in the Sword of Honour trilogy of Evelyn Waugh.

By the end of 1944 the Wehrmacht had been pushed back to the borders of Germany and the Army's defensive efforts increasingly relied on ad-hoc units scraped together from depleted tank and infantry formations. Despite the dire strategic situation and the ever-crumbling front, industrial output had in fact been expanded and manpower losses were somehow made good. Battered regiments were rebuilt and new units were created and the real striking power of the Panzer battalions was now the Pzkpfw V Panther, perhaps the most effective armoured vehicle produced by Germany during the Second World War. In Dennis Oliver's latest volume in the TankCraft series he uses archive photos and extensively researched colour illustrations to examine the later models of the Pzkpfw V Panther tank and the units that operated this deservedly famous armoured vehicle during the savage defensive battles against the Soviet army during the last weeks of the war. A key section of his book displays available model kits and aftermarket products, complemented by a gallery of beautifully constructed and painted models in various scales. Technical details as well as modifications introduced during production and in the field are also examined, providing everything the modeller needs to recreate an accurate representation of these historic tanks.

In this second volume, Michael Miller and Andreas Schulz continue their exhaustive coverage of the senior leaders of Hitler’s earliest paramilitary army, the Sturmabteilung (SA, Storm Troops), examining the lives and careers of twenty-three individuals who held the rank of SA-Obergruppenführer (from Adolf Heinz Beckerle through Kurt Günther). Although some fell victim to the purge of June/July 1934, most of them continued to serve the Nazi regime in a broad range of assignments until the very end.Here you will find men whose service to the SA was mostly honorary, such as the master of the Nazi legal profession and infamous Generalgouverneur of occupied Poland, Dr. Hans Frank, the head of the Reich Colonial League, General Franz Ritter von Epp, and the infamous gauleiter of Upper Austria, August Eigruber. Others, like Herbert Fust, Kurt Günther, and the historian Dr. Heinrich Bennecke, were entirely committed to their respective SA commands. Drawing on a wealth of official personnel files and other contemporary documentation, Miller and Schulz present a uniquely thorough examination of the SA leadership, superbly illustrated with over 550 photographs.

In the 1970s, the global airline industry experienced a decade of rapid growth stimulated by the advent of the "Jet Age," beginning in the late 1950s and accelerating through the 1960s. A gigantic new jet aircraft, the Boeing 747, which was essentially twice as large as any previous airliner, entered service in January of 1970. The piston-to-jet transition was well in hand, with 1970 also being the year that the last U.S. "trunk" carrier finally stopped using aircraft with that type of propulsion. Other widebodies, including the McDonnell-Douglas DC-10, the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, and later, the Airbus A300, also began appearing at airports in the 1970s.It was a significant decade for other developments too, and not all positive. The 1973–74 "oil shock," which initially restricted fuel supplies and later caused the oil price to rise significantly, pushed many older airliners into retirement. But despite this bump in the road, the passenger side of the airline business continued on a dramatic rise, and there were major new entrants in the air cargo field as well. Richly illustrated and impeccably researched, Decades of the Airliners: The 1970s tells the complete story of this exhilarating decade in airline history.

When Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart attempted to rise from the ashes of their brief post-punk glory as members of The Tourists, the odds seemed drastically stacked against them. However, initial setbacks were not enough to stop their transformation into the powerhouse that became Eurythmics, one of the most successful pop duos of all time.In a career spanning several decades, always at the vanguard of evolving musical trends, they recorded over 100 original tracks including many experimental rarities and B-sides, constantly changing and progressing their sound. From cold electronics to soulful RnB and rock, the music of this dynamic pair lives on in the psyche of popular culture and sounds as fresh today as it did thirty years ago. A catalogue as diverse, innovative and impactful as that of Eurythmics absolutely deserves to be unpacked, celebrated and savoured—song by song. Enjoy.

Pet Shop Boys—Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe—are the most successful duo in the history of the UK pop charts, worldwide superstars, and legends in dance music on both sides of the Atlantic. From their first international smash hit ‘West End Girls’ in 1985 to the present day, their 40-plus years of songwriting and recording have seen them release fifteen studio albums, more than seventy singles, scores of non-album tracks, and an ambitious string of outside projects that include a stage musical, a film score, a ballet, a ‘classical’ work for the BBC Proms, and numerous collaborations with other artists. This book, the first of two volumes, delves into their entire output, every song they’ve written or recorded during the first half of their astounding career—not just the hits, but also album tracks and obscurities, revealing the remarkable depth and breadth of their artistry. Compiled by an acknowledged expert on their music who has been writing about their career in detail for more than 20 years, this book clues you in, song by song, on their inspirations and influences, as well as the fascinating stories behind and ideas expressed throughout their richly varied catalogue.

The Danish capital of Copenhagen was the site of two major battles during the Napoleonic Wars, but the significance of the fighting there, and the key role the country played in the conflict in northern Europe, has rarely been examined in detail. In this absorbing and original study Gareth Glover focuses on these two principal events, using original source material to describe them from the British and Danish perspectives, and he shows how they fitted into the little-understood politics of this region during this turbulent phase of European history.The first Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 - the naval battle celebrated in Britain as one of Nelson's great victories - and the second - the British army's assault on the city in 1807 in which Wellington played a prominent part - were episodes in the continental struggle to resist the power of the French. Gareth Glover describes these events in vivid detail, quoting extensively from the recollections of eyewitnesses on both sides. His account is fascinating reading and an important contribution to the history of the period.

What is the scariest moment in an action horror video game?Is it your first encounter with the Xenomorph in Alien: Isolation? The iconic zombie dog jump scare in Resident Evil or the slow trek through Half-Life 2’s Ravenholm?Fear is personal and enigmatic, so how do developers deliver a memorable horror experience?Beyond Fear: Inside Action Horror Games is an intimate collection of exclusive first-hand interviews that dissect the intentional design choices of the genre’s best and most interesting games. It’s a book about success, failure and lasting impact.John Romero examines DOOM’s overlooked horror. Ken Levine wrestles with how his perfectionism led to mistakes in BioShock, and Half-Life’s Marc Laidlaw confronts the prospect of a career unfulfilled. The contrasting fortunes of Aliens: Colonial Marines and Alien: Isolation are charted by those who lived it. Resident Evil Village star Maggie Robertson celebrates Lady Dimitrescu, plus much more.Nick Akerman peels back the skin of action horror games to reveal emotional stories and the decisions that can make or break the people behind them.

At the end of July, Operation 'Cobra' broke through the German defences and the American leaders rushed through Coutances and Avranches, and took the Pontaubault bridge on the 31st. On August 1, the VIII Corps had three crossing sites over the Sée River and four over the Sélune, the routes to enter Brittany were open.That day, as the 4th Armored Division thrust from Pontaubault toward Rennes, Lieutenant Georges S. Patton's Third US Army became operational.To secure Brittany, Patton's plan was to unleash armoured columns in the peninsula, the 4th Armored Division to drive through Rennes to Quiberon, and the 6th Armored Division to rush all the way to Brest. A third column, Task Force A, was to secure the vital railroad that ran along the north shore.The 4th Armored Division reached Nantes on August 6, to find the port facilities in ruins. On the northern shore of the peninsula, Task Force A encountered fierce resistance at Saint-Malo. While the task force continued westwards, the 83rd Division took on the siege and it took four weeks of repeated attacks, and the engagement of strong artillery forces and several heavy air raids, to obtain the surrender of the German fortress.The Americans faced a similar dogged defence at Brest and it took six weeks of fighting to obtain the surrender of Generalleutnant Hermann Ramcke on September 19. The Americans lost 10,000 killed and wounded in the battle, but Brest, as well as its harbour facilities, were destroyed.On September 13, after the extent of the reconstruction and works necessary to rehabilitate the harbour had been looked at, it was decided to abandon all repair work there. The serious Allied problem of port capacity persisted until November, when the Antwerp facilities became available.The charge was later made that the employment of three divisions and valuable transports and supplies to defeat the German garrison at Brest but the resources used there, quite small when compared to the total effort, could hardly have altered the pattern of the quick advance eastwards.

On 24 February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine, marking the most significant European conflict since World War II. The invasion aimed to capture Kyiv and replace President Zelenskyy with a puppet regime, but the Russians faced fierce Ukrainian resistance, forcing them to retreat and re-direct their efforts to other fronts.The Battle of Kyiv chronicles the Ukrainians’ heroic resilience against a vastly more powerful enemy. Despite Russia’s population and economic superiority, Ukraine’s military, bolstered by NATO and international support, held its ground. The book details the early phase of the war, when Russian forces pushed toward Kyiv, surrounded cities like Chernihiv, seized Kherson, and threatened the Ukrainian state. U.S. intelligence predicted Kyiv’s fall within days and offered to evacuate Zelenskyy. His response: “I need ammunition, not a ride.”The book covers the fighting in Kyiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Mariupol, documenting military operations, destruction, civilian suffering, and survival struggles. Written as the battle unfolded, it provides an urgent historical account of the uncertainty, anxiety, and global significance of the war, reflecting the pivotal moments in Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion.

Domenico Angelo's book, complete with diagrams, embodies the ideas of an era. Philip Stafford in The Times Literary SupplementThis is a fascinating read and surprisingly up to date. Every fencer will learn from it . . . Very highly recommended. The SwordIf there is one book on smallsword technique that a person should have in their collection, Angelos treatise is certainly that book. JL Forgeng in Man At Arms magazineDomenico Angelos The School of Fencing was first published in 1763 as LEcole des armes and was one of the most popular and influential treatises of its time. Today, it remains essential reading for any historical swordfighter, student of martial arts, or military historians, giving the reader access to one of the great masters of the art.This modern edition is annotated by Maestro Jeannette Acosta-Martinez, who is currently the foremost expert in the French small sword. Her additions to this edition help clarify Angelos text for the modern reader. This edition also includes an Introduction by the editor, Jared Kirby, which gives a short history of Angelos life.

First published in 1570, Joachim Meyer's _The Art of Comba__t_ is among the most important texts in the rich corpus of German martial arts treatises of the Middle Ages and Renaissance.Meyer is unique in offering full recommendations on how to train for various weapons forms. He divides his book into five parts by weapon types: longsword; dusack (a practice weapon analogous to a sabre); rapier; dagger; and staff weapons. For each weapon, Meyer lays out the principles of its use and the vocabulary of techniques, and then describes a range of specific 'devices', attack combinations for use in combat. This rational approach, along with Meyer's famous and profuse woodcut illustrations, make this a crucial source for understanding the history and techniques of medieval and Renaissance martial arts.In the first ever English translation of this important work, Jeffrey Forgeng has sought to improve accessibility of the text. His Introduction is the first substantial account to be published in English of the German Fechtbuch corpus, and the Glossary likewise is the first of its kind to be published in English.

Pink Floyd: they live in the British national consciousness, and they will forever.How did this group become entwined with the psychedelic backwaters of 1967 London? How did they cope with the traumatic loss of their visionary songwriter, Syd Barrett? Why did they break out from the cult band label to sell over sixty million copies of two iconic 1970s albums? And what happened when a wall appeared, cutting them off from their audience and even from one another? Could they survive the loss of further group members?This unique group gave so much to Britain, yet in telling the personal stories of the five remarkable individuals comprising it the impact of their music is sometimes overlooked. This book focuses on that music: Syd Barrett’s melodic childhood nuggets, David Gilmour’s transcendent blues guitar, Roger Waters’ lyrical brilliance, and Nick Mason’s mesmeric drumming; and the keyboards and voice of Rick Wright, whose loss inspired mourning and tributes reinforcing his position as the soul of the group, not least when it came to the final Pink Floyd album.This book tells a fifty-five year story, from the sun-dappled haunts of Cambridge, through stadium concerts and the fourth bestselling album of all time, to the messy, but ultimately triumphant conclusion.Pink Floyd reside close to the heart of Britain, but their story belongs to the world.

Punk: the filth and the fury. But it was so much more than that.In The History of Punk Music, author Stephen Palmer depicts the punk rock explosion of 1976-77 in tired, bored, and socially stratified Britain. Emerging from the litter-strewn streets of London, punk’s music expressed the suppressed anger of young working-class people with nowhere to go and nothing meaningful to do. Its music was raw and shocking. Its fashion mocked staid middle-class values. Its art was expressed in cut-outs and by sprayed graffiti. Yet beneath this sudden explosion, frightening to those of the establishment who witnessed it, incomprehensible to white-collar workers commuting to and from work, lay a philosophy of individual creative expression and an ethic of anti-racism and liberation for women.Punk in its original form was a movement of human liberation, a Year Zero moment in the history of a nation more used to colonial exploits and a vast empire. It spoke of fury, of hopelessness, of cathartic anger expressed through visceral, exciting, revolutionary music. Its visual images captured the gaze of the nation, and soon the world. And all of its central figures yelled, hammered and smashed the doors of the Establishment.This book charts the origins, appearance, development and ending of punk. It is a book of passion and vivid description, befitting the individual visions of the original punk musicians.Punk was filthy and furious, yet it was also a new dawn for the British music scene.

Whether you’re a lifelong book lover or a curious traveller, this guide is the perfect companion to discovering Edinburgh’s extraordinary literary heritage. Explore the places and authors that have shaped the city’s cultural and physical landscape, from sites of literary history and interest to buildings and vistas that inspired famous poems and novels. Including many iconic Edinburgh sights, this guide also draws on local knowledge to highlight some lesser-known gems hidden away in the Old Town or located further afield in the city.After a brief history of Edinburgh, the guide offers five detailed walking trails. These allow readers to follow in the footsteps of some of the best-known writers associated with Edinburgh from Robert Burns, Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson to J.K. Rowling and Diana Gabaldon. The second section delves into Edinburgh’s wider literary associations. Organised by geographical area, it spans a diverse range of authors, poets and playwrights across many centuries, uncovering unexpected connections, fascinating pieces of history and even a widely-disseminated literary hoax. The third and final section explores the city’s vibrant literary scene today, detailing museums, bookshops, and festivals, such as the world-renowned Edinburgh International Book Festival and Festival Fringe.

For anyone seeking to understand the experiences of the ordinary German soldier during World War II, Blood Red Snow provides an excellent starting point"- Military IllustratedA horrifying personal story of World War II's most savage front" - Military Book Club (USA)Gunter Koschorrek wrote his illicit diary on any scraps of paper he could lay his hands on, storing them with his mother on infrequent trips home on leave. The diary went missing, and it was not until he was reunited with his daughter in America some forty years later that it came to light and became Blood Red Snow.The author's excitement at the first encounter with the enemy in the Russian Steppe is obvious. Later, the horror and confusion of fighting in the streets of Stalingrad are brought to life by his descriptions of the others in his unit and their differing manners and techniques for dealing with the squalor and death. He is also posted to Romania and Italy, assignments he remembers fondly compared to his time on the Eastern Front.This book stands as a memorial to the huge numbers on both sides who did not survive and is, some six decades later, the fulfilment of a responsibility the author feels to honour the memory of those who perished.

The Crimean War was the first major European war since the end of the Napoleonic Wars and Britain's only war on that continent in the century between Waterloo and WW1\. When Russia invaded provinces of the Ottoman Empire, the British and French, later joined by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, intervened to limit Russian expansion towards the Black Sea.Each of the armies contained an eclectic mix of units. The regular European regiments still displayed much of the bright colour and finery associated with the Napoleonic era (the British infantry in their scarlet tunics forming the famous thin red line' at Balaklava for instance), while each also contained a mix of exotic units drawn from across their respective empires. The French fielded Zouaves and Spahis from North and West Africa, not to mention the legendary Foreign Legion; the Ottomans had Tunisians and Egyptians alongside Balkan mountaineers and the infamous Bashi-bazouks; the Russians of course had their Cossacks and the British fielded little-known German, Swiss and Italian mercenaries. Gabriele Esposito details the composition, organization, uniforms and weaponry of each force and illustrates many of them with early black and white photos (this being the first major war for which photography was available), as well as numerous colour artworks.

Daughters of kings were often used to seal treaty alliances and forge peace with England’s enemies. Princesses of the Early Middle Ages: Royal Daughters from the Conquest will explore the lives of these young women, how they followed the stereotype, and how they sometimes managed to escape it. It will look at the world they lived in, and how their lives and marriages were affected by political necessity and the events of the time.Almost as interesting as the marriages these girls made are the ones that were never realised. Many English princesses were betrothed, or proposed as brides, three or more times before they were married. Their failed marriage proposals demonstrated their influence and worth on the international royal marriage market, as well as the changing allegiances between countries and the making and breaking of international friendships.Princesses of the Early Middle Ages will also examine how these girls, who were often political pawns, were able to control their own lives and fates. Whilst they were expected to obey their parents in their marriage choices, several princesses were able to exert their own influence on these choices, with some outright refusing the husbands offered to them.Their stories are touching, inspiring and, at times, heartbreaking.

A decorated First World War pilot, Hans Baur was one of the leading commercial aviators of the 1920s before being before becoming Adolf Hitler's personal pilot, a role he first undertook during the election campaign in 1932\. Hitler, who loathed flying, felt safe with Baur and would allow no one else to pilot him. As a result, an intimate relationship developed between the two men and it is this which gives these memoirs a special significance. Hitler relaxed in Baur's company and talked freely of his plans and of his real opinions about his friends and allies.Baur was also present during some of the salient events in the history of the Third Reich; the R hm Putsch, the advent of Eva Braun, von Ribbentrop's journey to Moscow, and the attempt on Hitler's life in the B rgerbraukeller in Munich. When war came in 1939, it was Baur who flew Hitler from front to front.Baur remained in Hitler's service right up to the final days in the F hrerbunker. In a powerful account of Hitler's last hours, Baur describes his final discussions with the F hrer before his suicide; and his last meeting with Magda Goebbels in the tortuous moments before she helped kill her six children.Throughout it all, Baur's loyalty to the F hrer never wavered. His memoirs capture these events, and many others, in all their fascinating and disturbing detail.

On the morning of 3 July 1815, the French General R mi Joseph Isidore Exelmans, at the head of a brigade of dragoons, fired the last shots in the defence of Paris until the Franco-Prussian War sixty-five years later. Why did he do so? Traditional stories of 1815 end with Waterloo, that fateful day of 18 June, when Napoleon Bonaparte fought and lost his last battle, abdicating his throne on 22 June.So why was Exelmans still fighting for Paris? Surely the fighting had ended on 18 June? Not so. Waterloo was not the end, but the beginning of a new and untold story.Seldom studied in French histories and virtually ignored by English writers, the French Army fought on after Waterloo. At Versailles, Sevres, Rocquencourt and elsewhere, the French fought off the Prussian army. In the Alps and along the Rhine other French armies fought the Allied armies, and General Rapp defeated the Austrians at La Souffel - the last great battle and the last French victory of the Napoleonic Wars.Many other French commanders sought to reverse the defeat of Waterloo. Bonapartist and irascible, General Vandamme, at the head of 3rd and 4th Corps, was, for example, champing at the bit to exact revenge on the Prussians. General Exelmans, ardent Bonapartist and firebrand, likewise wanted one final, defining battle to turn the war in favour of the French.Marshal Grouchy, much maligned, fought his army back to Paris by 29 June, with the Prussians hard on his heels. On 1 July, Vandamme, Exelmans and Marshal Davout began the defence of Paris. Davout took to the field in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris along with regiments of the Imperial Guard and battalions of National Guards.For the first time ever, using the wealth of archive material held in the French Army archives in Paris, along with eyewitness testimonies from those who were there, Paul Dawson brings alive the bitter and desperate fighting in defence of the French capital. The 100 Days Campaign did not end at Waterloo, it ended under the walls of Paris fifteen days later.

The Red Fox of Colditz recounts the tale of Lt AM Sinclair KRRC, from his capture post-Calais' fall in May 1940 to his demise in September 1943 while attempting an escape from Colditz Castle, the notorious prison camp for tenacious escape artists. He was WWII's most prolific British escapee, enjoying more freedom in occupied Europe than any other, yet never completing a successful 'home run' to his dismay. His most famous escape attempt involved impersonating a red-haired German guard commander, complete with a notable moustache, resembling Emperor Franz Joseph—a feat inaccurately credited to the Senior British Officer in the film 'The Colditz Story'. After extensive preparation, Sinclair, in disguise alongside two prisoners in German uniforms, rappelled from a window, replacing the sentries. However, their plan was foiled when a soldier at the moat gate sounded the alarm. Amidst the chaos, Sinclair was shot but recovered. Despite six escape attempts from Colditz, reaching the borders of Switzerland and Holland, he never achieved his objective of returning to England for active service. Tragically, in September 1944, he discovered the deaths of his younger brother at Anzio and his friend and escape partner, Ronnie Littledale, in Normandy.In a final, desperate attempt to rejoin his Regiment and contribute to Germany's defeat, Sinclair chose to mimic Maurice LeBrun's successful park escape. On September 25, 1944, cloaked in an overcoat to hide his civilian attire and declining his close friend Gris Davies-Scourfield's offer of companionship, Sinclair merged with the prisoners heading to the park. Once settled, he discarded his overcoat, dashed to the perimeter wire fence, and started climbing. Disregarding the German sentries' 'Halt' commands, he clambered over the fence and fled amid gunfire, one bullet striking his elbow and ricocheting into his heart, killing him instantly. Days later, he received a burial with full military honors in the local cemetery, attended by officers from Colditz on parole and several German guards.As Sinclair's possessions were gathered for his family, a hidden note was discovered: "I take full responsibility. Safe home to you, all you good chaps." For his numerous valiant escape attempts and determination to return to active service, Sinclair was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO).

Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime!Adventure video games have provided players with epic and hilarious storytelling for over fifty years. What started from the humble beginnings of text adventures led to a blast of point-and-click and graphic adventure games throughout the 80s and 90s. Trailblazers like Roberta and Ken Williams, Ron Gilbert, Tim Schaffer and Dave Grossman brought timeless characters, stories and puzzles to life, lighting the imaginations and wracking the brains of gamers around the world.This book showcases the companies, games and creators that have made the adventure video game one of the most passionately-adored genres in the medium. In these pages you'll find histories on influential companies such as Sierra On-Line, LucasArts and Telltale Games, as well as some of the most revered games in the genre.With a bright future emerging as veterans and newcomers forge ahead with new ideas and visual flourishes for adventure games, there's never been a better time to become acquainted (or reacquainted!) with a colourful and exciting part of gaming history.So point your cursor over the start button and click that mouse!

The vast majority of period ship models are built from kits, usually primarily of wood with some ready-made fittings. Although these commercial offerings have improved significantly in recent years, all of them can be enhanced in accuracy or detail by an experienced modelmaker. This book, by an expert ship modeller, distils lessons gleaned from a lifetime practising the hobby to the highest standards, setting out methods of improving basic kits and gradually developing the skills and confidence to tackle the construction of a model from scratch.Using a variety of kits as the starting point, each chapter demonstrates a technique that can be readily improved or a feature that can be replaced to the advantage of the finished model. Topics include hull planking, representing copper sheathing, many aspects of more accurate masting and rigging, and how to replace kit parts and fittings from scratch. Ultimately, the impact of a period model depends on its accuracy, and the book also provides guidance on plans and references, where to find them and how they are best used.The plank-on-frame model, sometimes with exposed frames in the Navy Board style, has always been considered the crowning achievement of period ship modelling, and this book concludes with coverage of the very latest kits that put fully framed models within the reach of ordinary mortals. Offering advice, expertise and inspiration, _Ship Models from the Age of Sail_ has something for anyone interested in building a period ship model, whatever their level of skill.

The 'Defenestration of Prague', the coup d'etat staged by Protestant Bohemian nobles against officials of the Hapsburg Emperor triggered the Thirty Years War. When Habsburg Spain intervened in support of their Holy Roman Emperor relative, what had started as a localised political and religious dispute in Germany, transformed into a European and global conflict.In seeking to exploit the Bohemian revolt, Spanish Habsburg revanchist ambitions directed by the Spanish Count of Olivarez at the economically powerful Dutch Republic were allied with the Habsburg Emperor’s counter-reformation ambitions. After the Bohemian defeat at the White Mountain in 1620 the war widened as the Dutch Republic, England, Transylvania, Denmark, Sweden, and Richelieu’s France all intervened to roll back Habsburg hegemony and restore the balance power.There was extensive fighting across the globe, as the Dutch and English sought to challenge the Spanish Habsburg global monopoly. These colonial wars were a major factor in the Iberian revolutions with brought down the Habsburg Imperium. Professor Charles Boxer called it: “the first world war”.It was a tragic war of attrition but also an epic story of remarkable individuals including the 'titans’ of the era,' Imperial General Wallenstein, warrior King Gustavus, sinister Count Olivarez, and the masters of international intrigue, realpolitik and diplomacy- Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin. Above all there were the decisive victories of the under-sung military genius of the era, Lennart Torstensson.The Treaties of Westphalia followed a war which not only changed the global balance of power, but accelerated over thirty years the transformation of the European continent from a world characterized by dynasties and the medieval concept of United Christendom to a European order that was recognisably modern.

The name Ada Lovelace perhaps is not a name that you would automatically link to computer science but she was in fact the first person to create a computer algorithm. Working with the renowned scientist Charles Babbage, Lovelace translated a set of notes on Babbage's new mechanical computer, The Analytical Engine and discovered that in fact it could be programmed to do more than mere mathematical calculations.Lovelace may have been a mathematical genius but as the only legitimate child of the poet Lord Byron she was also a figure of great scrutiny. Abandoned by her father at just four weeks old, Ada endured a strict childhood in the care of her mother who was adamant that her daughter would not inherit the so-called Byron madness. She ensured Ada was denied all things that were considered exciting and was pushed more towards the logical subjects such as science and mathematics. Did this strict approach work? Or, did Ada Lovelace inherit more than her genius from her father?Ada was many things, a daughter, wife and mother but above all that she was an inspirational woman, one who defied Victorian ideals by entering the field of mathematical studies and by achieving greatness that is still recognised today.