After storming the beaches on D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Allied invasion of France bogged down in seven weeks of grueling attrition in Normandy. On July 25, U.S. divisions under Gen. Omar Bradley launched Operation Cobra, an attempt to break out of the hedgerows and begin a war of movement across France. Despite a disastrous start, with misdropped bombs killing hundreds of GIs, Cobra proved to be one of the most pivotal battles of World War II, successfully breaking the stalemate in Normandy and clearing a path into occupied France.

Written by the chief military correspondent of the New York Times and a prominent retired Marine general, this is the definitive account of the invasion of Iraq. A stunning work of investigative journalism, Cobra II describes in riveting detail how the American rush to Baghdad provided the opportunity for the virulent insurgency that followed. As Gordon and Trainor show, the brutal aftermath was not inevitable and was a surprise to the generals on both sides. Based on access to unseen documents and exclusive interviews with the men and women at the heart of the war, Cobra II provides firsthand accounts of the fighting on the ground and the high-level planning behind the scenes. Now with a new afterword that addresses what transpired after the fateful events of the summer of 2003, this is a peerless re-creation and analysis of the central event of our times.

Luke Baron has agreed to buy a fake driving licence from a girl he's just met online. But when he realises he's made a big mistake and tries to back out, he discovers that Gemma Dolan is in serious trouble with her criminal dad. Trying to protect her, he gets caught up in a terrifying plot to attack an armed nuclear convoy. Who's behind it and what do they want? Luke is starting to like Gemma, but should he trust her? And can he stop the catastrophe that threatens to engulf London, the UK and the world?

After the success of the D-Day landings, the Allied forces were bogged down in a bloody stalemate in Normandy. On 25 July 1944, General Bradley launched Operation Cobra to break the deadlock. What followed was one of the most decisive months of World War II, as US forces punched a hole in the German frontline and began a spectacular advance. As Patton's Third Army poured into Brittany and raced south to the Loire, the German army was threatened with encirclement. By the end of August German forces in Normandy were utterly destroyed, and the remaining German units in central and southern France were in headlong retreat to the German frontier. In this concise, illustrated account, Steven J. Zaloga explains how the breakout from Normandy came about.

THE BEGINNINGS OF VICTORY Shortly after the D-Day invasion, the Allied forces in Europe had stalled. A limited operation was set in motion to punch a small hole in the enemy defenses, starting on July 25, 1944. It was called Operation Cobra, and it would become one of the greatest offensives in all of military history. In the sixty days following the launch of the operation, the Allies -- commanded by Dwight Eisenhower and led by men such as the irascible General George Patton and General Omar Bradley -- attacked the enemy relentlessly. And what began as a desperate attempt to break a stalemate turned into an unstoppable armored juggernaut that swept the Germans out of virtually all of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Here is a penetrating account of that incredible feat of military skill, bravery, and daring that changed the course of the war, and signaled the end of Germany's domination of Europe.

Zone of Action is a front-row seat to major combat operations, leadership, tragedy, and nation-building. These are the war-theater observations of a senior Army JAG constantly in the thick of the war, the occupation, and the Iraqi community. He tells the inside-the-war-room story of Operation COBRA II and Iraqi Freedom during the march to Baghdad and the nation-building beyond. It details his official and inner journeys and those of soldiers and Iraqis encountered along the way. It reveals the sacrifice of many unsung heroes and the challenges of liberating and occupying a broken country. It shows the character of our soldiers and leaders . . . and the occasional lack of it. But above all things, it is an honest, often humorous romp through war by someone deep in the arena.

Although it is known that Allied airborne forces landed into a German buzzsaw on D-Day, far less is known about the troops they encountered in the dark night of June 6, 1944. One of the formations they encountered was a similarly elite group of paratroopers, who instead of dropping from the skies fought on the defensive, giving their Allied counterparts a tremendous challenge in achieving their objectives. This is the complete wartime history of one of the largest German paratrooper regiments, 6th , from its initial formation in the spring of 1943 to its last day at the end of the war. With numerous firsthand accounts from key members, reporting on their experiences, they describe the events of 1943Ð45 vividly and without compromise. These accounts reveal previously unknown details about important operations in Italy, Russia, on the Normandy Front, Belgium, Holland, the last German Parachute drop in the Ardennes, and the final battle to the end in Germany. With over 220 original photographs, many from private collections and never before published, this book fully illustrates the men, their uniforms, equipment and weapons. Also included is an appendix with maps, battle calendar, staffing plans, a list of field and post-MOB-numbers, and the Knight's Cross recipients of the regiment. Having earned the respect of the Allied forces who fought against it during World War II, this work will inform current readers of the full record of FallschirmjŠger Regiment 6, and why the Allied advance into German-held Europe was so painstaking to achieve.

At the dawn of the 21st century, poaching and the illegal ivory trade were the biggest threats to the African elephants’ survival. Down to as few as 400,00 animals by 2012, the African elephant was on the path to extinction in the wild. African rhinoceros’ species were in even more jeopardy. Dr. John Benson, a renowned Canadian forensic wildlife biologist, RCMP Inspector, and senior strategist and trainer with INTERPOL’s Wildlife Crime Unit, together with Dr. Kate Beckett, long term colleague, romantic partner, forensic wildlife biologist, and a senior Special Agent with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, were jointly invited by INTERPOL’s Wildlife Crime Group, to work together as advisors and trainers on a new initiative named Operation Cobra, targeting the world-wide illegal trafficking in elephant ivory and rhino horn. Operation Cobra chronicles the exploits of John Benson, Kate Beckett, and their team in East Africa and North America working with local wildlife and law enforcement agencies to take down wildlife poaching ringleaders and break up international wildlife trafficking syndicates, often risking their lives and the lives of their trusted team members, Dennis Bear and Anna Dupree, and their two German shepherd police dogs, Sydney and Nelle.

A rogue band of SAS commandos rob a bank in war-torn Beirut—and return decades later to find the gold—in this military thriller based on a true story. Beirut, 1976. As war ravages the country, an unknown band of armed men blast their way into the Imperial Bank of Beirut. Over the next forty-eight hours, they load three trucks with gold bullion and then disappear without a trace. Two weeks earlier, a new SAS Major had tasked his men with planning such a Beirut bank robbery—strictly as an exercise. But when veteran Luke Kilbride has his heist plan rejected as “useless,” he decides to prove the Major wrong by pulling the job off for real. The heist goes perfectly . . . until it doesn’t. Kilbride and his men are forced to hide the loot and make their getaway. Thirty years later, Kilbride and his team are planning their return. The only problem is that a powerful enemy is hell-bent on finding the gold before they do. Kilbride dreams up an audacious mission, and the race is on to reach the gold before the ruthless Black Assassins can catch up with them.