The Airmen and the Headhunters

The Airmen and the Headhunters
Author :
Publisher : HMH
Total Pages : 324
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780547416069
ISBN-13 : 0547416067
Rating : 4/5 (69 Downloads)

Synopsis The Airmen and the Headhunters by : Judith M. Heimann

A true story of downed B-24s in Japanese-occupied Borneo and a native tribe that “makes us—like the airmen—rethink our definitions of civilized and savage” (Entertainment Weekly). November 1944: Their B-24 bomber shot down on what should have been an easy mission off the Borneo coast, a scattered crew of Army airmen cut themselves loose from their parachutes—only to be met by loincloth-wearing natives silently materializing out of the mountainous jungle. Would these Dayak tribesmen turn the starving airmen over to the hostile Japanese occupiers? Or would the Dayaks risk vicious reprisals to get the airmen safely home in a desperate game of hide-and-seek? A cinematic survival story featuring a bamboo airstrip built on a rice paddy, a mad British major, and a blowpipe-wielding army that helped destroy one of the last Japanese strongholds, The Airmen and the Headhunters is also a gripping tale of wartime heroism unlike any other you have read.

The Most Offending Soul Alive

The Most Offending Soul Alive
Author :
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
Total Pages : 486
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0824821998
ISBN-13 : 9780824821999
Rating : 4/5 (98 Downloads)

Synopsis The Most Offending Soul Alive by : Judith M. Heimann

An English eccentric and adventurer, Tom Harrisson (1911-1976) sought knowledge and renown in a dizzying number of fields, while breaking most of the rules of civilized society. He was a precursor in the field of modern market research; he won the DSO for his World War II service in Borneo; he led efforts to save the orangutan, the green sea turtle, and other endangered species; he discovered the oldest modern human skull known at the time. This hugely enjoyable story of Harrisson's extravagant, controversial life offers a sympathetic and insightful look at a charismatic figure who offended as many people as he impressed at the twilight of colonialism on the fringes of the British empire.

The Candy Bombers

The Candy Bombers
Author :
Publisher : Penguin
Total Pages : 612
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781440635953
ISBN-13 : 1440635951
Rating : 4/5 (53 Downloads)

Synopsis The Candy Bombers by : Andrei Cherny

In the tradition of the great narrative storytellers, Andrei Cherny recounts the exhilarating saga of the unlikely men who made the Berlin Airlift one of the great military and humanitarian successes of American history. “What an exciting, inspiring, and wonderfully-written book this is....Each page has lessons for today, and it is also a thrilling narrative to read.”—Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Steve Jobs The Candy Bombers is a remarkable story with profound implications for our own time. Cherny tells the tale of the ill-assorted group of castoffs and secondstringers who not only saved millions of desperate people from a dire threat, but also won the hearts of America’s defeated enemies, inspired people around the world to believe in America’s fundamental goodness, avoided World War III, and won the greatest battle of the Cold War without firing a shot. With newly unclassified documents, unpublished letters and diaries, and fresh primary interviews, The Candy Bombers takes readers along as American pilots, with only a few small rickety planes, manage to feed and supply West Berlin completely by air for nearly a year; as Harry Truman exploits the very real threat of war to win an upset reelection campaign; as America’s first secretary of defense descends into madness in the midst of a dangerous military crisis; and as a lovesick American pilot shows that acts of basic human kindness can send powerful ripples through the course of history.

Agent Garbo

Agent Garbo
Author :
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Total Pages : 331
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780547614816
ISBN-13 : 0547614810
Rating : 4/5 (16 Downloads)

Synopsis Agent Garbo by : Stephan Talty

Describes the life of Juan Pujol, a poultry farmer who opposed the Nazis and concocted a series of staggering lies that lead to his becoming one of Germany's most valued spies, while actually acting as a double-agent for the Allies.

Last Man Out

Last Man Out
Author :
Publisher : Motorbooks
Total Pages : 250
Release :
ISBN-10 : 076032820X
ISBN-13 : 9780760328200
Rating : 4/5 (0X Downloads)

Synopsis Last Man Out by : H. Robert Charles

From June 1942 to October 1943, more than 100,000 Allied POWs who had been forced into slave labor by the Japanese died building the infamous Burma-Thailand Death Railway, an undertaking immortalized in the film "The Bridge on the River Kwai." One of the few who survived was American Marine H. Robert Charles, who describes the ordeal in vivid and harrowing detail in Last Man Out. The story mixes the unimaginable brutality of the camps with the inspiring courage of the men, including a Dutch Colonial Army doctor whose skill and knowledge of the medicinal value of wild jungle herbs saved the lives of hundreds of his fellow POWs, including the author.

Quartered Safe Out Here

Quartered Safe Out Here
Author :
Publisher : HarperCollins UK
Total Pages : 385
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780007325764
ISBN-13 : 0007325762
Rating : 4/5 (64 Downloads)

Synopsis Quartered Safe Out Here by : George MacDonald Fraser

‘There is no doubt that [Quartered Safe Out Here] is one of the great personal memoirs of the Second World War’ John Keegan

Gaddafi's Harem

Gaddafi's Harem
Author :
Publisher : Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Total Pages : 306
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780802121721
ISBN-13 : 0802121721
Rating : 4/5 (21 Downloads)

Synopsis Gaddafi's Harem by : Annick Cojean

Follows a fifteen-year-old girl who, after presenting Gaddafi with a bouquet of flowers during a visit to her school, was summoned to his compound where she, along with a number of young women, was violently abused, raped, and degraded.

Soldiers of a Different Cloth

Soldiers of a Different Cloth
Author :
Publisher : University of Notre Dame Pess
Total Pages : 414
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780268103965
ISBN-13 : 0268103968
Rating : 4/5 (65 Downloads)

Synopsis Soldiers of a Different Cloth by : John F. Wukovits

“This riveting account of the heroic contributions of thirty-five chaplains and missionaries during World War II is nearly impossible to put down . . . inspiring.” —The Boston Pilot In Soldiers of a Different Cloth, New York Times-bestselling author and military historian John Wukovits tells the inspiring story of thirty-five chaplains and missionaries who, while garnering little acclaim, performed extraordinary feats of courage and persistence during World War II. Ranging in age from twenty-two to fifty-three, these University of Notre Dame priests and nuns were counselor, friend, parent, and older sibling to the young soldiers they served. These chaplains experienced the horrors of the Death March in the Philippines and the filthy holds of the infamous Hell Ships. They dangled from a parachute while descending toward German fire at Normandy and shivered in Belgium’s frigid snows during the Battle of the Bulge. They languished in German and Japanese prison camps, and stood speechless at Dachau. Based on a vast collection of letters, papers, records, and photographs in the archives of the University of Notre Dame, as well as other contemporary sources, Wukovits brings to life these nearly forgotten heroes who served wherever duty sent them and wherever the war dictated. Wukovits intertwines their stories on the battlefronts with their memories of Notre Dame. In their letters to their superior in South Bend, Indiana, they often asked about campus, the Grotto, and the football team. Soldiers of a Different Cloth will fascinate and engage all readers interested in the history of World War II and alumni, friends, and fans of the Fighting Irish.

Strange and Obscure Stories of World War II

Strange and Obscure Stories of World War II
Author :
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Total Pages : 204
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781510746862
ISBN-13 : 1510746862
Rating : 4/5 (62 Downloads)

Synopsis Strange and Obscure Stories of World War II by : Don Aines

Here are overlooked or forgotten tales from the world's greatest conflict. These are stories of courage, daring, and stupidity, some of which would challenge the imaginations of Hollywood scriptwriters. Some of the many true tales that author Donald Aines recounts include: • He would never be cast as a dashing war hero, but a cast member of "The Addams Family" television show volunteered for one of the most dangerous jobs the Army Air Force had to offer. • The US Navy's deadliest submarine claimed an unexpected victim with its last torpedo, and led to one of the war's most harrowing tales of survival. • Bob Hoover's escape from a German stalag would have made a great movie. • British commando "Mad Jack" Churchill earned his nickname, arming himself to fight a 20th century war with a 15th century attitude and weapons. • The Germans and Japanese wasted precious resources developing weapons more dangerous to the users than their enemies. • The GI who stole the voices of his victims, and other Allied and Axis serial killers. Within the pages of Strange and Obscure Stories of World War II,the reality of war trumps fiction.

A Conscript in Korea

A Conscript in Korea
Author :
Publisher : Pen & Sword Military
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 1526766620
ISBN-13 : 9781526766625
Rating : 4/5 (20 Downloads)

Synopsis A Conscript in Korea by : Neville Williams

This remarkable story begins with as a young National Serviceman in 1951, the author walked through the gates at the Welch Brigade Training Centre, Brecon, and ends when he walked back into Civvy Street in 1953. Between these dates he went through many life-changing experiences, in particular the twelve months he spent with the 1st Battle Welch Regiment in Korea. He tells his story of this almost forgotten war in graphic detail. Temperatures could drop to -45 with biting Siberian snow-laden winds. In the spring came the monsoons followed by a humid mosquito-laden period. The Welch Regiment at that time were part of the Commonwealth Division which allied to the American and Korean ROK armies were tasked with holding a line north of the 38th Parallel whilst politicians tried to broker a deal. The Chinese were well dug in and were a resourceful determined enemy, never missing a chance to edge forward even if it meant serious casualties. Artillery exchanges were often fierce and information and fighting patrols often clashed. As a lance corporal infantry signaler, the author was involved at all levels of operational and company activity and he gives the reader a real insight into the events and circumstances of war and the thoughts of a young man caught up in a desperate and dangerous conflict. The tenacity and spirit of young National Servicemen and their Regular partners, shines through as they face life-threatening and exhausting situations and conditions.