BRYAN PERRETT

A fascinating study of the changing face of the art of warfare over the past 2000 years, by one of todays most readable historiansMankind has always been in conflict. Without war, there would be no peace, no stability, no safety. Men go to war to defend, or acquire, territory that they see as rightly theirs; to defend, or impose, beliefs that they hold as fundamental truths. In 2,000 years, while the causes of battle have hardly changed, the conduct of battle has changed and developed apace. Technology advances, weaponry becomes ever more powerful, military thinking shifts again and again. In THE CHANGING FACE OF BATTLE, historian Bryan Perrett reviews that continuous process of change, from AD 9 through to the Gulf War. By analysis of some 30 significant battle confrontations he shows, in clear detail, just how advanced we now are in the art of warfare.

This is naval action adventure with a difference - thirteen naval engagements in which gunboats won the day against every kind of enemy, large and smallBritain, like other colonial powers, established, controlled and accessed her empire from the seas. It was realised that the preservation of secure trading conditions required armed ships able to operate in shallow coastal and river waters. The gunboat was developed to meet this need: a small, shallow-draft, steam-powered screw or paddle driven vessel, sufficiently fast and manoeuvrable to take the enemy, whether on shore or afloat, by surprise.In this book Bryan Perrett recounts thirteen episodes of exciting gunboat action, ranging from the Burma war in 1824, through two world wars and on to the dramatic escape of the Amethyst down the Yangtze in 1949.

The story of dramatic military actions where a few fought against many, often with unbelievable success.From the Napoleonic Wars to Korea, Bryan Perrett has found a further 13 dramatic military actions where a few fought against many, often with unbelievable success. The events take place in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America; they are linked only by the bravery and devilment which led military men to risk their lives for a last ditch attempt to advance their cause. Attending to the important facts and statistics required by the military historian, the author avoids invention and undue surmise whilst also avoiding the dry lecturing style found in so many volumes describing military strategy. The result is an absorbing, exciting and above all accurate account of astonishing battlefield warfare: narrative history of the sort at which Bryan Perrett excels.

As close as you can get to the reality of war. Three generations of front line soldiers recount their experiences.Few people today experience a live war situation; even professional soldiers can serve their career without going to war. Yet the question is often asked, what is it like? How do combatants cope with the danger? How does a battle look to the ordinary soldier?In a unique mix of dialogue, reportage and objective historical analysis - "faction" - Bryan Perrett brings the reality of war to the reader in a direct, no-holds-barred, exciting narrative. The fictional soldiers in this book, based on recorded accounts, are at the very heart of the action. From Mons in 1918, through the First and Second World Wars to Malaya in 1956, Vietnam in 1968 and Kuwait in 1991.

What do soldiers do when all is lost?They keep fighting! In this best-selling anthology, Bryan Perrett provides gripping accounts of close-quarter battles and hard fought victory against all the odds. His journey from Napoleonic Europe through to the Korean War highlights thirteen episodes of incredible bravery and sacrifice in unbelievable actions. The book begins with the gallant fight of Napoleons Old Guard at Waterloo. It examines the famous actions at the Alamo; against the Zulus at Rorkes Drift; and the Bridge Too Far at Arnhem. The adventure concludes with the desperate last stand of the Gloucesters at Imjin during the Korean War. Last Stand! is the breathtaking story of ultimate sacrifice and glorious victory.

Thirteen true tales of men who were briefly military heroes of their time, but have since been largely forgottenThis book looks back to the time when an individual could change the course of history in a single battle or engagement, and yet still be forgotten. Here are the stories of the men who were regarded as heroes at the time but have now been forgotten or eclipsed. Some were honourable men and some not, but the actions of all were larger than life and make for exciting reading. They were mostly professional soldiers; one, Lieutenant Walter Hamilton, was a VC who fought the Kabul mob to the death, and took 600 of the enemy with him. Another, Major General Lew Wallace, primarily a lawyer and politician, commanded a division at the Battle of Shiloh, but is remembered now only as the author of Ben Hur.

Este libro presenta las historias de trece dramáticos enfrentamientos militares que acabaron, contra todo pronóstico, en grandes éxitos. La victoria de unos pocos contra muchos. Son las experiencias de unos hombres puestos a prueba por sus principios y sentido del deber.

The greatest tank battles of history from the Great War to the Gulf, examined by one of Britains bestselling military writers.The story of the evolution of armoured warfare in the 20th century, which has seen tanks and other armoured vehicles develop from lumbering, primitive and vulnerable Goliaths to the immensely potent and manoeuvrable agents of lightning battlefield success. This is a collection of the greatest moments of armoured history from the conception of the tank as a means to break the stalemate of the Western Front to Blitzkreig, the great tank battles of the Second World War and the mother of all battles in the Gulf in 1991.

Desde Minden, donde el avance de la caballería prusiana rechazó la ofensiva del ejército francés, hasta Goose Green, que precipitó la rendición argentina, pasando por los valles de la muerte de Balaclava y el ataque suicida del ejercito de Von Bredow, el autor recupera en este libro once conflictos que abarcan mas de 225 años de historia, para cuyos protagonistas el deseo de venganza supuso una fuente inagotable de motivacion: vencer, cueste los que cueste, al enemigo.

Stories of outstanding bravery on the battlefieldThe Victoria Cross, a simple bronze cross inscribed For Valour on the front and engraved with the recipients name, rank, number, unit and the date of the action on the reverse, was first awarded by Queen Victoria - in a ceremony in Hyde Park - in 1857, to heroes of the Crimea. The VC is the most prized British and Commonwealth decoration for gallantry, and is earned too often at the cost of the ultimate sacrifice. Only 1,354 VCs have been awarded, and this book, in Bryan Perretts inimitable style, tells the story behind some of the most remarkable, from the Crimea through to the Second World War. Likewise, the Congressional Medal of Honor, the US equivalent decoration, is celebrated here in equal measure in his gripping episodes of outstanding gallantry in battle. The VC and the Medal of Honor have on occasion even been awarded for acts on the same battlefield.

From the jaws of defeat, incredible victories.AT ALL COSTS! transports you to the battlefront for over two centuries of astonishing military confrontations. From the Battle of Minden in 1795 to dramatic second world war stories and the Battle for Goose Green in the Falklands, Bryan Perrett gives astoundingly vivid accounts of international forces in daring actions, achieving victory against the odds.These real-life military adventures are meticulously, accurately described, giving a true flavour of some of the most important moments in world history.

SEIZE AND HOLD vividly demonstrates how military objectives can be seized by clever tactics and ruthless action.From the First World War to Vietnam, this collection gives exciting, atmospheric descriptions of eleven twentieth-century battlefield triumphs. Portraying military skills at their most daring and inventive, SEIZE AND HOLD is full of more drama and excitement than Hollywood could ever invent.