Iain MacGregor

La carrera por la bomba nuclear y el amanecer de la era atómica A las 8.15 de la mañana del 6 de agosto de 1945, un único avión sobrevoló Hiroshima. Segundos después, un destello blanco, más brillan

El épico asedio de la batalla decisiva de la Segunda Guerra Mundial Con más de dos millones de combatientes muertos, heridos o capturados, la batalla de Stalingrado fue la más sangrienta de la Segun

Really outstanding Jonathan Dimbleby At 8 15 a m on August 6th 1945 the Japanese port city of Hiroshima was struck by the world s first atomic bomb Built in the US by the top secret Manhattan Project and delivered by a B 29 Superfortress a revolutionary long range bomber the weapon destroyed large swaths of the city instantly killing tens of thousands The world would never be the same again The Hiroshima Men s unique narrative recounts the decade long journey towards this first atomic attack It charts the race for nuclear technology before and during the Second World War as the allies fought the axis powers in Europe North Africa China and across the vastness of the Pacific and is seen through the experiences of several key characters General Leslie Groves leader of the Manhattan Project alongside Robert Oppenheimer pioneering Army Air Force bomber pilot Colonel Paul Tibbets II the mayor of Hiroshima Senkichi Awaya who would die alongside over eighty thousand of his fellow citizens and Pulitzer Prize winning novelist John Hersey who travelled to post war Japan to expose the devastation the bomb had inflicted upon the city and in a historic New Yorker article described in unflinching detail the dangers posed by its deadly after effect radi

Stunning. History at its very best: a blend of impeccably researched scholarship, genuinely revelatory primary sources, and a beautifully written narrative - James HollandThe sheer brutal intimacy of his descriptions of the fighting are extraordinary - Frederick TaylorA wonderful and important and timely book - Alexander Kershaw, New York Times bestselling author of The Bedford Boys and First WaveAn authoritative and unforgettable insight into the decisive days of that most terrible struggle on the banks of the Volga - Jonathan DimblebyAn utterly gripping read - James HollandMacGregor writes with great fluency and narrative drive . . . compellingly terse - William BoydMagisterial - Dan SnowThe sacrifices that enabled the Soviet Union to defeat Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941-45 are sacrosanct. The foundation of their eventual victory was laid during the battle for the city of Stalingrad, resting on the banks of the river Volga. For Germany, the catastrophic defeat was the beginning of their eventual demise that would see the Red Army two years later flying their flag of victory above the Reichstag. Stalingrad is seen as the pivotal battle of the Second World War, with over two million civilians and combatants either killed, wounded or captured during the bitter winter of September 1942. Both sides endured terrible conditions in brutal house-to-house fighting reminiscent of the Great War.Within this life-and-death struggle for the heart of the city and situated on the frontline was a key strategic building, codenamed: The Lighthouse. Here, a small garrison of Red Army guardsmen withstood German aerial bombardments and fought off daily assaults of infantry and armour. Red Army newspaper reports at the time would be seized upon by the Moscow media needing to place a positive spin on the fighting that had at one point looked beyond salvation. By the end of the war, the story of this building would gather further momentum to inspire Russians to rebuild their destroyed towns and cities until it became the legend it is today, renamed after the simple sergeant who had supposedly led the defence - Pavlovs House.In time for the eightieth anniversary, The Lighthouse of Stalingrad will shed fresh insight on this iconic battle through the prism of the men who fought one another over five months and the officers who commanded them. A riveting narrative, informed by both German and Russian archives to unearth unpublished memoirs and eyewitness testimonies from veterans and civilians alike, this book will celebrate the real heroes and provide a truer picture of how this mighty battle finally ended.

As convoluted and deadly as the plot of a novel by John le Carre, but all too realDaily Mail, Must ReadsWith a gripping narrative and vivid interviews with those on all sides whose lives were directly affected by that grim symbol of the East-West divide that poisoned Europe for almost half a century, [MacGregor] has made an important contribution to the history of our timesJonathan DimblebyCaptures brilliantly and comprehensively both the danger and exhilaration that I and other reporters, soldiers, and people experienced intersecting with the wall - a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the Europe we have inheritedJon SnowA powerful, fascinating, and ground-breaking history of Checkpoint Charlie, the legendary and most important military gate on the border of East and West Berlin where the United States and her allies confronted the USSR during the Cold War.As the thirtieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall approaches in 2019, Iain MacGregor captures the mistrust, oppression, paranoia, and fear that gripped the city throughout this period. Checkpoint Charlie is about the nerve-wracking confrontation between the West and the Soviet Union that contains never-before-heard interviews with the men who built and dismantled the Wall; lovers who crossed it; relatives and friends who lost family trying to escape over it; German, British, French, and Russian soldiers who guarded its checkpoints; CIA, MI6 and Stasi operatives who oversaw secret operations across its borders; politicians whose ambitions shaped it; journalists who recorded its story; and many more whose living memories contributed to the full story of Checkpoint Charlie. A brilliant work ofhistorical journalism, Checkpoint Charlie is an invaluable record of this period.

SHORTLISTED FOR CYCLING BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH SPORTS BOOK AWARDSParis-Roubaix is the best race in the world and knocks spots off the Tour de France. Sir Bradley Wiggins.Paris-Roubaix. The Hell of the North. The ultimate monument in cyclings Classics. More than 150 miles across dusty or muddy roads, much of it puncture-inducing and bone-breaking cobblestones. Even professional riders blanche at the very mention of it. Tour de France winners (with the notable exception of Wiggins in 2014) make their excuses from it. So why on earth would an amateur even dare to attempt it?In To Hell on a Bike, Iain MacGregor does just that and as he prepares for the ride of his life, he explores the history and culture of this extraordinary race. With insights from legends of the sport, trainers, mechanics and fellow writers, as well as those who have maintained the traditions of Paris-Roubaix since its inception over a century ago, it is the ultimate story of the ultimate cycling challenge.

El épico asedio de la batalla decisiva de la Segunda Guerra Mundial Con más de dos millones de combatientes muertos, heridos o capturados, la batalla de Stalingrado fue la más sangrienta de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y el punto de inflexion del conflicto. En esta brutal lucha a muerte que enfrento a los sovieticos y a la Wehrmacht entre agosto de 1942 y febrero de 1943, un edificio estrategico a orillas del rio Volga fue crucial. Su nombre en clave era el Faro. En su interior, una pequeña guarnicion de guardias del Ejercito Rojo resistio ante los bombardeos aereos alemanes y los asaltos diarios de la infanteria y los blindados. Los medios de comunicacion de Moscu aprovecharon las cronicas de esta resistencia en los periodicos militares para insuflar moral a sus soldados, inmersos en una batalla cuyo desenlace parecia incierto. Tras la contienda, los rusos tomaron el Faro como simbolo para reconstruir sus pueblos en ruinas, y este edificio adoptaria el nombre con el que ha pasado a la posteridad: la Casa de Pavlov. Iain MacGregor recoge en esta narracion fascinante testimonios ineditos de soldados de los dos bandos y ofrece una novedosa perspectiva de esta batalla emblematica que marco el principio del fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial.