Books >> History >> Military

The Avro Lancaster is one of the most famous bomber aircraft of all time. At museums and airshows today, the Lancaster commands a huge audience and is always the 'star turn'. There are only two surviving airworthy Lancasters left in the world, however, and just one more in a taxable condition. Jarrod Cotter looks at four of the world's surviving Lancasters which 'come to life' in a variety of different ways. In words and pictures he describes how the RAF's last remaining Lancaster, PA474, is maintained, flown and displayed by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight; how the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum's FM213 is flown in civilian hands today in North America; how the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre's NX611 is taxable at East Kirkby in Lincolnshire and regularly attracts huge crowds; and how the Australian War Memorial's 'G for George' forms the centrepiece of a stunning audio-visual display called 'Striking by Night', that takes onlookers on a virtual bomber 'op' over Berlin in 1943. There is also a section devoted to all the other Lancaster survivors around the world, using photographs taken during rare and privileged access.

Forty years ago, France's war with the anticolonial Communist-led Vietminh insurgency climaxed in the bloody battle for the valley of Dienbienphu. The Vietminh's victory put the 17 million people of North Vietnam under Communist rule and would, in two years, induce America's attempt to save South Vietnam—without heeding the French army's catastrophic defeat. That defeat, former French soldier Jules Roy explains, occurred not because of a shortage of arms or troops, but more important, less tangible reasons. Hungry for a textbook victory, the French military command occupied the valley in a plan to lure the Vietminh down from the hills to destroy them with supposedly superior artillery. Roy vividly shows how French political infighting in Paris and rivalry in the high command left a few romantic professional officers and soldiers of the French Expeditionary Corps and the Foreign Legion to be surrounded and then overwhelmed by totally dedicated and resourceful enemy forces. Roy also profiles Vietminh soldiers and commanders and how they ended over eighty years of French colonial rule in North Vietnam. 16 pages of black-and-white photographs add to a "moving and dramatic" (New York Times Book Review) account of the battle that led to America's involvement the Vietnam War. "Roy relates the basic facts perceptively and brilliantly.… Americans concerned with … Vietnam … should read The Battle of Dienbienphu." — New York Times Book Review (front page) "A searing portrait of France's failure in Vietnam..." — Philadelphia Inquirer

Forty years ago, France's war with the anticolonial Communist-led Vietminh insurgency climaxed in the bloody battle for the valley of Dienbienphu. The Vietminh's victory put the 17 million people of North Vietnam under Communist rule and would, in two years, induce America's attempt to save South Vietnam—without heeding the French army's catastrophic defeat. That defeat, former French soldier Jules Roy explains, occurred not because of a shortage of arms or troops, but more important, less tangible reasons. Hungry for a textbook victory, the French military command occupied the valley in a plan to lure the Vietminh down from the hills to destroy them with supposedly superior artillery. Roy vividly shows how French political infighting in Paris and rivalry in the high command left a few romantic professional officers and soldiers of the French Expeditionary Corps and the Foreign Legion to be surrounded and then overwhelmed by totally dedicated and resourceful enemy forces. Roy also profiles Vietminh soldiers and commanders and how they ended over eighty years of French colonial rule in North Vietnam. 16 pages of black-and-white photographs add to a "moving and dramatic" (New York Times Book Review) account of the battle that led to America's involvement the Vietnam War. "Roy relates the basic facts perceptively and brilliantly.… Americans concerned with … Vietnam … should read The Battle of Dienbienphu." — New York Times Book Review (front page) "A searing portrait of France's failure in Vietnam..." — Philadelphia Inquirer

Secret codes, ciphers, strategic misdirection, and more: Deception was one of the most powerful weapons utilized by the Allies in World War II. Here are some of the amazing tricks and leaked misinformation—many revealed for the first time—that helped lure the Axis powers into false, even dangerous, positions. The collection of incredible codes, surreptitious spies, and false battle plans is made all the more enjoyable by Thaddeus Holt’s masterful writing, as well as the accompanying photos. His novel-like storytelling includes many illuminating profiles of the war’s central figures and the roles they played in specific deceptive operations.