Myths Amnesia And Reality In Military Conflicts 1935 1945

Stalin fabricated the myth that the Germans carried out the Katyń massacre and the West accepted it while always suspecting the reality. In the same way, each country tried to forget the more painful memories of its past and construct its own mythology. The Germans were never taken to task at Nuremberg for bombing because the Anglo-Americans virtually carried out a war of annihilation. The French Gaullist myth was that it was decadent politicians who caused the defeat, and that fighting France freed itself. In a similar vein, the Italian resistance was fostered as a myth and used postwar to cover the fascist period of their history. British and American popular history tends to portray their countries as the main victors often ignoring the massive Russian contribution, and generally concentrates on the barbarity of the Eastern war. Much is forgotten and much enhanced; both incidents and leaders. The Italian military historian of this book writes in depth about the Italian war so often ignored in western history, and tackles the myth of Italian cowardice, while the British author takes a cold, calculated look at Anglo-American leaders such as Montgomery, Mountbatten, Clark, Patton, and questions the myth of the special relationship between Great Britain and the USA, as well as the official and unofficial amnesia relating to self-inflicted gas wounds in Italy.

This book has been written for the student and general reader to study the Franco regime within an accessible framework. It explores the various views of Franco provided by biographers and historians, and acknowledges that political bias and various moral stances are forever evident. The background of any character is critical and Part One is a brief summary of Spanish history during this period. Part Two examines Franco the person, and Part Three looks at his highly contentious polices during World War Two. The final section explores Franco and postwar Spain as a pariah state gaining a small degree of respectability because of Franco’s attempted manipulation of the Vatican, and his relationship with America during the Cold War. Franco was a long-surviving dictator from the 1930s and highly repressive to the bitter end, despised by many and feared by his countrymen, yet respected by others.

This new biography of Churchill’s top WWII advisor is “an excellent book for anyone interested in military leadership” (The NYMAS Review). Voted the greatest Briton of the twentieth century, Winston Churchill has long been credited with almost single-handedly leading his country to victory in World War II. But without Alan Brooke, a skilled tactician, at his side the outcome might well have been disastrous. Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, more often than not served as a brake on some of Churchill’s more impetuous ideas. However, while Brooke’s diaries reveal his fury with some of Churchill’s decisions, they also reveal his respect and admiration for the wartime prime minister. In return Churchill must surely have considered Brooke one of his most difficult subordinates—but later wrote that he was “fearless, formidable, articulate, and in the end convincing.” As CIGS, Brooke was integral to coordination between the Allied forces, and so had to wrestle with the cultural strategy clash between the British and Americans. Comments in his diaries offer up his opinions of both his British and American military colleagues—his negative assessments of Mountbatten’s ability, and acerbic comments on the difficult character of de Gaulle and the weaknesses of Eisenhower. Conversely, he was clearly overindulgent in the face of Montgomery’s foibles. Brooke was often seen as a stern and humorless figure, but a study of his private life reveals a little-seen lighter side, a lifelong passion for birdwatching, and abiding love for his family. The two tragedies that befell his immediate family were a critical influence on his life. Andrew Sangster completes this new biography with a survey of the way various historians have assessed Brooke, explaining how he has lapsed into seeming obscurity in the years since his crucial part in the Allied victory in World War II.

‘Panzersoldaten!’ is a history of the Milizia Volontaria per la Sicurezza Nazionale (MVSN), commonly referred to as the Blackshirts due to their wartime attire. They were an anti-Communist paramilitary organisation that fought for Mussolini while Italy was under fascist rule; following the Duce’s removal from power, the organisation was quickly swept up by the Italian Army, and forced to swear allegiance to the king. Some, however, defected and continued to fight for the Axis alliance as volunteer units in the German Army. This volume covers the history of the Blackshirt Division during the campaign on the Eastern Front, focusing on its relations with the Italian Army, the history of the MVSN, its advance into Ukraine, and the First and Second Battles of the Don River. Morisi, using almost exclusively contemporary resources and battalion war diaries, as well memoirs from senior officers of the division, has created a definitive analysis of the Blackshirts.

This book examines in detail, and as objectively as possible, the first year of the Second World War. The sources used here are international in order to avoid a perspective focused on any single nation. It also explores the political machinations and intrigues, as well as the various military campaigns and problems of 1939–1940. In addition to this, the war at sea is closely followed, as well as the reactions of various populations, especially those in Germany, Britain, and France, with a sideways glimpse of American thinking in public terms. The motives behind the war are viewed; important incidents are examined, as are the various styles and issues of leadership. For the student of history, there is also a detailed chronology of every day for the whole year. The book begins with an overview of the driving forces and features of the war, and concludes with a synopsis of the international situation after this one year, from the point of view of the major belligerents. As such, it will appeal to both students and general readers of history.

A transnational history of how Indigenous peoples mobilised en masse to support the war effort on the battlefields and the home fronts.

Accompanying CD-ROM contains graphic footage of various war wound surgeries.

Mind Myths shows that science can be entertaining and creative. Addressing various topics, this book counterbalances information derived from the media with a 'scientific view'. It contains contributions from experts around the world.