In the early hours of 22 November 1970, six Portuguese warships surrounded Conakry, the capital of the Republic of Guinea, on the West African coast. Taking advantage of the darkness of the night, a military force landed on the northern and southern coasts of the sleeping city. At the head of these men was a young Portuguese marine officer, Commander Alpoim Calvão, who had been appointed to command this secret operation, codenamed Green Sea - Mar Verde in Portuguese. The main objective of the invasion was to promote a coup d'état in the former French colony and overthrow the regime of President Sékou Touré, who supported the guerrillas of the PAIGC (African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde), who were fighting for the independence of Portuguese Guinea. The invaders also sought to destroy the naval resources that the guerrillas and the Guinean navy had in the port of Conakry, capture the leader of the party, Amilcar Cabral, and rescue a group of Portuguese soldiers held in a PAIGC prison. The incursion would not have the expected success concerning the coup d'état, and Portugal would be condemned by international organizations for the invasion of a sovereign state, but this operation would remain in the memory of many as the most daring carried out during the colonial war in Africa, although the Portuguese regime never recognized its involvement.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 72

Dimensions: 210 x 297 mm

Publication Date: 28-12-2021

The Rif War in rugged northern Morocco is remembered for romantic films and novels about the French Foreign Legion, such as Beau Geste. In reality, the French intervention, although very important, was late and secondary in importance to that of the Spanish. Spain, had been fighting in North Africa since 1909 in order to carve out new colonial possessions, in part at least to compensate for the recent loss of Cuba and the Philippines to the U.S. It was not an easy road however and Spain suffered disasters such as Barranco del Lobo and victories such as the cavalry charge in Taxdirt in 1913, and had had to face enemies such as Mizzian, El Roghi, or the famous El Raisuni. Abd-el Krim's revolt caused 8,000 Spanish deaths at Annual in 1921 in which much of the new colony was lost, at least temporarily. The war also saw the Spanish army completely reformed, reaching new levels of effectiveness with the founding of the Spanish Legion and the recruitment of Moroccan soldiers of the Regulares. These troops, together with a plethora of commanders who made their combat debuts here, such as Franco, Mola, Queipo de Llano and Kindelán, would later fight in the Spanish Civil War. These commanders would be called the "Africanistas" and would constitute the hard core of the military that rose up against the government in 1936. Volume 1 of The Rif War examines the operations of both sides in North Africa between 1909 and 1921, up to the Disaster of Annual. Within are details of the Spanish army, its organization, tactics and reforms to meet the needs of the theater, the fledgling Spanish military aviation which claimed a number of world firsts in this campaign, and their North African auxiliaries and opponents. The Rif War is illustrated with a selection of color artworks and specially commissioned maps.

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Pages: 80

Dimensions: 210 x 297 mm

Publication Date: 25-02-2022

After being called up for National Service in July 1960, twenty-year-old Chas Hall joined the RAF and signed on to extend his time for an extra three years becoming a regular serviceman. Following initial training, he became a wireless operator and served at RAF Mildenhall. It was shortly after this that he got his first foreign posting in late 1961 to Christmas Island. It was on this island that Chas encountered the horrors of nuclear testing. In an operation codenamed ‘Brigadoon’ by the British government and ‘Dominic’ by the Americans, Chas experienced 25 atmospheric nuclear tests. This he describes as his ‘12-month sentence’ alongside over 300 British and 10,000 American servicemen who were posted to one corner of a remote coral island. Facing Armageddon reveals the true extent of the controversial nuclear testing and how it affected servicemen; with 25 men dying during Chas’s time on Christmas Island and many more suffering mentally as they continued serving on the island. With the British government announcing medals for nuclear test veterans in November 2022 to recognise their contribution in the tests after a four-year campaign by participants and The Mirror newspaper, Chas’s story gives insight to why these servicemen deserve the recognition for their part in these tests. This book will contain a number of unpublished photos from the author’s personal collection and is an essential piece of work in understanding the tough conditions servicemen faced during their time on Christmas Island.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 208

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 31-08-2023

This fast-moving autobiography details the experiences of Giora Even-Epstein, who for more than thirty years, flew fighters for the Israel Air Force. Gaining the nickname ‘Hawkeye’ thanks to his amazing vision that enabled him to pick out enemy aircraft long before his squadron mates, Giora is recognised as the high-scoring jet-mounted ace with the greatest number of confirmed victories in the French Mirage. He also compiled a record of Arab MiGs and Sukhoi kills that bettered any other combat aviators’ tally in the entire world. With descriptions of flying in intense conflicts like the Six Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the reader shares the cockpit with Giora as he describes every action he undertook including the greatest jet-versus-jet air battle in history with four MiG-21 kills in one engagement. His final score was seventeen aerial victories. His story is of one man’s unfaltering dedication to his dreams and his country.

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Pages: 192

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 31-07-2023

The Me 262 was the world’s first operational military jet. Hitler believed that it would become Germany’s ‘miracle weapon’ and took a great personal interest in its development. Pilot Mano Ziegler was involved from its inception and contributed to its design and testing. Could the Me 262 have broken Allied supremacy in the air? Why did it take so long to come into service and why were hundreds of German pilots sacrificed in developing it? Most important of all, why did the Me 262 prove not to be the unparalleled success that Goering claimed it would be and what role did Hitler play in this ultimate failure? These are some of the questions this compelling book answers.

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Pages: 208

Dimensions: 156 x 234 mm

Publication Date: 31-07-2023

Lockheed developed the F-104 Starfighter in the late 1950s. The plane was designed to be an all-weather interceptor. Speed, climb, and altitude all were priorities, and the plane did turn out to be extraordinarily fast, but there were costs associated with that top speed: low-speed handling and landing characteristics were compromised. The plane had a relatively short service life with the US Air Force but remained on duty with several large NATO allies for decades. Particularly when deployed abroad, the Starfighter acquired a reputation for being difficult to fly and compiled an alarming accident rate. Today there are many examples of this pretty aircraft on display in museums, and they have proved unusually prolific as base "gate guards." This is a comprehensive photographic survey of the Starfighter, with dedicated chapters on prototype versions and the A, B, C/D, G, N, Canadian CF-104, Japanese F-104J, and F-104S models.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 144

Dimensions: 228 x 228 mm

Publication Date: 28-02-2024

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a large, tandem-rotor cargo helicopter. The Chinook and its variants have been in military and civilian service for 60 years. The type's huge cargo and lifting capacity, speed, and rugged reliability have made it not only indispensable, but also widely recognized and appreciated by civilian and military operators all over the world. This book explains how the Vertol V-107 developed into the Boeing CH-47 Chinook, and provides an overview of the helicopter's operational history from Vietnam to the present. Many variants are covered, with individual chapters dedicated to the D, F, and MH-47 models. The text is accompanied by more than 270 black-and-white and color images.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 144

Dimensions: 228 x 228 mm

Publication Date: 28-02-2024

In this captivating and beautifully illustrated memoir, John Gillies vividly recalls his months as a member of the Otago University Medical Company on an active service tour of duty in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Still a medical student at the time, his youthful admiration of New Zealand war artists from previous conflicts adds a poignant layer to his narrative, told in brief, evocative chapters that offer tantalising glimpses of the variety of humanity he encountered during his time in Vietnam. Gillies, a lifelong artist and now retired physician, might well be called New Zealand’s first people’s war artist as he takes us behind the scenes and records the people and places that captured his imagination when not tending to the wounded. No combat here, no battle scenes from him … instead, beautiful portraits, bewitching sketches and enduring memories of a time and place where ordinary lives were so violently disrupted. From crazy escapades to sobering moments, Gillies reflects on the dual nature of his experiences, making Portrait of a War Artist a compelling memoir that delves into the complexities of war, the transformative power of art, and the enduring resilience of the human spirit in the face of challenge.

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Pages: 104

Dimensions: 210 x 250 mm

Publication Date: 05-04-2024

If one considers what happened in war-time Greece in 1941 to have been the curtain-raiser, then the subsequent battle in Crete can best be described as the main event. This sequel to the well-received The Rabbit Hunter again focuses on Second Lieutenant Neil Rankin and his platoon of fictional soldiers from the New Zealand Division as they are pitched headlong into the real events of the Battle of Crete. A largely New Zealand affair under the command of a New Zealand general with the key sector held by New Zealand troops, it could even be seen as Hitler’s first defeat. When the battle opens, it is man against man, individuals pitting their wits against an implacable enemy, resulting in the New Zealand soldiers suffering the kind of reaction that is now internationally recognised as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Both thrilling and tragic, The Battle of Crete sets the bar for realism in war fiction.

Bind: paperback

Pages: 456

Dimensions: 152 x 229 mm

Publication Date: 18-03-2024

In 1943 the Allies chipped away at the defensive outer barrier of the Japanese Pacific empire, particularly in the Solomon Islands. US Marine and Army infantry trudged through bloody jungle fighting on remote South Pacific islands such as Guadalcanal, New Georgia, and Bougainville. The US Navy waged war on Japanese shipping, seeking to prevent reinforcement and resupply for the battered Japanese ground forces. Particularly celebrated are the tiny PT boats, such as John F. Kennedy’s PT-109, which charged destroyers head on. In this work, author Richard Dunn adds a third dimension to the history of the New Guinea and Solomon Islands campaigns by detailing the pivotal role of airpower. Dunn has formulated his narrative by studying and comparing Allied and Japanese reports, many of which reside in his personal collection.

Bind: hardback

Pages: 608

Dimensions: 178 x 254 mm

Publication Date: 28-03-2024