Hell On Land Disaster At Sea

In Hell On Land... Fred Randle breaks his more than half century of silence on his ordeal during World War II, including an eye witness account of America's worst at-sea military disaster, the sinking of the HMS Rohna in which 1,047 American soldiers were killed. Randle also describes his service with Merrill's Marauders against Japanese forces in Burma, and his survival during their 800-mile march through the world's most formidable terrain. History buffs will find Randle's first hand criticisms of the decisions and actions of American General Joseph W. Stilwell in the Asian campaign to be both sobering and enlightening. A must read! Book jacket.

On November 26, 1943 the United States sustained its largest loss of troops at sea. Over 2,000 U.S. servicemen were aboard the British troop ship HMT Rohna in the Mediterranean on their way to the China-Burma-India Theater of war. Traveling in a convoy, the Rohna and 23 other ships were attacked by German bombers. After a fierce fight that ended with no ships lost, a single bomber made a final run. Armed with the latest technology (a rocket powered, remote controlled Henschel HS-293 glide bomb), it set its sights on the Rohna. Many men were killed instantly by the direct hit. Rescue ships spent hours pulling survivors from the water. By the time the losses were totaled, 1,015 U.S. servicemen had lost their lives. During a four-year period, author Michael Walsh met with survivors at their annual reunions, sitting with them as they recorded their stories of that night. Rohna Memories: Eyewitness to Tragedy is a repository of their recollections, whenever possible in their own words. Also included are: Diagrams and photos Letters home Witness reports Tributes by relatives Lists of survivors and casualties

From Army Rangers to Green Berets to the U.S. Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden, this book explains what makes Special Forces "special," covering the rich and varied history of elite formations in American military history and describing their recruitment, intense training, and equipment in depth. Most civilians have only a vague idea of what the U.S. Special Forces are all about—who they are, how they differ from our "normal" military forces, what they've accomplished throughout our history, and how they operate today. Fighting Elites: A History of U.S. Special Forces examines the rich and varied history of U.S. Special Forces, identifies their contributions to specific conflicts from colonial times forward, and highlights their present operational excellence. In this first-ever reference guide to U.S. Special Forces, military historian John C. Fredriksen provides a carefully balanced presentation, describing all units in their own detailed section that discusses their origins, recruitment, training, tactics, and equipment, and defining military engagements, if known. The text also contains 20 biographical entries of noted personalities associated with special purpose activities.

The term ’progress’ is a modern Western notion that life is always improving and advancing toward an ideal state. It is a vital modern concept which underlies geographic explorations and scientific and technological inventions as well as the desire to harness nature in order to increase human beings’ ease and comfort. With the advent of Western colonization and to the great detriment of the colonized, the notion of progress began to perniciously and pervasively permeate across cultures. This book details the impact of the notion of progress on the Nagas and their culture. The interaction between the Nagas and the West, beginning with British military conquest and followed by American missionary intrusion, has resulted in the gradual demise of Naga culture. It is almost a cliché to assert that since the colonial contact, the long evolved Naga traditional values are being replaced by Western values. Consequences are still being felt in the lack of sense of direction and confusion among the Nagas today. Just like other Indigenous Peoples, whose history is characterized by traumatic cultural turmoil because of colonial interference, the Nagas have long been engaged in self-shame, self-negation and self-sabotage.

There is no shortage of books on the ill-fated Gallipoli campaign of 1915 but this one stands out. In it Geoffrey Moorhouse moves the focus from the more familar aspects to concentrate on one small mill town, Bury, in Lancashire, and to anatomize the long-lasting effect the Dardanelles had on it. Bury was the regimental home of the Lancashire Fusiliers. In the Gallipoli landings of 25 April 1915 it lost a large proportion of its youth. By May 1915, some 7,000 Bury men had already gone to war, to be followed by many others before Armistice Day. More than 1,600,from just three local battalions of the Fusiliers were among those who never returned. The regiment left 1,816 dead men on Gallipoli alone: it lost 13,642 soldiers in the Great War as a whole. This terrifying sacrifice left its mark. Bury commemorates Gallipoli on a scale similar to Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand and yet as the Second World War approached, recruitment to the regiment fell far behind that in other Lancashire towns. 'Hurtles one from rage and cynicism to involvement and tenderness . . . Moorhouse offers one of the most fascinating revelations of the orthodox British spirit, religious, political and social . . . This book makes wonderful reading.' Ronald Blythe, Sunday Times 'A fascinating new approach to this tragedy . . . Moorhouse's contribution (to the bibliography of Gallipoli) is of quite outstanding value.' Robert Rhodes James, The Independent 'A subtle and moving exploration of the way that memories of slaughter and loss shaped the town's post-first world war identity.' Terry Eagleton, New Statesman

Goethe’s 1832 poem Faust offers a vision of humanity realising freedom and prosperity through transcending natural adversity. Changing European Visions of Disaster and Development returns to Faust as a way of exploring the rise and fall of European humanist aspirations to build free and prosperous national political communities protected from natural disasters. Faust stories emerged in early modern Europe linked to the shaking of the traditional religious and political order, and the pursuit of new areas of human knowledge and activity which led to a shift from viewing disasters as acts of God to acts of nature. Faust’s dam building and land reclamation project in Goethe’s poem was inspired by Dutch hydro-engineering and in turn inspired others. Faustian dreams of an engineered future were pursued by the American Yugoslav inventor Nikola Tesla and the country of his birth towards establishing its national independence and escaping the fate of being a borderland. Faust remains a compelling reference point to explore European visions of disaster and development. If Faust captured the European spirit of earlier centuries, what is today’s outlook? Ambitious Faustian development visions to eradicate natural disasters have been replaced by anti-Faustian risk cosmopolitanism sceptical towards human activity in ways counter to building collective protection from disaster. Tesla’s country of birth fears returning to being an insecure borderland of Europe. This powerful and timely book calls for a rekindling of European humanism and Faust’s vision of ‘free people standing on free land’.

Remarkable stories of survival and courage on the high seas 'Amazing true stories...' Kay Cottee AO, First woman to sail solo and non-stop around the world HELL ON HIGH SEAS chronicles some of the most remarkable stories of survival and daring the world's oceans have ever hosted. Amazing feats of courage: some verging on madness, others where death is eluded through sheer bravery, determination and innovation - or even divine intervention? Maurice and Maralyn Bailey spent 117 days adrift in a rubber dinghy in the Pacific after their yacht was sunk by a whale. Five Mexican fishermen went to sea for a three-day shark-fishing trip and vanished - nine months later three of them reappeared. Ben and Elinore Carlin endured a hurricane-lashed crossing of the Atlantic in their tiny amphibious jeep, Half-Safe, the start of an incredible 10-year, around-the-world odyssey.

The Picture E Book Preparing for the Day After is part of a not for profit multimedia tribute of the same name to the millions of people who have lost their lives in natural calamities. The tribute is being published in time for the tenth anniversary of the Asian Tsunami

“A comprehensive encyclopedia of fantastic places straddling the nebulous borderlands between fact and fantasy.” —Frank Joseph, author of Opening the Ark of the Covenant There are places that turn up in literature or in film—mystical and legendary places whose names may be familiar but about which we know little. We nod knowingly at the reference, but are often left wondering about places such as Atlantis, the lost land overwhelmed by the sea, or El Dorado, the fabulous city that vanished somewhere in the South American jungles. Other names are more evocative—Mount Olympus, the Garden of Eden, the mystic Isle of Avalon, and Davy Jones’ Locker. But did such places actually exist and if so, where were they, and what really happened? What are the traditions and legends associated with them? In the fascinating book, Lost Lands, Forgotten Realms, historian Dr. Bob Curran sets out to find the answers by journeying to the far-flung corners of the world and to the outer reaches of human imagination. “In this fascinating encyclopedia of places that time forgot, Irish psychologist and historian Dr. Bob Curran brings the legends alive.” —Nexus magazine “Learned and erudite, yet written in an accessible and exceptionally readable style, this book is invaluable for those interested in the mysteries of vanished civilizations.” —Brian Haughton, author of Hidden History

"This book collects the comic book series B.P.R.D. hell on earth: the return of the master #1-#5, originally published by Dark Horse Comics"