Magennis VC

Magennis VC PDF Author: George Fleming
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Belfast (Northern Ireland)
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Magennis VC

Magennis VC PDF Author: George Fleming
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Belfast (Northern Ireland)
Languages : en
Pages : 230

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Book Description


Submariners Vc

Submariners Vc PDF Author: William Jameson
Publisher: Periscope Publishing Ltd.
ISBN: 9781904381242
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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The Forgotten VCs

The Forgotten VCs PDF Author: Brian Best
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1526717999
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
Fought amid the most challenging terrain of any theater during the Second World War, the campaign in the Far East saw heroic actions against the unyielding Japanese that resulted in the awarding of more than forty Victoria Crosses greater than a fifth of all the VCs of the war.Such actions include that of Major Frank Blaker, whose battalion of the Gurkha Rifles was held up by Japanese machine-guns on 9 July 1944. After climbing for five hours up a 2,100-foot hill, Blaker crawled on his hands and knees through dense jungle alone until he was close enough to stand up and charge the strong enemy position. Though mortally wounded, he urged his men to follow and the hilltop was taken.During the famous Chindit operations, Lieutenant George Cairns was with the South Staffordshire Regiment as it attacked a Japanese position on top of Pagoda Hill. The Chindits reached the summit and, charging into the Japanese, a vicious hand-to-hand battle ensued. In the fighting a Japanese officer hacked off Cairns left arm but, astonishingly, the young Londoner then killed the enemy officer, picked up the sword with his right hand and carried on fighting. He died the next day.The Gurkhas are renowned for their courage and it is unsurprising that many of the Fourteenth Armys VCs were won by these tough Nepalese soldiers. Rifleman Bhanbhagta Gurung found his battalion of the 2nd Gurkha Rifles pinned down by an enemy sniper. So he stood up in the open and killed the Japanese soldier. As his battalion advanced again, it once more came under enemy fire. Bhanbhagta Gurung charged the enemy positions, taking five Japanese foxholes, one by one in the face of almost pointblank fire.The wide-ranging nature of the conflict in the Far East saw awards being granted for actions not just in Burma but also in India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, Borneo, New Guinea and even off the coast of Japan itself. The recipients came from across the Commonwealth, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, Great Britain, India and Nepal.These VC actions are told in great detail in The Forgotten VCs, the first book to examine in depth the Victoria Crosses of the war in the Far East. Brian Best brings to life the daring deeds of a group of courageous men in the most inhospitable of battlefield conditions, filling a glaring gap in the historiography of Britains most prestigious award for valor.

Victoria Cross Heroes

Victoria Cross Heroes PDF Author: Michael Ashcroft
Publisher: Headline
ISBN: 0755364503
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
This ebook edition contains the full text version as per the book. Doesn't include original photographic and illustrated material. VICTORIA CROSS HEROES tells the stories of over 150 individuals whose bravery has earned them the Victoria Cross, Britain's most prestigious medal for courage in action. The book is introduced by Michael Ashcroft, who owns over ten per cent of all VCs ever awarded. He explains the history of the medal and the story of his fascination with it. The main text of the book tells the stories of both those recipients whose medals are in his collection and those whose stories featured in the television series. Each chapter covers a different conflict, from the Crimean War to Iraq.

Glory and Dishonour

Glory and Dishonour PDF Author: Brian Izzard
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
ISBN: 1445676494
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 421

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Book Description
The flawed characters of 27 men who were awarded the world’s most prestigious bravery award, some of whom ended up in prison or were shunned by officialdom and a once adoring public.

Forgotten Voices of the Victoria Cross

Forgotten Voices of the Victoria Cross PDF Author: Roderick Bailey
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1409004805
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
'It wasn't until after he was safely back in the aircraft again that I heard that he'd actually been out on the wing to try to put the fire out ... Remember that we were flying at about 90 miles an hour at a height of 13,000 feet' Squadron Leader RP Widdowson on Sergeant James Ward, who earned his VC in 1941 The Victoria Cross, awarded to the most courageous and determined servicemen, is the highest military decoration that can be bestowed. In Forgotten Voices: Victoria Cross, first-hand accounts of soldiers, sailors and airmen describe the incredible events that earned these extraordinary men the VC in the last century. Captivating and often humbling, these stories depict exceptional acts of bravery in unimaginable situations, of men who would say they were just doing their duty. Introduction by General Sir Richard Dannatt.

Naval Frogmen

Naval Frogmen PDF Author: T. J. Waldron
Publisher: Fonthill Media
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Silent Killers

Silent Killers PDF Author: James P. Delgado
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1849088608
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
'Silent Killers is a triumph that is educational as well as highly entertaining.' - Clive Cussler James P. Delgado, President and CEO of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology, presents a detailed and visually stunning examination of the history and development of the modern nuclear submarine. Calling on his training as a nautical archaeologist who was among the first explorers to dive the Titanic, Delgado recreates the story of the submarine from the bottom up – that is through eerie photographs of subs at the bottom of the sea. In addition, he explores submarine technology, from wooden to iron to steel hulls, from hand-cranked to nuclear-powered propulsion, from candlelight to electricity, from gunpowder 'torpedoes' to nuclear missiles. An esteemed underwater archaeologist and marine historian, Jim Delgado has compiled an extraordinary history of the dragons of the deep.

Midget Submarine Commander

Midget Submarine Commander PDF Author: Paul Watkins
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1783462086
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 195

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Book Description
Of all the acts of gallantry in World War II few were as audacious as the attack by midget submarines on the pride of the German fleet, the battleship Tirpitz, lying in her fortified mooring in a Norwegian fjord. Lieutenant Godfrey Place was in command of submarine X7 in September 1943 and traveled over 1000 miles, negotiating minefields and antisubmarine nets to accurately place four tons of high explosive under the hull of the Tirpitz. He was awarded the Victoria Cross in 1944, at the age of 22. Taken prisoner he was repatriated to England at the end of the war, and continued to serve in the Royal Navy for 25 years, flying with 801st squadron in the Korean War, and served on aircraft carriers at Suez, Nigeria and the withdrawal from Aden. On his retirement in 1970, he had the distinction of being the last serving naval officer to hold the Victoria Cross.Using many first-hand accounts, the book details his life, from a childhood spent partly in East Africa to being Chairman of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association for over 20 years. It draws on previously unpublished material, including his own recollections on the attack on the Tirpitz and his time as a prisoner of war.

Yorkshire VCs

Yorkshire VCs PDF Author: Alan Whitworth
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1781599025
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 503

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Book Description
Today the Victoria Cross remains the supreme British award for bravery. It takes precedence over all other awards and decorations. During its 160-year history, since the first of these medals were given for gallantry during the Crimean War in the 1850's, 1,357 have been won, and no less than 69 of them have gone to Yorkshiremen. Alan Whitworth, in this carefully researched and revealing account, describes in graphic detail the exploits and the lives of this elite group of heroes.