The Secret History of Soldiers

Download The Secret History of Soldiers PDF Online Free

Author :
Release : 2018-09-18
Genre : History
Kind :
Book Rating : 279/5 ( reviews)

The Secret History of Soldiers - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Secret History of Soldiers write by Tim Cook. This book was released on 2018-09-18. The Secret History of Soldiers available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. There have been thousands of books on the Great War, but most have focused on commanders, battles, strategy, and tactics. Less attention has been paid to the daily lives of the combatants, how they endured the unimaginable conditions of industrial warfare: the rain of shells, bullets, and chemical agents. In The Secret History of Soldiers, Tim Cook, Canada's foremost military historian, examines how those who survived trench warfare on the Western Front found entertainment, solace, relief, and distraction from the relentless slaughter. These tales come from the soldiers themselves, mined from the letters, diaries, memoirs, and oral accounts of more than five hundred combatants. Rare examples of trench art, postcards, and even song sheets offer insight into a hidden society that was often irreverent, raunchy, and anti-authoritarian. Believing in supernatural stories was another way soldiers shielded themselves from the horror. While novels and poetry often depict the soldiers of the Great War as mere victims, this new history shows how the soldiers pushed back against the grim war, refusing to be broken in the mincing machine of the Western Front. The violence of war is always present, but Cook reveals the gallows humour the soldiers employed to get through it. Over the years, both writers and historians have overlooked this aspect of the men's lives. The fighting at the front was devastating, but behind the battle lines, another layer of life existed, one that included songs, skits, art, and soldier-produced newspapers. With his trademark narrative abilities and an unerring eye for the telling human detail, Cook has created another landmark history of Canadian military life as he reveals the secrets of how soldiers survived the carnage of the Western Front.

The Secret History of Soldiers

Download The Secret History of Soldiers PDF Online Free

Author :
Release : 2018-09-18
Genre : History
Kind :
Book Rating : 267/5 ( reviews)

The Secret History of Soldiers - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook The Secret History of Soldiers write by Tim Cook. This book was released on 2018-09-18. The Secret History of Soldiers available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Tim Cook, Canada's foremost military historian, offers a surprising portrayal of how soldiers found solace, distraction and entertainment to escape the horrors of the trenches during the Great War. There have been thousands of books on the Great War, and hundreds on Canada's part in the conflict, but most of these have focused on commanders, battles, strategy, and tactics. Less attention has been paid to the daily lives of the combatants, how they coped with and endured the unimaginable conditions of what was then modern industrial warfare: the rain of shells, bullets, and chemical agents. The Secret History of Soldiers examines how those who managed to survive the horrific conditions of trench warfare on the Western Front found solace, relief, distraction and even entertainment. Over the years, both writers and historians have overlooked this aspect of soldiers' lives, as there are no official histories or records. These tales come from the soldiers themselves, captured in letters, diaries, memoirs, and oral accounts. The recollections and artifacts of more than five hundred soldiers form the basis of this book; they include such rare resources as trench art, postcards, and even songsheets. Each piece of history is a reminder that these battles were fought by living, breathing human beings who, when they weren't engaged in battle, needed escapist activities to counter the daily horrors of trench life. It is those eyewitnesses to the bloodshed and carnage who act as guides to the Great War. The world they introduce readers to isn't limited to the harrowing struggle to another day. Cook catalogues the violence of war, but also the gallows humour the soldiers employed to get through it. The Great War was a devastating event, but another layer of life that included songs, skits, art, and even newspapers existed on and behind the battle lines. With his trademark narrative abilities, Cook has created another landmark history of Canadian military life.

Island of Shame

Download Island of Shame PDF Online Free

Author :
Release : 2011-01-23
Genre : History
Kind :
Book Rating : 836/5 ( reviews)

Island of Shame - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Island of Shame write by David Vine. This book was released on 2011-01-23. Island of Shame available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. David Vine recounts how the British & US governments created the Diego Garcia base, making the native Chagossians homeless in the process. He details the strategic significance of this remote location & also describes recent efforts by the exiles to regain their territory.

Masters of Chaos

Download Masters of Chaos PDF Online Free

Author :
Release : 2009-03-05
Genre : History
Kind :
Book Rating : 154/5 ( reviews)

Masters of Chaos - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Masters of Chaos write by Linda Robinson. This book was released on 2009-03-05. Masters of Chaos available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Special Forces soldiers are daring, seasoned troops from America's heartland, selected in a tough competition and trained in an extraordinary range of skills. They know foreign languages and cultures and unconventional warfare better than any U.S. fighters, and while they prefer to stay out of the limelight, veteran war correspondent Linda Robinson gained access to their closed world. She traveled with them on the frontlines, interviewed them at length on their home bases, and studied their doctrine, methods and history. In Masters of Chaos she tells their story through a select group of senior sergeants and field-grade officers, a band of unforgettable characters like Rawhide, Killer, Michael T, and Alan -- led by the unflappable Lt. Col. Chris Conner and Col. Charlie Cleveland, a brilliant but self-effacing West Pointer who led the largest unconventional war campaign since Vietnam in northern Iraq. Robinson follows the Special Forces from their first post-Vietnam combat in Panama, El Salvador, Desert Storm, Somalia, and the Balkans to their recent trials and triumphs in Afghanistan and Iraq. She witnessed their secret sleuthing and unsung successes in southern Iraq, and recounts here for the first time the dramatic firefights of the western desert. Her blow-by-blow story of the attack on Ansar al-Islam's international terrorist training camp has never been told before. The most comprehensive account ever of the modern-day Special Forces in action, Masters of Chaos is filled with riveting, intimate detail in the words of a close-knit band of soldiers who have done it all.

Secret Soldiers

Download Secret Soldiers PDF Online Free

Author :
Release : 2002
Genre : History
Kind :
Book Rating : 649/5 ( reviews)

Secret Soldiers - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Secret Soldiers write by Philip Gerard. This book was released on 2002. Secret Soldiers available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. "Secret Solders" reveals how an extraordinary group of American artists, designers, and engineering wizards became America's unsung heroes of the Second World War. Photo inserts.