British VCs of World War 2

British VCs of World War 2
Author: John Laffin
Publisher:
Total Pages: 258
Release: 1997
Genre: Great Britain
ISBN: 9781840151077

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This book describes the 106 deeds that merited the award of the Victoria Cross during the Second World War.

The Forgotten VCs

The Forgotten VCs
Author: Brian Best
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2017-10-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1526717999

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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.

British VC's of World War 2

British VC's of World War 2
Author: John Laffin
Publisher: Sutton Publishing
Total Pages: 328
Release: 1997
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

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In this latest book from Laffin, he describes the deeds that led to the award of 106 British VCs during the Second World War, and analyses each of them in the contexts of the campaigns and actions for which they were awarded.

VCs of the Second World War

VCs of the Second World War
Author: John Frayn Turner
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Total Pages: 553
Release: 2004-09-19
Genre: History
ISBN: 1783034289

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Published for the first time in a single volume, VCs of the Second World War consolidates the accounts of the actions of every recipient. The medal of this ultimate honor is inscribed with the simple words For Valour and this cross of courage was awarded to a total of 180 men - many posthumously.As these stories of bravery are unfolded, they reveal varied exploits of incredible individual actions. And they frequently form part of larger-scale operations, whether on land, in the air, at sea or under the sea. In so doing, the book becomes a unique chronological cross-section of the crucial British and Commonwealth contribution to the war as a whole from Norway; the Battle of Britain; North Africa; the Battle of the Atlantic; the Burma campaign; the Mediterranean theater; the air assault on Germany; Normandy; to victory in Europe and the Far East.

Vcs of the Second World War

Vcs of the Second World War
Author: Stephen Wynn
Publisher: Pen & Sword Military
Total Pages:
Release: 2020-10-19
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781526725806

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During the Second World War, the Victoria Cross - the highest honor to be given to British or Commonwealth forces - was awarded on 182 occasions to 181 recipients, 85 of which were bestowed posthumously. Presented here are ten examples of those who showed the utmost gallantry and bravery 'in the presence of the enemy', with each individual case and the circumstances in which the award was won examined in close detail. One example includes the story of Charles Upham, 2nd Division, New Zealand Expedition Force, who was the only recipient of two Victoria Crosses: the first awarded during the Battle of Crete in 1941, and the second during fighting at El Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt, in 1942.

The Desert VCs

The Desert VCs
Author: Brian Best
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2018-02-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 1526721074

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It was not just the searing heat of the day, hot enough to boil an egg on the bonnet of a lorry, or the sand that nestled in every crevice of the body, or the shivering cold of the starlit nights, that the British and Commonwealth troops had to battle in the North African desert it was also the tough and determined Axis forces under their brilliant leader, Erwin Rommel.The actions which resulted in the awarding of twenty-nine VCs in the Desert War included that of stretcher bearer Private Anderson walking alone into the gunfire of the enemy to rescue wounded comrades, not once, but time and time again until he too was shot and killed. Lieutenant George Gunn, who, at Sidi Rezegh, found his troop of the Royal Horse Artillery facing the onslaught of sixty German tanks. One by one the guns were put out of action, the crews killed or wounded. Eventually, only one gun was left, manned by the twenty-nine-year-old lieutenant and his sergeant. Regardless of the odds, Gunn fought on until he too was killed, shot through the head.The fighting in North Africa was not just in the harsh extremes of the rolling desert, but also the barren mountains of Tunisia, and the coastal strips of Libya. In every battle, every maneuver, the terrain was the limiting or enabling feature and it was over that unforgiving ground that twenty-nine men distinguished themselves and were awarded the highest of all gallantry medals, the Victoria Cross.

VCs of the North

VCs of the North
Author: Alan Whitworth
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Total Pages: 210
Release: 2015-10-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1473848229

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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 medals were given for gallantry during the Crimean War in the 1850s, 1,357 of these medals have been won, and almost fifty of them have gone to the soldiers of Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland . Alan Whitworth, in this carefully researched and revealing account, describes in graphic detail the exploits and the lives of this elite band of heroes. Within this group of Northern VC recipients are a number of outstanding names, including Richard Annand who gained the first VC of the Second World War and Roland Bradford who was one of only four sets of brothers to have secured the VC. He also had the distinction of becoming the youngest general in the British army. But among the roll of the brave whose gallantry and self-sacrifice are celebrated in these pages the reader will find the names and extraordinary deeds of many other men who were either born or bred or lived and died in the North. They will also find the story of the youngest Victoria Cross recipient who won his award aged just nineteen. The stories of these ordinary individuals who have 'performed some signal act of valour or devotion to their country' will be fascinating reading for anyone who is interested in military history in general and in the long military tradition of the North of England.

World War II at Sea [2 volumes]

World War II at Sea [2 volumes]
Author: Spencer C. Tucker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 970
Release: 2011-11-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 159884458X

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The war at sea was a key aspect of World War II, one that is too-often under-studied. This comprehensive encyclopedia shares current understandings of the struggle to control the seas during that conflict—and it opens our eyes to the reasons sea power continues to be of critical importance today. Scholarly treatment of World War II is constantly changing as new materials inform new interpretations. At the same time, current military operations lead to reevaluation of the tactics and technologies of the past. Marshalling the latest information and insights into this epic conflict, World War II at Sea: An Encyclopedia will enable students and other interested readers to explore specific naval engagements, while also charting the transformation of naval history through innovations in ordnance. In treating the naval aspects of World War II, this two-volume ready reference enhances the understanding of a part of the war that is often overshadowed by the fighting on land and in the air. The encyclopedia focuses on the events, individuals, organizations, and ideas that shaped the world's navies during World War II, as well as the resultant battles that changed naval history. It also covers the numerous innovations that occurred during the conflict and shows how strategies evolved and were executed.

World War II [5 volumes]

World War II [5 volumes]
Author: Spencer C. Tucker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 4723
Release: 2016-09-06
Genre: History
ISBN:

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With more than 1,700 cross-referenced entries covering every aspect of World War II, the events and developments of the era, and myriad related subjects as well as a documents volume, this is the most comprehensive reference work available on the war. This encyclopedia represents a single source of authoritative information on World War II that provides accessible coverage of the causes, course, and consequences of the war. Its introductory overview essays and cross-referenced A–Z entries explain how various sources of friction culminated in a second worldwide conflict, document the events of the war and why individual battles were won and lost, and identify numerous ways the war has permanently changed the world. The coverage addresses the individuals, campaigns, battles, key weapons systems, strategic decisions, and technological developments of the conflict, as well as the diplomatic, economic, and cultural aspects of World War II. The five-volume set provides comprehensive information that gives readers insight into the reasons for the war's direction and outcome. Readers will understand the motivations behind Japan's decision to attack the United States, appreciate how the concentration of German military resources on the Eastern Front affected the war's outcome, understand the major strategic decisions of the war and the factors behind them, grasp how the Second Sino-Japanese War contributed to the start of World War II, and see the direct impact of new military technology on the outcomes of the battles during the conflict. The lengthy documents volume represents a valuable repository of additional information for student research.

VCs of the Second World War

VCs of the Second World War
Author: Stephen Wynn
Publisher: Pen and Sword Military
Total Pages: 191
Release: 2020-08-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1526725819

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Dramatic accounts of ten Victoria Cross recipients and what they did to earn this highest of honors during WWII. During the Second World War, the Victoria Cross—the highest honor to be given to British or Commonwealth forces—was awarded on 182 occasions to 181 recipients, 85 of which were bestowed posthumously. Presented here are ten examples of those who showed the utmost gallantry and bravery “in the presence of the enemy,” with each individual case and the circumstances in which the award was won examined in close detail. One example is the story of Charles Upham, 2nd Division, New Zealand Expedition Force, who was the only recipient of two Victoria Crosses: the first awarded during the Battle of Crete in 1941, and the second during fighting at El Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt, in 1942. Others include Premindra Singh Bhagat of the Indian Army, who rapidly cleared fifteen minefields despite close enemy fire and personal injury, and RAF pilot Leonard Cheshire, who received the honor after his fourth tour of duty. These and other rousing and dramatic stories are true profiles in courage.