'How Six Unlikely Heroes Saved Thousands of Jews from the Holocaust'. In May 1940, desperate Jewish refugees in Kaunas, the capital of Lithuania, faced annihilation until an ordinary Dutch man became their saviour. Over a period of 10 feverish days, Jan Zwartendijk, the newly appointed Dutch consul, wrote thousands of visas that would ostensibly allow Jews to travel to the Dutch colony of Curaçao on the other side of the world. With the help of Chiune Sugihara, the consul for Japan, while taking great personal and professional risks, Jan enabled up to 10,000 men, women and children to escape the country on the Trans-Siberian Express train, through Soviet Russia to Japan and then on to China, saving them from the Nazis and the concentration camps. Most of the Jews he helped escape survived the war and they and their descendants settled in America, Canada, Australia and other countries. Zwartendijk and Sugihara were true heroes, and yet they were both shunned by their own countries after the war, and their courageous, unstinting actions have remained relatively unknown. Dutch author Jan Brokken wrests this heroic story from oblivion and traces the journeys of a number of the rescued Jews. This remarkable story is reconstructed with the help of Zwartendijk's children, documents and personal testimonies. It is also the story of the three other consuls and two ambassadors, all equally unknown, who together set up one of the greatest rescue operations of the 20th century. This should have been a Spielberg film. 478pp, well illus.

Sub-titled 'A Memoir of Family Property and Stolen Nazi Treasure', this is an unputdownable tale of one man's quest to recover his family's property. The author takes up his Holocaust-survivor grandfather's former battle to reclaim their family's property in Sosnowiec, Poland. There, Menachem meets a Polish lawyer known as 'The Killer' who agrees to take his case and becomes involved with a band of Silesian treasure-seekers, all the while piecing together his family's complex history. '...Then I read the file, saw how my grandfather had tried and failed for more than 20 years to reclaim what his family had lost, and here was an opportunity, I thought, to allow myself to be disturbed. The building, maybe, was a means to access a history, a person, that I'd always thought inaccessible, immutably closed.' The devastating facts are chased down in this part travelogue, part memoir, part meditation on all that history hides from us. 277pp in large paperback.

A two-generation saga of the Manners family, Resolution shares the history of John Masters, Marquis of Granby, who famously led a cavalry charge during the Seven Years' War and his two sons - Charles, who was involved in Whig politics and reconciling with American rebels during their War for Independence, and Robert, who embarked on a naval career and became the post-captain of the Resolution as he commanded a major line-of-battle ship in the largest British fleet ever to operate so far from home waters up to that date. Admire the achievements of the brothers, from Charles balancing the debates of the influence of British 'king and Parliament' in America, but also the seeming increase in 'Royal authority' in Britain at the expense of British people's own 'life, liberty and property', to Robert's improvement of the armed, 74-gun Resolution under his command which he wrote about, claiming it 'to be the fastest sailer of any line battle ship or frigate in the West Indies.' Discover how John Masters, Marquis of Granby, became a hero after the Seven Years War because he was, unusually for the time, generous and concerned for his men, giving him the titles of 'mob's hero' and 'father of the army' and inspiring works such as 'The British Hero', which was written by Richard Rolt and set to music by William Boyce. Learn how Granby was passionate about fox hunting at Belvoir Castle and breeding racehorses at the family sitting Chevely Park in Cambridgeshire, and find out how he struggled in the political sphere as he would 'tremble like a woman' whenever he was about to public speak - despite holding an elected seat in the House of Commons. The lives of the two brothers are eloquently interwoven, whether writing about Charles' hesitation at ending the war with American rebels so promptly as it would blight his younger brother's chances at a rapid promotion, discussing how Charles' inheritance of land and title meant he could help young Robert accrue funds to live ashore in London and allow the brothers to grow closer, or reflecting on Charles' decision to stay at Cheveley Park to canvass on behalf of Robert's electoral prospects while he was at sea after 1780. Vivid images range from landscapes of an English man-of-war entering Portsmouth Harbour by Dominic Serres, 'A view of Belvoir Castle from the South West with Belvoir Hunt in Full Cry' by Thomas Badeslade in 1730, and 'The Battle of the Saintes', 12 April 1782 by Lieutenant William Elliott RN, to portraits including John Manners in the uniform of the Royal Horse Guards (the blues) by Sir Joshua Reynolds, a pastel commissioned by Granby of Charles aged eighteen by Hugh Douglas Hamilton in 1771, and Robert aged fourteen in midshipman's uniform by Hamilton completed in 1772 when Robert decided to join the Royal Navy. Family tree and glossary, maps, black and white and colour images, pagemarker, 482pp.

From the Prologue: 'These men were, as Shakespeare had put it, 'but warriors for the working day'. Much can be learned from them: not least we learn the awfulness of war. They never questioned the rightness of what they were doing. Some of them were unfortunate in their backgrounds. They might have resented what they were being asked to do. All of them, certainly, were asked to do more than any man should be. But British soldiers, unlike the armies of their allies, never broke collectively: there were no mutinies.' This is the story of 72 men from one village who fought and died in the Great War. They were awarded very few medals, and their military careers were unremarkable, except in the respect that they, like countless other civilians, answered their country's call in its time of need. The war was not won by the professional soldiers of the original British Expeditionary Force, superlatively professional as it was, because by the end of 1915 it no longer existed, its place first taken by volunteers and then by conscripts. The book traces the lives of these sons of Bridge of Weir, not just as soldiers, sailors and airmen, but as members of a small community which felt their loss intensely. At the same time it is also the story of the politicians and generals who planned the war and how it played out over four horrific years. The men from Bridge of Weir fought on the Western Front, Gallipoli, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Salonika, the Italian Front and East Africa, in the Mercantile Marine, the RAF, and Canadian and ANZAC Forces as well as the British Army and Royal Navy. With the larger picture, the stories of the 72 men, the third intention of the book is to tell the story of the war, why it was fought, how it was fought and why it was fought in that way. A unique and poignant picture of the First World War. 259pp, paperback. Archive photos, two maps and a diagram of army structure and strength and the order in which the men died by name, rank, regiment, date of death, age and place.

Sub-titled 'The Untold Story of the Jews Who Escaped The Nazis and Returned with the US Army To Fight Hitler'. After Hitler came to power, some desperate Jewish families were able to send their sons out of Nazi-occupied Europe to America. When the United States entered World War II, these young men returned as U.S. soldiers to fight for their adopted homeland and for the families they had left behind. They did so knowing full well what the Nazis would do to them if they were captured. Known as the Ritchie Boys, they became one of the U.S. Army's greatest secret weapons, for they possessed a unique mastery of the German language, culture, and psychology, all of which they used as members of elite intelligence teams assigned to every major combat unit in Europe. They interrogated German prisoners of war and collected key tactical intelligence on enemy strength, troop and armoured movements, and defensive positions that saved American lives and helped the Allies win the war. These young men had the greatest motivation to fight Hitler's anti-Semitic regime. The Pentagon came up with a top-secret plan to harness their expertise by training them in the art of prisoner interrogation and so off they were sent, back into the belly of the beast, Jews returning to Nazi Germany to occupy the very front lines of battlefields across Europe. Many of them re-entered Europe on D-Day. Reminder mark, 429 page illustrated, paperback.

During the Blitz, the very familiar sinuous shape of the Thames under moonlight directed waves of bombers to valuable targets like warehouses, industries, power stations, offices, docks and the associated housing. From 1940 to 1945, the German Airforce (the Luftwaffe) inflicted 101 daylight and 253 night-time air raids on London causing more than 80,000 fatalities or serious injuries and extensive devastation. In all that mayhem caused by high explosives, incendiaries, parachute mines, rockets and fire storms, the city was also faced with the very real possibility of major flooding whenever bombing seriously breached the river wall and its defences. This superbly researched and illustrated book describes the vital role and unsung achievements of the London County Council Emergency Repair Team, ably led by Chief Engineer Thomas Peirson Frank. Three rapid response units were formed and in the event undertook repairs to over 100 breaches of the flood defences. We also learn of the fate of London's docks and bridges, and of the ships, boats and barges lost in the estuary and tideway and the fieldwork of the Thames Discovery Programme, the community-based archaeological team working on the foreshore. The book catalogues incidents dealt with by each of the four regional T-F depots, located on the Isle of Dogs, in Southwark, Battersea and Greenwich, the work of the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) later the National Fire Service. Some 80 years on the book pays tribute to the non-combatants who kept the major port running and saved London. 208pp, very well illustrated with hundreds of archive and modern images.

Sub-titled 'The Last Heroines of Britain's Greatest Generation', and with a foreword by Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the book tells the stories of 10 of the last surviving female members of Britain's greatest generation. Whether flying Spitfires to the front line, code breaking at Bletchley Park, plotting the Battle of the Atlantic, or working with Churchill, each of these women made crucial contributions to the conflict overseas, and helped to buttress the home front. Centenarian Christian Lamb, who served as a plotter in the Battle of the Atlantic, agrees that amid the horror and tragedy of the conflict, there were positive outcomes for her sex. Women were spared a great deal of burden she explains, and there was a certain amount of freedom to be had. Catherine Drummond, now aged 99, had volunteered as a wireless operator. Some of the ten women came from backgrounds of grinding poverty, while others enjoyed gilded childhoods before joining the war effort. Joy Hunter, now aged 95, had served as a secretary in Winston Churchill in the subterranean Cabinet War Rooms beneath Whitehall. 102-year-old Jaye Edwards had an airfield in Yorkshire as the base from which she worked as a pilot delivering Spitfires to the front line. The range of military roles that women were permitted to perform expanded as the war dragged on. And the war was in some ways a great level between classes as women of all social backgrounds were drafted in to help. The book opens with a story of Margaret Turner born 18th of May 1923, who, at the age of 16 when the war broke out, volunteered as a nurse in the Voluntary Aid Detachment and witnessed a lot in just the first 12 months. With a reporter's eye for detail, Lucy Fisher artfully weaves together interviews and wartime diaries and letters in a vivid oral history. 318 pages in paperback with 16 pages of colour and archive photographs of the women as youngsters and at the age they were interviewed.

The real and exciting story of one of the most important units of World War Two. The Commando Unit played an important role in Britain's successes and here Durnford-Slater gives his first hand and unique point of view on everything that happened. Brigadier Durnford-Slater raised and trained the first Commando Unit in 1940, created to harry opposition forces in raids impossible for regular army units. He led No.3 Commando on an exploratory operation in Guernsey in summer 1940 and never looked back. From there No.3 Commando orchestrated raids on the Losten Islands and Vaagso in Norway and Dieppe, as well as operations in Sicily, Italy, France and Germany. The Commandoes were so effective at creating destruction that Hitler personally ordered that all fighters captured during these missions be executed. Nevertheless their spirit remained undented and extremely high. From their inception as a raiding force to their ultimate development into a battalion-sized spearhead, and their important support in the D-day landings, this first-hand account is a unique portrayal of the Unit's exploits and the personalities of the men who wore the green beret. The book was originally published in 1953 when the memories were still fresh and be warned there are descriptions of many deaths and damage. Paperback edition, 217pp with lovely big line art maps and archive photos reproduced in black and white to the best quality possible given their age.

The Crimean War of 1854-56 was the first of the 'modern' wars. The opening round at the Alma was a direct throwback to the Napoleonic campaigns of 50 years earlier, whereas the Siege of Sevastopol was a foretaste of the Great War more than 60 years later. Based upon the correspondence of Lieutenant William Allan, a young Scottish officer serving with the 41st (the Welch) Regiment throughout the campaign, these letters provide insight into the experiences of the officers both in action and in their day to day lives, the ravages of ill health and the incompetence of those in authority. As a young subaltern, Allan was amongst the first to arrive in Turkey and during the following 21 months he served in Varna and fought at the Battles of the Alma, Little Inkerman and throughout the Siege of Sevastopol. He corresponded regularly with his family in Scotland about his life at the Front. He published these letters in 1897 in a very limited edition intended for family use. Now the editor W. Alister Williams has supplemented Allan's letters with those from other officers of the regiment and provided a narrative background to the events described. A complete Crimean nominal roll of the officers, non-commissioned officers and the men of the 41st Regiment has been compiled in the appendix. 224pp, illustrated. 2011 first edition.

What became known as the Great War began on 4th August 1914. It triggered a wave of patriotism. Scotland led the way with 320,589 men voluntarily enlisting before conscription began in 1916. Scots were in the forefront of many of the costliest battles and campaigns with the outcome that, per head of population, it is estimated by the University of Edinburgh that Scotland lost more men than all the belligerent nations apart from Turkey and Serbia. Anyone with a German sounding accent soon came under suspicion of being a spy. Railways were taken under government control and local businesses asked to supply motor vehicles for use by the Army or to supply horses, of which hundreds of thousands died during the conflict. 'Young men belonging to Edinburgh and the East of Scotland may enrol in the Edinburgh Battalion which is now being formed. All young men in the professional and commercial classes, university graduates, clerks, warehousemen, skilled artisans and athletes (between the ages of 19 and 35 inclusive), who are medically fit and whose height is 5ft 3" and upwards, with chest measurements of 34" at least, are invited to enrol their names now, and those of any friends who may wish to drill and train in the same battalion.' This book covers the historic city's involvement to the armistice in November 1914, describing in great detail what happened to the city and its people, their everyday lives, entertainment, spies and the internment of aliens living within the city. Edinburgh played a key role in supplying not only men but vital munitions and a role in caring for the many wounded soldiers returning from the Front. Of poor quality but nevertheless very interesting are dozens of archive photographs, including a procession of little girls in white dresses and tartan sashes parading along Princes Street carrying banners stating 'We are doing our little bit', a picture of the arrival of Christmas puddings at the Front, and a Shetland pony to be sold for the Red Cross, a sports day for wounded soldiers and the visiting American Ambassador. 141pp, large softback.