The prizewinning historian and bestselling author of D-Day and Stalingrad reconstructs the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, in this riveting new account
On December 16, 1944, Hitler launched his ‘last gamble’ in the snow-covered forests and gorges of the Ardennes in Belgium, believing he could split the Allies by driving all the way to Antwerp and forcing the Canadians and the British out of the war. Although his generals were doubtful of success, younger officers and NCOs were desperate to believe that their homes and families could be saved from the vengeful Red Army approaching from the east. Many were exultant at the prospect of striking back.
The allies, taken by surprise, found themselves fighting two panzer armies. Belgian civilians abandoned their homes, justifiably afraid of German revenge. Panic spread even to Paris. While some American soldiers, overwhelmed by the German onslaught, fled or surrendered, others held on heroically, creating breakwaters which slowed the German advance.
The harsh winter conditions and the savagery of the battle became comparable to the Eastern Front. In fact the Ardennes became the Western Front’s counterpart to Stalingrad. There was terrible ferocity on both sides, driven by desperation and revenge, in which the normal rules of combat were breached. The Ardennes—involving more than a million men—would prove to be the battle which finally broke the back of the Wehrmacht.
In this deeply researched work, with striking insights into the major players on both sides, Antony Beevor gives us the definitive account of the Ardennes offensive which was to become the greatest battle of World War II. Views: 550
A white-collar thief tries to rob an outback petrol station, but when the cards don't fall his way, he gets lost in the burning sands and becomes the plaything for a mischievous jackdaw.15/04/2015: The Jackdaw was featured on the podcast Let Me Read To You (https://pleaseletmereadtoyou.com/) You can listen to Pat and the gang deal with the lunatic raven.A white-collar thief tries to rob an outback petrol station, but when the cards don't fall his way, he gets lost in the burning sands and becomes the plaything for a mischievous jackdaw.The Jackdaw is a modern Australian fable that illustrates the price man must pay for tampering with the natural order of things.15/04/2015: The Jackdaw was featured on the podcast Let Me Read To You (https://pleaseletmereadtoyou.com/) You can listen to Pat and the gang deal with the lunatic raven. Views: 550
Trapped within the dead city of Marandur, Master Mechanic Mari and Mage Alain must escape both merciless barbarians and the pitiless Imperial Legion. Beyond those dangers lie the mightiest and most unforgiving powers in the world of Dematr: the Great Guilds that rule the world with iron fists.
Mari's Mechanics Guild and Alain's Mage Guild have always been enemies, but they are united in wanting to kill their rogue members before Mari can fulfill the ancient prophecy of being the one who will finally overthrow their power. Mari and Alain must risk those dangers because halfway across their world lies a place where truth has long been hidden. A place that could explain why their world's history begins abruptly, with no hints of what came before. A place where they might learn how the Mechanics Guild came to control all technology and how the Mages manage to alter reality temporarily. A place that might tell them how to achieve a task that appears to be impossible.
Never before have a Mage and a Mechanic worked together, and their combined talents offer their only hope. But she and Alain must first survive the deadly and implacable Assassins of Altis. Views: 550
It was the ultimate cold case. The murders occurred on Mars twenty years ago, so how can Detective Inspector Richardson, a local policeman from Melbourne, Australia, track down the murderer – and why is he being asked to?It was the ultimate cold case. The murders occurred on Mars twenty years ago, so how can Detective Inspector Richardson, a local policeman from Melbourne, Australia, track down the murderer – and why is he being asked to?Twenty years ago, the Prometheus landed in the Hellas Basin on Mars and all the crew died from unknown causes. When an historic site survey crew arrive, they find that the circumstances of the deaths weird and inexplicable. Yet secret coded instructions from the UN space agency HQ on Earth indicates that these circumstances were somehow known in advance. This is murder and Detective Inspector Richardson, a local detective from Melbourne, is called in to solve the case. There are only four people with means and opportunity, all of them are highly focused, very intelligent and none of them, apparently, has a convincing motive. Richardson must sort out their stories to find the guilty, all the time wondering why he was given this job at all.Joseph H.J. Liaigh started out studying the polar ice caps on Mars. Since then he has worked as a government scientist, an Air Force intelligence officer and an academic. He has studied everything from the methane streams on Titan to the flat topped volcanoes of Venus. Through all this, he has been an avid devotee of detective fiction. In The Prometheus Incident, he brings these two worlds together in a unique way to create an unusual and intriguing mystery. Views: 550
Unleashed, the romantic, high-stakes sequel to New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's Uninvited, is perfect for fans of James Patterson's Confessions of a Murder Suspect.
Davy has spent the last few months trying to come to terms with the fact that she tested positive for the kill gene HTS (also known as Homicidal Tendency Syndrome). She swore she would not let it change her, and that her DNA did not define her . . . but then she killed a man.
Now on the run, Davy must decide whether she'll be ruled by the kill gene or if she'll follow her heart and fight for her right to live free. But with her own potential for violence lying right beneath the surface, Davy doesn't even know if she can trust herself. Views: 550
Brent has been in disguise for so long that hiding his true feelings becomes second nature. Married with kids, he keeps his secret longings at bay and tucked neatly in the closet. Yet, there is always a part of him wondering if his college fling was just innocent fun or something much more. Now, with a new sexy, Irish, and completely out-of-the-closet boss at work, he's about to find out... Views: 550
Nolan finally gets to join his big brother and his friends on a camping trip but on the way they realize they didn't bring matches. His brother makes him go back for them alone. The forest isn't so fun without people around. In fact it's kind of creepy, and that's before Nolan literally runs into someone.In Part 2, Diane D gets in trouble by her family. The following day, she goes inside her family's office, goes to the telephone and secretly threatens her lover's girlfriend right over the telephone, blaming her lover's girlfriend for calling her family up causing all that trouble for her. Diane D also goes man-hunting for a date for a High School Dance she is suppose to appear at and perform. When one of the men finally agrees to be Diane D’s date, his wife finds out about it. The man's wife goes and looks for Diane D. When she finds Diane D inside a church, she angrily confronts Diane D! She then pays a price for it. Diane D and her family appear at an elementary school one night so that Diane D can perform for a charity case there. After Diane D’s singing performance inside a crowded auditorium is over, a chubby little 9-year old black boy named Marcus approaches her. He brings Diane D to a private area in the school and tells Diane D that there is no charity case in the school. He confesses to Diane D that there was never a charity case at the school that the entire charity case was all a hoax planned by him and his older brother. He tells Diane D that he and his brother tricked her and her family into thinking that there was a charity case at the school just so that she can appear there and perform. Diane D becomes shocked when she realize that there was never a charity case at the school. She is shocked when she realize that she and her family had been tricked into coming to the school. She starts to become sad. She then becomes angry. She then goes CRAZY and terrorizes and harms the little boy right inside the school! The little boy pays a price for tricking Diane D and her family. Views: 549
