Showing titles in Weapons & Warfare

Breaking the German Enigma codes was not only about brilliant mathematicians and professors at Bletchley Park. There is another aspect of the story which it is only now possible to tell. It takes in the exploits of spies, naval officers and ordinary British seamen who risked, and in some cases lost, their lives snatching the vital Enigma codebooks from under the noses of Nazi officials and from sinking German ships and submarines. This book tells the whole Enigma story.

Here, for the first time, in a brilliant, panoramic portrait by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, is the definitive, often shocking story of the politics and the science behind the development of the hydrogen bomb and the birth of the Cold War.

In this vividly rendered historical narrative, M. G. Sheftall layers the stories of hibakusha—the Japanese word for atomic bomb survivors—in harrowing detail, to give a minute-by-minute report of August 6, 1945, in the leadup and aftermath of the world-changing bombing mission of Paul Tibbets, Enola Gay, and Little Boy.

A vast and largely unseen transformation of how war is fought as profound as the invention of gunpowder or advent of the nuclear age is occurring. Flying cars that can land like helicopters, artificial intelligence-powered drones that can fly into buildings and map their interiors, microsatellites that can see through clouds and monitor rogue missile sites—all these and more are becoming part of America’s DIU-fast-tracked arsenal.

Beginning at a love hotel by Japan’s Inland Sea and ending by a river in Tasmania, Question 7 is about the choices we make about love and the chain reaction that follows. By way of H. G. Wells and Rebecca West’s affair through 1930s nuclear physics to Flanagan's father working as a slave labourer near Hiroshima when the atom bomb is dropped, this daisy chain of events reaches fission when Flanagan as a young man finds himself trapped in a rapid on a wild river not knowing if he is to live or to die.

The story of the twentieth century is largely the story of the power of science and technology. Within that story is the incredible tale of the human conflict between Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence, and Edward Teller—the scientists most responsible for the advent of weapons of mass destruction. How did science—and its practitioners—enlisted in the service of the state during the Second World War, become a slave to its patron during the Cold War?

One-third of American adults—approximately 86 million people—own firearms. This is not just for protection or hunting. Although many associate gun-centric ideology with individualist and libertarian traditions in American political culture, Race, Rights, and Rifles shows that it rests on an equally old but different foundation.

The Gas and Flame Men explores how these famous baseball men, along with an eclectic mix of polo players, collegiate baseball and football stars, professors, architects, and prominent social figures all came together in the Chemical Warfare Service. Jim Leeke examines their service and its long-term effects on their physical and mental health-and on Major League Baseball and the world of sports.

"Shots Fired in Anger" by Lt. Col. John George is a compelling memoir and technical analysis from the front lines of the Burma campaign during World War II. Drawing upon his personal experiences, George provides an insightful narrative that offers a detailed look at the challenges and realities of combat against the Japanese forces. Not merely a collection of war stories, the book stands out for its in-depth evaluation of the small arms and weaponry used in the conflict, blending historical significance with technical expertise.

Because of the monumental destructive force of nuclear weapons, no theory of international relations is more important than that which guides US nuclear policy. During the Cold War, the views of Thomas Schelling and Herman Kahn dominated the debate. Overall, both theorists had confidence in deterrence, felt it was predictable, and based their reasoning on a rational opponent. Still, they each drew different conclusions, with the United States adopting Kahn’s recommendation for a strong offense, while siding with Schelling’s view that defense was not needed. While Cold War deterrence ...

Purpose: To outline a course of action that will prevent refusal of the anthrax vaccine by military personnel up and down the chain of command. Since each member of the United States military is valuable, even small resistance to the vaccine ought to be avoided. Furthermore, any resistance has the potential to spread and cause a more widespread problem. Lastly, refusal of the vaccine is detrimental to unit cohesiveness and morale. With the proper approach, junior officers and the chain of command can suppress this problem at multiple levels before it becomes an issue.

On 17 December 1903, Wilbur Wright watched his brother, Orville, fly a biplane a distance of one hundred and twenty feet over the dunes of North Carolina. While obtaining an altitude of only twenty feet, their flying machine, powered by a twelve horsepower engine, accomplished a remarkable feat. In just twelve seconds, their “Flyer” broke the barrier of powered human flight. In less than twenty years, major world powers integrated the new technology into their militaries. In Great Britain, Hugh Trenchard predicted the airplane would transform warfare. From 1914 to 1945, Trenchard ...

On September 23, 1949, President Harry S. Truman announced that an atomic explosion had occurred in the Soviet Union. Over the next few days, The New York Times and Washington Post ran articles discussing the timing of the explosion, its impact on military aid to Europe, and subsequent calls for international atomic control.

Discover resilience, unity, and the power of alliance in a world drastically transformed with "Allied Strength." If you've ever wondered about the role of alliances in a post-apocalyptic world, how to build trust with potential allies, or balance autonomy with community, then this book is designed for you. Dive deep into the dynamics and complexities of alliances, exploring topics from identification of potential allies, negotiation of alliance terms to securing a sustainable partnership. Understand how to tap into the strength of unity, and navigate the murky waters of trust-building. "...

Every generation, a journalist has looked deep into the heart of the nuclear military establishment: the technologies, the safeguards, the plans, and the risks. These investigations are vital to how we understand the world we really live in—where one nuclear missile will beget one in return, and where the choreography of the world’s end requires massive decisions made on seconds’ notice with information that is only as good as the intelligence we have.

"MiGs Over Nevada: Declassified Accounts of Technological Tradecraft at Area 51" Step into the classified world of Area 51, the CIA's top-secret flight testing facility in Nevada, where cutting-edge reconnaissance planes and covert operations once ruled the skies. In "MiGs Over Nevada," delve into the thrilling true story of a small group of CIA personnel and contract specialists who played a pivotal role in shaping aerial warfare as we know it today. When the legendary A-12 reconnaissance planes were retired from operational missions, Area 51 seemed destined for a quieter existence. ...

Beyond the Horizon: The Declassified History of the CIA’s Office of Special Activities at Area 51 invites readers into a concealed world where innovation, secrecy, and ambition seamlessly intertwine, revealing the unrecounted narratives and unveiled mysteries of America's most enigmatic military base. In the sequestered expanses of the Nevada desert, Area 51 silently veils its secrets beneath layers of history and silent machinations. This mysterious base, obscured by both physical desolation and governmental silence, emerges as the nerve center for the CIA’s Office of Special ...

The military-industrial complex (MIC) consists of government defense agencies, government policy agencies, government oversight agencies, their counterparts in the armed services, a nationwide network of academic and military defense labs, the US Congress, and defense contractors large and small, domestic and international. Military-Industrial Complex is an in-depth narrative of the origins and history of the MIC, and a cogent analysis of its past, present and future. From the close of WW II, to the perilous zenith of Cold War superpower confrontation across nuclear battle lines, to the ...

Cognitive Warfare in the Age of Unpeace: Strategies, Defenses, and the New Battlefield of the Mind is a definitive examination of the emergent arena of cognitive warfare—a battlefield where consciousness and cognition are under siege. Rooted in the historical lineage of warfare, this seminal tome charts a course from the stratagems of yesteryear's influence operations to the digital subversions that define our current epoch. The book is structured to provide a layered understanding of the subject. Part I lays the foundation, explaining how the age of unpeace has given rise to a new form ...

After being called up for National Service in July 1960, twenty-year-old Chas Hall joined the RAF and signed on to extend his time for an extra three years becoming a regular serviceman. He got his first foreign posting in late 1961 to Christmas Island. It was on this island, that Chas encountered the horrors of nuclear testing. In an operation codenamed "Brigadoon" by the British government and "Dominic" by the Americans, Chas experienced twenty-five atmospheric nuclear tests.