The Fighting Pattons

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Douglas Kinnard

"Dwight David Eisenhower proudly claimed that he "came from the very heart of America." Yet it could be argued that despite those provincial beginnings, no other American exerted more influence on world history during the twentieth century. From his humble youth in Abilene, Kansas, Eisenhower rose to the supreme command of the Allied armies that helped destroy Adolf Hitler's Nazi war machine and to the presidency of the United States. Douglas Kinnard's profile of this great soldier-statesman describes his rise through the ranks of the peacetime Army of the 1920s and 1930s, recognition of his abilities by such leaders as Douglas MacArthur and George C. Marshall, his "great crusade" in Europe during World War II, and his two terms in the Oval Office. Dr. Kinnard's penetrating look at this great military leader and commander in chief serves as an introduction to Eisenhower's life and provides a concise account of the momentous military and political events of the first half of the twentieth century."--BOOK JACKET.

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Travis L. Ayres

True tales of heroism and the men who fought and died in the skies of World War II Europe.In World War II, there were many ways to die. But nothing offered more fatal choices than being inside a B-17 bomber above Nazi-occupied Europe. From the hellish storms of enemy flak and relentless strafing of Luftwaffe fighters, to mid-air collisions, mechanical failure, and simple bad luck, it's a wonder any man would volunteer for such dangerous duty. But many did. Some paid the ultimate price. And some made it home. But in the end, all would achieve victory.Here, author Travis L. Ayres has gathered a collection of previously untold personal accounts of combat and camaraderie aboard the B-17 Bombers that flew countless sorties against the enemy, as related by the men who lived and fought in the air-and survived.

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John L. Stewart

"A nineteen-year-old navigator with the illustrious 8th Air Force during World War II ... kept a private journal of each of his 31 missions, along with maps he routinely gathered in briefings."--Jacket.

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Adrian Goldsworthy

"This book looks at Rome's greatest generals, and at how and why they won their victories. At the same time it tells the story of Roman warfare, from the bitter struggle with Carthage and the brilliant Hannibal in the third century BC to the last desperate attempt to win back the Western Empire in the sixth century AD. It also traces the evolution of the Roman army and the Roman political system which directed it. Yet always the main focus rests on the commanders themselves and on their skills as leaders - on men such as Scipio Africanus, who combined apparent mysticism with iron determination, on Marius the tough soldiers' general, on Pompey the flamboyant 'Roman Alexander', and Caesar the aggressive and charismatic aristocrat."--Jacket.