Retreat victory s north

  (Johannesburg: Ashanti Publishing, 1991) 1874800243, 1991. 8vo; Very good, as new original pale boards; As new dustwrapper; pictorial endpapers; pp. xiv + 301, incl. index; profusely illustrated with battle plans and photographs. As new condition. "James Ambrose Brown's journal of the life of a South African infantryman in the British North African 8th Army, almost exactly half a century ago, gives a day-to-day account of the campaign in the Western Desert against the redoubtable Rommel's Afrika Korps.. Brown's hour-to-hour depiction of the great battle [of El Alamein] that at last sent the enemy reeling back across North Africa remains a classic. A leading American journal, The Saturday Evening Post, called it 'The greatest worm's eye view of battle to come out of the war so far'. To bring today's reader into the picture, James Ambrose Brown has provided a preamble that sets out the political and military events which led up to World War II and the two years of lost North African battles that almost gave total victory to Germany and Italy. Splendid maps by Dr Richard Wood vividly illustrate the tactical situations described in the diary; they also fill in the gaps in large-scale operations. Lavish use of photographs taken by official war photographers illustrate the text. Also reproduced are sketches done by official war artists who were there. Retreat to Victory is a moving and timeless record of despair and hope; and the ultimate devastation that is left in the path of war."

Buy Retreat to Victory, A Springbok`s diary in North Africa: Gazala to El Alamein 1942 for R140.00

Buy Retreat to Victory: A Springbok`s Diary in North Africa: Gazala to El Alamein 1942 by J.A. Brown for R155.00

Buy Retreat to victory: A Springboks diary in North Africa: Gazala to El Alamein 1942 (South Africans for R130.00

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Buy Retreat To Victory - A Springboks Diary in North Africa 1942 by James Ambrose Brown for R200.00

Buy Retreat to Victory a Diary in North Gazala to El Alamein 1942 for R195.00

Subtitle: A Springbok's Diary in North Africa: Gazala to El Alamein   Author: James Ambrose Brown  Publisher: Ashanti () Edition: First Edition ISBN-10: ISBN-13: Condition: Very Good Binding: Hardcover with dust jacket Pages: 301 Dimensions: 23.5 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm +++ by James Ambrose Brown +++ James Ambrose Brown's journal of the life of a South African infantryman in the British North African 8th Army, almost exactly half a century ago, gives a day-to-day account of the campaign in the Western Desert against the redoubtable Rommel's Africa Korps.   A passion for books and a passion for collecting fine editions was the recipe that created the successful group of bookshops in Johannesburg called Bookdealers. The group started thirty years ago with one store in the quirky suburb of Yeoville and has grown through the years to a total of five shops, plus our online sales. Bookdealers is well-known for its collectable and used books. We also have a large variety of remaindered books sourced from around the world.  If you collect from one of our five branches there is no delivery charge. We also offer postal delivery (when available) and courier delivery, subject to a quote.

Hardback. Ashanti. 1991. ISBN: 1874800243. 301 pp with bw illustrations and diags.. Very good condition in hard cover with dwA South African soldier's diary in North Africa, Gazala to el Alamein.

South African At War series no 7 Ashanti, 1991. Hard cover with dust cover, 301 pages. Very good condition; like new. Under 1kg      

Buy SIGNED!! RETREAT TO VICTORY - A SPRINGBOKS DIARY IN NORTH AFRICA: GAZALA TO EL ALAMEIN 1942 for R450.00

    What a militaria collectible!   Joseph R. McCarthy America's Retreat from Victory New York 1965, third impression, soft cover, 152 pages in excellent antiquarian condition  Deutsches Reich Wehrmacht Afrikakorps Nazi Germany World War II Hitler Stalin Churchill Roosevelt Ostfront Berlin 1945 Russia U-Boot Waffen-SS U-Boat Japan

The climactic death-throes of Soviet Communism during the 1980's included a last-gasp attempt at strategic franchise expansion in Southern Africa. Channelled through Castro's Cuba, oil-rich Angolan armed forces (FAPLA) received billions of dollars of advanced weaponry including MiG 23 and Sukhoi fighter jets, SAM 8 missile systems and thousands of armoured vehicles. Their   intent - to eradicate the US-backed Angolan opposition (UNITA), then push southwards into South Africa's protectorate SWA/Namibia, ostensibly as liberators. 1985 saw the first large-scale mechanized offensive in Southern African history. Russian Generals planned and oversaw the offensive but without properly accounting for the tenacity of UNITA (supported by the South African Defence Forces - SADF) or the treacherous terrain typical in the rainy season. The '85 offensive floundered in the mud and FAPLA returned to their capital Luanda. The South Africans stood down, confident their 'covert' support for UNITA had demonstrated the folly of prosecuting war so far from home against Africa's military Superpower. The South Africans were mistaken. Fidel and FAPLA immediately redoubled their efforts, strengthening fifteen battalions with even more Soviet hardware while Russian and Cuban specialists oversaw troop training. As Cuban and Angola fighter pilots honed their skills over the skies of Northern Angola, David Mannall, a normal 17-year old kid completing High School, was preparing for two years of compulsory military service before beginning Tertiary education. Through a series of fateful twists he found himself leading soldiers in a number of full-scale armoured clashes including the largest and most decisive battle on African soil since World War II. This is the David and Goliath story that, due to seismic political changes in the region, has never been truthfully told. The author lifts the hatch on his story of how Charlie Squadron, comprising just twelve 90mm AFVs crewed by 36 national servicemen, as part of the elite 61 Mechanised Battalion, engaged and effectively annihilated the giant FAPLA 47th Armoured Brigade in one day - 3 October 1987. Their 90mm cannons were never designed as tank-killers but any assurances that it would never be used against heavy armour were left in the classroom during the three-month operation and never more starkly than the decisive 'Battle on The Lomba River'. The Communist-backed offensive died that day along with hundreds of opposition fighters. 47th Brigade survivors abandoned their remaining equipment, fleeing north across the Lomba, eventually joining the 59th Brigade in what became a full-scale retreat of over ten thousand soldiers to Cuito Cuanavale. The myth perpetuated by post-apartheid politicians goes something like this "The SADF force that destroyed 47th Brigade on 3 October numbered 6,000 men and that all the hard yards were run by the long suffering UNITA!" The inconvenient truth is that there were just 36 South African boys on the front-line that day, but it is also true to say they would never have achieved such a stunning victory without the support of many more. This is their story. Paperback, 192 pages First Published October 2014, Second Revised Edition May 2015        

The climactic death-throes of Soviet Communism during the 1980's included a last-gasp attempt at strategic franchise expansion in Southern Africa. Channelled through Castro's Cuba, oil-rich Angolan armed forces (FAPLA) received billions of dollars of advanced weaponry including MiG 23 and Sukhoi fighter jets, SAM 8 missile systems and thousands of armoured vehicles. Their   intent - to eradicate the US-backed Angolan opposition (UNITA), then push southwards into South Africa's protectorate SWA/Namibia, ostensibly as liberators. 1985 saw the first large-scale mechanized offensive in Southern African history. Russian Generals planned and oversaw the offensive but without properly accounting for the tenacity of UNITA (supported by the South African Defence Forces - SADF) or the treacherous terrain typical in the rainy season. The '85 offensive floundered in the mud and FAPLA returned to their capital Luanda. The South Africans stood down, confident their 'covert' support for UNITA had demonstrated the folly of prosecuting war so far from home against Africa's military Superpower. The South Africans were mistaken. Fidel and FAPLA immediately redoubled their efforts, strengthening fifteen battalions with even more Soviet hardware while Russian and Cuban specialists oversaw troop training. As Cuban and Angola fighter pilots honed their skills over the skies of Northern Angola, David Mannall, a normal 17-year old kid completing High School, was preparing for two years of compulsory military service before beginning Tertiary education. Through a series of fateful twists he found himself leading soldiers in a number of full-scale armoured clashes including the largest and most decisive battle on African soil since World War II. This is the David and Goliath story that, due to seismic political changes in the region, has never been truthfully told. The author lifts the hatch on his story of how Charlie Squadron, comprising just twelve 90mm AFVs crewed by 36 national servicemen, as part of the elite 61 Mechanised Battalion, engaged and effectively annihilated the giant FAPLA 47th Armoured Brigade in one day - 3 October 1987. Their 90mm cannons were never designed as tank-killers but any assurances that it would never be used against heavy armour were left in the classroom during the three-month operation and never more starkly than the decisive 'Battle on The Lomba River'. The Communist-backed offensive died that day along with hundreds of opposition fighters. 47th Brigade survivors abandoned their remaining equipment, fleeing north across the Lomba, eventually joining the 59th Brigade in what became a full-scale retreat of over ten thousand soldiers to Cuito Cuanavale. The myth perpetuated by post-apartheid politicians goes something like this "The SADF force that destroyed 47th Brigade on 3 October numbered 6,000 men and that all the hard yards were run by the long suffering UNITA!" The inconvenient truth is that there were just 36 South African boys on the front-line that day, but it is also true to say they would never have achieved such a stunning victory without the support of many more. This is their story. Paperback, 284 pages First Published October 2014, Second Revised Edition May 2015   

 Charge! History's greatest Military Speeches - Steve Israel - 2007 - Hard cover in nearly new condition. One of the leading voices on national security issues in the U.S. Congress demonstrates how words have been sharp and powerful weapons of victory in this compilation of great military speeches that helped turn the tide of history. Among the dozens of inspirational speeches featured are: Moses instructing his followers to cross the Jordan River without him... Queen Elizabeth pledging to die with her soldiers as they faced the Spanish Armada... Patrick Henry choosing between liberty and death... Napoleon exhorting his troops as they marched on Egypt... Winston Churchill rallying his nation to victory... General Sir Montgomery refusing to retreat from Rommel... President Roosevelt preparing the American people for World War II... General Eisenhower fortifying his troops for the invasion of Normandy... President Reagan demanding that Gorbachev tear down the Berlin Wall... President George W. Bush encouraging America after 9/11... and more. Congressman Israel has included speeches that have motivated and mobilized, challenged and comforted. Some were blurted in the heat of combat, others were carefully written in places far removed from the brutality of the battlefield, but all will inspire readers with the courage that moved people forward against all odds. Each speech is introduced with an insightful historic context. This dramatic sweep of military history in the words of history's military leaders serves to reinforce the concept that the pen is mightier than the sword.