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During the Summer of 1940, Hitler's Germany appeared unstoppable. The Nazis were masters of mainland Europe, in alliance with Stalin's Russia and only the English Channel prevented an immediate invasion. Britain stood alone. The BEF had been routed but, due to the 'Dunkirk miracle', most of her manpower had returned albeit without their transport and heavy equipment and guns. There was no doubt that the Nazis planned to invade - all intelligence pointed that way. In the event it never materialised, thanks to the outcome of the Battle of Britain and Hitler's decision to invade Russia. Operation SEALION examines just how realistic the German threat of invasion was. The author studies the plans, the available capability and resources, the Germans' record in Norway and later Crete. The author weighs these against the state of Britain's defences and the relative strengths of the land, air and particularly naval forces. The result is a fascinating study of what might or might not have been.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Title; Copyright; Contents; Acknowledgements; Preface; Introduction to the 2017 Edition; Introduction;
• Chapter 1 The Ancestors and the Neighbours;
• Chapter 2 The London Termini;
• Chapter 3 LNER Destinations;
• Chapter 4 Building a New Railway Company;
• Chapter 5 The Managers;
• Chapter 6 Steam Locomotives at the Grouping;
• Chapter 7 Atlantic to Pacific;
• Chapter 8 The Streamliners;
• Chapter 9 Electrics and Diesels;
• Chapter 10 The Named Expresses;
• Chapter 11 Carrying the Goods;
• Chapter 12 The Passenger Business;
• Chapter 13 Publicity;
• Chapter 14 The Record Setters;
• Chapter 15 Shipping.

• Chapter 16 Road Transport
• Chapter 17 Accidents;
• Chapter 18 The Infrastructure;
• Chapter 19 Railways at War;
• Chapter 20 Under Attack;
• Chapter 21 Peace and Nationalisation;
• Chapter 22 What Might Have Been; Appendices; 1 LNER Locomotive Numbering; 2 LNER Locomotives as at 31 December 1947; 3 Named LNER Locomotives; 4 Named Locomotives Inherited by the LNER; 5 Locomotives Absorbed at Grouping and Later Acquisitions; Bibliography.

Renowned for its express locomotive Mallard setting a world speed record (126mph) for steam locomotives that endures to this day, the London & North Eastern Railway was the second largest of the 'Big Four' railway companies to emerge from the 1923 grouping and also the most diverse, with its prestigious high-speed trains from King's Cross balanced by an intensive suburban and commuter service from Liverpool Street and a high dependence on freight. Noted for its cautious board and thrifty management, the LNER gained a reputation for being poor but honest. Forming part of a series, along with The GWR Handbook, The LMS Handbook and The Southern Railway Handbook, this new edition provides an authoritative and highly detailed reference of information about the LNER.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Title; Copyright; Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction to the 2017 Edition; Introduction
• Railways in the South; 1. The Ancestors; 2. The London Termini; 3. Southern Destinations; 4. A New Railway for a New Era; 5. The Managers; 6. The 'Sparks Effect'
• Electrification; 7. Steam Twilight; 8. Closures, New Lines and Junctions; 9. 'ACE' and the 'Belles'; 10. Selling the Southern; 11. Shipping Services; 12. Road Transport and Feeder Services; 13. Air Services and Airports; 14. Accidents; 15. Railways at War; 16. Railways under Attack; 17. Deliverance and Nationalisation.

• 18. What Might Have BeenAppendices:; I Locomotive Headcodes; II Station Name Changes Post-Grouping; III Locomotives Inherited by the Southern Railway in 1923; IV Southern Railway Locomotives; V Electric Rolling Stock; VI Utility Stock and Beyond; VII Maps of the Southern Electric; Bibliography.

The Southern Railway may not have been the most glamorous of the 'Big Four' companies that emerged from the grouping of 1923, but it was the great innovator. In the 1930s the Southern pioneered the first main-line electrification and created the largest electrified suburban railway network in the world. It was also one of the few to offer regular departures and the first to run true international services, introducing the 'Night Ferry' through-trains from London to Paris using special ferries. Forming part of a series, along with The GWR Handbook, The LMS Handbook and The LNER Handbook, this new edition provides an authoritative and highly detailed reference of information about the Southern Railway.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Cover; Title Page; Copyright; Contents; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Glossary;
• Chapter 1: The Dawn of the Railway Age;
• Chapter 2: A Tale of Four Cities;
• Chapter 3: The Competitors;
• Chapter 4: The Railways Head for Scotland;
• Chapter 5: The Era of Competition;
• Chapter 6: Barriers to Progress;
• Chapter 7: The First Races;
• Chapter 8: Racing Again;
• Chapter 9: The Race is Back On!;
• Chapter 10: Final Phase;
• Chapter 11: Outcome;
• Chapter 12: Railways Become Fashionable Again;
• Chapter 13: Wartime and Nationalization Slow the Railways; Bibliography.

In the late nineteenth century, some of Britain's leading main-line railway companies threw caution to the winds in an attempt to provide the fastest passenger express services between London and Scotland. These became known as the 'races to the north'. There were two phases, in 1888 and 1895, and they spurred the building of new bridges across the Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay. David Wragg's gripping, detailed narrative tells the story of this famous commercial competition, and he fills in the background, which is no less interesting - the pioneering engineering of the steam age, the massive construction projects, the cut-throat battle for passengers and freight, and the deep inter-company rivalries that drove the rapid development of the railways during the Victorian period.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• NATO designations for Soviet-era shipboard missiles
• National entries listing
• National entries.

The victorious German Blitzkrieg assault on Holland, Belgium and Northern France placed Anglo-French relations under huge strain. The Vichy surrender raised real British fears that the Germans would force the French Fleet, the fourth largest in the world, to turn against their former ally, while in fact their orders were to scuttle in the event of the Germans attempting to seize them. Sink the French examines the background to the fall of France and its consequences, most particularly the way the French Navy was dealt with. It studies the confused situation that the chaos of devastating defeat created including the rise of a relatively junior French general, Charles de Gaulle who was smuggled out of France by the RAF on the night of 16/17 June. Elsewhere French ships were boarded and seized by the British, and at Oran their Fleet was bombarded by the Royal Navy. There were numerous other incidents with French aircraft bombing Gibraltar.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

From the American Civil War onwards, railways have been an important aspect of war. While the first interest by the military in railways in Britain was intended primarily for internal security, the Boer War saw massive movement of men and their horses over the London and South Western Railway and through its port at Southampton. So important were the railways that in the First World War, the state took control of the railways, and then repeated this exercise under somewhat more controversial arrangements in the Second World War. "Wartime on the Railways" is an account of the part played by Britain's railways during the Second World War, dealing not simply with operational matters or the impact of enemy action on the railways, but also looking at financial arrangements, the part played by railway workshops in producing equipment for the military, the wartime experience of the railways' ships, with the narrative augmented by personal accounts from railwaymen, and women as the war years saw many jobs traditionally handled by men taken over by them. The book will include chapters outlining the preparations made by the railways for wartime during the final years of the peace, and will have chapters for each of the 'Big Four' companies, for London Transport's underground system, and also on financial arrangements, the impact of wartime restrictions on travel and scheduling, the role of the railway workshops, and of the ports and shipping, as many railway ships were lost during the battle for France and at Dunkirk.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

To the US Navy they were CVEs! To the Royal Navy auxiliary carriers! To crews of endangered merchantmen in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans they were heaven-sent prot ection! To their crews they were Combustible, Vulnerable, Expendable! The need for air cover against enemy aircraft and submarines brought unprecedented demand for carriers.Over 100 vessels were converted on specially built for convoy duty. This is their story, warts and all.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

The relationship between politicians and Britain's railways got off to a bad start, with the death of an MP, William Huskisson, at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway in 1830, yet the relationship has always been close, out of necessity because new railways required an act of Parliament for their construction. Not content with this, politics also intervened to ensure that the railways ran 'Parliamentary Trains' for commuting workers, and imposed the 'common carrier' freight obligation, making it impossible to refuse traffic, no matter how uneconomic! Signal Failure is a history of the relationship between railways and government in the United Kingdom. It is intended for both railway enthusiasts and professionals. Setting the relationship against the growth of the railways, the book looks at the way in which it developed. State control in two world wars left the Treasury as the war profiteer, with amalgamation between the wars and nationalisation afterwards. Signal Failure looks at the effect of political intervention, and its impact on the service (or lack of it) given to the long-suffering customer. It includes the attempts to protect the railways from competition by other forms of transport, while the Beeching cuts are put into perspective against the pattern of closures before Beeching. The root causes of the problems facing the railways since privatisation are also examined.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

This title should provide a brief history and details of current equipment, manpower levels and budgets for all the world's major air forces, army air corps and naval air arms. It covers over 240 forces in over 160 countries worldwide. Photographs from many of the air forces are included in colour, showing their wing, fuselage or tail markings.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

The strategic importance of Malta sitting astride both the Axis and Allied supply routes in the Mediterranean was obvious to both sides during WW2. As a result, the island became the focal point in a prolonged and dreadful struggle that cost the lives of thousands of servicemen and civilians. David Wragg tells the story using many first-hand accounts and yet skilfully explains the strategic situation.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)