Bullets, Bombs, and Bayonets draws attention to a significant part of Canadian military history, a period in which almost an entire generation of young men never returned from the battlefields of Europe. In 2017 Canada commemorates the 100th year of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The triumphant conquering of Vimy by the Canadian Corps in April 1917, was considered a defining moment in Canada's rise to nationhood. Equally significant but much less publicized was the Canadian victory at Passchendaele in the fall of 1917. It was there that more than 4,000 Canadian soldiers died, and almost 12,000 wounded. The Battle of Passchendaele will be forever remembered as a colossal slaughter in the mud of Flanders fields. Bullets, Bombs, and Bayonets acknowledges those members of the 43rd Battalion who fought and died in the Ypres Salient, in the name of freedom.

Ex-CIA covert operator Martin Dallas has never failed a mission, not in the jungles of Cambodia or the deserts of the Middle East. After Wahhabi terrorists murder his wife, Dallas leads an elite mercenary team in a decisive covert op designed to end terrorism. Financed by an American industrialist, Dallas secures suitcase nukes for his mission and prepares to strike at the heart of radical Islamic terrorists. At the same time, the CIA and a SEAL team have only hours to save tens of thousands of Americans from dying in a nuclear inferno triggered by suicide bombers who have already penetrated U.S. waters. While tracking the nuclear-armed terrorists and deploying the first of his weapons Dallas slides back into nasty habits like kidnapping, torture, and murder. When it's time to detonate his first bomb, he realizes he's progressively losing his humanity and is becoming what he seeks to destroy. As Mossad and the CIA close in on him and his bomb, Dallas must quickly decide whether he'll incinerate thousands of civilians or salvage his soul by allowing his mission to fail.

CROWNING TOUCHES OF BEREAVEMENT is focused on issues of bereavement, which is a universal experience. It is hoped that the reader will find solace, comfort and peace from identification with those whose lives have been touched by bereavement. And in so doing, their hearts will be healed.

Arming the Irish Revolution is an in-depth investigation of the successes and failures of the militant Irish republican efforts to arm themselves. W. H. Kautt’s comprehensive account of Irish Republican Army (IRA) arms acquisition begins with its predecessors—the Irish Volunteers and the National Volunteers—and, counterintuitively, with their rivals, the pro-union Ulster Volunteer Force. After the 1916 Rising, Kautt details the functioning of the Quartermaster General Department of the Irish Volunteer General Headquarters in Dublin and basic arms acquisition in the early days of 1918 to 1919. He then closely examines rebel efforts at weapons and ammunition manufacturing and bombmaking and reveals that the ingenuity and resources poured into manufacturing were never able to become a primary source of weapons and ammunition. As the conflict grew in intensity and expanded, the rebels encountered increasing difficulty in obtaining and maintaining supplies of weapons and ammunition since modern weapons in a protracted conflict used more ammunition than previous generations of weapons and their complexity meant that the weapons could not be clandestinely produced within Ireland. Thus, as the rebels conducted campaigns that became difficult to combat, their greatest limiting factor was that most of their weapons and ammunition had to be imported. Arming the Irish Revolution is the first work of research and analysis to explore in detail the Irish work inside Britain to establish arms centers and to conduct arms operations and trafficking. It also examines the full extent of the overseas or foreign arms trade and the arms operations of the War of Independence, including the continuance into the truce and treaty eras and up to the outbreak of the Civil War (1922–1923)—all of which reveals how the rebel leaders ran complex, maturing, and capable smuggling and manufacturing enterprises worldwide under the noses of the police, customs, intelligence, and the military for years without getting caught. Quite apart from the battlefield these groups and their activities led to political consequences, playing no small part in producing what were real concessions from Lloyd George’s government. In the last chapter Kautt offers observations and conclusions about overall successes and failures that establishes Arming the Irish Revolution as a landmark study of insurgent or revolutionary arms acquisition in both Irish and military history.

In World War II, the U.S. Army’s 44th General Hospital found themselves at ground-zero of the Japanese counterattack on the island of Leyte. As Japanese infantry infiltrated and enemy paratroopers dropped around them, the 44th’s officers faced a life-or-death decision. With over 200 patients, the Japanese surrounding them, and no option to retreat, they had to act fast. Should they uphold their oath to “do no harm”? Or do they arm the medical staff and defend themselves and their patients? Do they risk violation of the Geneva Convention or risk death or imprisonment at the hands of the Japanese? But without authorization to obtain arms, how would they defend themselves? Could the 44th hold out until infantry support arrived? Their fate would be determined in what was called “The Battle of Buffalo Wallow”. This book tells the previously unknown and controversial story of the 44th General Hospital, experienced medical professionals who were asked to perform actions over and above their expected duties. In World War II, the Philippine island of Leyte became the stage for a key battle between the United States and Japan. U.S. General Douglas MacArthur’s 6th Army invaded Leyte on October 20th, 1944. Soon afterwards, the Army’s 44th General Hospital landed to care for casualties. Untrained in combat, they were sent inland to the village of Burauen, very close to the front lines of fighting. The hospital tents were set up between three airfields that were recently taken from the Japanese. But, as the U.S. infantry advanced westward, they left the 44th and other service units behind, mostly unprotected. In a desperate move, the Japanese determined to make Leyte the decisive battle they hoped would turn the tide of the War. To counter the American advance, Japanese General Yamashita devised a bold plan. The first step would be a combined infantry and paratrooper attack to retake the airfields on Leyte. Subsequently, the attack placed the 44th and their patients in great peril. Their courage and dedication would be tested in the heat of battle. After the War, the Surgeon General of the Army called the 44th “the finest that ever served.”

Malaria is not only the greatest killer of humankind, the disease has been the relentless scourge of armies throughout history. Malaria thwarted the efforts of Alexander the Great to conquer India in the fourth century BC. Malaria frustrated the ambitions of Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan to rule all Europe in the fourth and thirteenth centuries AD; and malaria stymied Napoleon Bonaparte’s plan to conquer Syria at the end of the eighteenth century. Malaria has also been the Australian Army’s continuing implacable foe in almost all its overseas deployments formation of the Australian Army in 1901. On at least three occasions malaria has halted Australian Army operations, bringing it to a standstill and threatening its defeat. The first time was in Syria in 1918, when a malaria epidemic cut a swathe through the Australian-led Desert Mounted Corps. The second time was in Papua New Guinea in 1942–43, when the Army was fighting malaria as well as the Japanese. The third time was in Vietnam in 1968, when malaria caused more casualties than did enemy action. Indeed the Australian Army has been fighting ‘an unending war’ against malaria ever since the Boer War at the end of the nineteenth century. The struggle against the disease continues 115 years later because virtually all Army’s overseas deployments are to malarious regions. Fortunately for Australian troops serving in nations where malaria is endemic, the Australian Army Malaria Institute undertakes the scientific research necessary to protect our service personnel against the disease. Ian Howie-Willis, in this very readable book, tells the dramatic story of the Army’s long and continuing struggle against malaria. It breaks new ground by showing how just one disease, malaria, is as much the serving soldier’s foe as any enemy force.

My Second Year of the War, by Frederick Palmer, is a riveting firsthand account of World War I from a seasoned war correspondent. In this compelling narrative, Palmer provides readers with an in-depth view of the second year of the Great War, chronicling the events, battles, and experiences that shaped the conflict. His detailed observations and personal reflections offer a unique perspective on the frontlines, the soldiers, and the profound impact of war on both combatants and civilians. Palmer's writing is both vivid and analytical, capturing the chaos, courage, and tragedy of war. Through his eyes, readers experience the harsh realities of life in the trenches, the strategies and tactics employed by various armies, and the resilience of the human spirit amid the horrors of war. His insights into the psychological and emotional toll of the conflict make My Second Year of the War an invaluable historical document and a compelling narrative. My Second Year of the War is celebrated for its authenticity and its contribution to the understanding of World War I. Palmer’s ability to combine journalistic rigor with a powerful storytelling style provides a deeply engaging and informative reading experience. Readers are drawn to My Second Year of the War for its vivid portrayal of wartime realities and its exploration of the human side of war. This book is a must-read for history enthusiasts and anyone seeking to understand the complexities of World War I. Owning a copy of My Second Year of the War is like having a front-row seat to one of the most significant conflicts in modern history.