Into the Jaws of Death: British Military Blunders, 1879 - 1900

Snook, Lieutenant Colonel Mike

Edité par Frontline Books / Naval Institute Press, London, England / Annapolis, Maryland, 2008

A propos de cet article

New condition black boards with gold spine lettering contained in a fine condition color illustrated dust jacket. Includes Author Dedication; List of Illustrations; List of Maps; List of Tables; Preface; Author's Note; Chronology; Epilogue: School of Hard Knocks: Defeat in the Colonies 1879-1900; Notes; Bibliography; Glossary and Index. Illustrated with two sections of both black-and-white and color photographic plates and black-and-white frontispiece drawing. "In this compelling and original history Lt. Colonel Mike Snook sheds intriguing new light on military disaster during the high Victorian period. With the empire at its zenith this was an era that witnessed some of the British Army's greatest colonial successes. It was also a period of troubled transition as the army struggled to adapt to the changing nature and needs of modern warfare. Focusing on some of the most dramatic and celebrated campaigns of the age - from Isandlwana, Maiwand and Majuba Hill to Khartoum, Colenso, Spion Kop and Magersfontein - the author combines engaging battle narratives with a scrupulous examination of primary source material to bring these encounters to life and expose the true and sometimes embarrassing causes of defeat." - from the rear outer jacket. "The experience of colonial warfare brought vividly to life. New insights into the characters of some of Victoria's most notable military commanders. Tabulated orders of battle for all combatants. Between the Crimean War and the dawn of the 20th century, the British Army was alsmost continuously engaged, in one corner of the globe or another, in military operations famously characterized by Kipling as the 'savage wars of peace.' From Cairo to Cape Town, hard-pressed handfuls of British soldiers flogged across often impossible terrain, and overcame a raft of logistic difficulties, to bring a succession of resourceful enemies to battle. When at length the protagonists met at close quarters, there were often startling, unexpected and violent outcomes. In his new worl Lieutenant Colonel Mike Snook deploys his professional expertise as a soldier, in concert with his life-long study of British military history, to bring the most dramatic clashes of the age of empire back to life. The names of these great battles - Isandlwana, Maiwand, Majuba Hill, Khartoum, Colenso, Spion Kop and Magersfontein still resonate down through the ages. In a wide-ranging and meticulously researched military history, the author focuses closely on defeat and disaster - the occasions when things went badly awry for the British. Overstretch, political meddling, military incompetence and petty jealousy all played their part. Above all else, however, these are dramatic and perceptive accounts of mere mortal men struggling to deal with the often overpowering dynamics and horrors of 19th -century warfare on the fringes of Empire." - from the inner front jacket flap.

N° de réf. du vendeur 009386

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Into the Jaws of Death: British Military Blunders, 1879 - 1900
• Éditeur: Frontline Books / Naval Institute Press, London, England / Annapolis, Maryland
• Date de parution: 2008
• Langue: anglais
• Reliure: Hardcover
• État de l'article: New
• État de la jaquette: Fine