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  Portrait of a Bomber Pilot

  Christopher Jary

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  During the Second World War RAF Bomber Command produced a handful of remarkable pilots who won fame and high honors: Gibson, Cheshire, Martin, Tait, and Searby. The majority of aircrew, however, were young sergeants, many of whom did not survive to complete a first tour of thirty operations. Between the two extremes, there were, on every squadron, one or two senior captains who had survived one tour and whose experience, skill, courage, and example made a vital contribution to their squadron's life, training and operational success. This book is about one such captain, Flight Lieutenant Jack Wetherly, DFC. It traces his development from novice second pilot of a Wellington in the pioneering days of 1940 to senior captain of a Halifax in Wing-Commander Leonard Cheshire's squadron in what MRAF Sir Arthur Harris called his 'Main Offensive'. It deals also with his pre-war life and service, flying tiny bi-planes with the RAFVR, and with his career as a flying instructor at the RAF College Cranwell and as an instructor of instructors at RAF Montrose.Above all, it is a personal book, inspired by the sacrifice made nearly half a century ago by a young man of twenty-eight. Acclaim for the work:''Reading Portrait of a Bomber Pilot, I felt that I was living with Jack Wetherly through the last few years of his young life. He is a good man to be with  honorable, selfless, and an exceptional pilot...Christopher Jary has written of Jack Wetherly carefully, unsentimentally, and very movingly. He has added a chapter to the brave, sad story of World War Two''.

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  Sakuntala Narasimhan: Rakshasi...

  Ranjan Kamath

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  Sakuntala Narasimhan, born in 1939 and living in Delhi during 1947 when India became independent is an Indian journalist, consumer rights activist, and classical vocalist trained in Carnatic and Hindustani classical music. She has as many as 3,950 published pieces, all neatly stored in box files – a stupendous number of articles for a trained musician who gave her first public performance at the age of three and her first broadcast at 10. After marriage, Sakuntala took up the challenge of running a house. Having never had much to do with domesticity, her first forays into the kitchen were a disaster, from charred beans to watery okra. With a premature baby to deal with, her plans to do her PhD in Economics could not materialize. With no money for paper, she began writing on the back of used envelopes. In July 1966, her story ‘The Beauty Contest’ was published in Femina and she was paid the princely sum of Rs 30. She went on to get published in The Hindu a month later, a confidence booster which allowed her to think she had a career in writing. ‘Their Myriad Ways’, published in Femina in 1967, went on to win a prize – an occasion that she says caused her to jump four feet in the air. And then, there was no looking back. As a columnist Sakuntala won many awards, including the Chameli Devi Award for an Outstanding Woman Journalist. Environment and consumer issues were also her forte, and besides her columns on gender and consumer rights, for the Deccan Herald for 27 years, she went on to become a consumer rights activist, filing cases, and winning most of them. She currently writes for The Wire, Citizen Matters, and Moneylife. Alongside her writing, Sakuntala also taught Economics, Music and Women’s Studies. Besides being a prolific writer, Sakuntala pursued her academic interests and in 1996, she got her first PhD in Sociology. And not one to rest on her laurels, she got another PhD in music, fulfilling her self-pledge to "get my doctorate before I die."

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  Runaway Amish Girl - The Great...

  Emma Gingerich

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  Growing up Amish and leaving the fold, Emma Gingerich left her Amish community in Eagleville, Missouri, at the age of 18. Her memoir Runaway Amish Girl: The Great Escape captivates even the timid listener. Disagreeing with the beliefs of Amish traditions and upbringing, the pressure became too much for her to bear.Forced to make a personal decision, Emma found the courage to leave the only life she had ever known. She had no idea the emotional turmoil she'd inflict on her family and friends. The emotional reactions of her parents, brothers, and sisters, were gut-wrenching. Considered no longer a daughter or a sister, temporarily exiled, Emma found a way to be free. Education became her priority as she found her place in the "English" world. This true story is a rare glimpse into the life of a brave young woman.

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  The March on Paris - The Memoirs...

  Alexander von Kluck

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  Von Kluck saw active military service at an early age during the Seven Weeks' War of 1866 and, in 1870-71, the Franco-Prussian War.  Rising through the army, he became inspector general of the Seventh Army District in 1913.During the First World War von Kluck commanded the German First Army, notably in the Schlieffen Plan offensive against Paris at the start of the war in August 1914.  An aggressive commander, von Kluck's impatience (at the request of Second Army commander von Bulow - who was unwilling to allow gaps to appear in the German front - he switched his advance south and east of Paris rather than the planned north and west), allied with a lack of direction from the German High Command and effective French and British counter-attacks, led to the failure of the Schlieffen offensive.Von Kluck's role in the plan was to command the extreme right of the German forces in attacking the left flank of the French army and encircling Paris, bringing a rapid conclusion to the war.After capturing Brussels on 20 August, von Kluck was almost successful in defeating France, his forces being halted a mere 13 miles from the French capital in the First Battle of the Marne from 6-9 September 1914.  His forces had earlier fought costly battles against the British at Mons and at Le Cateau.  With the suspension of the German offensive the nature of the battle changed to one of trench warfare, remaining essentially static until the end of the war.Von Kluck was himself seriously wounded in the leg in March 1915, retiring from active service the following year in October 1916.

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  Secret Naval Investigator - The...

  F. Ashe Lincoln

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  “[An] enthralling account of one of the least told important stories of WWII”: the role of the Department of Torpedoes and Mines Investigation Section (Firetrench).   In the lead-up to the Second World War, Ashe Lincoln, a junior barrister, had enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a Sub-Lieutenant. On the outbreak of war, he became determined to serve at sea and was posted to minelayers. But a mysterious midnight summons sent him hurrying from his ship to the Admiralty in London and a top-secret conference presided over by Winston Churchill.   Ashe Lincoln soon found himself pitting his wits against brilliantly skillful German scientists and technicians. These were the men Hitler had entrusted to devise secret underwater weapons sea mines and torpedoes of new and often unsuspected types to destroy Britain’s seapower and starve its population into surrender. The part that Ashe Lincoln played in this battle had been decided upon because he was a naval officer who combined legal training with a specialist knowledge in this particular aspect of naval warfare.   In time, Lincoln became a key figure in a small group in the Admiralty whose exploits have been almost forgotten. He found himself in extraordinary situations, including crouching on a bleak Scottish hillside dealing with the first parachute mine knowing that Goering had boasted that no-one would live to do this. His story is a remarkable blend of deductive enterprise and courage.  “Wonderful . . . This book was fascinating from start to finish. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Anyone with an interest in this field of warfare will find this book invaluable.” —Stand Easy

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  By Ox Team to California - A...

  Lavinia Honeyman Porter

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  By Ox Team to California is a firsthand account of a pioneer woman's journey across the West in 1860. The author brings thrilling and exciting stories from a 2000 miles journey from Hannibal, Missouri, to California, via Colorado and Utah.

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