Max-Arthur Mantle Libros

A fascinating history of World War I in the words of the men who were there -- "an extraordinary and immensely moving book." --Stephen Fry In 1960, the Imperial War Museum began a momentous and important task. A team of academics, archivists and volunteers set about tracing WWI veterans and interviewing them at length in order to record the experiences of ordinary individuals in war. The IWM aural archive has become the most important archive of its kind in the world. Authors have occasionally been granted access to the vaults, but digesting the thousands of hours of footage is a monumental task. Now, forty years on, the Imperial War Museum has at last given author Max Arthur and his team of researchers unlimited access to the complete WWI tapes. These are the forgotten voices of an entire generation of survivors of the Great War. The resulting book is an important, unique and compelling history of WWI in the words of those who experienced it. This is a classic for years to come.

Charting the BEA's entry into warfare in 1914, he tells the story in words and pictures of the new conscripted army's life through the five years of slaughter and suffering. He brilliantly conveys not only the heroism, but also the universal horror, futility, humour and boredom of warfare. From the front-line troops and the daily dice with death, to the support lines, communications, enlistment, training and propaganda. Every aspect of the soldiers life will be covered here, in this brilliant collection of images and interviews, that brings the Great War to life once more.

Gripping eyewitness stories from eighty years of British flying in war and peace Max Arthur, bestselling author of FORGOTTEN VOICES: THE GREAT WAR, presents this moving collection of first-hand accounts of life in the Royal Air Force, from 1918 to the present day. LOST VOICES OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE records the role of the RAF in World War II, and, particularly, the Battle of Britain and the desert battles of North Africa, as well as in the Falklands and in the Gulf War. Through original interviews with air and ground crew, the spirit and comradeship, the stress, courage, isolation, vulnerability and the wonder of the wartime flying experience is vividly explored.

The definitive oral history of the raid featuring contributions from Mission Commander Guy Gibson and Bouncing Bomb creator Barnes Wallis. The Dambusters raid was one of the most iconic missions of the Second World War.Three dams along Germany’s Ruhr Valley, which powered the nation’s industrial war effort, were the target. To overcome the torpedo nets and other defences, Barnes Wallis invented the ‘bouncing’ bomb to skim along the surface of the reservoirs before breaching the dam walls.617 Squadron was chosen to deliver them. On the night of 16–17 May 1943, nineteen specially modified Lancaster bombers left Britain. Weeks of training under absolute secrecy were put to the test.Here, acclaimed oral historian Max Arthur has gathered together the voices of the Lancaster crews as well as the German civilians who endured the attack, compiling a unique picture of how the mission unfolded, and the devastation it caused.‘A masterpiece of concise storytelling’ Sunday Express

‘Never has so much been owed by so many, to so few.’ This is the story of those few, in their own words. In the summer of 1940, the British frontlines were the skies above southern England. Spitfires and Hurricanes took on the might of the Luftwaffe, and its feared Messerschmitt fighters, dogfighting high above civilians watching on in awe.Hitler was determined to invade Britain and close down the Western Front for good. But his plan – Operation Sea Lion – could not begin while the RAF could still harry an invasion fleet. It had to be broken.Up to five times a day, the pilots of RAF Fighter Command scrambled to meet the inbound Luftwaffe. At one point, every available British fighter plane was airborne – Britain threw literally everything into the fight, and was tested to the very limits. Against all odds 'The Few', as they came to be known, bought Britain's freedom – many with their lives.These are the personal accounts of the pilots who fought and survived that battle. We will not see their like again.

Lost Voices of The Royal Navy is based entirely on first-hand accounts of naval action between 1914 and 1945, with vivid recollections from Gallipoli to the Far East, by way of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Max Arthur, author of the international bestseller Forgotten Voices of the Great War, has woven a unique narrative history of life at sea: Lost Voices of the Royal Navy is a memorable and moving testament to the courage, spirit, skill and irrepressible humour of those who served in the Royal Navy during the crucial years from 1914 to 1945.