Napoleon History

When historians are asked to list the most influential people of the last 200 years, a handful of names might vary, but there is no question that the list will include Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), the most successful French leader since Charlemagne and widely acknowledged one of the greatest generals ever.

On August 27th, 1962, Mariner II launched into space and started its journey to Venus. For 109 days, it dropped away from Earth's orbit falling in toward Venus until on December 14, 1962, it finally made its sweep passed the hot planet. This book, written the next year by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, covers the mission's progress from inception through to its pass across the face of Venus, detailing all the fascinating technical issues and the lessons learned from the data returned by Mariner.

In the last months of the Korean war the US Marines had transitioned into a near stationary force manning the main battle line in a serious of forward outposts. In this position they were under near constant bombardment and engaging in ongoing patrol battles. This book is a study of the outpost war concept through official documents and anecdote.

FNH Audio presents an unabridged reading of Train Wreckers and Ghost Killers by Leo J. Daugherty III. During the Korean war from 1950 to 1953 the U.S. Marines fought shoulder to shoulder with the allied Marine forces of the United Kingdom and Korea. In this book the author examines the allied forces in detail, and the valuable contribution they made to the war effort.

The frontiers of states are either large rivers, or chains of mountains, or deserts. Of all these obstacles to the march of an army, the most difficult to overcome is the desert; mountains come next, and broad rivers occupy the third place.

Britain was encouraged to participate in the second Gulf War by the publication of an intelligence report that suggested that Saddam Hussein could attack the UK with weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes. When the WMDs failed to materialise, the original report was questioned, it was suggested in parliament that it had been "sexed up" as a way to scare the UK into war. Ann Taylor (MP) led an investigation to determine if the the public had been misled, and this is what they found.

FNH Audio presents this unabridged reading of the heroic story of a territorial battalion mobilised and sent overseas into the bloodiest conflict the world has ever known. They fought with distinction at the Somme and Arras through some of the most terrible and wasteful of battles. In one three month period this battalion alone lost 1,200 men and sixty officers. That it survived until the end of the war was nothing short of a miracle.This history was written by the battalions Adjutant in 1919.

FNH Audio presents an unabridged reading of this collection of sketches from Flanders and France, during WWI. First published in 1917, during the latter part of the war, this book has captured the mood of the country at the time. By carefully selecting anecdotes and previously published articles relating the war taking place across the channel, the author created a blend of narrative that is by turns inspiring, insightful, funny, and bitter-sweet.

FNH Audio presents a complete and unabridged reading of Flying for France. Covering the war-time activities of THE American Escadrille. During World War I, before America entered the war, many Americans volunteered to fight for the French. These valiant volunteers fought in all arms of the French services and not least in the air. Formed into air units of their own, these Americans trained, fought, and died together, fighting for freedom and liberty.

FNH Audio presents an unabridged reading of Colonel Millett's historical study of the U.S. Marines in the Korean War and their combat operations around the Punchbowl during 1951 and 1952. This study examines how the Marines fought and were commanded, including numerous anecdotes from both the Marines on the front line and those commanding them. It covers the various changes of command and the associated problems, and how the inter-service conflicts effected the men on the ground.

The 9th Kings was a territorial infantry battalion when the Great War (World War I) began. On the 4th of August 1914, a telegram containing one word arrived at their headquarters: "Mobilise!" This book follows the unit from mobilisation in 1914 through to the demobilisation in 1918 after the armistice. Along the way, they take part in all of the big battles, Somme, Arras, Ypres along with a near continuous series of skirmishes and patrols while in the front line.

FNH Audio presents a complete and unabridged audio book of a book published in 1917 at the height of the First World War. The author, Jeffery Farnol, is better known for his works of romantic fiction, but in this departure, Jeffery recites the events observations and anecdotes of his tour of Great Britain's war effort.

The British losses in ships and men during the Battle of Jutland started a controversy that some continue even up to today over the culpability of Admiral Jellicoe, who commanded the British fleets. In this book published shortly after the war collates accounts from both sides of the conflict and narrates the battle for the first time using knowledge previously unknown and only guessed at.

This book was issued to allied commanders towards the end of the WWII. The allied leadership was expecting a prolonged armed occupation of Germany with German patriots continuing the war by other means. The German high command made much of the “werewolf” units they would be seeding across the country to make any occupation a bloody affair. In this book commanders were offered advice based on the experiences of the occupying forces that had ruled over Europe during the war.

FNH Audio presents an unabridged reading of The Defence of Duffers Drift. Written in 1902, this book tells the story of a young officer during the Boer War tasked with defending a river crossing. The officer has a sequence of dreams about the failing defence of the crossing, but with each dream, he learns the lessons of his failed efforts.

This audiobook from 1862 is a collection of published letters discussing the pros and cons of raising regiments consisting entirely of coloured soldiers to fight for the Union during the American Civil War. These arguments present the views of the time, and it's fascinating to see viewpoints so alien to our modern sensibilities. For instance, at the time these letters were being written, half of the members of the Northern government were against allowing any coloured citizens to own or bear arms.

'The Retreat from Mons' was a pamphlet published during the Great War (1917) which explained to the British public in glowing and glorious terms the details of the war's first allied disasters. An exercise in self-proclaimed propaganda, it stands as an exemplary sample of how the war was presented to the public in general. With heroic anecdotes and an overview of the retreat of an entire army, this is a fascinating insight into wartime publications.

Rev. Innes found himself at a recruiting barracks when the first world war broke out. In this narrative he reports on how vast numbers of volunteers sweapt into the barracks which found itself desperately short of material to clothe and equip so many men. His duties soon move him over to France where in between his religious duties he finds himself helping in the hospital with the vast number of wounded that came back from the lines.

When John Booth made his lethal attack on Abraham Lincoln, Charles Leale was the first doctor on the scene. He had been watching the play along with the president, and when the call for a doctor was made Dr Leale was there immediately. As an experienced military surgeon he was able to immediately put his skills to work in an attempt to save the President’s life. This book, as the title suggests, describes the final hours of the President’s life from the moment he was shot to the moment when he breathed his last, told by the attending physician. FNH Audio presents an unabridged reading of this moving account by Charles A. Leale MD.

This guide for infantry officers was compiled and published during the First World War. It sets out recommended practices for officers to follow with regard to training soldiers for night-based operations. As it says, the majority of soldiers came from urban environments, and many had not ever been to the countryside, and even less of them during night time.