Showing results by author "Liam Dale" in All Categories

Do you want to learn more about the Winston Churchill, but don’t have time to listen to huge, long biographies. Then let The History Journals take you on an hourly history tour of his tenure in World War 2. Winston Churchill had undeniably given his all for King and country and an allied victory promised to be his finest hour; but he was wise to be cautious, and quite incredibly his own future as the nation’s Prime Minister was far from assured.

Throughout this series of journals released to acknowledge 80 years since the beginning of WW2, we will be looking at the seven years of that conflict on an annual basis. The conflict, the buildup to war, the major battles, the strategies and technological developments, the effect on civilians, and most importantly of all, we’ll consider the role of the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who gave their lives fighting for the freedom of others. 

When it comes to women in history, there are few who command the respect that Boudicca, the warrior queen of the ancient Britons, has achieved over the centuries. Yet, this fearsome female remains, to this day, a true enigma. Who she was, what she did, and the consequences of her actions are as fascinating as they have ever been, and this audiobook will take you on a journey of discovery to find the real Boudicca - the woman beyond the legend.

From the horrors on the front line and the suffering and despair, hope and strength, WWI: The War to End All War gives you the experience of the world’s first modern, mechanised war in an entirely new light! A unique look at the war that shaped the 20th century.

Few women in history have stood the test of time, but the true story surrounding the ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots has ensured that her story lives on to intrigue and fascinate. Who was this 16th-century lady and what role did she play in the history of Great Britain? Piece together the Queen of Scots’ turbulent relationship with her cousin Elizabeth I of England, which ultimately proved to be her downfall. When the Queen of England signed Mary’s death warrant, the Queen of Scots, dressed in blood red, played out her final act under the executioner’s axe.

Once upon a time, as all good stories with happy endings begin, a penniless young mother walked the streets of Edinburgh with her beloved baby daughter, hoping to make her fortune. In truth, “fortune” is probably over-exaggerating; enough money to feed and clothe the two of them and put a decent roof over their heads was all this young mother asked, but it was proving to be incredibly difficult.

Of all the legends of Ancient Greece, the story of Troy and the great battle for the beautiful Helen has to be the most famous, known and loved the whole world over. This is a tale suspended somewhere between fact and fiction, though few of us would ever be prepared to let the truth get in the way of this truly romantic, heroic story.

If I asked you how many Robin Hoods you could name, what would the list be like? I’m sure you’d reel off a whole host of famous actors, like Errol Flynn, Douglas Fairbanks, Kevin Costner, Michael Praed, Sean Connery, and John Cleese, to name but six. All of these men have played the role of Robin Hood in various television and movie adaptations of the famous story. But that’s not what I meant.

Despite the fact that Hitler’s position was worsening by the day, the Nazis were still capable of inflicting terrible damage, and when the Germans attempted a breakthrough in the Ardennes region of France, the ensuing Battle of the Bulge resulted in terrible US casualties. Even so, the Germans failed to achieve their objectives, and as the year came to an end, so did Hitler’s last hopes of victory.

One of the main reasons for the success of the D-Day landings was the element of surprise, as the huge invasion force, congregating along the south coast of England, went undetected by German Intelligence. Hitler’s Generals believed the stormy weather meant it would be mission impossible, and it almost was.

As winter gave way to spring the world watched and waited as the Allied forces prepared for Operation Overlord. Brave and daring, risking all, US General Dwight D Eisenhower took charge of the campaign to deliver the fight for freedom directly to Adolf Hitler.

As the liberation of France got underway, the citizens of a nation oppressed since 1940 celebrated the Allied arrival with rapture. But there was still much to be achieved, on both the Western and Eastern Fronts. For Hitler, the writing was on the wall, and when one of his own, Claus von Stauffenberg, attempted to assassinate the Fuhrer, he very nearly succeeded.

Worldwide, the conflict continued to escalate as Japan made their presence felt as signatories of the Tripartite Pact, giving Hitler’s Axis of Evil more power than ever. Britain stood alone as the nightly bombing raids of the Blitz devastated major cities, while overseas British troops joined the Allied campaign for supremacy in North Africa.

Hitler’s “Desert Fox”, Rommel pushed forward at El Alamein, but with the arrival of the maverick British General, Bernard Montgomery, to take charge of the Eighth Army in North Africa, the wind of change was about to blow. Meanwhile on the Russian Front Hitler’s troops advanced their Stalingrad campaign, with the Fuhrer boasting that this key city would soon be his.

With Britain no longer facing Hitler alone, the first GIs arrived in the UK, while the Japanese took the advantage afforded them by their surprise attack on Pearl Harbour. As Singapore fell, the Allies looked on in horror as Japan also had control of Java, Burma and New Guinea, as they edged ever closer towards Australia.

The Luftwaffe continued its attempts to bomb Britain into submission, while the German Afrika Korps strengthened its position as Rommel, Hitler’s “Desert Fox”, took charge. At sea the naval forces battle each other and the elements, as the Japanese embark upon a spy mission to gather information about the American Fleet at Pearl Harbour.

From the moment Adolf Hitler marched his troops into Poland on the 1st of September 1939, the Second World War was inevitable, and as the opening skirmishes are played out, see for yourself the events that shaped the escalating crisis.

The only option for the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad was surrender, while all across Russia the Red Army consolidated their advantage. Also, as German cities encountered the kind of bombing that Britain faced back in 1940, courtesy of the RAF, the Allied commanders planned a return to France at the Casablanca Conference.

With Britain failing to fall at Hitler’s feet, the Blitz drew to a close, as the Fuhrer turned his attention eastwards. The sinking of the German battleship, the Bismarck, lifted the spirits of the British Navy, and as Hitler’s campaign for Russia, code named Operation Barbarossa, got underway, the course of World War II veered dramatically.

If Hitler had expected a decisive victory in Russia, at speed, he was thwarted at every turn and while the Luftwaffe bombed Moscow and the Siege of Leningrad began, the Soviet Red Army refused to capitulate as they watched and waited for the winter snows. Trouble was also brewing in the Pacific as America took diplomatic action against the Japanese.