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Incredibly dangerous. The TimesGripping. Adrenalin fuelled true-life account with all the makings of a military thriller. The action unfolds like a Le Carre novel. Soldier Magazine'Jihad isn't a war. It's an objective. An aberration. If there are young women with children, lost boys... If they are trapped in that hell and we can get them out, don't we have a duty to do so? Every person we can bring back is living proof that Islamic State is a failure.'Ex-British Army soldier John Carney was running a close protection operation for oil executives in Iraq when the family of a young Dutch woman asked him to extract her from the collapsing 'Islamic State' in Syria. Hearing first-hand about the naive young girls, many from the West, who'd been tricked, sexually abused and enslaved by ISIS, he knew only one thing - he had to get them out of that living hell.   This is the incredible true story of how - armed with AK-47s and 9mm Glocks - Carney launched a daring, dangerous and deadly operation to free as many of them as he could. From 2016 to 2019, he led his small band of committed Kurdish freedom fighters into the heart of the Syrian lead storm.   Backed by humanitarian NGOs, and feeding intel to MI6, Carney and his men went behind enemy lines to deliver the women and their children to the authorities, to deradicalization programmes and fair trials.   Carney, a born soldier, was moved to action by the women's terrifying stories. He and his men risked their lives daily, not always making it safely home...   Gripping, shocking and thought-provoking, Operation Jihadi Bride tackles the complex issue of the jihadi brides head on - an essential read for our troubled times.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43205839126706,"sku":"9781913183004","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781913183004_659d0001-53d8-44bd-8937-8abdab2c9f6d.jpg?v=1786030341"},{"product_id":"9781846684180","title":"War: What is it good for?","description":"War is one of the greatest human evils. It has ruined livelihoods, provoked unspeakable atrocities and left countless millions dead. It has caused economic chaos and widespread deprivation. And the misery it causes poisons foreign policy for future generations. But, argues bestselling historian Ian Morris, in the very long term, war has in fact been a good thing. 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Under the British Crown, following the Mutiny of 1857, India’s military became a vital link to holding the Empire together. From the jungles of south-east Asia to the deserts of Africa, and the hills of northeast India to the forests of Burma, the Indian army would become the pride of the Raj. Upon India’s independence, the army continued to be one of the finest inheritances of Empire.This book looks at the world of the Indian soldiers who enlisted in the armies of India under British rule, and how they served with such dedication and loyalty. The extent to which the soldiers acted as an effective control over the coercive power of British rule in India is also examined, as well as the implications and logistics involved in running such a complex military machine.The first comprehensive single-volume history of India’s soldier’s in the British Empire written with flair and rich in detail, True to Their Salt offers a vital new perspective to mark the 75th anniversary of Indian independence.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43206105661618,"sku":"9781398114258","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398114258_84d5fe85-d683-45b2-922d-0c331d6d4775.jpg?v=1786017960"},{"product_id":"9781781552261","title":"Hitler's Berchtesgaden","description":"In 1925, Adolf Hitler chose a remote mountain area in the southeast corner of Germany as his home. 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Then, as now, there was great suspicion,resentment and fear  much of it kindled by Britains infamous tabloid press.Then, as now, government dealt with a reluctance to accommodate refugees byhiding behind bureaucratic hurdles.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNoSpacing\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"MsoNoSpacing\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn the 1930s,Oswald Mosleys Blackshirts were a significant presence in British politics andsupport for Hitler went right to the top. 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But despite this, there has been a military conflict ongoing every year since 1945. The same can be said for every century of recorded history. Is war, therefore, an essential part of being human? In War, Professor Margaret MacMillan explores the deep links between society and war and the questions they raise. We learn when war began - whether among early homo sapiens or later, as we began to organise ourselves into tribes and settle in communities. We see the ways in which war reflects changing societies and how war has brought change - for better and worse.Economies, science, technology, medicine, culture: all are instrumental in war and have been shaped by it - without conflict it we might not have had penicillin, female emancipation, radar or rockets. Throughout history, writers, artists, film-makers, playwrights, and composers have been inspired by war - whether to condemn, exalt or simply puzzle about it. 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The rapid expansion of the empire saw the army fighting in small wars across the world and Knight reveals the brutal reality of this colonial conflict from both sides. British soldiers trained in tactics that had beaten Napoleon were forced to adapt when faced with warriors with very different skills fighting on their home ground.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKnight vividly recreates the action, from bloody skirmishes in Southern Africa and siege warfare in New Zealand to disasters like the 1842 retreat from Kabul and Chillianwalla in the Punjab – but shows that in reality the army won more than four-fifths of the battles they fought in this era. He describes how, by 1860 with their redcoats increasingly replaced by khaki, the British army was a more professional, efficient and increasingly ruthless fighting force.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Impressively researched and highly readable analysis' – Tony Pollard, Professor of Conflict History and Archaeology, University of Glasgow\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43408921329842,"sku":"9780230767300","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780230767300_1282fad0-d44e-4e74-86f3-591afa163f98.jpg?v=1786012445"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/military-history.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}