An Axe and Four Balloons
Brian Franks – tough, capable, charismatic, and as loved by soldiers as he was by officers – is largely unknown outside the Special Operations world, but he has been credited by David Stirling as being one of the five founding fathers of the SAS. Set against the backdrop of World War II and the Cold War, this biography tells the story of Franks’ fascinating life.
Tim Spicer
Barbreck Publishers, hbk, 400pp (£25)
ISBN 978-1999589172
The Fifth Crusade: a history of the epic campaign to conquer Egypt
In 1217, the Crusader states were in a highly fragile condition. The Fourth Crusade had failed, and Jerusalem had not been recovered. The Crusaders now set their sights on Egypt. Looking at a wide range of sources, Smith tells the gripping story of this Crusade, and sheds new light on the brutal reality of medieval combat on land and water.
Thomas Smith
Yale University Press, hbk, 304pp (£25)
ISBN 978-0300283952
Trinity: an illustrated history of the world’s first atomic test
Both a military proof-test and an elaborate, well-documented scientific experiment, the Trinity operation on 16 July 1945 brought under the control of humankind a new fire: the energy of the atom. In this expertly curated publication, hundreds of carefully restored photographs, still frames, and once-secret documents bring new and vivid focus to a watershed moment in science and history.
