Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
In the early summer of 1942, following the German defeat at Stalingrad and the inconclusive battle at Kharkov, Hitler sought a decisive battle that would turn the struggle on the Eastern Front in the German's favour. Large numbers of the newly-designed Panther and Tiger tanks were rolling off the production lines, and Hitler was convinced that, with appropriate numbers, German armour could turn the tide against the advancing Soviets on the Eastern Front. Despite the reservations of his leading generals, Hitler was determined this offensive take place.

On the 5th July 1943, the German army launched Operation Citadel. Attacking with a force of 3000 tanks and assault guns, the Germans faced a well-dug in force of more than 3900 Soviet tanks, with another 1500 tanks in reserve. The tanks advanced with as many as 50 packed together per kilometre of line. What followed was the largest tank battle the world has ever seen, with heavy casualties on both sides in this titanic clash of arms.

On the 11th July, three SS divisions - Totenkopf, Das Reich and Liebstandarte - attempted to break through the Soviet lines at the village of Prokhorovka and so unhinge the Soviet defensive position. Facing them were newly deployed Fifth Guards Tanks Army. The battle raged all day, with German attack followed by Soviet counterattack. By nightfall the Germans had lost more than 300 tanks and the Fifth Guards Tanks Army 50 percent of their strength. Despite the heavy losses, the Soviet defenders had achieved their aim: the German attack had been halted and the initiative lost.

With first-hand accounts from both sides, vivid photographs, and specially commissioned maps of the combat zones, Kursk: The Vital 24 Hours is a comprehensive examination of the decisive failure of the German's last large-scale offensive on the Eastern Front ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A Good Introduction
Of the author's trilogy of introductory books (Barbarossa, Stalingrad, Kursk) this is his best book. They all have the same format: A summary intermixed with photos, maps and sidebars of information regarding key people, weapons, events etc. Some of the key people include Hauser, Kluge, Model, Rokossovsky, Khruschev, Vatutin, Rotimistrov and Manstein. The piece on tank ace, Michael Whittmann was especially interesting. With the other two books the author strays too much from the main theme but with this book he's more focused. As a introductory summary; its not meant to compete with Mark Healy's or David Glantz's books. The reason for 4 stars is that as a summary it is informative covering a lot of ground and easy to follow. It would be an excellent first book to read on the subject in order to get a foundation of understanding before moving to Healy, Glantz, Newton or Lodieu which are more involved.

The author has done a good job of touching the key ingredients of the battle. He starts with the Kharkov Offensive of March which sets up Kursk. He includes in his narrative the key commanders, the key units and key events including the air war for both sides. The tank battle near Prokhorovka has its own chapter and its the largest in the book. In this chapter, Mr Fowler discusses the controversy of the number of tanks deployed and destroyed during the tank battle on July 12th. There is also coverage of the Russian counter offensive as well. There are sidebars of Russian defenses, logistics, rocket technology espionage, Allied tanks at Kursk, French volunteers, planes and more.

The 112 photos are very good and adds to the story. Some are full page in size and some are colored and some can be seen in other books. There are 12 maps. All are in color but some of the maps are the latest computer generated and are helpful. Some are of a different style and are too simplistic giving less value. There are also eight color illustrations of tanks and planes.
Also included is an Order of Battle, a Bibliography including websites and a Index.
If you're looking for an easy or quick introduction with a decent amount of information, a Kursk collector or a photo hound, you should consider this book.

[A real help to novice and expert alike]
Kursk: The Vital 24 Hours by Will Fowler is a boon to both the general reader and the specialist. In his coverage of the largest tank battle in history, Fowler presents a remarkably thorough overview of the events of July 5, 1943 when the German and Soviet armies decided the ultimate fate of the Eastern Front.

Readers with little knowledge of the battle will find Fowler's work most helpful. Those already familiar with the basic events will find a detailed and insightful summary of the actions of the two armies and the decisions of their commanders.

Fowler manages to convey a stunning amount of detail on weapons, geography, and men without letting his work get bogged down in minutia. The maps are excellent.

Good for the casual historian
A good resource and strong overview of the epic battle of Kursk.Hard core military historians will find it a little disappointing.Those with lighter tastes will find this a good read that provides a good setting for the crucial battles of the Kursk campaign.

Good Information, Lousy Editting
I read the Stalingrad book and loved it for it's tidbits and good photographs.I was expecting the same with the Kursk book.

The information is there.Some nice tidbits, but most of it is the same as other books present.The photos are nice, but there is a severe lack of decently detailed maps.Even the battle of Prokhorovka map shows only the German divisions (labelled with XXX which represents a corps btw...)/Russian corps

The pictures are good.The side tidbits are nice.

The editting is terrible.This is a real pet peeve of mine...There are whole sentences (maybe even paragraphs?) that are missing.Places where they changed a word to another still has both words in the sentence.Section headings describe one thing and the text talks about something else.I could understand a couple places where this can happen, but the book runs rampant with these kinds of errors.

I would give this a 4 if the editting had been better.

Required Research Material : STRONG Recommend
Outstanding, well written, great maps and supporting vignettes.
This book is a great resource. It provides great background information on the key players and events that lead up to this great event in history; but, also places a heavy focus on the first 24 hours of the Operation and on two key players: The elite II SS Panzer Corp and the Soviet 5th Guards Tank Army during the crucial first phase of Unternehmen Zitadel (Operation Citadell).The book is rich with illustrations, maps, photos and explanations and is a rich source of information for both the novice and the experienced student of the Eastern Front.
It has great appendice's, the Soviet and German Order of Battle, a great bibliography and supporting internet/web sites references.

Terry Tucker, Professor Military History/Studies (US Army, SGM,Ret) ... Read more

Product Description
Reprint of the sole edition. Originally published: Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1934. [xviii], 494 pp. This important study of international law theory before Grotius discusses the work of Victoria and Suarez, together with the writings of later Catholic jurists of the period, such as Mariana, Buchanan and Bellarmine. Contemporary Protestant jurists are discussed as well. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the story of countless acts of sacrifice for the cause of American freedom; the story of the fishing town that took on the Crown.

Though the outcome of the American Revolution is the high point in the history of the New World, the victory of the embattled colonists was a tenuous one, shaped by heroism, suffering and an abiding thirst for liberty deeper than the harbors that played host to so many battles. But what if His Majesty's Navy could have confined the nettlesome Yankee privateers, manned by furious fishermen, to their wharves and kept the vital sea lanes from England open? Would the British have maintained its hold on Boston as a strategic base, put down George Washington's nascent army, and secured the New England colonies?Might King George’s men have nipped our rebellion in the bud?

Gloucester historian Joseph Garland (himself a descendent of the Gloucester rebels) chronicles the fight for liberty and control of the New England seaboard during the Revolution, highlighting the special and hitherto unrecognized role of Gloucester, the oldest fishing settlement of the colonies and destined to be among the world's busiest. The port’s secure position behind the inner reaches of Cape Ann Harbor gave its citizens, sailors, fishermen and militia a strategic advantage that led to that first American victory of the war; a victory that forced the King's men to abandon their attempt to impose their naval and supply base—and their will—on New England. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Frontier Women
Excellent book giving a detailed description of life a couple of hundred years ago.Sure gives a great perspective on our lives today! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from GeneralBooksClub.com. You can also preview excerpts from the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: Harper & Brothers in 1850 in 700 pages; Subjects: Literary Collections / General; ... Read more

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General Books publication date: 2009Original publication date: 1919Original Publisher: B.H. BlackwellSubjects: Epic poetry, LatinTurnus (Legendary character) in literatureHistory / GeneralLiterary Criticism / GeneralLiterary Criticism / Ancient ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
Title: The Coleoptera of the British Islands, a Descriptive Account of the Families, Genera, and Species Indigenous to Great Britain and Ireland, With Notes as to Localities, Habitats, EtcVolume: 5Publisher: London, ReeveSubjects: BeetlesNotes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes.When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Amazing First Hand Experience of Wall St. in the 1860s
I rated this book 5 stars because it is 'right up my alley', as someone who has an interest in US History and especially the stock market.

If you aren't knowledgable about the stock market, you probably wouldn't understand a lot of it.

But if you are interested in the History of the Stock market, 5 stars isn't enough for this historical gem. ... Read more