Military Book Buzz

Buy Into the Valley:

About the Author:  Jim Miles is a seasoned battlefield explorer, author, historian, and teacher who has written more than one hundred articles and several books on Southern history, archaeology, and the Civil War. The author of the best-selling Weird Georgia, Miles lives in Warner Robbins, Georgia.  

Book Description:  During the four years of the Civil War, what was once an amazing geological attraction became a vital strategic asset.  Possession of the Shennandoah Valley by the Confederacy meant an invasion route into the heart of Maryland and Pennsylvania and to the backdoor of Washington, D.C. In Union hands, the Confederacy would lose a valuable railroad, the agricultural produce of the Valley, and protection from attack via the many gaps through the mountains of Virginia.

Great generals, including Stonewall Jackson, Philip H. Sheridan, John C. Breckinridge, George A. Custer, and Jubal Early, fought desperate battles to control the Shenandoah. Armies marched rapidly and maneuvered brilliantly between green mountains and along the sparkling waters of the Shenandoah River, called Daughter of the Stars by Native Americans. The area was devastated by total war-hundreds of farms and tons of food were wantonly torched.

 Into the Valley is the first book to offer a comprehensive history of every campaign that occurred in the Valley during four years of combat. The tour guides explore every battle, road, and mountain gap used by the armies and examines the charming, historic attractions of the Shenandoah, its towns and villages, mansions and mills, churches and cemeteries, monuments and museums.

The book contains hundreds of period photographs and drawings. It also is filled with modern photographs that richly illustrate the driving tours, original battle maps, fascinating sidebar articles, a chronology of key events, sources for additional travel information, a bibliography, and an index.

Buy Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan: Afganistan 2001-2007 (Elite)

About the Author:  Leigh Neville is an Australian intelligence specialist who is currently studying for a degree in International Security. He has published a number of articles on the subject and has excellent contacts in the US, UK and Australian special forces. The author lives in New South Wales, Australia.

Book Description:  Intelligence specialist Leigh Neville identifies, describes and illustrates the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the US and other Allied (Coalition) forces committed to the ‘War on Terror’ in Afghanistan since 2001, providing a fascinating insight into specific operations detailing weapons, equipment and experiences in combat. With a surprising amount of recently unclassified material from government departments that are yet to be published in the mass media, this is a ground-breaking analysis of the largest mobilization of Special Forces in recent history.

Extensive first-hand accounts provide an eyewitness perspective of the fighting including a description of the assault on Tora Bora, all illustrated with an array of unpublished photos and full color artwork. Containing detailed information on the US Delta Force, the British SAS, Australian and Canadian Special Forces as well as CIA and MI6 operational units this book provides a crucial study of their skills and success amidst Afghan mountains.