How can a war–labeled a police action yet costing millions of lives, traumatizing countless other individuals, and razing cities and villages–be forgotten?

Despite its widespread effects, the Korean War received less media attention than World War II with its global scope and the Vietnam War with its stormy protests and inglorious conclusion. Ryan Walkowski took on a mission to ensure this war–in which his grandfather and great-uncle fought–would be remembered. Taking overnight drives across the United States, he interviewed Korean War veterans who recounted the most terrifying times of their lives. Walkowski and author Ed Gruber–a Navy and Korean War veteran–sought to present these stories of battles in frigid and monsoon conditions, of fierce warfare in rugged mountains and muddy paddies, of bugle-blaring enemies attacking in waves. Blunt, profane, hesitant, and tearful, these firsthand accounts of vicious hand-to-hand fighting and other harrowing experiences provide a stark reminder of the immense devastation that was the Korean War.

In the late afternoon of 24 June 1944, eighteen aircraft from 617 Squadron, led to fame by Wing Commander Guy Gibson during the attack on the dams raid in May 1943, took off from their base at Woodhall Spa. Their target was the vast V2 rocket site at Wizernes in the Pas de Calais. Known today as La Coupole, this bunker complex had been built to serve as a reinforced launch site for the V2s that Hitler hoped would terrorise the British population.

The British Soldier: Training for War explores how WWII British infantry, commandos, and paratroopers were trained in the British Isles. Utilising diverse historical sources, it reveals their preparation through drills, weapon skills, battle schools, and exercises, ultimately building their combat skills, endurance, and confidence for global conflict.

The Three Emperors by Miranda Carter is the juicy, funny story of the three dysfunctional rulers of Germany, Russia and Great Britain at the turn of the last century, combined with a study of the larger forces around them.

“This book tells of the awe in which the veterans of World War 2 were held by the post war generation, the close bonds of trust and loyalty within tank crews and the deep respect, often expressed through humour, between tanks and infantry. It also gives a human feel for the early Cold War conditions in the British Army of the Rhine.”- Brigadier Gavin Thompson, Colonel Commandant, The Royal Tank Regiment

The history of Britain’s munitions industry during World War I details initial shortages due to an expanding army, the growth of private and state factories, and new industrial regulations. It highlights resource challenges, workforce changes, including increased women’s participation, and examines shifting government-labour relations amid industrial unrest and post-war uncertainty.

George Alfred Gregson, known as Alf, wrote his memoirs of his experiences during World War I, which were discovered by his grandsons after his death. Alf, a Lancashire man, served in the Lancashire Fusiliers and fought in Gallipoli and the Somme. The memoirs offer a unique perspective on the war, highlighting Alf’s running abilities and compassion for others.

The book discusses the formation and actions of the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade during the Korean War. Comprised of troops from Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and India, they fought bravely against North Korean and Chinese forces. The book highlights key battles, including the friendly fire incident at Hill 282 and the pivotal battle at Kapyong. It emphasizes the unity and effectiveness of the Commonwealth forces as a whole in achieving success in the conflict.

The author’s family boasts an extraordinary lineage of nine Royal Air Force pilots, spanning from the First World War to the present day.