The Military category has 1,612 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 5,283 ratings. The most-rated is The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.
World War 2 Soldier Stories, Part VII
Summary
The often overlooked story of the Pacific front in WWII. All too often, when we think of World War II we recall the great battles that raged on throughout the European continent rather than those that went on in the Pacific. While few will forget Pearl Harbour or the dropping of the atomic bombs, there tends to be some confusion as to what exactly went on over there. This audiobook aims to clear up some of that confusion. Embark on a journey through the often-brutal war that raged on over islands and inlets in the Pacific front of the war. Listen more about some of the key battles that were waged and find out what really happened.
©2014 Success Publishing Inc. (P)2020 Success Publishing Inc.
Cinderella and the Marine
Summary
One night. No strings attached. What could go wrong? Cooper: I was pretty happy living the carefree life of a successful bachelor. Money to spend, a revolving door of women, no commitment, no relationship troubles - it was perfect. At least, that's what I thought until I held my friends' newborn baby in my arms, and she smiled at me. That was the moment I realized what life was all about. That was also the moment it occurred to me I needed a baby mama - stat. So...the hunt is on for the perfect candidate. But first, I might have to have one last fling - you know, go out with a bang. Literally. Kate: Thanks to making a few wrong decisions along the way, I'm now busting my ass waiting tables while putting myself through college. It's not ideal, but I'm determined to stand on my own two feet and take care of my responsibilities the best I can. But I'm still a woman. I have needs. I just don't have the time for any kind of commitment. Naturally, when a smoldering hot Marine offers me a no-strings-attached one-night stand, I'm all on board. Turns out...he wants more than I'm willing to give. Contains mature themes.
©2018 Tess Summers (P)2021 Tantor
The Fall of Chattanooga
Summary
The Battle of Chickamauga was the third bloodiest of the American Civil War and the only major Confederate victory in the conflict's western theater. It pitted Braxton Bragg's Army of Tennessee against William S. Rosecrans's Army of the Cumberland and resulted in more than 34,500 casualties. In this first volume of an authoritative two-volume history of the Chickamauga Campaign, William Glenn Robertson provides a richly detailed narrative of military operations in southeastern and eastern Tennessee as two armies prepared to meet along the "River of Death." Robertson tracks the two opposing armies from July 1863 through Bragg's strategic decision to abandon Chattanooga on September 9. Drawing on all relevant primary and secondary sources, Robertson devotes special attention to the personalities and thinking of the opposing generals and their staffs. He also sheds new light on the role of railroads on operations in these landlocked battlegrounds, as well as the intelligence gathered and used by both sides. Delving deep into the strategic machinations, maneuvers, and smaller clashes that led to the bloody events of September 19-20, 1863, Robertson reveals that the road to Chickamauga was as consequential as the unfolding of the battle itself.
©2018 The University of North Carolina Press (P)2019 Tantor
Merlin: The Power Behind the Spitfire, Mosquito and Lancaster
Summary
The most iconic planes of WWII, the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, DeHavilland Mosquito and the Avro Lancaster, were all powered by one engine, the Rolls-Royce Merlin. The story of the Merlin is one of British ingenuity at its height, of artistry and problem-solving that resulted in a war-winning design. Published to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Britain, Merlin is the extraordinary story of the development of the Rolls-Royce engine that would stop Hitler from invading Britain and carry the war to the very heart of Germany. The story of the Merlin engine encompasses the history of powered flight, from the ingenuity of the Wright brothers to the horrors of World War I and from the first crossing of the Atlantic to the heady days of flying in the 1920's. There is also the extraordinary story of the Schneider Trophy - an international contest wherein nations poised on the precipice of war competed for engineering excellence in the name of progress. And at the heart of this story are the glamorous lives of the pilots, many of whom died in their pursuit of speed; the engineers, like Henry Royce of Rolls-Royce, who sketched the engine that would win WWII in the sand of his local beach; and perhaps most importantly the Lady Lucy Houston who after the Wall Street Crash single-handedly funded the development of the engine and the iconic Spitfire. Never was so much owed by so many to so few - and without the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, the few would have been powerless.
©2020 Graham Hoyland (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Valley Thunder: The Battle of New Market
Summary
Valley Thunder is the first full-length account in more than three decades to examine the combat at New Market on May 15, 1864 - the battle that opened the pivotal 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, who set in motion the wide-ranging operation to subjugate the South in 1864, intended to attack the Confederacy on multiple fronts so it could no longer “take advantage of interior lines". One of the keys to success in the Eastern Theater was control of the Shenandoah Valley, a strategically important and agriculturally abundant region that helped feed Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. Grant tasked Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel, a German immigrant with a mixed fighting record, and a motley collection of units numbering some 10,000 men to clear the Valley and threaten Lee’s left flank. Opposing Sigel was John C. Breckinridge, a former vice president. Included within the ranks of his 4,500-man army were cadets from the Virginia Military Institute under the direction of VMI Commandant of Cadets Lt. Col. Scott Ship, who had marched eighty miles in just four days to fight Sigel. When the two armies faced, Breckinridge boldly announced, “I shall advance on him. We can attack and whip them here and we will do it!” As the general rode by the cadets he shouted, “Gentlemen, I trust I will not need your services today; but if I do, I know you will do your duty”. The Confederate victory drove Union forces from the Valley, but they would return, reinforced and under new leadership, within a month. Before being repulsed, these Federals would march over the field at New Market and capture Staunton, burn VMI in Lexington (partly in retaliation for the cadets’ participation at New Market), and very nearly capture Lynchburg. Operations in the Valley on a much larger scale that summer would permanently sweep the Confederates from the “Bread Basket of the Confederacy". Valley Thunder: The Battle of New Market is based upon years of primary research and a firsthand appreciation of the battlefield terrain. Knight’s balanced and objective approach includes a detailed examination of the complex prelude leading up to the day of battle. His entertaining prose introduces a new generation of readers to a wide array of soldiers, civilians, and politicians who found themselves swept up in one of the war’s most gripping engagements. Charles R. Knight is a native of Richmond, Virginia. He is a former historical interpreter at New Market Battlefield State Historical Park, and currently serves as the curator of the Douglas MacArthur Memorial. Charlie has written articles for various Civil War and railroad publications, including Blue & Gray, Classic Trains, and NRHS Bulletin. He lives in Norfolk, Virginia, with his wife and son.
©2010 Charlie Knight (P)2019 Charlie Knight
Fields of Blood
Summary
On Sunday, December 7, 1862, two armies collided at an obscure Arkansas hamlet named Prairie Grove in a desperate battle that effectively ended Confederate offensive operations west of the Mississippi River. In Fields of Blood, historian William L. Shea offers a gripping narrative of the events surrounding Prairie Grove, one of the great unsung battles of the Civil War.Shea provides a colorful account of a grueling campaign that lasted five months and covered hundreds of miles of rugged Ozark terrain. In a fascinating analysis of the personal, geographical, and strategic elements that led to the fateful clash in northwest Arkansas, he describes a campaign notable for rapid marching, bold movements, hard fighting, and the most remarkable raid of the Civil War. After months of intricate maneuvering punctuated by five battles in three states, armies led by Thomas C. Hindman and James G. Blunt met one last time at Prairie Grove. The costly daylong struggle was a tactical draw but a key strategic victory for the Union, as the Confederates never again seriously attempted to recover Missouri or threaten Kansas.Historians have long ignored the complex campaign that ended in such spectacular fashion at Prairie Grove, but it is at last brought to life in these pages.
©2009 William Shea (P)2009 Audible, Inc.
Armies of Deliverance
Summary
Loyal Americans marched off to war in 1861 not to conquer the South but to liberate it. So argues Elizabeth R. Varon in Armies of Deliverance, a sweeping narrative of the Civil War and a bold new interpretation of Union and Confederate war aims. Northerners imagined the war as a crusade to deliver the Southern masses from slaveholder domination and to bring democracy, prosperity, and education to the region. As the war escalated, Lincoln and his allies built the case that emancipation would secure military victory and benefit the North and South alike. The theme of deliverance was essential in mobilizing a Unionist coalition of Northerners and anti-Confederate Southerners. Confederates, fighting to establish an independent slaveholding republic, were determined to preempt, discredit, and silence Yankee appeals to the Southern masses. In their quest for political unity Confederates relentlessly played up two themes: Northern barbarity and Southern victimization. Casting the Union army as ruthless conquerors, Confederates argued that the emancipation of blacks was synonymous with the subjugation of the white South.
©2019 Oxford University Press (P)2019 Tantor
Treasured in Turtle Bay
Summary
It’s all fun and games until their fake relationship sparks real feelings. Molly Whitman’s carefully arranged life unravels when her fiancé dumps her right before their wedding. Now she’s headed to Hawaii on the honeymoon of a lifetime - alone. Helicopter crew chief Roman Russo has never thought of himself as a knight in shining armor. But when Molly forgets to cancel some honeymoon activities and needs someone to stand in as her husband, he’s right there to save the day. Armed with her fake husband and three weeks of sand, sun, and sightseeing, Molly intends to forget the past and move forward. But is pretending to be married to this handsome marine clouding her vision of the future? Treasured in Turtle Bay is the first book in a new sweet military romance series. Follow along with six handsome heroes in these interconnected stories about the marines stationed in Kailua, Hawaii.
©2021 Jess Mastorakos (P)2021 Jess Mastorakos
Medieval Siege and Siegecraft
Summary
Here Geoffrey Hindley serves us the history of military sieges from every angle, tracing the development of fortifications and equipment (offensive and defensive), penning vivid portraits of the weapons involved, exploring the psychology of laying siege, and even describing the role played by women and camp followers in battle. He shows siege tactics in action through real-life case studies of famous sieges that changed the course of history in medieval Europe and the Holy Land. His stimulating and accessible study will be fascinating reading for medieval specialists and for anyone who is interested in the history of warfare.
©2009, 2014 Geoffrey Hindley (P)2013 Audible Inc.
Inferno
Summary
"With both his heroism and his flaws, Medal of Honor recipient 'Snuffy Smith' perfectly represents the dramatic and deadly campaign for control of the skies over Europe in World War II. The ornery, charming, and brave B-17 tail gunner anchors this thrilling tale of how, warts and all, we won that brilliant and bloody air war." (Tom Clavin, New York Times best-selling author) Joe Pappalardo's Inferno tells the true story of the men who flew the deadliest missions of World War II, and an unlikely hero who received the Medal of Honor in the midst of the bloodiest military campaign in aviation history. There’s no higher accolade in the US military than the Medal of Honor, and 472 people received it for their action during World War II. But only one was demoted right after: Maynard Harrison Smith. Smith is one of the most unlikely heroes of the war, where he served in B-17s during the early days of the bombing of France and Germany from England. From his juvenile delinquent past in Michigan, through the war and during the decades after, Smith’s life seemed to be a series of very public missteps. The other airmen took to calling the 5-foot, 5-inch airman “Snuffy” after an unappealing movie character. This is also the man who, on a tragically mishandled mission over France on May 1, 1943, single-handedly saved the crewman in his stricken B-17. With every other gunner injured or bailed out, Smith stood alone in the fuselage of a shattered, nameless bomber and fought fires, treated wounded crew and fought off fighters. His ordeal is part of a forgotten mission that aircrews came to call the May Day Massacre. The skies over Europe in 1943 were a charnel house for US pilots, who were being led by tacticians surprised by the brutal effectiveness of German defenses. By May 1943 the combat losses among bomb crews were a staggering 40 to 50 percent. The backdrop of Smith’s story intersects with some of the luminaries of aviation history, including Curtis Lemay, Ira Eaker and “Hap” Arnold, during critical times of their storied careers. Inferno also examines Smith’s life in a new, comprehensive light, through the use of exclusive interviews of those who knew him (including fellow MOH recipients and family) as well as public and archival records. This is both a thrilling and horrifying story of the air war over Europe during WWII and a fascinating look at one of America's forgotten heroes. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press
©2020 Joe Pappalardo (P)2020 Macmillan Audio
Pearls Before Poppies
Summary
In February 1918, as the First World War was still being bitterly fought, Lady Northcliffe appealed to the women of Britain and the Empire to give a pearl from their necklaces to make a new string which could be sold in aid of the British Red Cross. Nearly 4,000 pearls poured in, from priceless heirlooms - one had survived the sinking of the Titanic - to treasured trinkets.
Working with Christie's and the International Fundraising Committee of the British Red Cross, Rachel Trethewey weaves the touching story of a generation of women who gave what they had to aid the war effort and commemorate their losses.
©2018 Rachel Trethewey (P)2018 Oakhill Publishing
SEAL of Honor
Summary
It’s a good thing Gabe Bristow lives and breathes the Navy SEAL credo, “the only easy day was yesterday”, because today, his life is unrecognizable. When his prestigious career comes to a crashing halt, he’s left with a bum leg and few prospects for employment that don’t include a desk. That is, until he’s offered the chance to command a private hostage-rescue team and free a wealthy American businessman from Colombian paramilitary rebels. It seems like a good deal - until he meets his new team: a drunk Cajun linguist, a boy-genius CIA threat analyst, an FBI negotiator with mob ties, a cowboy medic, and an EOD expert as volatile as the bombs he defuses. Oh, and who could forget the sexy, frustratingly impulsive Audrey Van Amee? She’s determined to help rescue her brother - or drive Gabe crazy. Whichever comes first. As the death toll rises, Gabe’s team of delinquents must figure out how to work together long enough to save the day. Or, at least, not get themselves killed. Because Gabe’s finally found something worth living for, and God help him if he can’t bring her brother back alive.
©2013 Tonya Burrows (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing
Stanton
Summary
Walter Stahr, award-winning author of the New York Times best seller Seward, tells the story of Abraham Lincoln's indispensable secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, the man the president entrusted with raising the army that preserved the Union. Of the crucial men close to President Lincoln, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (1814-1869) was the most powerful and controversial. Stanton raised, armed, and supervised the army of a million men who won the Civil War. He organized the war effort. He directed military movements from his telegraph office, where Lincoln literally hung out with him. He arrested and imprisoned thousands for "war crimes" such as resisting the draft or calling for an armistice. Stanton was so controversial that some accused him at that time of complicity in Lincoln's assassination. He was a stubborn genius who was both reviled and revered in his time. Stanton was a Democrat before the war and a prominent trial lawyer. He opposed slavery but only in private. He served briefly as President Buchanan's attorney general and then as Lincoln's aggressive secretary of war. On the night of April 14, 1865, Stanton rushed to Lincoln's deathbed and took over the government since Secretary of State William Seward had been critically wounded the same evening. He informed the nation of the president's death, summoned General Grant to protect the Capitol, and started collecting the evidence from those who had been with the Lincolns at the theater in order to prepare a murder trial. Now, with this worthy complement to the enduring library of biographical accounts of those who helped Lincoln preserve the Union, Stanton honors the indispensable partner of the 16th president. Walter Stahr's essential book is the first major biography of Stanton in 50 years, restoring this underexplored figure to his proper place in American history.
©2017 Walter Stahr (P)2017 Recorded Books
World War 2
Summary
The Second World War was one of the most traumatic events in human history. Across the world, existing conflicts became connected, entangling nations in a vast web of violence. It was fought on land, sea, and air, touching every inhabited continent. Over 55 million people died, some of them combatants, some civilians caught up in the violence, and some murdered by their own governments. It was the war that unleashed the Holocaust and the atomic bomb upon the world. But it was also a war that featured acts of courage and self-sacrifice on every side.
©2017 Captivating History (P)2017 Captivating History
The Early Morning of War: Bull Run, 1861 (Campaigns and Commanders Series)
Summary
When Union and Confederate forces squared off along Bull Run on July 21, 1861, the Federals expected this first major military campaign would bring an early end to the Civil War. But when Confederate troops launched a strong counterattack, both sides realized the war would be longer and costlier than anticipated. First Bull Run, or First Manassas, set the stage for four years of bloody conflict that forever changed the political, social, and economic fabric of the nation. It also introduced the commanders, tactics, and weaponry that would define the American way of war through the turn of the twentieth century. This crucial campaign receives its most complete and comprehensive treatment in Edward G. Longacre’s The Early Morning of War. A magisterial work by a veteran historian, The Early Morning of War blends narrative and analysis to convey the full scope of the campaign of First Bull Run—its drama and suspense as well as its practical and tactical underpinnings and ramifications. Also woven throughout are biographical sketches detailing the backgrounds and personalities of the leading commanders and other actors in the unfolding conflict. Longacre has combed previously unpublished primary sources, including correspondence, diaries, and memoirs of more than four hundred participants and observers, from ranking commanders to common soldiers and civilians affected by the fighting. The book is published by University of Oklahoma Press. “Edward Longacre has applied his considerable skills as a biographer to a vivid piece of American history, injecting humanity and fresh insight to the story of the Civil War's first major battle.” (John Hennessy, author of Return to Bull Run) "Extensively researched and full of fresh insights and information… offers a remarkably thorough, highly readable account…" (Ethan S. Rafuse, author of McClellan's War)
©2014 University of Oklahoma Press (P)2017 Redwood Audiobooks
Rise to Greatness
Summary
As 1862 dawned, the American republic was at death’s door. The federal government appeared overwhelmed, the U.S. Treasury was broke, and the Union’s top general was gravely ill. The Confederacy - with its booming economy, expert military leadership, and commanding position on the battlefield - had a clear view to victory. To a remarkable extent, the survival of the country depended on the judgment, cunning, and resilience of the unschooled frontier lawyer who had recently been elected president. Twelve months later, the Civil War had become a cataclysm but the tide had turned. The Union generals who would win the war had at last emerged, and the Confederate army had suffered the key losses that would lead to its doom. The blueprint for modern America - an expanding colossus of industrial and financial might - had been indelibly inked. And the man who brought the nation through its darkest hour, Abraham Lincoln, had signed the Emancipation Proclamation and emerged as a singular leader. In Rise to Greatness, acclaimed author David Von Drehle has created both a deeply human portrait of America’s greatest president and a rich, dramatic narrative about our most fateful year.
©2012 David Von Drehle (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
The Warriors of Anbar
Summary
A riveting, edge-of-your seat account of how a battalion of Marines faced off against the most brutal of Al Qaeda at its most desperate and vicious moment - and how the Marines decisively crushed the terrorists When the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Marine Regiment ("2/3") arrived in the little-known "Haditha Triad" region of western Iraq's Al Anbar Province in September of 2006, the region exploded in a storm of terrorist violence. The most battle-hardened of Al Qaeda had fled to the Triad, and, taking their last, desperate gasps for survival after years of bloody war, lashed out at the battalion with everything they could muster. The Marines sent into this firestorm of violence immediately lunged into a complex, double-edged mission: crush Al Qaeda and help the locals rebuild their terrorist-smashed lives and homes. After months of grueling, fearsome battle - and the loss of 23 of their ranks - the warriors of 2/3 stood tall in victory. This is their incredible story. Warriors of Anbar is one of the greatest untold stories of modern war, one of grit, incredible courage, and utmost sacrifice. It is a story that illustrates the US Marine Corps at its very finest.
©2019 Ed Darack (P)2019 Da Capo Press
Undaunted Valor
Summary
American troops are in contact.... The UH-1H helicopter swoops in to bail them out.... Tracer fire everywhere, the windshield shatters, the door gunners returning fire.... Will Colonel Cory’s helicopter be able to rescue the pinned down soldiers? Undaunted Valor is the firsthand account of helicopter pilot, Colonel Dan Cory as he flies combat missions in the jungles of Vietnam. From dodging enemy ground fire and RPGs, to constant mortar and rocket attacks on his base, Colonel Cory stared down the enemy to bring his fellow soldiers’ home. Join Colonel Cory as he recounts some of the most intense helicopter and ground combat of the Vietnam War from the eyes of a man who spent two combat tours there. From being shot down by enemy fire, to leading his air crew to repel an enemy assault, Colonel Cory’s firsthand accounts of the Vietnam War are awe-inspiring. Awarded the Silver Star, and two Bronze Stars for Valor, Cory’s hair-raising accounts of what it was like to fly over the uungles of Vietnam will make you feel as if you are right there with him.
©2019 Gary J. Bridges (P)2021 Gary J. Bridges
The Left Side of Perfect
Summary
For better or for worse, 'til death do us part.... The better captured me; she's who stole my heart and made me realize I couldn’t live without this woman. The worst of her took my breath away - kicked me when I was down and twisted me into a million knots. When I first met her, I thought she was someone I would never see again. The second time I ran into her, it was a random coincidence. The third? I didn’t know it at the time, but she was the girl I was going to marry. But life isn’t always perfect. You have to take the better and the worse - even if it means giving her up, having her slip between your fingers, and letting her walk away. I’m getting married. This is forever, 'til death do us part.
©2018 Meghan Quinn (P)2019 Meghan Quinn
Laszlo
Summary
Minx Montgomery's only light in a terrible childhood was her neighbor and best friend, Mouse. When he left Texas at the age of 17, she never heard from him again, though she's never forgotten him either. She moved in with her uncle, went to college and became a counselor. Her supervisor at the clinic sexually harassed her. Reporting him backfired. Demoted, she's transferred to another branch in the city - to the same district she'd finally managed to escape. Laszlo Jensen, a former SEAL, has spent the last two years recovering from the damage done when his squad's truck drove over an antitank landmine. Six other team-mates were also badly hurt, the seventh - Mouse - dead, in what their team leader Badger Horley realized later had to be a trap set to take them out. He and his teammate Geir are trying to learn more about Mouse’s history. Was the whole squad targeted with that landmine, or just their youngest, newest member? The truth is more disturbing and senseless than they'd anticipated. Who was Mouse really? Minx may be the only person who knew the boy that later became a dangerous, hunted man… Author note: For your listening pleasure, this series must be heard in order. SEALs of Steel listening order: Badger Erick Cade Talon Laszlo Geir Jager
©2018 Beverly Dale Mayer (P)2019 Beverly Dale Mayer