UK Kindle Daily Deal 5/11

The Korean War (£0.99 UK), by Sir Max Hastings, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (no US edition).

Book Description
On 25 June 1950 the invasion of South Korea by the Communist North launched one of the bloodiest conflicts of the last century. The seemingly limitless power of the Chinese-backed North was thrown against the ferocious firepower of the UN-backed South in a war that can be seen today as the stark prelude to Vietnam. Max Hastings drew on first-hand accounts of those who fought on both sides to produce this vivid and incisive reassessment of the Korean War, bringing the military and human dimensions into sharp focus. Critically acclaimed on publication, The Korean War remains the best narrative history of this conflict.

UK Kindle Daily Deal 4/13

Spartacus: The Gladiator (£1.19 UK), by Ben Kane, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $8.89).

Book Description
Historically very little is known about Spartacus. We know that he came from Thrace, a land north of Greece, that he once fought in the Roman legions and that, during two fateful years, he led a slave army which nearly brought Rome to its knees.

In Ben Kane's brilliant novel, we meet Spartacus as he returns to Thrace, ready to settle down after a decade away. But a new king has usurped the throne. Treacherous and violent, he immediately seizes Spartacus and sells him to a Roman slave trader looking for new gladiators.

The odyssey has begun which will see Spartacus become one of the greatest legends of history, the hero of revolutionaries from Karl Marx to Che Guevara, immortalised on screen, and now brought to life in Ben Kane's great bestseller - a novel which takes the story to its halfway point and is continued in Spartacus: Rebellion.

Today's Deals

Happy Veteran's Day, everyone.

Today is the last day to take advantage of this KSO deal:

• Get an MP3 Album for $5
• $10 Amazon Gift Card from Discover

Today's Kindle Daily Deal is Nine Books to Commemorate Veterans Day for $1.99 apiece (up to 89% off)..

Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II, by Mitchell Zuckoff (note: this one seems to be mispriced, as it is listed at $2.99), one of Amazon's Best Books of the Month, May 2011.

On May 13, 1945, twenty-four American servicemen and WACs boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley deep within the jungle-covered mountains of Dutch New Guinea.Unlike the peaceful Tibetan monks of James Hilton’s bestselling novel Lost Horizon, this Shangri-La was home to spear-carrying tribesmen, warriors rumored to be cannibals.

But the pleasure tour became an unforgettable battle for survival when the plane crashed. Miraculously, three passengers pulled through. Margaret Hastings, barefoot and burned, had no choice but to wear her dead best friend’s shoes. John McCollom, grieving the death of his twin brother also aboard the plane, masked his grief with stoicism. Kenneth Decker, too, was severely burned and suffered a gaping head wound.

Emotionally devastated, badly injured, and vulnerable to the hidden dangers of the jungle, the trio faced certain death unless they left the crash site. Caught between man-eating headhunters and enemy Japanese, the wounded passengers endured a harrowing hike down the mountainside—a journey into the unknown that would lead them straight into a primitive tribe of superstitious natives who had never before seen a white man—or woman.

Drawn from interviews, declassified U.S. Army documents, personal photos and mementos, a survivor’s diary, a rescuer’s journal, and original film footage, Lost in Shangri-La recounts this incredible true-life adventure for the first time. Mitchell Zuckoff reveals how the determined trio—dehydrated, sick, and in pain—traversed the dense jungle to find help; how a brave band of paratroopers risked their own lives to save the survivors; and how a cowboy colonel attempted a previously untested rescue mission to get them out.

By trekking into the New Guinea jungle, visiting remote villages, and rediscovering the crash site, Zuckoff also captures the contemporary natives’ remembrances of the long-ago day when strange creatures fell from the sky. A riveting work of narrative nonfiction that vividly brings to life an odyssey at times terrifying, enlightening, and comic, Lost in Shangri-La is a thrill ride from beginning to end.

The Only Thing Worth Dying For, by Eric Blehm

On a moonless night just weeks after September 11, 2001, U.S. Special Forces team ODA 574 infiltrates the mountains of southern Afghanistan with a seemingly impossible mission: to foment a tribal revolt and force the Taliban to surrender. Armed solely with the equipment they can carry on their backs, shockingly scant intelligence, and their mastery of guerrilla warfare, Captain Jason Amerine and his men have no choice but to trust their only ally, a little-known Pashtun statesman named Hamid Karzai who has returned from exile and is being hunted by the Taliban as he travels the countryside raising a militia.

The Only Thing Worth Dying For chronicles the most important mission in the early days of the Global War on Terror, when the men on the ground knew little about the enemy—and their commanders in Washington knew even less. With unprecedented access to surviving members of ODA 574, key war planners, and Karzai himself, award-winning author Eric Blehm cuts through the noise of politicians and high-level military officials to narrate for the first time a story of uncommon bravery and terrible sacrifice, intimately exposing the realities of unconventional warfare and nation-building in Afghanistan that continue to shape the region today.

The Long Ships, by Frans G. Bengtsson, Michael Chabon (Introduction) and Michael Meyer (Translator)

Frans Gunnar Bengtsson’s The Long Ships resurrects the fantastic world of the tenth century AD when the Vikings roamed and rampaged from the northern fastnesses of Scandinavia down to the Mediterranean. Bengtsson’s hero, Red Orm—canny, courageous, and above all lucky—is only a boy when he is abducted from his Danish home by the Vikings and made to take this place at the oars of their dragon-prowed ships. Orm is then captured by the Moors in Spain, where he is initiated into the pleasures of the senses and fights for the Caliph of Cordova. Escaping from captivity, Orm washes up in Ireland, where he marvels at those epicene creatures, the Christian monks, and from which he then moves on to play an ever more important part in the intrigues of the various Scandinavian kings and clans and dependencies. Eventually, Orm contributes to the Viking defeat of the army of the king of England and returns home an off-the-cuff Christian and a very rich man, though back on his native turf new trials and tribulations will test his cunning and determination. Packed with pitched battles and blood feuds and told throughout with wit and high spirits, Bengtsson’s book is a splendid adventure that features one of the most unexpectedly winning heroes in modern fiction.

We Are Soldiers Still, by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway

Lt. Gen. Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway return to Vietnam's Ia Drang Valley more than four decades after the battle they recalled in their #1 New York Times bestseller We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young. Renewing their relationships with ten American veterans of the fabled conflict—and with former adversaries—the authors explore how the war changed them all, as well as their two countries.

We Are Soldiers Still is an emotional journey back to hallowed ground, putting a human face on warfare as the authors reflect on war's devastating cost.

Tonight We Die As Men: The Untold Story of Third Batallion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment from Toccoa to D-Day, by Ian Gardner

The exploits of the 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment have long been overshadowed by those of Easy Company, 2nd Battalion. Yet the actions of the 3rd Battalion during the D-Day landings were every bit as incredible. This is the astounding story of how, after suffering many immediate casualties on landing, the surviving paratroopers fought on towards their objective against horrendous odds. Using fascinating first-hand accounts of the soldiers and the French civilians who witnessed the Normandy campaign, and illustrated with black and white photographs and maps throughout, the authors offer a unique and comprehensive account of the experiences of the 3rd Battalion from training through to D-Day and beyond.

Red Eagles: Americas Secret MiGs, by Steve Davies

When two Navy F-14 Tomcats engaged and shot down two Sukhoi Su-22 jet fighters in 1981, they drew on experience and tactics that they had learned from a previous encounter with MiG jet fighters. The difference between the two encounters was that in the first, the enemy fighters were flown by American pilots assigned to a top secret squadron hidden at a remote airfield in the ultra-secret Tonopah Nuclear Test range, Nevada. In the second, the Sukhoi fighters were flown by Libyan pilots attempting to enforce Colonel Qadaffi's 'Line of Death' over the Gulf of Sidra.

From the mid-1960s until the end of the Cold War, the United States Air Force acquired and flew Russian-made MiG jets, eventually creating a secret squadron dedicated to exposing American fighter pilots to enemy MiGs. Following underperformance in the Vietnam War, the USAF began to study MiGs in order to improve fighter pilot training. This then developed into the "black" Constant Peg program. In this program, MiGs were secretly acquired, and made airworthy, a difficult task without manuals or parts. A secret base was found to operate the planes from; and then ace pilots were found and trained to not only fly the assets, but fly them as they were flown by America's enemies. Finally, a program of exposing American fighter pilots to the MiGs was developed. In all, more than 1,600 American fighter pilots would train against America's secret MiGs between 1974 and 1989.

Uncovering the story of the secret MiGs in America during the Cold War, and specifically Constant Peg and the 4477th Test & Evaluation Squadron, is a challenge because much of the information has been destroyed, or remains classified. To piece together the story of this group of men who provided America's fighter pilots with a level of training that was the stuff of dreams, author Steve Davies has interviewed over thirty of the Red Eagle pilots, along with other members of the squadron. This paperback edition includes new material on HAVE IDEA and other HAVE programs; making the MiGs airworthy in 1977 from the maintainers' perspective; and the intelligence activities of MiG expert at the Foreign Technology Division Mike Coyle. The result is a fascinating glimpse into a "black" program that enabled American fighter pilots to go into combat having already met and defeated their first MiG.

SEALs: The US Navy's Elite Fighting Force, by Mir Bahmanyar

Since the US Navy SEALs came into existence in 1983, they have become famous for their daring missions, advanced and unconventional tactics, hard training and hard-fought successes. SEALs have taken part in numerous conflicts ranging from Grenada in 1983, the invasion of Panama and operations in Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti, and Liberia. Most recently, SEAL units have participated in the ongoing missions of Operation Enduring Freedom in the war in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in the war in Iraq.

Now in paperback, this bestselling book from respected authors Mir Bahmanyar and Chris Osman offers readers a focus on modern combat operations between 1983 and 2006, examining various combat operations, the Navy SEAL training regimes, and the development of tactics and weapons. It includes first-hand accounts from SEALs on the ground, including revealing accounts from those currently involved in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is an eye-opening insight into the shadowy and mysterious world of the US Navy SEALs, guaranteed to appeal to anyone with an interest in modern military operations, current events, and even those interested in becoming a Navy SEAL.

No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland's Forces in World War II, by Kenneth Koskodan

There is a chapter of World War II history that remains largely untold, the story of the fourth largest allied military of the war, the only nation to have fought in the battles of Leningrad, Arnhem, Tobruk and Normandy. The story of millions of young men and women who gave everything for freedom and in the final victory lost all. In a cruel twist of history the monumental struggles of an entire nation have been forgotten, and even intentionally obscured. This book redresses the balance, giving a comprehensive overview of Poland's participation in World War II. Following their valiant but doomed defense of Poland in 1939, members of the Polish armed forces fought with the Allies wherever and however they could. With previously unpublished first-hand accounts, information never before seen in English, and rare photographs, this title provides a detailed analysis of the devastation the war brought to Poland, and the final betrayal when, having fought for freedom for six long years, Poland was handed to the Soviet Union.

Runescape: Betrayal at Falador, by T. S. Church

In the kingdom of Asgarnia, though the Knights of Falador defend the land a protect the people, they face threats that clamor from all sides-and from within. Enemies mass at borders, and a killer stalks the night killing innocents and slipping away unseen.

When a young woman appears in the teeth of the storm, her sudden arrival launches a chain of events that endangers the very fabric of magic. And unless the knights can solve the riddle of Kara-Meir, everything they hold close may be lost.

Their one hope may lie in the hands, not of a knight, but of an untested squire named Theodore...

World War 2: Last War Heroes ($1.59 / £0.99 UK), by Stephen Bull, is the Kindle Deal of the day for those in the UK (the US edition is $10.39 and has been retitled D-Day to Victory).

Book Description
The companion volume to the groundbreaking TV series, this book tells the story of the physical, emotional and psychological journey of Allied soldiers from the beaches of Normandy to the ruins of Berlin. In their own words these brave men from Britain, the United States, Canada and Russia tell us what it was like to face the bullets, bombs, mortars, mines and artillery shells of Nazi Germany. Interviews with over 80 soldiers who fought in the conflict, totalling 150 hours, provide a new perspective on the experiences of 1944–45. Building on the high-speed, multi-camera filming of World War II weapons and munitions shown in the TV series, this book brings the terrifying reality of the war to life. Technical descriptions and the experiences of the men in the field explain the dramatic power and effect that this weaponry had on the battlefield, from the sinister simplicity of the deadly AP mine through to the immense firepower of the 88mm gun, giving the modern historian a unique insight into the last days of the war for the troops on the frontline. This is not a history of generals, of armies manoeuvring and strategic objectives. It is a book about the ordinary men put into incredible situations, deprived of sleep and food, and in constant fear of death on the long road to victory.

The Warrior's Heart: Becoming a Man of Compassion and Courage ($2.99 Kindle, B&N), a teen/YA title by Eric Greitens, is the Nook Daily Find, price matched on Kindle.

Book Description
In this adaptation of his best-selling book, The Heart and the Fist, Eric speaks directly to teen readers, interweaving memoir and intimate second-person narratives that ask the reader to put themselves in the shoes of himself and others. Readers will share in Eric’s evolution from average kid to globe-traveling humanitarian to warrior, training and serving with the most elite military outfit in the world: the Navy SEALs. Along the way, they’ll be asked to consider the power of choices, of making the decision each and every day to act with courage and compassion so that they grow to be tomorrow’s heroes. Sure to inspire and motivate.

Grade Level: 7 and up

Today's Kindle Kids Daily Deal is Hero Dad ($1.99), by Melinda Hardin and Bryan Langdo (Illustrator).

Book Description
Some superheroes wear rocket-propelled boots, drive super-powered cars, and have X-ray vision. But other superheroes wear army boots, drive tanks, and go away for long trips to make the world a safer place. It's a tough job, but that's what superheroes have to do. With Melinda Hardin's simple text and with Bryan Langdo's endearing watercolor-and-pencil illustrations, Hero Dad makes a difficult and tender subject more accessible to children with parents serving far from home.

Grade Level: Pre K and up

This book features Kindle Text Pop-Up for reading text over vivid, full-color images when using Kindle Fire/HD or select Kindle Reading Apps (Kindle Cloud Reader, Kindle for iPad or Kindle for Android); however, it can be read on all current Kindle devices.

Dawn of D-DAY: These Men Were There, June 6, 1944 ($2.99 Kindle), by David Howarth, may or may not remain at this price more than a day, but fits right in with the theme of today's deals.

Book Description
June 6, 1944, is one of the most famous dates in world history, and, as David Howarth shows, a defining date in countless personal histories. In this intimate chronicle, the 7,000 vessels, 12,000 aircraft, and 750,000 men committed on D-Day are taken for granted. Instead, we see D-Day through the eyes of the men on the ground as Howarth weaves together the larger story of the beginning of the battle of Normandy with the stories of the beachhead itself. The scope of Howarth's vision—focusing on England and France, on sky, beach, and hedgerow, on divisions and squads—makes Dawn of D-Day a franker portrayal than any other of the turning-point of the war on the Western Front and the greatest amphibious operation in history.

Tantor Media Now Publishing eBooks

Tantor Media, whom you probably know from the free audiobooks I post here about once a month, has entered the eBook publishing area. As an introduction special, they have many of them discounted to the $1.99 or $2.99 price point. These range from true Classics (like John Carter in A Princess of Mars $1.99) to “modern classics” (like Games People Play $6.99 and Pathways to the Gods $1.99) to the new (like Warriors Don’t Cry $6.64 and Southern Light $2.99).

You can find their entire line of ebook at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. As always, I recommend sampling first, but I know that the PDF editions of ebooks I've downloaded from Tantor have been well formatted in the past and the samples I checked on Kindle appear to be the same (and not just scanned in, OCR'd text or converted PDF's).

If you are in the mood for an audiobook instead, their March Madness sale is still going on and there are 81 titles still at $6.99. I haven't really looked thru it, but see a Peter Robinson title near the top of the list that looks interesting.

Free Book - On the Way Home (K)

On the Way Home, by Robert Bausch, is free in the Kindle store. This edition is self-published (despite the claim for the publisher on it; I wish Amazon would screen the publisher claims by those using their KDP system to self-publish), but was originally published in Hardcover by St. Martin's Press (1982).

Book Description
Imagine the elation of having your dead son brought back to life. That is what Michael Sumner's parents experience when, one year after he's reported killed in action in Vietnam, they are told their son is alive and has escaped from a cadre of Viet Cong. But reunited with his family in their new Florida home, Michael has become a stranger to them, and soon living with him becomes more difficult than having him dead. Attempting to break into his suffering and get him back, fearful he may turn to violence, his parents suspect the worst when a young woman who has befriended Michael abruptly disappears. This debut novel by award winning novelist Robert Bausch is, according to Maureen Ryan in "The Other Side of Grief" (University of Massachusetts Press, 2008), "perhaps the first to present the ruinous effects on his immediate family of the veteran's maladjustment," after the war. This novel deals with the emotional cost of post traumatic stress disorder in a time when that disorder had not yet been named. Michael Sumner has been held alone by a small band of Viet Cong, who torture him in ways that are psychologically devastating. He is lucky enough, and brave enough, to escape, but then he has to come home.

Free Book - Black Out (N)

Black Out ($7.99 Kindle), the first in the Inspector Troy [Frederick Troy] series by John Lawton, is this week's Free Friday book from Barnes & Noble.

Book Description
John Lawton’s debut novel—first published by Viking in 1995, and now being reissued by Grove Press—is a stunning, war-time thriller that cements his place among the greatest crime writers of our era. The first of the Inspector Troy novels, Black Out singularly captures the realities of wartime London, weaving them into a riveting drama that encapsulates the uncertainty of Europe at the dawn of the postwar era.

London, 1944. While the Luftwaffe makes its final assault on the already battered British capital, Londoners rush through the streets, seeking underground shelter in the midst of the city’s black out. When the panic subsides, other things begin to surface along with London’s war-worn citizens. A severed arm is discovered by a group of children playing at an East End bomb site, and when Scotland Yard’s Dective Sergeant Frederick Troy arrives at the scene, it becomes apparent that the dismembered body is not the work of a V-1 rocket. After Troy manages to link the severed arm to the disappearance of a refugee scientist form Nazi Germany, America’s newest intelligence agency, the OSS, decides to get involved. The son of a titled Russian émigré, Troy is forced to leave the London he knows and enter a corrupt world of bloody consequences, stateless refugees, and mysterious women as he unearths a chain of secrets leading straight to the Allied high command.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.

Free Book - Bringing the Thunder (K)

Bringing the Thunder: The Missions of a World War II B-29 Pilot in the Pacific, by Gordon Bennett Robertson Jr., is free in the Kindle store, courtesy of Stackpole Books; this title is part of the Stackpole Military History series.

Book Description
The B-29 bomber was made to soar in thin, cold air, dropping its massive bomb load from heights so great that the crews might never see their targets through the clouds below. That was just fine with Ben Robertson, pilot in command of one of the big four engine bombers hammering Japan to its knees in a nonstop bombing campaign in the Pacific. When General LeMay ordered the B-29s to switch tactics from daylight, high-altitude bombing runs to nighttime, low-level runs, Ben's attitude changed. What was once seen as simply dangerous--bombing Japan--now seemed a whole lot more like suicide.

• Features dozens of never-before-seen photos of the B-29 in action
• A fast-paced, riveting account that puts the reader in the cockpit of a four-engine bomber over enemy territory
• Detailed account of combat, mission by mission

Free Book - Michael Wittmann and the Waffen SS Tiger Commander (K)

Michael Wittmann and the Waffen SS Tiger Commanders of the Leibstandarte in WWII, Vol. 1, by Patrick Agte, is free in the Kindle store, courtesy of Stackpole Books; this title is part of the Stackpole Military History series.

Book Description
The story of one of the most successful and decorated tank commanders of all time. Contains maps, official documents, newspaper clippings, and orders of battle.

German Panzer ace Michael Wittmann was by far the most famous tank commander on any side in World War II, destroying 138 enemy tanks and 132 anti-tank guns with his Tiger. This classic of armored warfare is both combat biography and unit history, as Patrick Agte focuses on the life and career of Wittmann but also includes his fellow Tiger commanders in the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler. Volume One covers the Eastern Front, where Wittmann racked up more than 100 kills and participated in the Battle of Kursk in 1943.

Free Book - Southern Seahawk: (K/N)

Southern Seahawk, the first novel in the Seahawk Trilogy by Randall Peffer, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble.

Book Description
Southern Seahawk: A Novel of the Civil War at Sea grows from the true story of Commander Raphael Semmes’ rise to infamy, becoming the Union’s “Public Enemy Number One.”

In June, 1861, Semmes’ Confederate cruiser Sumter makes a daring escape through the Federal Blockade of the Mississippi. So begins the commander’s career as the Southern Seahawk. With a hand-picked crew of Southern officers and mercenary seamen, Semmes seizes eight enemy ships in four days, a record never surpassed by any other captain of a warship. By the time the cruises of the Sumter and her successor Alabama end, Semmes will have taken and burned more than eighty prizes, making him the most successful maritime predator in history.

For two and a half years Semmes eludes a pack of pursuers and almost single-handedly drives marine insurance rates so high in the North, that many Yankee ships refuse to sail until he is caught. Back in Washington, Semmes’ predations fuel feuds within the Lincoln cabinet and incite the spy games of historical figures like courtesans Rose Greenhow, Betty Duval, detective Allan Pinkerton and the commander’s mistress.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.

Free Book - Winston's War (K/N)

Winston's War: A Novel of Conspiracy, by Michael Dobbs, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble.

Book Description
An intriguing tale of espionage and treason?this is a work to enthrall." ? Daily Mail

Michael Dobbs' thrilling novel about the dawn of World War II, and Winston Churchill's rise to power.

It is the dawn of World War II, and Neville Chamberlain believes he has bought "peace for our time" from Adolph Hitler, who has just seized Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland. The English are alarmed by the huge German army, while the soldiers that would defend London don't even have steel helmets. For many, compromise and appeasement seem to be England's best defense.

But there are a few leaders who don't agree. Among them is Winston Churchill, who understands that the relentless march of fascism will be democracy's death knell. In October 1938, Churchill pleads his case in the press to the BBC's Guy Burgess. One of these two will become the most revered man of his time, and the other will be known as the greatest of traitors.

This stunning novel brings to life the surprising political intrigues that set the stage for World War II, and brings alive the passionate, grumpy, whiskey-drinking Winston Churchill, as he inspires his fellow countrymen to take on the world's mightiest army.

Includes bonus reading group guide.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.

Free Book - Band of Sisters (K)

Band of Sisters: American Women at War in Iraq, by Kirsten Holmstedt, is free in the Kindle store. This title won both the 2007 American Authors Association Golden Quill Award and the 2007 Military Writers Society of America Founders Award.

Book Description
In Iraq, the front lines are everywhere . . . and everywhere in Iraq, no matter what their job descriptions say, women in the U.S. military are fighting--more than 155,000 of them. A critical and commercial success in hardcover, Band of Sisters presents a dozen groundbreaking and often heart-wrenching stories of American women in combat in Iraq, such as the U.S.s first female pilot to be shot down and survive, the militarys first black female pilot in combat, a young turret gunner defending convoys, and a nurse struggling to save lives, including her own.

Free Book - A Child al Confino (K/N/E)

Update: 1/23/12 Now free from Sony.

A Child al Confino: The True Story of a Jewish Boy and His Mother in Mussolini's Italy, by Eric Lamet, is a repeat freebie in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble.

Book Description
Eric Lamet was only seven years old when the Nazis invaded Vienna—and changed his life and the lives of all European Jews forever. Five days after Hitler marched in, Eric Lamet and his parents fled for their lives. Unable to remain together, the family split—he and his mother hid out in Italy, while his father returned to his native Poland and an even darker fate.

In this remarkable feat of memory and imagination, Lamet recreates the Italy he knew from the perspective of the scared and lonely child he once was. We not only see the hardships and terrors faced by foreign Jews in Fascist Italy, but also the friends Eric makes and his mother's valiant efforts to make a home for him.

In a style as original as his story, the author vividly recalls a terrible time yet imbues his recollections with humor, humanity, and wit. With a rare compassion toward friend and foe alike, little Eric Lamet shows us that there is light to be found in the darkest places—and that we should remember the good as well as the bad.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.
Get the free ebook from Sony.

Free Book (Kindle) - Tigers in the Mud

Tigers in the Mud: The Combat Career of German Panzer Commander Otto Carius, by Otto Carius, is free in the Kindle store. This is a part of the a part of the Stackpole Military History series and Stackpole's titles generally are not free outside the Kindle store.

Book Description
Real war stories told by real soldiers for readers who want to know what it was like to be in the thick of battle. These are riveting combat narratives about the weapons and warriors of some of history's bloodiest conflicts. Each book is a gritty, action-oriented account of life and death in the heat of battle. Original titles as well as long out-of-print gems will explore conflicts ranging from the blood-soaked fields of the Civil War to the current war on terror and everything in between. The books are published as high-quality and affordable trade paperbacks, making them terrific editions for all who are interested in military history.

WWII began with a metallic roar as the German Blitzkrieg raced across Europe, spearheaded by the most dreaded weapon of the 20th century: the Panzer. No German tank better represents that thundering power than the infamous Tiger, and Otto Carius was one of the most successful commanders to ever take a Tiger into battle, destroying well over 150 enemy tanks during his incredible career.

Illustrations: 51 b/w photos; 3 maps; 50 illustrations

Free Book (ADE-EPUB) - Instructions for American Servicemen in France during World War II

Instructions for American Servicemen in France during World War II ($7.38 Kindle), by The United States Army and Rick Atkinson, is this month's free book from The University of Chicago Press.

Book Description
“You are about to play a personal part in pushing the Germans out of France. Whatever part you take—rifleman, hospital orderly, mechanic, pilot, clerk, gunner, truck driver—you will be an essential factor in a great effort.”

As American soldiers fanned out from their beachhead in Normandy in June of 1944 and began the liberation of France, every soldier carried that reminder in his kit. A compact trove of knowledge and reassurance, Instructions for American Servicemen in France during World War II was issued to soldiers just before they embarked for France to help them understand both why they were going and what they’d find when they got there. After lying unseen in Army archives for decades, this remarkable guide is now available in a new facsimile edition that reproduces the full text and illustrations of the original along with a new introduction by Rick Atkinson setting the book in context.

Written in a straightforward, personal tone, the pamphlet is equal parts guidebook, cultural snapshot, and propaganda piece. A central aim is to dispel any prejudices American soldiers may have about the French—especially relating to their quick capitulation in 1940. Warning soldiers that the defeat “is a raw spot which the Nazis have been riding” since the occupation began, Instructions is careful to highlight France’s long historical role as a major U.S. ally. Following that is a brief, fascinating sketch of the French character (“The French are mentally quick;” “Rich or poor, they are economical”) and stark reminders of the deprivation the French have endured under occupation. Yet an air of reassuring confidence pervades the final section of the pamphlet, which reads like a straightforward tourists’ guide to Paris and the provinces—like a promise of better days to come once the soldiers complete their mission.

Written by anonymous War Department staffers to meet the urgent needs of the moment, with no thought of its historical value, Instructions for American Servicemen in France during World War II nevertheless brings to vivid life the closing years of World War II—when optimism was growing, but a long, demanding road still lay ahead.

Sign up for the free book from the University of Chicago. You'll need to enter your email address, then check your email for the link to download the book. Mine arrived within seconds -- you get a .ACSM file, which, when opened, will load the PDF book inside of Adobe ADE. This is a DRM'd PDF and is not compatible with the Kindle.

While you are there, check out their The Great Chicago Book Sale! 600 books with prices starting at $5! Use promo code AD9626

Today's Deals

It's a bit late, as I was occupied with Veteran's Day, but here are today's Deals:

When the Devil Whistles ($1.99), by Rick Acker, is the Kindle Deal of the Day.

Book Description
Allie Whitman is a professional whistleblower with a knack for sniffing out fraud in government contracts. Conner Norman is a gifted litigator and together they form Devil to Pay, Inc., a shell corporation that files lawsuits based on Allie s investigations. They soon find themselves fighting potentially fatal battles in and out of the courtroom, going great lengths to protect secrets that could ruin them both.

About the Author
Rick Acker is a Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice. He prosecutes corporate fraud lawsuits like those described in When the Devil Whistles. He has led confidential investigations into a number of large and sensitive cases that made headlines in and out of California. Rick holds law degrees from the University of Oslo and the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated with honors. In addition to his novels, he is a contributing author on two legal treatises published by the American Bar Association.

The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War ($3.99 Kindle, B&N), by Frederick Downs Jr., is the Nook Daily Deal, price matched at Amazon.

Book Description
“The best damned book from the point of view of the infantrymen who fought there.” — Army Times

Among the best books ever written about men in combat, The Killing Zone tells the story of the platoon of Delta One-six, capturing what it meant to face lethal danger, to follow orders, and to search for the conviction and then the hope that this war was worth the sacrifice. The book includes a new chapter on what happened to the platoon members when they came home.

About the Author
Frederick Downs Jr. received four Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star with Valor, and the Silver Star for his service in the Vietnam War. He lives in Fort Washington, Maryland.

Free Book (Kindle/nook) - One September Morning

One September Morning (US/UK), by Rosalind Noonan, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble, where it is a repeat freebie.

Book Description
The moment Abby Fitzgerald sees two soldiers approach her front door, she knows her husband is dead. John Stanton, who gave up his career as a star NFL running back to serve after 9/11, has been killed in Iraq. Suddenly Abby's kitchen is overflowing with casseroles brought by the army wives' club to which she has never really belonged. And her in-laws arrange a lavish funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in spite of Abby's misgivings. John had grown to hate the war even though he loved his country, and Abby can't reconcile the complex man she knew with the version being portrayed by self-serving politicians, military, and the media.

Shell-shocked, Abby strives to cope with her own heartache while comforting John's loved ones, including his mother Sharice, his staunchly anti-war sister Madison, and his bitter younger brother Noah. But amidst her loss is a growing conviction that the truth about John's death is far from over.

Gripping, thoughtful, and emotionally powerful, One September Morning is a story of loyalty and betrayal, of a shattered family's journey toward healing, and of the courage it takes to confront the truth not just about our enemies, but about those we love best.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble. Be careful from the nook, as there is another edition which is full price.

Free Book (Kindle) - Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington (US/UK), by Tricia Goyer, is free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
The Second World War has stolen Rosalie's fiance from her. But rather than wallow, Rosalie throws herself into her work at the Boeing plant in Victory Heights, shooting rivets into the B-17 bombers that will destroy the enemy. A local reporter dubs her Seattle's Own Rosie the Riveter, and her story lends inspiration to women across the country. While Rosalie's strong arms can bear the weight of this new responsibility, her heart cannot handle the intense feelings that begin to surface for Kenny, the handsome reporter. Fear of a second heartbreak is a powerful opponent - but will it claim victory over love?

Free Book (Kindle) - Songbird Under a German Moon

Songbird Under a German Moon (US/UK), by Tricia Goyer, is free in the Kindle store.

Book Description
The year is 1945. The war is over and 21-year-old Betty Lake has been invited to Europe to sing in a USO tour for American soldiers who now occupy Hitler's Germany. The first night's performance is a hit. Betty becomes enthralled with the applause, the former Nazi-held mansion they're housed in and the attention of Frank Witt, the US Army Signal Corps Photographer. Yet the next night this songbird is ready to fly the coop when Betty's dear friend, Kat, turns up missing. Betty soon realizes Frank's photographs could be the key to finding Kat. Betty and Frank team up against post-war Nazi influences and the two lovebirds' hearts may find the answers...in each other. But will they have a chance for their romance to sing? The truth will be revealed under a German moon.

About the Author
Tricia Goyer is an award-winning author of twelve novels, more than 300 articles and six nonfiction books. In researching for her WWII novels, Tricia has interviewed over one hundred veterans and service women involved in support efforts. She has also traveled to Germany, the Czech Republic, and Austria for research. She lives with her husband and three children in Kalispell, Montana.

Free Book (noDRM) - Sons Of The Great Satan

Sons Of The Great Satan ($2.99 Kindle), by Anthony Roberts, is free on Smashwords, tonight only, using coupon code SJ82P.

Book Description
When American teenager Joey Andrews and his family arrive in Tehran, Iran in 1976 they find an expatriate paradise within one of the world's oldest civilizations. Through the bold and imperious leadership of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, this ancient land is thrust into the modern age bringing great progress to some and seething resentment to others. It is the twilight of an empire, the last golden hours before the fall of darkness.

SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN leads the reader through a cataclysmic event as seen through the lives of the Andrews family of Peligrosa, Texas and the Zadehs of Tehran, Iran. Joey Andrews and Farhad Zadeh form a friendship amid a naive wonderland of teenage sex, drugs and rock'n'roll that explodes into a firestorm that rocks a nation.

As a work of historical fiction, SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN is a tale of culture clash, international politics, heroism, friendship, cowardice and sinister betrayal. The character and beliefs of the Shah of Iran, President Jimmy Carter and the Ayatollah Khomeini are all put to the test as the whirlwind of chaos engulfs them all. The actions of these powerful men play out on the world stage and forever change the lives of those who called Tehran home in the late 1970s.

The paths of Iran and America have been intricately bound by blood and violence for many decades. What happened between these two nations continues to reverberate today.

SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN is based on the author's impressions as a teenager living in Iran prior to the Islamic revolution. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this work are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictionally.

Click HERE to get the free book.

Free Book (EPUB/Mobi/nook) - The Fortunes Of War

The Fortunes Of War: Four Great Battles Of World War II (out of print), by Andrew A Rooney (aka Andy Rooney), is free over on the B&N website. No doubt this was done just so he could make a point during his 60 Minutes commentary this last week and there is no telling how long it will remain free. I opened it up in nookStudy and it is 124 pages, two columns per page and there are a few areas where it looks like you get hieroglyphics instead of text (around some photos). He says this was his first published book (at $7.50 for a Hardcover), but there is no info on the Kindle or B&N sites as to the content. Rather obviously, from the title, it's a look at four battles during WWII and does include some maps and illustrations. I did manage to find one review, from 1962, in Harper's magazine, but could not read it (it's only available to subscribers). A little more digging located the book on the Internet Archives and Kobo. Originally published by Little and Brown, it's now free in many formats and all of them look like OCR'd scans that haven't been corrected.

Click HERE for the free download from B&N.
Click HERE for the free download from Kobo (DRM-free EPUB or PDF)
Click HERE for the free download from the Internet Archive (there is a Kindle compatible edition there).