Bücher von Angus Konstam

A fascinating account of the last major Allied operation in the South-West Pacific, and the largest Australian military operation of World War II.

This new account explores the most notorious pirates in history and how their rise and fall can be traced back to a single pirate haven, Nassau. Angus Konstam, one of the world's leading pirate experts, has brought his 30 years of research to create the definitive book on the Golden Age of Piracy. Many of the privateers the British had used to prey on French and Spanish shipping during the War of the Spanish Succession turned to piracy. The pirates took over Nassau on the Bahamian island of New Providence and turned it into their own pirate haven, where shady merchants were happy to buy their plunder. It became the hub of a pirate network that included some of the most notorious pirates in history: Blackbeard, "Calico Jack" Rackam, Charles Vane and Bartholomew Roberts. The growth of piracy led to a major surge in attacks in the Caribbean and along North America's Atlantic seaboard. With the fragile maritime economy of the Americas threatened with collapse, major ports were threatened and trade brought to a standstill, the British government finally declared war on the pirates. The Pirate Menace draws on extensive research, as well as a wide range of first-hand accounts, to produce a new history of the heyday of historical piracy.

A fascinating story of a key turning point in the War in the Mediterranean, as the island of Malta was thrown a vital lifeline. Since 1940, the island of Malta had been a thorn in the Axis' side. It sat astride the direct sea route between Italy and its North African colonies, and from 1941 the Royal Navy had used the island as a base for its attacks on Axis convoys. The island, though, relied on convoys to survive, and from early 1941 these came under increasingly heavy air and submarine attack. As the situation became critical in 1942, the decision was made to send through a heavily protected convoy, carrying fuel and supplies, in an effort to save the island. This mission was codenamed Operation Pedestal. This fascinating work describes how, after leaving Britain on 2 August 1942, the convoy was repeatedly pummeled by Axis air and submarine attacks as it ground its way towards Malta, with most of the merchant ships sunk during the passage, along with an aircraft carrier and two cruisers. It also explores how despite this grim toll, the sacrifice was worth it.The specially commissioned illustrations in this work cover the progress of the convoy step by step, the submarine and surface naval actions during Pedestal's voyage, the Stuka attack on the carrier Indomitable and the air attacks against the convoy, and the broader strategic situation in the Western Mediterranean. The result is a unique visual exploration of one of the most famous episodes of the war in this theatre.

The word "pirate" instantly conjures a fearsome figure in a tricorner hat, brandishing a cutlass on the quarterdeck of a helpless victim's ship. The skull and crossbones have become instantly recognizable the world over, a symbol of lawlessness and rebellion. But if you think piracy is all about the Jolly Roger, a bottle o' rum, and walking the plank, think again. The reality, much more complex, spans all of human history. From Cretans and Vikings to French corsairs and British rogues, sail through the brutal history of piracy, separating myth from legend and fact from fiction. Pirates takes you into the depths of the pirate's dark world, examining the colorful characters of the golden age of piracy such as Blackbeard and Captain Kidd and even two women pirates who became pregnant to avoid death sentences. A blood-soaked, riveting account, Pirates offers a complete history of the fearsome threat on the high seas, from the marauders in the pages of antiquity to the Somali pirates in the headlines of today.