French Wars

King Louis Philippe II created the Foreign Legion in 1831 as a way to rid France of penniless immigrants and others considered a liability to the French establishment. The Foreign Legion still exists today as an elite army of modern mercenaries from around the world, in the service of la France. Considered a haven for the dregs of society, joining the Foreign Legion was rumored to be simple, but it wasn't.

These are entirely Napoleon Bonaparte's own words, written and spoken, and collected in journal form. A particular focus here has been put on Napoleon's writings that pertain to military and state matters. The dates in terms of the revolutionary calendar have been modernized, and names and titles of individuals mentioned have been maintained with no attempt at uniformity. This production was begun on the 250th year of Napoleon's birth.

France, 1939: A talented singer, Ruth Lacroix has left Maine to live with her aunt and uncle, dreaming of performing at the Casino de Paris. But with the outbreak of war, and the heartbreaking news that her cousin has been killed by German forces, that goal is supplanted by another—to support France in any way she can.

The war gets its name from British colonists’ two primary enemies: the French settlers and the Native Americans who sided with them. The title is a bit misleading, however, as the British also had Native Americans on their side at various points of the war. The conflict goes by "The Seven Years’ War" in Europe because it took place from 1756 to 1763. Britain’s victory solidified the future of the English-speaking North America we know today. However, it also led to the massacre of countless Native peoples throughout North America.

George Smith Patton (1885-1945) est le général américain le plus célèbre et le plus controversé de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Personnalité haute en couleur, doté d'un sens inné du commandement et d'un génie tactique incontestable, il est devenu un véritable mythe. Patriote convaincu, cet homme d'honneur et meneur audacieux suscitait autant de détestation que d'admiration auprès de ses soldats et supérieurs.

Formerly published under the title Hand-to-Hand Combat, this 1917 manual has been revised and colorized for clarity's sake. The Great War was entering its third bloody year, and even the proud and stubborn French command had to concede that old methods weren't working. To be sure, in a hypothetical situation wherein two infantrymen were rushing at one another across an open battlefield, the soldier with the 20 inch "épée bayonet" fixed on the end of his 51.2 inch Lebel 1886 rifle would appear to have the clear advantage over the German adversary with his shorter Mauser with Seitengewehr ...

Robert Rogers, commander of Rogers' Rangers during the French and Indian War, was the war's best-known colonial military hero and, in the ensuing peace, one of the best-known Americans of any description, rivaling Benjamin Franklin in popularity. Rogers is known today for his role in developing the mystique of the modern Ranger, but what explains his meteoric rise and his long, depressing fall? Robert Rogers, Ranger: The Rise and Fall of an American Icon by Martin Klotz is a fresh look at the life of this famous, yet highly flawed man.

A true narrative of events surrounding the Nazi occupation of France… Few nineteen-year-old girls had the opportunity to spend their junior year of college abroad in 1929, much less middle-class Montana girls like Elizabeth Matheson. Her brave and adventurous spirit led her to study French at Le Sorbonne in Paris that year, where she fell in love—with the language, the country, and much later, a Frenchman. Elizabeth returned to the States and became a teacher in Faribault, Minnesota. Some years later, her students were paired as pen pals with the students of a Monsieur Jean Darbelnet at...

In The Last of the Doughboys, Richard Rubin introduced readers to a forgotten generation of Americans: the men and women who fought and won the First World War. Interviewing the war’s last survivors face-to-face, he knew well the importance of being present if you want to get the real story. But he soon came to realize that to get the whole story, he had to go Over There, too. So he did, and discovered that while most Americans regard that war as dead and gone, to the French, who still live among its ruins and memories, it remains very much alive.

Relish in an exhilarating journey with this spellbinding historical adventure book set in the Dordogne region of France during the waning years of the Hundred Years' War (mid-15th century). Peer into the unruly lives of Jean del' Tudor and Martina, two young souls entangled in the chaos of feudal banditry and the struggle between the English and French crowns for control over their homeland. StorylineAt the heart of the tale is Jean del' Tudor, a young craftsman conducting his trade in the cliff-side town of La Roque Gageac. His life takes an unexpected turn when he crosses paths with the ...

Lieutenant Richard Sharpe and a detachment of riflemen join the assault of a strong French force holding the Holy City of Santiago de Compostela.Lieutenant Richard Sharpe and a detachment of Riflemen are cut off from the rest of the army and surrounded. Their only hope of escape is to accept the help of the Spanish, but this assistance comes at a price: to join the assault on the holy city of Santiago de Compostela, held by a strong French force.

What happens when a favorite fairy tale gets dropped into the middle of Europe in World War 2? Take Cinderella in France in the 1930s-1940s: Ella never got along with her stepmother. After her father died, her stepsisters grew even more horrid to her. She's the only one though who cares about the farm at all. When the Nazis invaded, her stepmother and stepsisters are enjoying the occupation, it seems. That only meant more chores for Ella, and she's weary and overworked. Accidents were bound to happen, and she's put in a prison as an arsonist. But it was only an accident . . . wasn't it? ...

La jeunesse provençale de Giono, entre une mère repasseuse et un père cordonnier, est forcément solaire, musicale, saturée de parfums, de portraits, de tableaux... Dans ces souvenirs parus en 1932, les simples deviennent des héros, les animaux voisinent avec les anges et la nature se gorge de mythes. Transcrite dans la langue du bonheur, voici la genèse d'un très grand écrivain.

The Napoleonic Wars, which took place between 1803 and 1815, were spearheaded by probably France’s best tactician and military strategist to date: General Napoleon Bonaparte. His tactics and strategies were so grounded that it has served as the basis for many major warfare campaigns and maneuvers, both during his lifetime as well as after his demise. Even France’s sworn enemy for most of the medieval era, the British, acknowledged his ingenuity despite his ultimate defeat at the hands of the British army at the end of life.

When Darcie purchases several old suitcases at auction that had been abandoned in a railway station locker, she doesn't know what to expect. The first is disappointing but as she opens the second, she discovers rare and beautiful dresses for the 1940s, lovingly folded, and a notebook of designs to go with them. Written inside the cover is the name: Nathalie Leroux Why did she leave her most prized possessions at the station eighty years ago? Darcie's quest for answers will draw her into the world of the French resistance as she works to uncover the truth about a devastating wartime secret.

For nearly 200 years huge wooden warships called “ships of the line” dominated war at sea and were thus instrumental in the European struggle for power and the spread of imperialism. Foremost among the great naval powers were Great Britain and France, whose advanced economies could support large numbers of these expensive ships. This book, the first joint history of these great navies, offers a uniquely impartial and comprehensive picture of the two forces - their shipbuilding programs, naval campaigns, and battles, and their wartime strategies and diplomacy.

Napoleon Bonaparte's rise from common origins to the pinnacle of power, as well as his defeat at Waterloo, still influences our daily lives, from the map of Europe to the metric system. Here's the fascinating story of the great soldier-statesman.

Paris, 1941. With Nazi occupation imminent, journalist Elodie Mitchell plans to return home to Chicago. But an unexpected invitation to a Josephine Baker show changes everything. Mistaken for the star, Elodie is whisked backstage, where she uncovers an underground resistance movement hidden beneath the glitz and glamour. Drawn into a whisper network of spies, Elodie accepts a perilous mission: to go undercover as Josephine's cousin and gather vital intelligence.

Un matin de la Grande Guerre, le capitaine Armand siffle l'attaque contre l'ennemi allemand. Les soldats s'élancent. Dans leurs rangs, Alfa Ndiaye et Mademba Diop, deux tirailleurs sénégalais parmi tous ceux qui se battent alors sous le drapeau français. Quelques mètres après avoir jailli de la tranchée, Mademba tombe, blessé à mort, sous les yeux d'Alfa, son ami d'enfance, son plus que frère. Alfa se retrouve seul dans la folie du grand massacre, sa raison s'enfuit. Lui, le paysan d'Afrique, va distribuer la mort sur cette terre sans nom.

The United Nations is one of the most famous bodies in the world, and its predecessor, the League of Nations, might be equally notorious. In fact, President Woodrow Wilson’s pet project was controversial from nearly the minute it was conceived. At the end of World War I, Wilson's pleas at the Paris Peace Conference relied on his Fourteen Points, which included the establishment of a League of Nations, but while his points were mostly popular amongst Americans and Europeans alike, leaders at the Peace Conference largely discarded them and favored different approaches.