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Defending the Rock
Gibraltar and the Second World War
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Format: Paperback / softback
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See moreThis thrilling new history reveals how a lone outpost of the British Empire, riddled with secret tunnels, fought off attacks by land, sea and air to help win the war.
This thrilling new history reveals how a lone outpost of the British Empire, riddled with secret tunnels, fought off attacks by land, sea and air to help win the war.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Two months before he shot himself, Adolf Hitler saw where it had all gone wrong. By failing to seize Gibraltar in the summer of 1940, he lost the war.
The Rock of Gibraltar, a pillar of British sea-power since 1704, looked formidable but was extraordinarily vulnerable. Though menaced on all sides by Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, Vichy France, and Francoist Spain, every day Gibraltar had to let thousands of people cross its frontier to work. Among them came spies and saboteurs, eager to blow up its 25 miles of secret tunnels. In 1942, Gibraltar became US General Eisenhower's HQ for the invasion of North Africa, the campaign that led to Allied victory in the Mediterranean.
Nicholas Rankin's revelatory new book, whose cast of characters includes Haile Selassie, Anthony Burgess, and General Sikorski, sets Gibraltar in the wider context of the struggle against fascism, from Abyssinia through the Spanish Civil War. It also chronicles the end of empire and the rise to independence of the Gibraltarian people.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Defending the Rock is praised as a much-needed history that offers an unusual vantage point on the wider war, according to the reviews. It is described as highly readable, with Nicholas Rankin renowned for his wonderful storytelling ability.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780571307722
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 04 April 2019
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Faber & Faber
Edition: Main
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 40.0mm
Width: 129.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 535g
Pages: 688
About the Author
Nicholas Rankin worked for 20 years for the BBC World Service, winning two UN awards and becoming Chief Producer. His previous books include biographies of Robert Louis Stevenson and the war-correspondent George Steer, Churchill's Wizards, a study of camouflage, deception and black propaganda in both world wars, and Ian Fleming's Commandos, the history of a WW2 naval intelligence unit. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and lives in London and Kent.
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