“A superb portrait of a forgotten but vital World War II battle of strategic importance and bestial savagery” (Simon Sebag Montefiore, New York Times–bestselling author of The Romanovs) Through firsthand accounts, as well as archival material, The Fall of Hitler’s Fortress City tells the dramatic story of the place and people that bore the brunt of Russia’s vengeance against the Nazi regime. In 1945, in the face of the advancing Red Army, two and a half million people were forced out of Germany’s most easterly province, East Prussia, and in particular its capital, Königsberg. Their flight was a direct result of Hitler’s ill-fated decision to invade the Soviet Union in 1941. The Russians launched Operation Bagration in June 1944, to coincide with the D-Day landings. As US and British forces pushed west, the Russians liberated Eastern Europe and made their first attacks on German soil in the autumn of 1944. Königsberg itself was badly damaged by two British air raids at the end of August 1944, and the main offensive against the city by the Red Army began in January 1945. The depleted and poorly armed German army could do little to hold it back, and by the end of January, East Prussia was cut off. The Russians exacted a terrible revenge on the civilian population, who were forced to flee across the freezing Baltic coast in an attempt to escape. On April 9, the city surrendered to the Russians after a four-day onslaught. “Denny fills in a gap in the historiography of World War II’s European eastern front.” —Booklist

How a Chinese pirate defeated European colonialists and won Taiwan during the seventeenth century During the seventeenth century, Holland created the world's most dynamic colonial empire, outcompeting the British and capturing Spanish and Portuguese colonies. Yet, in the Sino-Dutch War—Europe's first war with China—the Dutch met their match in a colorful Chinese warlord named Koxinga. Part samurai, part pirate, he led his generals to victory over the Dutch and captured one of their largest and richest colonies—Taiwan. How did he do it? Examining the strengths and weaknesses of European and Chinese military techniques during the period, Lost Colony provides a balanced new perspective on long-held assumptions about Western power, Chinese might, and the nature of war. It has traditionally been asserted that Europeans of the era possessed more advanced science, technology, and political structures than their Eastern counterparts, but historians have recently contested this view, arguing that many parts of Asia developed on pace with Europe until 1800. While Lost Colony shows that the Dutch did indeed possess a technological edge thanks to the Renaissance fort and the broadside sailing ship, that edge was neutralized by the formidable Chinese military leadership. Thanks to a rich heritage of ancient war wisdom, Koxinga and his generals outfoxed the Dutch at every turn. Exploring a period when the military balance between Europe and China was closer than at any other point in modern history, Lost Colony reassesses an important chapter in world history and offers valuable and surprising lessons for contemporary times.

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassins' Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed prequel novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery ...Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine and find out how the legend begins in the five page-turning prequel novellas to the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series.

With this detailed guide, you save valuable time when you plan your hiking adventure in Jordan. Over a period of three years, the authors have explored and recorded over 400 km (248 miles) of astonishing hiking trails and walks in amazing landscapes. Most trails can be completed in 4-6 hours as day trips from Amman, Wadi Rum village or Aqaba and are in and around Jordan’s main tourist attractions including Petra, Wadi Rum, Aqaba and the Dead Sea area. Trails include the Seven Pillars of Wisdom and the Lawrence of Arabia Spring trails with magnificent views in Wadi Rum and the High Place of Sacrifice Trail with more monuments than most tourists see in Petra. Other highlights include the Wadi Ghuweir to Feynan Trail with its remarkable oasis and narrow canyon and the Wadi Mujib Malaqi Trail that has a waterfall near the lowest point on earth at the Dead Sea. The book provides easy to understand custom-made hiking maps, trail descriptions and travel directions. Users of the book also have access to a unique collection of 80+ tutorials, trail animations and hiking videos in HD format and interactive maps. Although most trails can be completed without a GPS device, owners of the book can download 58 carefully recorded E-trails to maximize their time on the trail using GPS enabled smart phones and tablets. Users of the book also have access to the Day Trip Finder and the Itinerary Planner. These interactive planning tools provide hikers easy access to trail descriptions based on a large number of search criteria including hot springs, waterfalls, sand dunes, palm trees, historic sites, and other interesting places on the trail. The guidebook has been written with the independent traveler in mind, but is also a valuable source of hiking ideas if you plan to organize your holiday with a travel company. Travelers will find Hiking in Jordan and its multimedia resources an invaluable “next generation” resource guide to explore the country from a truly unique perspective. The following trails are described: 1. Ajloun Castle Circuit 2. Ajloun Castle Trail 3. Pella Mountain Trail 4. Wadi Zubia Forest Walk 5. Dana Feynan Trail 6. Little Petra Canyon Trail 7. Mukawir Mini Circuit 8. Petra High Place of Sacrifice Trail 8+ Petra High Place of Sacrifice Trail to Little Petra 9. Petra Monastery Trail 9+ Petra Monastery Trail to Little Petra 10. Rummana Mountain Trail 11. Wadi Bin Hammad Tropical Rain Forest Trail 12. Wadi Ghuweir Trail to Feynan 13. Wadi Al Karak Waterfalls 14. Wadi Assal 15. Wadi Attun Hot Springs Trail 16. Wadi Himara Palm Trees and Waterfall Trail 17. Wadi Himara Panorama Trail 18. Wadi Mujib Malaqi Trail 19. Wadi Mujib Siq Trail 20. Wadi Mukheiris Formation Trail 21. Wadi Numeira Siq Trail 22. Wadi Weida'a 23. Abu Barqa Dam Lookout 24. Adami Trail-Jordan's Tallest Mountain 25. Bedouin Camp Circuit 26. Burial Mound and Oryx Trail 27. French Fortress Trail 28. Ibex Canyon Lookout 29. Lawrence of Arabia Spring 30. Nabatean Temple Trail 31. Rahma Bedouin Camel Trail 32. Seven Pillars of Wisdom More information: www.hiking-in-jordan.com Hiking, Walking, Jordan, Petra, Wadi Rum, Dead Sea, GPS, Maps, Day Trips, Amman, Ajloun, Aqaba, Jerash, Karak, Outdoors, Hiking Videos, Hiking Maps, Hiking Tutorials, Smart Phone GPS, Tablet GPS, Waypoint, Elevation Graphs, GPS Coordinates