THE BEGINNINGS OF VICTORY Shortly after the D-Day invasion, the Allied forces in Europe had stalled. A limited operation was set in motion to punch a small hole in the enemy defenses, starting on July 25, 1944. It was called Operation Cobra, and it would become one of the greatest offensives in all of military history. In the sixty days following the launch of the operation, the Allies -- commanded by Dwight Eisenhower and led by men such as the irascible General George Patton and General Omar Bradley -- attacked the enemy relentlessly. And what began as a desperate attempt to break a stalemate turned into an unstoppable armored juggernaut that swept the Germans out of virtually all of France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. Here is a penetrating account of that incredible feat of military skill, bravery, and daring that changed the course of the war, and signaled the end of Germany's domination of Europe.

After the success of the D-Day landings, the Allied forces were bogged down in a bloody stalemate in Normandy. On 25 July 1944, General Bradley launched Operation Cobra to break the deadlock. What followed was one of the most decisive months of World War II, as US forces punched a hole in the German frontline and began a spectacular advance. As Patton's Third Army poured into Brittany and raced south to the Loire, the German army was threatened with encirclement. By the end of August German forces in Normandy were utterly destroyed, and the remaining German units in central and southern France were in headlong retreat to the German frontier. In this concise, illustrated account, Steven J. Zaloga explains how the breakout from Normandy came about.

After storming the beaches on D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Allied invasion of France bogged down in seven weeks of grueling attrition in Normandy. On July 25, U.S. divisions under Gen. Omar Bradley launched Operation Cobra, an attempt to break out of the hedgerows and begin a war of movement across France. Despite a disastrous start, with misdropped bombs killing hundreds of GIs, Cobra proved to be one of the most pivotal battles of World War II, successfully breaking the stalemate in Normandy and clearing a path into occupied France.

Written by the chief military correspondent of the New York Times and a prominent retired Marine general, this is the definitive account of the invasion of Iraq. A stunning work of investigative journalism, Cobra II describes in riveting detail how the American rush to Baghdad provided the opportunity for the virulent insurgency that followed. As Gordon and Trainor show, the brutal aftermath was not inevitable and was a surprise to the generals on both sides. Based on access to unseen documents and exclusive interviews with the men and women at the heart of the war, Cobra II provides firsthand accounts of the fighting on the ground and the high-level planning behind the scenes. Now with a new afterword that addresses what transpired after the fateful events of the summer of 2003, this is a peerless re-creation and analysis of the central event of our times.

Spring 1944: In a fortified chateau hidden deep in the valleys of France, the Nazis are in the final stages of developing a terrifyingly deadly new weapon. Success would mean sure destruction for much of England and would dash all Allied hopes for a Normandy invasion. It's up to the daring fighter pilots and crack navigators of the 633 Squadron to penetrate German defenses and, in the black of night, blast the doomsday project into extinction. Against incredible odds, this is the 633's Operation Cobra...failure could forever alter the future of the free world.

Spring 1944: In a fortified chateau hidden deep in the valleys of France, the Nazis are in the final stages of developing a terrifyingly deadly new weapon. Success would mean sure destruction for much of England and would dash all Allied hopes for a Normandy invasion. It’s up to the daring fighter pilots and crack navigators of the 633 Squadron to penetrate German defenses and, in the black of night, blast the doomsday project into extinction. Against incredible odds, this is the 633’s Operation Cobra...failure could forever alter the future of the free world. Frederick E. Smith (1919-2012) joined the R.A.F. in 1939 as a wireless operator/air gunner and commenced service in early 1940, serving in Britain, Africa and finally the Far East. At the end of the war, he married and worked for several years in South Africa before returning to England to fulfill his lifelong ambition to write. Two years later, his first play was produced and his first novel published. Since then, he wrote over forty novels, about eighty short stories and two plays. Two novels, 633 Squadron and The Devil Doll, were made into films and one, A Killing for the Hawks, won the Mark Twain Literary Award.

Luke Baron has agreed to buy a fake driving licence from a girl he's just met online. But when he realises he's made a big mistake and tries to back out, he discovers that Gemma Dolan is in serious trouble with her criminal dad. Trying to protect her, he gets caught up in a terrifying plot to attack an armed nuclear convoy. Who's behind it and what do they want? Luke is starting to like Gemma, but should he trust her? And can he stop the catastrophe that threatens to engulf London, the UK and the world?