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When writing non-fiction my objective is to construct a narrative that is both enjoyable and informative for the reaer, while ensuring that the events depicted are portrayed as accurately as possible. This last I try to achieve by means of detailed research of primary sources, which, where possible, includes interviews and correspondence with participants involved.
Non-fiction books that I have had published to date are
THE OHIO AND MALTA, The Legendary Tanker that refused to die.
Hardback, 163 pp., maps, illustrations - ISBN 1 84415 031 3
With the fall of France in 1940 Malta became the lynch pin of the Allied campaign in the Mediterranean and North African theatres, being a vital base from which to attack Axis convoys supplying Rommel, and the only Allied port between Gibraltar in the west and Alexandria in the east. The island was, however, extremely difficult to keep supplied, (particularly with oil, which had to be transported in bulk), and, by the summer of 1942 the situation for its beleaguered garrison and civil population was desperate. The Pedestal convoy of August that year was deemed the last chance for the island's survival in Allied hands.
On entering the Mediterranean the convoy was subjected to ferocious air and sea attacks and suffered terrible losses in both warships and merchantmen. OHIO herself, being the only tanker, was picked out for special attention, but, despite this, with her engines dead, her hull practically broken in two, but with her vital cargo somehow virtually intact, she was towed into Grand Harbour by three destroyers and a minesweeper. Malta and her defenders were granted a crucial reprieve.
Amazon five star rating.
THE BURMA AIR CAMPAIGN 1941-1945
Hardback, 194 pp., maps, illustrations, - ISBN 1 84415 398 3.
While the land campaign fought in Burma and India during World War II can no longer be described as 'forgotten', this is not the case with regard to the indispensable part played by the air forces in that campaign. It is my hope that this book will go some way toward redressing the balance.
Operations surrounding the Japanese invasion of Indo-China, Malaya, and Singapore are covered, together with a study of the sinking of the capital ships PRINCE OF WALES and REPULSE, which altered so radically the air/sea power equation.
For the Allies in India/Burma the long road back from near-disaster was frought with difficulty, and time and again it was a close-knit combination of British, American, and Commonwealth air power which proved the decisive factor in obtaining ultimate victory. At the time the supply of army-sized groups from the air was a revolutionary, dangerous, and highly ambitious concept; however, due to the inhospitable nature of the terrain to be traversed, the Allied campaigns in the Arakan, the Chindit long-range penetration operations, the pivotal battles at Kohima and Imphal, and the final campaign to drive the Japanese from Burma, all relied almost entirely upon air supply and evacuation.
As might be espected, the Japanese Army Air Force proved to be a skilled and resourceful opponent and the battles to wrest from them the air superiority upon which the success of the ground war depended were long and arduous
Amazon four star rating.
RED SKY IN THE MORNING, The Battle of The Barents Sea, 1942.
Paperback, 154 pp., maps, illustrations, - ISBN 978 1 84425 452 4
The Arctic convoys that sailed through the cold, malevolent, waters of the Barents Sea ran the gauntlet of intense German air and sea attacks as they struggled to transport vital supplies to Britain's Russian allies. This book describes a highly significant naval action fought in December 1942 between a formidable German attack group and the relatively light convoy escort ships of the Royal Navy.
Convoy JW51B sailed in Decemver 1942 with a close escort of five destroyers, plus a reserve of two light cruisers which shadowed the main convoy at a distance of seventy miles. The convoy was attacked on New Year's Eve by a powerful German force comprising the heavy cruiser ADMIRAL HIPPER, the pocket battleship LUTZOW, and six destroyers.
This was a naval engagement that was to have far-reaching consequences. The German force was driven off after a long, hard-fought duel with the escorts, but without loss to the merchantmen that were its intended target, and in the process so infuriated Hitler that, on his orders, many capital ships of the Kriegsmarine were decommissioned for the remainder of the war.
Amazon four star rating.
All above books available from the publishers at www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
Plus Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Alibris.com and all good bookshops and online retailers.
NOW AVAILABLE !!
Fiction
A RIBBON OF ROAD IN THE MOONLIGHT
The Targa Florio, the toughtest road race in the world, and all Pegasus had to do to survive was
win!!
248 pp., Paperback ISBN 9781904312635
It seemed like a good idea at the time. The war was over, rationing was coming to and end, and Mike Brookes decided the time was right to take his Pegasus Car Company into the big league to compete with the likes of Ferrari, Maserati, and Mercedes.
To achieve his aim Brookes decides to build a two-car team from scratch and enter the toughest road race in the world - Sicily's legendary Targa Florio - in 1957. His problems are many and dramatic - industrial espionage, the Suez crisis, and the possible cancellation of the race itself, but finally his cars line up on the grid for what by now has come to represent nothing less than the survival of the company itself!
Amazon 4.5 star rating.
Available from the publishers:
MX Publishing Ltd.,
335 Princess Park Manor, Royal Drive, London N11 3GX
www.mxpublishing.co.uk
Plus Amazon.co.uk
stirlingmoss.com/shop/all
Amazon.com
whsmith.co.uk
and all good bookshops and online retailers.
Email me for further details - mike@mikepearsonwriter.co.uk
Many thanks for visiting my website - call again!
Mike Pearson.
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