Rally Point Books
"In this war, we know, books are weapons," Franklin D. Roosevelt
There have been many marines. There have been many marksman. But there has been only one Sergeant Carlos Hathcock.
He stalked the Viet Cong behind enemy lines – on their own ground. And each time, he emerged from the jungle having done his duty. His record is one of the finest in military history, with ninety-three confirmed kills.
This is the story of a simple man who endured incredible dangers and hardships for his country and his corps. These are the missions that have made Carlos Hathcock a legend in the brotherhood of Marines. They are powerful, chilling – and all true.
November 11, 1918. With the end of the great war in sight and the trenches packed with young men eager to avoid being the last to die. Vainglorious and vengeful allied generals ordered their troops to press on against an already beaten Germany. The result? Eleven thousand casualties. Here bestselling author, Joseph E. Persico, re-creates one of the most tragic days in human history by following ordinary soldier’s lives and illuminating their fate as the end approached.
The pointless fighting on November 11 is the perfect metaphor for the four years that proceeded it. Persico sets the last day of the war in historic context with a gripping reprise of all the head led up to it - and then recounts the war’s bloody climax in a cinematic style that evokes the great tales of World War I, including all quiet on the Western front, Grand illusion, And path of glory. This book is sure to become the definitive history of the end of a conflict that one of its participants, Winston Churchill, called “the hardest, Cruelest and Least-rewarded of all the wars that have been fought.”
On an early morning in the fall of 1942, Kemp McLaughlin’s group set out for a raid on a French target. Immediately after dropping its bombs, McLaughlin’s plane was hit. A huge fire burned a four-foot hole in his wing, his waist gunner bailed out, his radio operator was wounded, the plane lost all oxygen, and his pilot put on a parachute and sat on the escape hatch, waiting for the plane to explode. And this was only McLaughlin’s first sortie.
McLaughlin went on to pilot the mission command plane on the second raid against Schweinfurt, the largest aircraft raid in history, which resulted in the destruction of 70 percent of German ball bearing capability. McLaughlin also participated in the bombing of heavy water instillations in Norway, returning to Scotland with one engine burning out and Messerschmitts in unrelenting pursuit. An especially long flight once left him out of fuel and over nurtural, where he crash landed with four generals on board, including the commander of the American forces in the European of operations.
The Mighty Eighth in WWII also includes the stories of pilots who were downed in France and Holland. They travelled under the cover of night through the countryside evading Germans who had seen their planes go down. The pilots found citizens willing to hide and help them and hide them, and they made their way through the underground networks of Europe in an effort to get back to England.
As a group leader, McLaughlin was responsible for the planning and execution of air raids, forced to follow the directives of senior (and sometimes less informed) officers. His position as one of the managers of the massive sky trains allows him to provide unique insights into the work of maintenance and armament crews, preflight briefings, and off-duty activities of the airmen. No other memoir of World War II reveals so much about both the actual bombing runs against Germany and the management of personal and material that made those airborne armadas possible.
Our Mission
At Rally Point Books, our mission is to connect readers with stories, knowledge, and history that inspire curiosity, foster understanding, and preserve the lessons of the past. Founded by friends who share a passion for reading, history, and living history reenactment, we are dedicated to providing carefully selected books that educate, entertain, and encourage lifelong learning.
We strive to be more than just an online bookstore—we aim to be a gathering place for readers, history enthusiasts, veterans, reenactors, and anyone who appreciates the power of a great book. Through exceptional service, a commitment to quality, and a love for historical storytelling, Rally Point Books helps bring the past to life and connects people through a shared appreciation of knowledge and discovery.
Our goal is simple: to inspire readers, preserve history, and build a community one book at a time.
What’s our Rally Point?
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