Thrilling Stories of Military History for Father’s Day

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, by Erik Larson
Written by the bestselling author of The Devil in the White City, Dead Wake is the story of the  last, doomed voyage of the RMS Lusitania, but it stretches far beyond the confines of that beautiful ship to include British spies, German U-boat captains, booksellers, architects, and the President of the United States. Widely lauded, Dead Wake is a glamorous and tragic tale that provides a new look at an old story—and through its attention to people and to detail, a new look at one of the inciting incidents of World War I.

Legend: A Harrowing Story from the Vietnam War of One Green Beret’s Heroic Mission to Rescue a Special Forces Team Caught Behind Enemy Lines, by Eric Blehm
Legend is the story of the U.S. Army’s 240th Assault Helicopter Company and Green Beret Staff Sergeant Roy Benavidez, who risked his life to rescue a stranded Special Forces team surrounded by enemy combatants. After receiving a distress call from the desperate squad, Benavidez took a helicopter to the combat zone, ran a hundred yards through gunfire, was seriously wounded, and managed to organize a rescue mission to extract every remaining survivor despite being bayoneted and bombarded by shrapnel. An astounding story of personal bravery and sacrifice.

Among Heroes: A U.S. Navy SEAL’s True Story of Friendship, Heroism, and the Ultimate Sacrifice, by Brandon Webb, with John David Mann
From bestselling author and former Navy SEAL sniper comes a beautiful tribute to those who give their lives in the line of duty. During his time both as a SEAL and as course manager of the SEAL’s sniper training program, Webb met and befriended eight men who later died in combat. Among Heroes is their story—eight tales of life, of sacrifice, of friendship, and of courage.

Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles, by Bernard Cornwell
For almost two centuries, the battle of Waterloo has stood large in history and in cultural imagination: tens of thousands of dead, Napoleon defeated, and an end to the string of wars that had plagued Europe since the French Revolution. Bestselling historical novelist Bernard Cornwell turns his focus to nonfiction to create a meticulously researched, illuminating, and exciting account of the battle and the key players involved in it. An excellent book for anyone who enjoys well-told, well-researched histories.

Rescue at Los Baños: The Most Daring Prison Camp Raid of World War II, by Bruce Henderson
In February 1945, conditions were becoming desperate at the Los Baños prison camp in the Philippines. Most of the prisoners were American, and their mistreatment became so brutal that the American military began to fear they would not survive. General Douglas MacArthur sent the 11th Airborne Division to conduct an incredibly dangerous raid on the camp. Later called “the textbook operation for all ages and all armies” by General Colin Powell, the Los Baños prison raid received little media attention (the famous Iwo Jima flag-raising photograph was taken on the same day). Rescue at Los Baños provides an astonishing, gripping account of survival and daring.

The Hunter Killers: The Extraordinary Story of the First Wild Weasels, the Band of Maverick Aviators Who Flew the Most Dangerous Missions of the Vietnam War, by Dan Hampton
Former U.S. Air Force pilot Dan Hampton provides a breathless recreation of the missions of the “Hunter Killers,” men who were part of the highly experimental, extraordinarily dangerous, and very classified Wild Weasel I program. In 1965, Soviet advisors to North Korea began to use SA-2 surface-to-air missiles, prompting the Pentagon to develop a new kind of fighter jet combat. The Hunter Killers contains recreations of these potentially deadly missions, making use of first-hand accounts and photographs. It is a thoughtful examination of a little-known aspect of the political and military context surrounding the Vietnam War.
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