After failing to finish off the German Army in the 1941/42 Winter Counter offensive Stalin directed the Red Army to conduct a powerful blow in one sector of the Eastern Front in order to disrupt German plans. The sector chosen was Kharkov. Under Marshal Semyon Timoshenko the Stavkas remaining reserves were assembled & prepared to conduct a breakthrough attack intended to encircle the German Sixth Army near Kharkov. However Stalin was unaware that the Germans were planning their own riposte at Kharkov known as Operation Fredericus. When Timoshenko began his offensive in May 1942 he did not realize the limitations of his own forces or the agility of the Germans to recover from setbacks all of which contributed to one of the Red Army greatest defeats of World War II. This volume will pay particular attention to intelligence & logistics issues as well as how this campaign served as a prelude to the battle of Stalingrad. It will also focus on the nascent development of the Red Armys tank corps & deep battle tactics as well as the revival of the German Panzertruppen after Barbarossa. ...

Between February & March 1943 Ukraines second town Kharkov was the scene of a fierce struggle between the Red Army & Axis troops. Feeling optimistic after the Stalingrad triumph Stalin thought that his adversaries were in full flight. But Feldmarschall von Manstein kept a cool head. Thanks to the SS-Panzerkorps which had just been created he planned a counteroffensive. In mid-February the SS army corps managed to extricate itself from Kharkov with great difficulty & a few days later launched the great counterattack. In three weeks the Red Army found itself in full retreat & with great difficulty managed to get out of the grips of the enemy who demonstrated its great mastery of the war of movement. The SS recaptured Kharkov a month after losing it but by doing so probably deprived von Manstein of an even greater victory. The situation stabilised with the thaw leaving both adversaries completely exhausted. Although the situation had changed in favour of the Allies the Eastern Front now included new protagonists
- the Waffen-SS armoured units on whom Hitler was counting to work some miracles & defeat his mortal enemy.
...

This 1949 novella about the violent expulsion of Palestinian villagers by the Israeli army has long been considered a modern Hebrew masterpiece & it has also given rise to fierce controversy over the years. Published just months after the end of the 1948 war Khirbet Khizeh (the kh A pronounced like the ch A" in Bach A") was an immediate sensation when it first appeared. Thousands of Israeli Jews rushed to read it the critics began to argue about it & a Palestinian journalist in Nablus described it as a sign that the Israeli army had a conscience & that peace was possible. Since then the book has continued to challenge & disturb. The various debates it has prompted would themselves make Khirbet Khizeh worth reading but the novella is much more than a vital historical document: it is also a great work of art. Yizhars haunting lyrical style & charged registration of the landscape are in many ways as startling as his wrenchingly honest view of one of Israels defining moments. Despite its international reputation the book has never before been translated into English." ...

With worldwide sales of more than 22 million albums & an international audience INXS were one of the biggest bands in the world. On 22 November 1997 the death of Michael Hutchence brought the INXS story or part of it to a halt. This book puts his mysterious death in perspective. It tracks the story of the six suburban boys who achieved fame & fortune & along the way acquired a tase for the high life. ...

Kate Brannigan is truly welcome. Hot on one-liners Chinese food tabloid papers & Thai boxing she is refreshingly funny Daily Mail Kate Brannigan feisty Manchester-based PI is back investigating the bizarre case of the missing conservatories. Before Long shes up to her neck in crooked land deals mortgage scams financial chicanery -- & murder. But when a favour for a friend puts Kates own life in danger bizarre is not the first word she thinks of! ...

Plays With Attitude" are hard hitting one hour plays written to appeal to teenage audiences & performers. " Kick Off" is a comic intrigue in a boarding school where rivalries seize. At a home match with arch rivals Mill Spill a valuable football league cup is stolen. The home team loses the match the cup & their confidence! There follows fast paced chases mimed football sequences puns slapstick humour & an unexpected conclusion. The play can be used for group work drama lessons & full-scale productions." ...

Sol Kit & Ben are on a space rocket. They are off to a big hot sun! But it can be dull on a rocket. So how do they keep on the ball? Kick Off to the Sun" is a story about a trio of football crazy space adventurers with full colour illustrations throughout. Part of " Goal! Level 2" the text introduces the main graphemes & phonemes. Some higher level football vocabulary is also featured." ...

There is no such thing as an alcoholic & there is no such disease as alcoholism! (as society understands it). Whether you agree with this statement or not one thing is for sure you will never see alcohol in the same light ever again after reading this book. Jason Vale takes an honest & hard hitting look at people's conceptions of our most widely consumed drug. Jason's major argument is there is no such thing as an 'alcoholic' & that we are conditioned to accept alcohol as a 'normal' substance in today's society despite the fact that it is the major cause of many of today's social problems & a wide range of health issues. This book is much more than a simple eye opener it will: change the way you see alcohol forever; show you how to stop drinking; & help you enjoy the process & enjoy your life so much more than you do now without having to drink alcohol. So open your mind & take a journey with Jason to explore the myths about the most used & accepted drug addiction in the world! ...

Now introducing Kick!" which does for kids what " Gallop!" does for animals
- one child rides a bike another kicks
...

The greatest super hero story of all time is finally here! Acclaimed writer Mark Millar (Wanted") & award-winning artist John Romita Jr. (" Amazing Spider-Man") unite for one of 21st centurys most outrageous & acclaimed series! Dave Lizewski is just an ordinary American teenager. He has a My Space page he loves comic books & he is unable to find a girlfriend. Then an idea hits him: why not become a real life super hero? Soon his life will never be the same again. Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Matthew Vaughn & Jane Goldman " Kick-Ass" starts where other super hero stories draw the line taking comic book realism to a whole new level! Warning: This title is for adults only!" ...