Ebook379 pages5 hours
Loose Cannons: 101 Myths, Mishaps and Misadventurers of Military History
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
2.5/5
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About this ebook
A unique look at the military misconceptions that we take for granted, and a revelation of the truth behind the lies.
Who tried to bomb Japan with bats? Who invented the air-gun in 250BC? Which stories should we believe? The so-called Dambusters raid was all but ineffective; the Hurricane not the Spitfire was the champion of the Battle of Britain; Singapore did not fall because all the guns were pointing the wrong way' and who would go to war over a game of football, a pig, or an old bucket?
Oppenheimer fluffed his lines after the first atomic test; virtually every well-known quote attributed the Duke of Wellington is wrong; Churchill had a BBC voice impersonator record all his famous WW2 speeches as he was invariably too busy or too 'tired and emotional' to do it himself and no-one at the time called WW1 'The War to end all Wars'.
Will you believe the truth?
Who tried to bomb Japan with bats? Who invented the air-gun in 250BC? Which stories should we believe? The so-called Dambusters raid was all but ineffective; the Hurricane not the Spitfire was the champion of the Battle of Britain; Singapore did not fall because all the guns were pointing the wrong way' and who would go to war over a game of football, a pig, or an old bucket?
Oppenheimer fluffed his lines after the first atomic test; virtually every well-known quote attributed the Duke of Wellington is wrong; Churchill had a BBC voice impersonator record all his famous WW2 speeches as he was invariably too busy or too 'tired and emotional' to do it himself and no-one at the time called WW1 'The War to end all Wars'.
Will you believe the truth?
Author
Graeme Donald
Graeme Donald has been researching the origins of words, nursery rhymes, superstitions and popular misconceptions for many years and has published nine previous books, most recently Fighting Talk and Sticklers, Sideburns and Bikinis for Osprey Publishing. He wrote a daily column for Today newspaper for the ten years of its publication and has also written for The Mirror and The Age in Melbourne.
Read more from Graeme Donald
Fake History: From Mozart's Murder to Cleopatra's Asp Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mysteries of History: Unravelling the Truth from the Myths of Our Past Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sticklers, Sideburns and Bikinis: The military origins of everyday words and phrases Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn on the Loo: Making Your Me Time More Productive Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLies, Damned Lies and History: A Catalogue of Historical Errors and Misunderstandings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Accidental Scientist: The Role of Chance and Luck in Scientific Discovery Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Long and the Short of It: How We Came to Measure Our World Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5
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Reviews for Loose Cannons
Rating: 2.4 out of 5 stars
2.5/5
5 ratings1 review
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This book is very entertaining and easy to read. But, without references, I put no credence in its statements. I therefore didn't read much of it (a little over 10%).It is a small book, height and depth-wise.
Book preview
Loose Cannons - Graeme Donald
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