Loose Cannons: 101 Myths, Mishaps and Misadventurers of Military History (General Military)

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?

From the author of Sticklers, Sideburns, and Bikinis comes this funny, often irreverent look at two thousand years of lies, inaccuracies, propaganda, deceit, downright foolishness, and little-known facts from the ars militaria.

On Hitler:
[No one] ever produced 'proof' of Hitler having won the Iron Cross, Second Class without which the First Class could not be awarded. He was a liar, but his favorite WWI yarn, about his life being spared by a British soldier who had him dead in his sights, is unfortunately true. It seems we have Private Henry Tandy VC, then of the Green Howards, to thank for all the fun of Round 2 with Germany.

On Che Guevara:
The darling of week-end rebels and champagne socialists, Guevara continues to be lauded by the intellectually bankrupt who sport his image on T-shirts, making Guevara the only racist, mass murderer to become a fashion-accessory. He neither lived nor died a hero and almost everything trumpeted about him is false.

On the Lusitania:
She was not an American liner; she was not sunk on her maiden voyage; she was not an 'innocent' sunk without warning by the nasty Germans; the incident was not responsible for America's entry into WW1, and as for British connivance into her sinking, the jury is still out on that.

On breast enhancement surgery:
One of the more unusual 'developments' from WWII, to say the least, but modern breast enhancement techniques were a direct result of the American occupation of post-war Japan.

Library Journal

In his intriguing and opinionated look back at various military episodes and circumstances throughout history, Donald (Sticklers, Sideburns, and Bikinis) seeks to clear the fog of war with some trivia. The results may surprise, shock, or amuse depending on the particular tidbit. Readers will find out the reality behind the World War II radio announcer named Tokyo Rose and learn of U.S. involvement in Pancho Villa's assassination in 1923, not to mention the supposed world travels of a certain appendage belonging to Napoléon. There's also Che Guevara beyond the iconic image and numerous misquotes put right. Many may know a good deal of this material, but there's lots of pertinent information for those who love history trivia and getting their facts straight.

From the author of Sticklers, Sideburns, and Bikinis comes this funny, often irreverent look at two thousand years of lies, inaccuracies, propaganda, deceit, downright foolishness, and little-known facts from the ars militaria. On "[No one] ever produced 'proof' of Hitler having won the Iron Cross, Second Class without which the First Class could not be awarded. He was a liar, but his favorite WWI yarn, about his life being spared by a British soldier who had him dead in his sights, is unfortunately true. It seems we have Private Henry Tandy VC, then of the Green Howards, to thank for all the fun of Round 2 with Germany." On Che "The darling of week-end rebels and champagne socialists, Guevara continues to be lauded by the intellectually bankrupt who sport his image on T-shirts, making Guevara the only racist, mass murderer to become a fashion-accessory. He neither lived nor died a hero and almost everything trumpeted about him is false." On the She was not an American liner; she was not sunk on her maiden voyage; she was not an 'innocent' sunk without warning by the nasty Germans; the incident was not responsible for America's entry into WW1, and as for British connivance into her sinking, the jury is still out on that. On breast enhancement One of the more unusual 'developments' from WWII, to say the least, but modern breast enhancement techniques were a direct result of the American occupation of post-war Japan. 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? "I ONLY REGRET THAT I HAVE BUT ONE LIFE TO GIVE FOR MY COUNTRY''I SHALL RETURN'; 'ICH BIN EIN BERLINER'; 'IN THE NAME OF THE GREAT JEHOVAH AND THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS'; 'LAFAYETTE, WE ARE HERE'; 'MOTHER OF ALL ... '; 'NOW I AM BECOME DEATH, THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS'; 'NUTS!'; 'ONLY GOOD INDIAN IS A DEAD INDIAN'; 'PEACE IN OUR TIME'; 'PECCAVI!'; 'RUM, SODOMY AND THE LASH'; 'SEND MORE JAPS'; 'SHOOT IF YOU MUST, THIS OLD GREY HEAD, BUT SPARE YOUR COUNTRY'S FLAG'; 'TEUFELSHUNDEN!'; 'THEY COULDN'T HIT AN ELEPHANT FROM ... '; 'UP GUARDS AND AT 'EM'; 'VENI! VIDI! VICI!'; 'WE WILL BURY YOU." The relief of which besieged 19th-century British General put Thomas Cook Travel on the map? Was Hitler really a mono-testicular vegetarian obsessed by the occult? How effective was the CIA's scheme to infiltrate cats with listening devices into the Kremlin? Did Khrushchev really tell the West in 1956 'We will bury you'? Was Napoleon really shorter than average, and did he die 'prematurely' as it was forecast would happen? 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; there was no The author reveals all in an exposé, which makes a mockery of the military misconceptions that many people accept as the undisputed truth, offering such revelations as: there was no "Boston Massacre" and General MacArthur never promised "I shall return."