Military Audiobooks | History

Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betray

The incredible true story of Ana Montes, the most damaging female spy in US history, drawing upon never-before-seen material and to be published upon her release from prison, for readers of Agent Sonya and A Woman of No Importance. Just days after the 9-11 attacks, a senior Pentagon analyst eased her red Toyota Echo into traffic and headed to work. She never saw the undercover cars tracking her every turn. As she settled into her cubicle on the 6th floor of the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, FBI Agents and twitchy DIA officers were hiding in nearby offices. For this was the day that Ana Montes--the US Intelligence Community superstar who had just won a prestigious fellowship at the CIA--was to be arrested and publicly exposed as a secret agent for Cuba. Like spies Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen before her, Ana Montes blindsided her colleagues with brazen acts of treason. For nearly 17 years, Montes succeeded in two high-stress jobs. By day, she was one of the government's top Cuba experts, a buttoned-down GS-14 with shockingly easy access to classified documents. By night, she was on the clock for Fidel Castro, listening to coded messages over shortwave radio, passing US secrets to handlers in local restaurants, and slipping into Havana wearing a wig. Montes didn't just deceive her country. Her betrayal was intensely personal. Her mercurial father was a former US Army Colonel. Her brother and sister-in-law were FBI Special Agents. And her only sister, Lucy, also worked her entire career for the Bureau. The highlight of her distinguished 31 years as a Miami-based language specialist: Helping the FBI flush Cuban spies out of the United States. Little did Lucy or her family know that the greatest Cuban spy of all was sitting right next to them at Thanksgivings, baptisms, and weddings. In Code Name Blue Wren, investigative journalist Jim Popkin weaves the tale of two sisters who chose two very different paths, plus the unsung heroes who had to fight to bring Ana to justice. With exclusive access to a "Secret" CIA behavioral profile of Ana, family memoirs, and Ana's incriminating letters from prison, Popkin reveals the making of a traitor-a woman labelled "one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history" by America's top counter-intelligence official. After more than two decades in federal prison, Montes will be freed in January 2023. Code Name Blue Wren is a thrilling detective tale, an insider's look at the clandestine world of espionage, and an intimate exploration of the dark side of betrayal. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Jim Popkin (Author), Jim Popkin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Ohne Panzer ohne Straßen: Beginn des Russlandfeldzugs

Wachtmeister Hohberg, der im Frankreichfeldzug gekämpft hat, wird zum Leutnant befördert. Es geht in den Osten. Mit dem Angriff des Großdeutschen Reiches auf die Sowjetunion wird der deutsch-sowjetische Nichtangriffspakt gebrochen. Nach anfänglichen Erfolgen wird schnell klar, dass sich der Gegner nicht so einfach bezwingen lässt. Das unbekannte Land und die Wetterlage verschärfen die Probleme. Mehrmals führt Leutnant Hohberg die Batterie an und wartet vergeblich auf die Unterstützung durch Panzer. Der fehlende Nachschub, Feuerüberfälle und Fliegerangriffe machen ein Durchdringen unmöglich. Ihm ist klar, dass sie rechtzeitig den Donez erreichen müssen, denn der Winter in Russland ist unberechenbar ...

Franz Taut (Author), Klaus G. Förg (Narrator)

Audiobook

Save the Last Bullet: Memoir of a Boy Soldier in Hitler's Army

Willi Langbein was just thirteen when the Nazis took him away from his parents under the pretense of protecting him. Their real reason was to turn him into cannon-fodder for use against Hitler’s enemies. Deployed to the collapsing Eastern Front in the last days of the war, Willi, now aged fourteen, and his schoolmates were ordered to stave off the relentless Russian advance. None were expected to return alive from the final battles of the Third Reich. Yet, against all odds, Willi does survive but his ordeal is far from over. He returns home to find everything he knows destroyed. Numb and confused, he is mandated to serve one year of forced farm labor. After his release, he gradually realizes that all he was taught to believe in was a lie and he sinks into depression. Eventually, thanks to his friendship with a kind British soldier, he begins to heal. It begins to dawn on him that he can play a part to ensure that the evil he witnessed is never repeated. Ultimately, he succeeds by earning the Medal of European Merit in 1979 for his contribution to the advancement of European democracy. Willi’s graphic and moving story, told from a Nazi child soldier’s perspective, is an inspiring memoir of lost innocence and despair, but also of determination and hope restored.

Heidi Langbein-Allen, Wilhelm Langbein (Author), Paul Cheall (Narrator)

Audiobook

If You Wake at Midnight

This is the story of the greatest scandal inflicted on British servicemen and women in modern times: drug-induced violence and suicide – and an officer determined to find the truth. It was supposed to be a wonder drug that would save the world from malaria. But soon after Lariam was brought to international markets in the late 1980s, users of this handy, once-a-week pill began to experience shocking side-effects. Yet over the coming decades, as the drug became implicated in ever-increasing acts of unexplained violence, homicide and suicide, the Ministry of Defence continued to force Lariam on tens, or perhaps hundreds, of thousands of unsuspecting people deployed to some of the world’s most dangerous places. Enduring years of Lariam-induced nightmares, former soldier Andrew Marriott realised something was horribly wrong; not just with the drug itself but with the institutions responsible for its use and safety. So began a journey towards the truth, a truth that vested interests in the United Kingdom and around the globe were determined to conceal.

Andrew Marriott (Author), Matthew Fuller (Narrator)

Audiobook

Objective Secure

Nick Lavery is an active-duty Green Beret within the United States Army Special Forces. Although injuries sustained in combat resulted in the above-the-knee amputation of his leg - Nick not only remained in the Army, he returned to his Special Forces detachment and continues conducting combat operations to this day. Objective Secure is the methodology Nick employed to return to operational status. IT is also the methodology he uses today as he continues this unprecedented journey in service to his country. It is a battle-tested guide forged by fire - literally. Strap in for an impactful ride as Nick methodically explains the objective secure philosophy and system while also providing insight into the events surrounding its necessary creation and implementation. The intent is simple - provide readers the tools necessary to achieve any goal no matter how farfetched, unlikely, or impractical it may seem. Period.

Nick Lavery (Author), Eric Elam, Nick Lavery (Narrator)

Audiobook

Hamilcar Barca: The Life and Legacy of the Legendary Carthaginian General

Carthage was one of the great ancient civilizations, and at its peak, the wealthy Carthaginian empire dominated the Mediterranean against the likes of Greece and Rome, with commercial enterprises and influence stretching from Spain to Turkey. In fact, at several points in history it had a very real chance of replacing the fledgling Roman empire or the failing Greek poleis (city-states) altogether as master of the Mediterranean. Although Carthage by far preferred to exert economic pressure and influence before resorting to direct military power (and even went so far as to rely primarily on mercenary armies paid with its vast wealth for much of its history, it nonetheless produced a number of outstanding generals, from the likes of Hanno Magnus to, of course, the great bogeyman of Roman nightmares himself: Hannibal. Certain foreign policy decisions led to continuing enmity between Carthage and the burgeoning power of Rome, and what followed was a series of wars which turned from a battle for Mediterranean hegemony into an all-out struggle for survival. Although the Romans gained the upper hand in the wake of the First Punic War, the Carthaginians brought the Romans to their knees for over a decade during the Second Punic War. Of course, they were led in Italy by the legendary Hannibal Barca, who maintained his army near Rome for nearly 15 years, but never attempted to march on Rome. One overlooked figure in the Punic Wars is Hamilcar Barca, who is now best remembered for being Hannibal’s father. However, before Hannibal marched out of Spain, it was Hamilcar who had positioned forces there, and he was already a significant historical figure in his own right. Indeed, had it not been for his death, his legacy likely would have been more important than that of his illustrious son, who is now remembered as one of history’s greatest generals.

Charles River Editors (Author), Colin Fluxman (Narrator)

Audiobook

The View from My Foxhole: A Marine Private's Firsthand World War II Combat Experience from Guadalcan

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, millions of young American men were eager to join up and defend their country. William Swanson was among them. The View from My Foxhole tells William Swanson's story of fighting in the jungles of Bougainville and Guam and the ash heap of Iwo Jima. Through it he maintains his sense of humor and thanks his lucky stars for every day he survives. From The View from My Foxhole: We move past the torn bodies of our buddies, hoping and praying that we will be spared, yet knowing in our hearts that many will not. Fear is on me again-fear of death, of course-but I have found that it is relatively easy to resign oneself to death and, on occasion, even welcome the thing. It is really the violence, the pain, the suddenness, and unpredictability of events that tear our insides. We cannot be sure of anything-not the next step or the next second-and that is the real terror.

William Swanson (Author), Michael Butler Murray (Narrator)

Audiobook

Winston Churchill: A Biography of a British Prime Minister

WINSTON CHURCHILLSir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill’s seemingly evergreen legacy has lived long past his death on January 24, 1965. He was a man who, despite the challenges he faced over the course of his life, showed great determination, intellect, political wisdom, and unparalleled leadership skills. Churchill was born on November 30, 1874, into a world much different than our own, yet there is much we can and should learn from his story. He rose to political prominence before World War I, and over the course of his political career, he came into conflict or alliance with some of history’s other big names, like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, among others. This book aims to provide a quick look into the life, achievements, lessons, and legacy of one of the most prominent leaders in recent memory, Sir Winston Churchill.

Joseph Greene (Author), Jason Renault (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Traitor of Colditz

It is the depths of the second world war. The Germans like to boast that there is 'no escape' from the infamous fortress that is Colditz. The elite British officers imprisoned there are determined to prove the Nazis wrong and get back into the war. As the war heats up and the stakes are raised, the Gestapo plant a double-agent inside the prison in a bid to uncover the secrets of the British prisoners. Captain Julius Green of the Army Dental Corps and Sergeant John 'Busty' Brown must risk their lives in a bid to save the lives of hundreds of Allied servicemen and protect the secrets of MI9. Drawn from unseen records, The Traitor of Colditz brings to light an extraordinary, never-before-told story from the Second World War, an epic tale of how MI9 took on the Nazis and exposed the traitors in their midst.

Robert Verkaik (Author), Jonathan Keeble (Narrator)

Audiobook

Point Man

Chief Petty Officer James 'Patches' Watson was there at the start. One of the first to come out of the famed Underwater Demolition Team 21, he was an initial member-a 'plank owner'-of America's deadliest and most elite fighting force, the U.S. Navy SEALs. Through three tours in the jungle hell of Vietnam, he walked the point-staying alert to trip wires, booby traps, and punji pits, guiding his squad of amphibious fighters on missions of rescue, reconnaissance, and demolition-confronting a war's unique terrors head-on, unprotected . . . and unafraid. This is the story of a hero told from the heart and from the gut-an authentic tour of duty with one of the most legendary commandoes of the Vietnam War.

Chief James Watson, Kevin Dockery (Author), David De Vries (Narrator)

Audiobook

Chuck Yeager: World War II Fighter Pilot

For Dutton Caliber's American War Heroes series, the riveting true story of United States Air Force officer, flying ace, and record-setting test pilot Chuck Yeager. Bold, brash, and brimming with courage, Chuck Yeager burst onto the scene as a national hero in 1947, when he became the first to fly an airplane faster than the speed of sound. Yet even before his days as America's most famous test pilot, Yeager was a young fighter ace in the US Army Air Force, flying a P-51 Mustang over Nazi-occupied Europe. His exploits are the stuff of legend. Soon after downing his first enemy fighter, Yeager, too, was shot down, surviving thanks to the help of the French Resistance and his own skills as a bomb maker-and earned a Bronze Star for saving the life of a fellow American. Against regulation, and only with the approval of General Eisenhower himself, Yeager returned to duty as a fighter pilot. While fiercely protecting Allied bombers, he shot down eleven enemy planes, including a lightning-fast Messerschmitt Me 262, the world's first jet-powered airplane, and completed more than sixty missions. In Chuck Yeager, acclaimed author Don Keith tells the true story of the American icon during the war in which Yeager first proved he had the right stuff. Cover image courtesy of the San Diego Air & Space Museum

Don Keith (Author), Josh Robert Thompson (Narrator)

Audiobook

Leading the Way to Victory: A History of the 60th Troop Carrier Group 1940–1945

Leading the Way to Victory is the official history of the 60th Troop Carrier Group, featuring unpublished first-person accounts by participating veterans and expertly written by retired USAF Colonel Mark C. Vlahos, combat veteran and former Vice Wing Commander of 314th Airlift Wing at the Little Rock Air Force Base. The December 7, 1941, surprise attack on Pearl Harbor thrust the United States into World War II. Just six months later in May 1942, flying new C-47 transport aircraft, the 60th Troop Carrier Group led the way as the first U.S. TCG to deploy to England and the European Theater of Operations in World War II. Leading the way to victory, the 60th TCG’s first mission—dropping U.S. paratroopers outside of Oran, North Africa—was not only the first combat airborne mission in U.S. Army history, but also the longest airborne mission of the entire war. This drop spearheaded Operation TORCH, also known as the Invasion of North Africa, by taking key Axis airfields just inland from the amphibious landing zones. The 60th TCG went on to fly some of the first combat aeromedical evacuation missions and the first combat mission towing CG-4A “Waco” gliders during Operation HUSKY—the Invasion of Sicily. As the new airborne, air land, aeromedical evacuation, and glider missions matured in World War II, the 60th TCG continued to play a major role, paying in blood for valuable lessons learned in the school of hard knocks. The group later flew dramatic missions into Yugoslavia, supporting Partisans as part ofthe secret war in the Balkans, an episode of World War II history still all but unknown today and dropped British paratroops in the airborne invasion of Greece. The Group was inactivated at the end of the war. Drawing on official United States Army Air Forces microfilm records, operational records in the National Archives, photographs from both collections, published historical materials, and many personal accounts, author Mark C. Vlahos’ expertly written and highly readable volume is certain to become the standard history and go-to reference for the 60th TCG. This work offers scholars and lay readers alike an authoritative, informative, and engaging saga of the Group’s battles, adversity, hardships, and triumphs from inception through the Allied victory in Europe.

Colonel Mark C. Vlahos (Author), Peter Bradbury (Narrator)

Audiobook

Military Audiobooks in History