Early in 1904 war broke out in German South West Africa, when the Herero tribe rose up against an oppressive colonial regime. The German army despatched to the colony brutally suppressed the uprising and set about the systematic annihilation of the Herero and Nama people. This collection of essays considers many aspects of this war of extermination. Edward Neather adds an introduction that situates these events in the context for the great African land rush by European powers and shows how racism, concentration camps and genocide in the German colony foreshadow the crimes committed during Hitler'ss Third Reich.

De Gaulle called it a 'fatal avenue' - that broad sweep of low-lying country stretching north east of Paris. Over the centuries, invading armies have swept back and forth over this bloody terrain, and the names of battles fought here read like a dictionary of military history - from Agincourt, Calais and Crecy to Verdun, Vimy and Ypres. Fatal Avenue is both a history and a guide - a unique study of a region that has witnessed more bitter military conflict than any other area of its size on earth.

The physical conditions of jungle warfare and the closeness of contact with the enemy pose unique problems and call for special soldiering skills. Colonel John Cross, a life long Gurkha officer, has an unrivalled knowledge of this demanding warfare and uses it to best advantage in this instructive yet personal account of techniques and experiences. He uses examples from British and Japanese sides in the Second World War and goes on to demonstrate how tactics and strategy developed in the Malay, Borneo and Indo-China theatres thereafter. He laces his work with vivid recollections and assessments of friend and foe along with entertaining anecdotes from a wide range of sources. This excellent book offers a perfect blend of factual military history and personal recollection and the reader gains a unique insight into this most challenging form of warfare.