Jeff Shaara kwam naar voren als een vooraanstaand historisch romanschrijver na de dood van zijn vader, Michael Shaara, auteur van het veelgeprezen "The Killer Angels". Ondanks dat hij geen eerdere schrijfervaring had, voelde Jeff zich genoodzaakt om de literaire nalatenschap van zijn vader voort te zetten, met een focus op historische verhalen, met name die gericht op de Amerikaanse Burgeroorlog. Zijn schrijfstijl wordt gekenmerkt door nauwgezette historische details en een diepgaande verkenning van het menselijke element in oorlogvoering. Shaara's werk duikt in thema's als eer, opoffering en de zware gevolgen van conflicten voor individuen en de natie.
In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt watches uneasily as the world heads rapidly down a dangerous path. The Japanese have waged an aggressive campaign against China, and they now begin to expand their ambitions to other parts of Asia. As their expansion efforts grow bolder, their enemies know that Japan's ultimate goal is total conquest over the region, especially when the Japanese align themselves with Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy, who wage their own war of conquest across Europe. Meanwhile, the British stand nearly alone against Hitler, and there is pressure in Washington to transfer America's powerful fleet of warships from Hawaii to the Atlantic to join the fight against German U-boats that are devastating shipping. But despite deep concerns about weakening the Pacific fleet, no one believes that the main base at Pearl Harbor is under any real threat. Told through the eyes of widely diverse characters, this story looks at all sides of the drama and puts the reader squarely in the middle
"No Less Than Victory" by Jeff Shaara explores the intense Battle of the Bulge following the Allies' success at Normandy. Through the perspectives of key figures like Eisenhower and Patton, as well as German leaders, the book vividly depicts the fierce American resistance against Hitler's desperate counteroffensive.
In Rise to Rebellion, bestselling author Jeff Shaara captured the origins of the American Revolution as brilliantly as he depicted the Civil War in Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure. Now he continues the amazing saga of how thirteen colonies became a nation, taking the conflict from kingdom and courtroom to the bold and bloody battlefields of war. It was never a war in which the outcome was obvious. Despite their spirit and stamina, the colonists were out manned and outfought by the brazen British army. General George Washington found his troops trounced in the battles of Brooklyn and Manhattan and retreated toward Pennsylvania. With the future of the colonies at its lowest ebb, Washington made his most fateful decision: to cross the Delaware River and attack the enemy. The stunning victory at Trenton began a saga of victory and defeat that concluded with the British surrender at Yorktown, a moment that changed the history of the world. The despair and triumph of America's first great army is conveyed in scenes as powerful as any Shaara has written, a story told from the points of view of some of the most memorable characters in American history. There is George Washington, the charismatic leader who held his army together to achieve an unlikely victory; Charles Cornwallis, the no-nonsense British general, more than a match for his colonial counterpart; Nathaniel Greene, who rose from obscurity to become the finest battlefield commander in Washington's army; The Marquis de Lafayette, the young Frenchman who brought a soldier's passion to America; and Benjamin Franklin, a brilliant man of science and philosophy who became the finest statesman of his day. From Nathan Hale to Benedict Arnold, William Howe to Light Horse Harry Lee, from Trenton and Valley Forge, Brandywine and Yorktown, the American Revolution's most immortal characters and poignant moments are brought to life in remarkable Shaara style. Yet, The Glorious Cause is more than just a story of the legendary six-year struggle. It is a tribute to an amazing people who turned ideas into action and fought to declare themselves free. Above all, it is a riveting novel that both expands and surpasses its beloved author's best work
"From New York Times bestselling author Jeff Shaara comes the riveting final installment in the Civil War series that began with A Blaze of Glory and continued in A Chain of Thunder and The Smoke at Dawn. November 1864: As the Civil War rolls into its fourth bloody year, the tide has turned decidedly in favor of the Union. A grateful Abraham Lincoln responds to Ulysses S. Grant's successes by bringing the general east, promoting Grant to command the entire Union war effort, while William Tecumseh Sherman now directs the Federal forces that occupy all of Tennessee. In a massive surge southward, Sherman conquers the city of Atlanta, sweeping aside the Confederate army under the inept leadership of General John Bell Hood. Pushing through northern Georgia, Sherman's legendary "March to the Sea" shoves away any Rebel presence, and by Christmas 1864 the city of Savannah falls into the hands of "Uncle Billy." Now there is but one direction for Sherman to go. In his way stands the last g
General Dwight Eisenhower commands a diverse army that must destroy Hitler’s European fortress. On the coast of France, German commander Erwin Rommel prepares for the coming invasion, as the Führer thwarts the strategies Rommel knows will succeed. Meanwhile, Sergeant Jesse Adams, a veteran of the 82nd Airborne, parachutes with his men behind German lines. And as the invasion force surges toward the beaches of Normandy, Private Tom Thorne of the 29th Infantry Division faces the horrifying prospects of fighting his way ashore on Omaha Beach, a stretch of coast more heavily defended than the Allied commanders anticipate. From G.I. to general, this story carries us through the war’s most crucial juncture, the invasion that altered the flow of the war, and, ultimately, changed history.
"Summer 1863. The Federal Triumph at Vicksburg has secured complete control of the Mississippi River from the Confederacy, cementing the reputation of Ulysses S. Grant. Farther east, Federal forces under the command of William Rosecrans are routed in north Georgia at Chickamauga Creek. Retreating in a panic back to Chattanooga, Rosecrans's army seems doomed to the same kind of defeat that plagued the Confederates at Vicksburg. A disgusted Abraham Lincoln has seen enough. He elevates Grant to command of the entire theater of the war. After replacing Rosecrans, Grant gathers an enormous force, including armies commanded by Joseph Hooker and Grant's friend William T. Sherman. The mission is clear: break the Confederate siege and destroy General Braxton Bragg's army, already rife with dissension and disharmony. Blending evocative historical detail with searing depictions of battle, Jeff Shaara vividly re-creates the climactic months of the war in the West, when the fate of a divided nation truly hangs in the balance."--Back cover
In the Pulitzer prize–winning classic The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara created the finest Civil War novel of our time. The Last Full Measure tells the epic story of the events following the Battle of Gettysburg and brings to life the final two years of the Civil War. Jeff Shaara dramatizes the escalating confrontation between Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant—complicated, heroic, and deeply troubled men. For Lee and his Confederate forces, Gettysburg has been an unspeakable disaster, but he is determined to fight to the bitter end; he faces Grant, the decisive, hard-nosed leader the Union army so desperately needs in order to turn the tide of the war. From the costly Battle of the Wilderness to the agonizing seize of Petersburg to Lee’s epoch-making surrender at Appomattox, Shaara portrays the riveting conclusion of the Civil War through the minds and hearts of the individuals who gave their last full measure.
In May 1863, after months of hard and bitter combat, Union troops under the command of Major General Ulysses S. Grant at long last successfully cross the Mississippi River. They force the remnants of Confederate Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton's army to retreat to Vicksburg, burning the bridges over the Big Black River in its path. But after sustaining heavy casualties in two failed assaults against the rebels, Union soldiers are losing confidence and morale is low. Grant reluctantly decides to lay siege to the city, trapping soldiers and civilians alike inside an iron ring of Federal entrenchments. Ten days later, the starving and destitute Southerners finally surrender, yielding command of the Mississippi River to the Union forces on July 4 - Independence Day - and marking a crucial turning point in the Civil War. Drawing on comprehensive research and his own intimate knowledge of the Vicksburg Campaign, Jeff Shaara once again weaves brilliant fiction out of the ragged cloth of historical fact. From the command tents where generals plot strategy to the ruined mansions where beleaguered citizens huddle for safety, this is a panoramic portrait of men and women whose lives are forever altered by the siege
Jeff Shaara recounts in electrifying detail the U.S. Navy's surge to defend its country in what will become known as one of the most definitive and heroic examples of combat ever seen: the Battle of Midway. In this biting new tale, Shaara shares the stories of all ranks and the unique sacrifices each man is compelled to bravely make for the sake of country, freedom, and honour. Author of "To Wake the Giant." Spring 1942. The United States is reeling from the blow inflicted at Pearl Harbor, but is determined to turn the tide. The key comes from Commander Joe Rochefort, a little known "code breaker" who cracks the Japanese military encryption. Admiral Chester Nimitz will know precisely what the Japanese are planning. On the Japanese side, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto's key subordinates are Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, aging and infirm, and Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi, a firebrand who has no patience for Nagumo's hesitation. As they play out the chess game designed by Yamamoto, they have no idea that the Americans are anticipating their every move on the sea and in the air. -- adapted from jacket