{"title":"Michael Veitch","description":"\u003cp\u003eExplore the compelling works of Michael Veitch, an acclaimed author celebrated for his thorough research and engaging storytelling. With a focus on history and military themes, his books bring to life significant events and figures that have shaped our past.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003e44 Days\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Battle of the Bismarck Sea\u003c\/em\u003e, Veitch delves into critical moments of World War II, offering readers a vivid recounting of key battles that influenced the course of history. These works provide a detailed insight into the tactical decisions and human stories behind pivotal wartime events.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith \u003cem\u003eAustralia's Secret Army\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eTurning Point\u003c\/em\u003e, Veitch sheds light on lesser-known aspects of military history, unearthing stories of bravery and strategy that highlight the resilience and ingenuity of those involved. These books are a testament to his ability to uncover and narrate hidden tales with precision and clarity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBarney Greatrex\u003c\/em\u003e is a remarkable biography that takes readers through the astonishing life of a World War II hero, capturing the courage and determination that defined an extraordinary individual. This biography and memoir category entry showcases Veitch’s talent for personal storytelling blended with historical context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eBorneo: The Last Campaign\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eHell Ship\u003c\/em\u003e, Veitch plunges into powerful episodes from the past, weaving narratives that highlight the challenges and triumphs faced by those entwined in history’s dramatic events. These works reflect his dedication to preserving and narrating important cultural and military heritage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMichael Veitch’s books are perfect for readers interested in history and military affairs, offering both educational value and captivating narratives. Immerse yourself in his expertly crafted worlds and discover the stories that continue to resonate through the ages.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"borneo-the-last-campaign-by-michael-veitch-9780733648533","title":"Borneo: The Last Campaign","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom bestselling author Michael Veitch (\u003cem\u003eAustralia's Secret Army\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eTurning Point\u003c\/em\u003e) comes the story of the brilliant, yet controversial campaign which ended Australia's involvement in World War II.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBorneo: The Last Campaign\u003c\/em\u003e tells the story of Operation OBOE, the massive, three-pronged assault on the vast Japanese-held island of Borneo in 1945. It was one of the largest amphibious invasions of the entire war and a virtually all-Australian operation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOver the final twelve weeks of World War Two, the 1st Australian Army Corps chased down and fought the remnants of the Japanese army over burning oil fields, up languid tropical rivers, along leech-ridden jungle tracks, and across endless hills, valleys, and ridges. Far from being the easy 'mopping-up' the men had been told to expect, Borneo turned out to be as savage as anything the Aussies had hitherto encountered in the Pacific, as the Japanese – despite the inevitability of their defeat – continued fighting with fanaticism, tenacity, and shocking brutality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eImmensely complex but brilliantly planned, OBOE called for Australia's two most famous Infantry Divisions - the 7th and 9th - to storm ashore at three separate landing areas supported by US and Australian naval forces and local Dyak guerrilla fighters. Their objectives were to secure Borneo's oil facilities and liberate its long-suffering people.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough now largely forgotten, as well as mired in the controversy that it had little effect on the overall outcome of the war, the skill, bravery, and determination shown by the average Australian soldier on Borneo - many of whom were fighting their one and only battle of the war - is beyond question. OBOE involved more than 70,000 Australian military personnel, of which over 2000 became casualties, with nearly 600 killed. It was also where the two final Australian Victoria Crosses of the war were won, alongside literally dozens of other awards for bravery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOBOE was superbly executed, achieved all of its objectives, and was the very last sustained Allied action of World War Two.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on a myriad of firsthand sources and interviews with the two last surviving veterans, \u003cem\u003eBorneo: The Last Campaign\u003c\/em\u003e examines the lead-up, the landings, and the campaign itself in never-before published detail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOnce again, Michael Veitch provides a compelling and fascinating account of a part of Australian war history that deserves to be recognised.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46669353976044,"sku":"9780733648533","price":36.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780733648533.jpg?v=1752727035"},{"product_id":"barney-greatrex-by-michael-veitch-9780733640902","title":"Barney Greatrex","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe incredible untold World War II story of Australian hero \u003cem\u003eBarney Greatrex\u003c\/em\u003e - from Bomber Command to French Resistance fighter.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA school and university cadet in Sydney, Barney Greatrex signed up for RAF Bomber Command in 1941, eager to get straight into the very centre of the Allied counterattack. Bombing Germany night after night, Barney's 61 Squadron faced continual enemy fighter attacks and anti-aircraft fire - death or capture by the Nazis loomed large. Very few survived more than 20 missions, and it was on his 20th mission, in 1944, that Barney's luck finally ran out: he was shot down over occupied France.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut his war was far from over. Rescued by the French Resistance, Barney seized the opportunity to carry on fighting and joined the Maquis in the liberation of France from the occupying German forces, who rarely took prisoners.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLater, Barney was awarded the French Legion of Honour, but for seventy years he said almost nothing of his incredible war service - surviving two of the most dangerous battlefronts. Aged 97, Barney Greatrex revealed his truly great Australian war story to acclaimed bestselling author Michael Veitch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Fascinating . . . Veitch brings the story vividly to life' \u003cem\u003eSydney Morning Herald\u003c\/em\u003e Pick of the Week.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Veitch has done a wonderful job . . . a fast-paced and thrilling tale' \u003cem\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46798612005100,"sku":"9780733640902","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5109313482449.jpg?v=1757211124"},{"product_id":"44-days-by-michael-veitch-9780733638817","title":"44 Days","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘Brilliantly researched and sympathetically told, \u003cem\u003e44 Days\u003c\/em\u003e is more than just a fitting tribute to brave but overlooked heroes. It's also a top read.’ DAILY TELEGRAPH\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe epic World War II story of the heroes of Australia's 75 Squadron - and the 44 days when these brave and barely trained pilots fought alone against the Japanese.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn March and April 1942, RAAF 75 Squadron bravely defended Port Moresby for 44 days when Australia truly stood alone against the Japanese. This group of raw young recruits scrambled ceaselessly in their Kittyhawk fighters to an extraordinary and heroic battle, the story of which has been left largely untold.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe recruits had almost nothing going for them against the Japanese war machine, except for one extraordinary leader named John Jackson, a balding, tubby Queenslander - at 35 possibly the oldest fighter pilot in the world - who said little, led from the front, and who had absolutely no sense of physical fear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTime and time again this brave group were hurled into battle, against all odds and logic, and succeeded in mauling a far superior enemy - whilst also fighting against the air force hierarchy. After relentless attack, the squadron was almost wiped out by the time relief came, having succeeded in their mission - but also paying a terrible price.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMichael Veitch, actor, presenter and critically acclaimed author, brings to life the incredible exploits and tragic sacrifices of this courageous squadron of Australian heroes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46848157679852,"sku":"9780733638817","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5088463482449.jpg?v=1758965687"},{"product_id":"australias-secret-army-by-michael-veitch-9780733648472","title":"Australia's Secret Army","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA Coastwatcher's work is ... to sit in hiding like a spider, right in the web of the enemy, unseen and unheard. We became the eyes and ears of the Pacific.' Reg Evans, Coastwatcher\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHidden deep in the jungles and high in the mountains of the Southwest Pacific during World War II, Australia's secret army - the Coastwatchers - reported every move of the Japanese invaders to Allied intelligence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFollowing World War I, the Coastwatcher organisation was formed from European planters, missionaries, and patrol officers living in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. All volunteers, they were tasked with keeping an eye on Australia's porous northern border and providing early warnings via radio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen World War II came to the Pacific, however, overnight the Coastwatchers found themselves no longer just observers but spies operating behind enemy lines. Besides evading the enemy's desperate efforts to hunt them down, the Coastwatchers battled exhaustion, tropical diseases, and malnutrition, as well as the ever-present spectre of capture, torture, and death.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYet without the Coastwatchers' crucial courage and intelligence, key moments of the Pacific War may have turned out very differently.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFrom acclaimed author Michael Veitch comes this compelling and vivid history of unsung heroes who risked their lives in service of their country and formed one of history's most successful spy rings.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46848487162092,"sku":"9780733648472","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5185013482449.jpg?v=1758981872"},{"product_id":"hell-ship-by-michael-veitch-9781760877460","title":"Hell Ship","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMeticulous research... Veitch fleshes out a tale of courage and tragedy and brings it to life with drama, passion and detail.\u003c\/em\u003e \u003ci\u003eHerald Sun\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor more than a century and a half, a grim tale has passed down through Michael Veitch's family: the story of the \u003cem\u003eTiconderoga\u003c\/em\u003e, a clipper ship that sailed from Liverpool in August 1852, crammed with poor but hopeful emigrants - mostly Scottish victims of the Clearances and the potato famine. A better life, they believed, awaited them in Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThree months later, a ghost ship crept into Port Phillip Bay flying the dreaded yellow flag of contagion. On her horrific three-month voyage, deadly typhus had erupted, killing a quarter of \u003cem\u003eTiconderoga\u003c\/em\u003e's passengers and leaving many more desperately ill. Sharks, it was said, had followed her passage as the victims were buried at sea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePanic struck Melbourne. Forbidden to dock at the gold-boom town, the ship was directed to a lonely beach on the far tip of the Mornington Peninsula, a place now called Ticonderoga Bay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJames William Henry Veitch was the ship's assistant surgeon, on his first appointment at sea. Among the volunteers who helped him tend to the sick and dying was a young woman from the Isle of Mull, Annie Morrison. What happened between them on that terrible voyage is a testament to human resilience, and to love.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMichael Veitch is their great-great-grandson, and \u003cem\u003eHell Ship\u003c\/em\u003e is his brilliantly researched narrative of one of the biggest stories of its day, now all but forgotten. Broader than his own family's story, it brings to life the hardships and horrors endured by those who came by sea to seek a new life in Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eImaginative and vivid... a window onto the times, both in Britain and Australia.\u003c\/em\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Age\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849254621420,"sku":"9781760877460","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/26161543482814.jpg?v=1759030367"},{"product_id":"the-battle-of-the-bismarck-sea-by-michael-veitch-9780733645891","title":"The Battle of the Bismarck Sea","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e'Readers look for and admire good writers and great writing. They will find it, in spades, in \u003ci\u003eThe Battle of the Bismarck Sea\u003c\/i\u003e.' -\u003ci\u003eThe Canberra Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the thick of World War II, during the first week of March 1943, Japan made a final, desperate lunge for control of the South West Pacific. In the ensuing Battle of the Bismarck Sea, a force of land-based Australian and American planes attacked a massive convoy of Japanese warships. The odds were against them. But a devastating victory was won, and Japan's hopes of regaining the initiative in New Guinea were destroyed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMore importantly for Australians, the victory decisively removed any possibility that Australia might be invaded by Japanese forces. It was, for us, one of the most significant times in our history—a week when our future was profoundly in the balance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBestselling author Michael Veitch tells the riveting story of this crucial moment in history—how the bravery of young men and experienced fighters, renegades and rule-followers, overcame some of the darkest days of World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849994293484,"sku":"9780733645891","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5159203482449.jpg?v=1759073503"},{"product_id":"turning-point-by-michael-veitch-9780733648670","title":"Turning Point","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Battle for Milne Bay - Japan's first defeat on land in the Second World War - was a defining moment in the evolution of the indomitable Australian fighting spirit. For the men of the AIF, the militia and the RAAF, it was the turning point in the Pacific, and their finest - though now largely forgotten - hour. Forgotten, until now.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn August 1942, Japan's forces were unstoppable. Having conquered vast swathes of south-east Asia - Malaya, Singapore, the Dutch East Indies - and now invading New Guinea, many feared the Empire of the Rising Sun stood poised to knock down Australia's northern door.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut first they needed Port Moresby. In the still of an August night, Japanese marines sailed quietly into Milne Bay, a long, malaria-ridden dead end at the far eastern tip of Papua, to unleash an audacious pincer movement. Unbeknown to them, however, a secret airstrip had been carved out of a coconut plantation by US Engineers, and a garrison of Australian troops had been established, supported by two locally based squadrons of RAAF Kittyhawks, including the men of the famed 75 Squadron. The scene was set for one of the most decisive and vicious battles of the war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor ten days and nights Australia's soldiers and airmen fought the elite of Japan's forces along a sodden jungle track, and forced them back step by muddy, bloody step.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eTurning Point\u003c\/i\u003e, bestselling author Michael Veitch brings to life the incredible exploits and tragic sacrifices of these Australian heroes.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46851918627052,"sku":"9780733648670","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5186993482449.jpg?v=1759134056"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/michael-veitch.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}