Douglas Porch je americký historik a profesor, který se specializuje na strategii a národní bezpečnost. Jeho práce zkoumají složité vztahy mezi vojenskou strategií, historií a mezinárodními vztahy. Porch se zaměřuje na analýzu, jak se vojenské doktríny a politiky vyvíjely v průběhu času a jak ovlivňují moderní konflikty. Jeho akademické zkušenosti a hluboké znalosti historie poskytují čtenářům jedinečný pohled na formování globální bezpečnosti.
Looks beyond the myths that surround the French Foreign Legion, and analyzes its often outstanding performance throughout history, as well as looking at its special problems in recruitment, discipline and morale. Douglas Porch also describes the Legion's battles all over the world.
The narrative explores the roots of the left-wing Portuguese army rebellion of 1974, which led to the fall of a long-standing authoritarian regime. It delves into the historical context of military independence, the deteriorating relationship between the armed forces and the government, and the impact of unpopular colonial wars that fueled discontent. Through this lens, the book provides a detailed account of the political dynamics that culminated in a significant turning point for Portugal.
Focusing on the Revolutionary movement within the French army, this analysis explores the transformation from a revolutionary force in 1815 to a counter-revolutionary army by June 1848. It delves into the challenges and mechanics that shaped this evolution during and after the French Revolution, providing a detailed examination of the political and military shifts that influenced the army's role in society.
A definitive new account of France in World War II exploring the country's collapse in 1940, the rise of Charles de Gaulle's Free French, the occupation, and culminating in the November 1942 invasion of French North Africa. In Defeat and Division, Douglas Porch launches an unparalleled history of France's wartime ordeal.
In Resistance and Liberation, Douglas Porch continues his epic history of France at war. Emerging from the debâcle of 1940, France faced the quandary of how to rebuild military power, protect the empire, and resuscitate its global influence. While Charles de Gaulle rejected the armistice and launched his offshore crusade to reclaim French honor within the Allied camp, defeatists at Vichy embraced cooperation with the victorious Axis. The book charts the emerging dynamics of la France libre and the Alliance, Vichy collaboration, and the swelling resistance to the Axis occupation. From the campaigns in Tunisia and Italy to Liberation, Douglas Porch traces how de Gaulle sought to forge a French army and prevent civil war. He captures the experiences of ordinary French men and women caught up in war and defeat, the choices they made, the trials they endured, and how this has shaped France's memory of those traumatic years.