Did you know that Alexander the Great was buried in a casket of pure gold? Did you also know that a gold casket is irresistible to even the most superstitious grave robbers? These are the ultimate in cold cases: the great figures of history whose mortal remains have vanished or are shrouded in mystery.Inspired by the discovery of Richard III in Leicester; England; ("the king in the car park"); this book features persons who went missing post-mortem. From bodies that went on walkabout (Eva Peron was snatched in 1955 only to reappear in 1971; badly in need of "some work") to those that are well and truly lost (Cleopatra; Hitler). History - and the bodies of the most famous - truly moves in mysterious ways. Along with short biographies of their lives; Lost Bodies explores the controversies surrounding their deaths; as well as the theories about what may have happened to them and attempts to find them. As part of an ongoing search to uncover the past; archeologists; historians; and fans search for these lost icons.
#312641 in Books Castle Books 2001-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.50 x 6.10 x 8.80l; 1.67 #File Name: 0785813098440 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot and moreBy N. WallachContinuing on with the events in the Pacific Ocean during World War 2; this eighth volume in the series covers parts of the two-pronged assaults that the U.S. conducted: One headed by General MacArthur along the coast of New Guinea as his forces were getting ever closer to the Philippines; and the other going from atoll to atoll to island and island in the more northerly parts and specifically the Marianas culminating in the battles and events around Saipan and Guam. As far as timelines go; this volume covers the time period between March 1944 and August 1944.Along MacArthur's route; the focus was on getting air strips and bases where fighters could be staged for the next hop. If there were Japanese there; then they were to be mopped up. If between two points; then they were left in place but starved through a combination of a naval blockade and regular aerial bombings. As far as the Japanese high command was concerned; these soldiers were to try and slow down the advance and pay with their lives by taking as many Americans down with them as they could. The first part of the book covers the various amphibious operations that hopscotched up the spine of New Guinea until the very northern tip is reached. Which is where this story ends; for now.Along the islands further north; the examination focuses on similar operations. The Japanese reaction when the invasion of Saipan started was markedly different. The main Japanese battle fleet came out and the Battle of the Philippine Seas took place. Since it was almost exclusively an aerial battle; you may know this better as "the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot." Why it was named this way has to do with the different level of tactical training between the American and Japanese pilots. The end result; though; was that the Japanese lost heavily and retreated while ceding Saipan and Guam to the Americans.The land battles along both theaters are also described as they were heavily supported by the U.S. Navy via carrier planes as well as by bombardments from Battleships; Cruisers; and Destroyers.A particularly interesting set of sections as far as I was concerned were the parts of this book that described a bit of the logistics involved in sustaining these invasions and efforts. When the author described what it took to put on an invasion; or why it was not possible to change this or that operation; it really resonated with me and gave me a much better appreciation of how complex these endeavors were. Along those lines; the description of the one faux pas; where fires along the beach were allowed to burn while ammunition and fuel were being piled up nearby; that eventually acted as a beacon to a Japanese bomber; was timely and well placed. So were the descriptions of the actions that commanders of future invasions took to ensure this did not happen again.Overall; this is a more interesting book than its predecessor although it seems to cover similar grounds. The big differences being that there is a great naval battle; and the additional descriptions of the ground operations made this feel more complete rather that a straightforward accounting of various small actions which was boring. In this volume; the writing is also more interesting and engaging. Therefore; this book gets four stars.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy William GiotopoulosIf you like reading out the Navy during World War 2; there is no better series of books.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. So this also will be a great read for our sonBy Barbara J. BradfordThis was the first landing for Ed; (my husband) They got the Hq. area ready for MacArthur after securing it up in the mountains. So this also will be a great read for our son. ( I got 2 copies of this one!) I think both books will be just great material for our son. Thanks again the book arrived in great shipping materials. Thanks again.
