Author(s): Christian Wolmar

General

This is a Christmas hardback with tremendous sales potential. "Engines of War" tells the dramatic story of how the birth of the railways shaped how wars were fought and won, facilitating conflict on a previously unimaginable scale. Before the nineteenth century, armies had to rely on slow and unreliable methods of transportation to move soldiers and equipment during times of conflict. However, as Christian Wolmar demonstrates in this book, the birth of the railway in the early 1830s would transform the theatres of war. "Engines of War" spans more than a century and takes in all the engagements in which railways played a part, including the Crimean War, American Civil War, both world wars, the Korean War, and the Cold War - with its mysterious missile trains. It shows that the 'iron road' not only made armies far more mobile, but also greatly increased the scale and power of available weaponry. In doing so, wars were fought across wider fronts and over longer timescales, with far deadlier consequences. Christian Wolmar reveals how the extent and intensity of war increased during this period as a result of this fast and efficient transport and shows how the railways - a fantastic generator of wealth in peacetime - became a weapon of war exploited to the full by governments across the world, facilitating conflict on a scale that was previously unimaginable. From armoured engines with their swiveling guns to track sabotage by way of dynamite, railway lines constructed across frozen Siberian lakes and a Boer war ambush involving Winston Churchill, "Engines of War" is Christian Wolmar's most ambitious and original book yet, confirming his reputation as our leading transport historian. It is suitable for fans of Simon Winchester, Peter Ackroyd, Andrew Roberts, Anthony Beevor, Patrick Bishop and Christian Wolmar's "The Subterranean Railway", "Fire and Steam" and "Blood, Iron and Gold".