The Elite
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The Elite
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Narrated by:
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Peter Noble
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By:
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Ranulph Fiennes
About this listen
Five thousand years of military history. The best elite unites that have fought across the globe. Their story told by acclaimed adventurer and ex-SAS officer Ranulph Fiennes.
Throughout human history the art of warfare has evolved into many forms across numerous theatres, gradually becoming more sophisticated and strategised as the centuries have progressed. From the Spartans of ancient Greece with their code of valour fighting to the last man to the US Navy SEALs who operate using the latest technology of the 21st century.
Across the vast array of military campaigns and battles one can see that the majority of organised armies have been comprised of enlisted men who would have their basic training. As time progressed all countries saw the need to also have units that were the 'best of the best', that would be fit and strong and enjoy the best training and weaponry available. These elite units would be deployed to achieve extremely tough objectives, to guard a valuable fortification or person or to act as a barrier in a crisis. The term 'elite' is the ultimate accolade and one to which only the toughest would try to aspire to: undergoing intensive and harsh physical training and ultimately sacrificing themselves for the given objective.
Ranulph Fiennes himself served in Britain's toughest formation, the SAS. Since his military days he has won acclaim as an extraordinary brave and resourceful Arctic adventurer. It is fitting that he now looks back across 5,000 years of military history to pinpoint and celebrate the best elite units that served and fought across the globe.
©2019 Ranulph Fiennes (P)2019 W. F. Howes LtdListeners also enjoyed...
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- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 34
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
From the great clashes of antiquity to the high-tech wars of the twenty-first century, here are the stories of the twenty most consequential battles ever fought, including Marathon, where Greece's "greatest generation" repelled Persian forces three times their numbers-and saved Western civilization in its infancy.
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5 out of 5 stars
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In Depth
- By L. Sands on 09-26-16
By: James Lacey, and others
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Hubris
- The Tragedy of War in the Twentieth Century
- By: Alistair Horne
- Narrated by: James Adams
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 169
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 150
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 147
Sir Alistair Horne has been a close observer of war and history for more than 50 years, and in this wise and masterly work he revisits six battles of the past century and examines the strategies, leadership, preparation, and geopolitical goals of aggressors and defenders to reveal the one trait that links them all: hubris.
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5 out of 5 stars
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I Never Heard W ll Explained this Way!
- By John on 09-01-16
By: Alistair Horne
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Flamethrower
- Iwo Jima Medal of Honor Recipient and U.S. Marine Woody Williams and His Controversial Award, Japan's Holocaust and the Pacific War
- By: Bryan Mark Rigg
- Narrated by: Bryan Mark Rigg
- Length: 30 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 42
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 36
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 36
Late in the Pacific War, as Americans were fighting their way to the home islands of the Japanese Empire, one of the fiercest battles of World War II was raging. The Japanese had created, perhaps, the best defended area anywhere on an island called Iwo Jima. Days into the bloody battle, casualties were high on both sides. United States Marines were taking an awful pounding out in the open from enemy-fortified positions.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic book
- By Mike & Tammy V on 07-06-20
By: Bryan Mark Rigg
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The Allure of Battle
- A History of How Wars Have Been Won and Lost
- By: Cathal J. Nolan
- Narrated by: Julian Elfer
- Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 185
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 153
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 152
History has tended to measure war's winners and losers in terms of its major engagements, battles in which the result was so clear-cut that they could be considered "decisive". Cannae, Konigsberg, Austerlitz, Midway, Agincourt - all resonate in the literature of war and in our imaginations as tide-turning. But these legendary battles may or may not have determined the final outcome of the wars in which they were fought. Cathal J. Nolan's The Allure of Battle systematically and engrossingly examines the great battles, tracing what he calls "short-war thinking".
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2 out of 5 stars
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Missing important facts and not well researched
- By Andrew on 02-24-18
By: Cathal J. Nolan
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The Accursed Tower
- The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades
- By: Roger Crowley
- Narrated by: Matt Kugler
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 165
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 142
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 142
In The Accursed Tower, Roger Crowley delivers a lively narrative of the lead-up to the siege and a vivid, blow-by-blow account of the climactic battle. Drawing on extant Arabic sources as well as untranslated Latin documents, he argues that Acre is notable for technical advances in military planning and siege warfare, and extraordinary for its individual heroism and savage slaughter. A gripping depiction of the crusader era told through its dramatic last moments, The Accursed Tower offers an essential new view on a crucial turning point in world history.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Another great book by Roger Crowley
- By tp on 03-13-20
By: Roger Crowley
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The American Heritage History of World War I
- By: S. L. A. Marshall
- Narrated by: Bernard Mayes
- Length: 19 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 65
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 56
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Story4 out of 5 stars 57
Drawing on a lifetime of military experience, Brigadier General S. L. A. Marshall, "one of our most distinguished military writers" ( New York Times), delivers this unflinching history of the war that was supposed to end all wars. From the perspective of more than half a century, Marshall examines the blunders and complacency that turned what everyone thought would be a brief campaign and an easy victory into a relentless four-year slaughter that left 10 million dead and 20 million wounded.
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4 out of 5 stars
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WW1 from American point of view
- By Jean on 10-19-12
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The Enemy at the Gate
- Habsburgs, Ottomans, and the Battle for Europe
- By: Andrew Wheatcroft
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 83
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 73
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 74
The Great Siege of Vienna is the centerpiece for historian Andrew Wheatcroft's richly drawn portrait of the centuries-long rivalry between the Ottoman and Habsburg empires for control of the European continent. A gripping work by a master historian, The Enemy at the Gate offers a timely examination of an epic clash of civilizations.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Look elsewhere
- By Ben H. on 09-20-21
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The First World War
- A Complete History
- By: Martin Gilbert
- Narrated by: Roger Clark
- Length: 33 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 439
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 387
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 387
It was to be the war to end all wars, and it began at 11:15 on the morning of June 28, 1914, in an outpost of the Austro-Hungarian Empire called Sarajevo. It would officially end nearly five years later. Unofficially, however, it has never ended: Many of the horrors we live with today are rooted in the First World War. The Great War left millions of civilians and soldiers maimed or dead. It also saw the creation of new technologies of destruction: tanks, planes, and submarines; machine guns and field artillery; poison gas and chemical warfare.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Unbiased true facts of the first world war
- By troy a myers on 07-27-20
By: Martin Gilbert
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The Storm of War
- A New History of the Second World War
- By: Andrew Roberts
- Narrated by: Christian Rodska
- Length: 28 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,308
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,129
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,128
The Second World War lasted for 2,174 days, cost $1.5 trillion, and claimed the lives of more than 50 million people. Why did the Axis lose? And could they, with a different strategy, have won? Andrew Roberts's acclaimed new history has been hailed as the finest single-volume account of this epic conflict. From the western front to North Africa, from the Baltic to the Far East, he tells the story of the war - the grand strategy and the individual experience, the cruelty and the heroism - as never before.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A very interesting book with some shortcomings.
- By Mike From Mesa on 10-24-11
By: Andrew Roberts
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American Heritage History of World War II
- By: Stephen E. Ambrose, C. L. Sulzberger
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 120
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 106
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Story5 out of 5 stars 106
In planes and foxholes, in deserts and jungles, on ships and beaches, Ambrose shines a light on the people involved - the leaders, the fighters, the victims. With chapters on the atrocities of the Holocaust and revelations about the secret war of espionage, Ambrose's analysis also offers insight into the events that precipitated the Cold War.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent overview of WWII
- By Laura Kernen on 11-15-18
By: Stephen E. Ambrose, and others
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The Battle for Okinawa
- A Japanese Officer's Eyewitness Account of the Last Great Campaign of World War II
- By: Colonel Hiromichi Yahara, Frank B. Gibney
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 28
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
This critically acclaimed account of the Battle for Okinawa is told through the eyes of Colonel Hiromichi Yahara, the senior staff officer of the 32nd Japanese Army. It features segments on the Japanese preparation for battle, the American assault, and a summary of how the battle ended. Following the events that occurred in the life of Colonel Hiromichi Yahara, journalist Frank Gibney is able to lay out the importance of the battle and the ways in which both parties fought hard and strategically.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Blessed HEAVEN—An Actual Japanese Person Narrating
- By Nicholas Robinson on 10-06-21
By: Colonel Hiromichi Yahara, and others
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Russia
- Revolution and Civil War, 1917-1921
- By: Antony Beevor
- Narrated by: Rob Heaps
- Length: 21 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 115
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 99
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 98
Between 1917 and 1921 a devastating struggle took place in Russia following the collapse of the Tsarist empire. The doomed White alliance of moderate socialists and reactionary monarchists stood little chance against Trotsky’s Red Army and the single-minded Communist dictatorship under Lenin.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Not Enough Context
- By Amazon Customer on 02-14-23
By: Antony Beevor
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Inferno
- The World at War, 1939-1945
- By: Max Hastings
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 31 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 420
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 363
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Story5 out of 5 stars 361
From one of our finest military historians, a monumental work that shows us at once the truly global reach of World War II and its deeply personal consequences.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Superb
- By David on 04-05-21
By: Max Hastings
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The Great War
- A Combat History of the First World War
- By: Peter Hart
- Narrated by: Roger Davis
- Length: 22 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 131
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 118
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 117
World War I altered the landscape of the modern world in every conceivable arena. Millions died; empires collapsed; new ideologies and political movements arose; poison gas, warplanes, tanks, submarines, and other technologies appeared. "Total war" emerged as a grim, mature reality. In The Great War, Peter Hart provides a masterful combat history of this global conflict.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Horrible Listen
- By Eric Ring on 11-16-21
By: Peter Hart
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The Germans in Normandy
- By: Richard Hargreaves
- Narrated by: Chris MacDonnell
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 171
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 148
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 147
While the Germans knew an invasion was inevitable, no one knew where or when it would fall. Those manning Hitler's mighty Atlantic Wall may have felt secure in their bunkers, but they had no conception of the fury and fire that was about to break. After the initial assaults of June established an Allied bridgehead, a state of stalemate prevailed. The Germans fought with great courage - hindered by lack of supplies and overwhelming Allied control of the air. This book describes the catastrophe that followed, in a unique look at the war from the losing side.
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5 out of 5 stars
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a different view of Normandy 1944
- By Oscar Shinn on 06-13-20
What listeners say about The Elite
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J.Brock
- 09-20-20
Great Listen
Many of the reviews on the web have been unfair and very harsh in regards to this book. It is true that Ranulph Fiennes includes his own accomplishments in many of the chapters of the book. But honestly, he has so much experience that it provides a very personal take on what the special forces have to go through, from ancient to current day warfare. He's experienced the extremes in every way imaginable. This book is stacked full of knowledge that is mind-blowing.
Now the first few chapters are a bit slow, as some of the ancient battle information is a bit mundane. But it quickly speeds up, and Fiennes knowledge comes to the forefront. And then it is completely riveting.
Peter Noble always does a superb job narrating whatever he undertakes. This is no exception. It's a pleasure to listen to him.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-07-21
Yes a very good listen/lesson
Every interesting , full of information that pertain today and yesterday and lesson repeated but not learned
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