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From the birth of the United States, African American men and women have fought and died in defence of a nation that has often denied them many fundamental rights of citizenship. Now Gerald Astor has chronicled their efforts and accomplishments in this critically acclaimed survey. From Crispus Attucks, the first casualty of the American Revolution, to fighters on both sides of the Civil War, Astor moves to the postwar Indian campaigns and the infamous Brownsville riot. He also documents the prejudices and grievous wrongs that have kept African Americans from service,and finally traces their ascent to the highest levels. The Right to Fight is a ground-breaking contribution to American history.

In the skies of World War II Europe, the Eighth Air Force was a defining factor in turning the tide against the Nazis. In these gripping oral histories, the sacrifice, savagery, and supremacy of the "Mighty Eighth" is described by those who experienced it...and survived it. At the outbreak of World War II, America was woefully unprepared for a fight, though Europe was already years into the battle. Soon, though, America's war machine was rolling out pilots, engineers, planes, and materials in astounding numbers. It was called the Eighth Air Force--and it would hit the Nazi juggernaut like a lightning bolt. Launching a then-groundbreaking campaign of daylight bombing runs, the men of the Eighth would suffer more casualties than the entire Marine Corps in the Pacific theater. But they would also prove to be the most effective weapon against the enemy, taking out strategic targets such as munitions plants and factories that were vital to the German war effort and grinding them to a halt. In "The Mighty Eighth," the men who fought in the greatest air war in human history tell their stories of courage and camaraderie as only those who were there can tell them.

On December 8, 1941, one day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Air Force struck the Philippines in the first blow of a devastating invasion. With an undersupplied patchwork army at his command, General Douglas MacArthur led a valiant defense of the Philippines. When defeat came, MacArthur swore he would return, while thousands of POWs fell into Japanese hands - and faced a living hell that many would not survive. In this gripping oral history, Gerald Astor brings to life the struggle to recapture the Philippines: the men who did the fighting, the battles that set the stage for an Allied invasion, and the acts of astounding courage and desperation that marked the campaign on both sides. From Corregidor to the Battle for Manila, from horrifying jungle warfare to cataclysmic clashes at sea, on beachheads and in the air, Crisis in the Pacific draws on the words of the men who were there - capturing this crucial heroic struggle for victory against Japan.

Praise FOR Gerald Astor ""No one does oral history better than Gerald Astor. . . . Great reading.""-Stephen Ambrose on The Mighty Eighth ""Gerald Astor has proven himself a master. Here, World War II is brought to life through the hammer blows of their airborne triumphs and fears.""-J. Robert Moskin, author of Mr. Truman's War, on The Mighty Eighth ""Astor captures the fire and passion of those tens of thousands of U.S. airmen who flew through the inferno that was the bomber war over Europe.""-Stephen Coonts on The Mighty Eighth ""Oral history at its finest.""-The Washington Post on Operation Iceberg ""Quick and well-paced, this will please even the most jaded of readers.""-Army magazine on Battling Buzzards ""A stout volume by a distinguished historian of the modern military makes a major contribution on its subject.""-Booklist on The Right to Fight (starred Editor's Choice) ""Today, as we lose the veterans of World War II at an alarming rate, we must not lose sight of their sacrifices or of the leaders who took them into battle. Astor, an acclaimed military historian, provides an in-depth look at one of the war's most successful division combat commanders, Maj. Gen. Terry Allen. . . . This well-written portrait makes for enjoyable reading.""-Library Journal on Terrible Terry Allen

From the opening shots in the American Revolution, Bunker's Hill and the struggle to wrest independence from Britain, to Hamburger Hill and the emergence of fully integrated units, this is a story of struggle. Even in the liberating times of the American Civil War, the Federal government put blacks in segregated regiments, a policy which was to continue throughout World War I and II. Gerald Astor examines the full history of African Americans in the military, and establishes the contribution they have made, right up to the present day.

For nearly five months, starting in mid-September 1944, American GIs battled for the Hurtgen Forest, a fifty-square mile tract of extremely inhospitable terrain.

`Captures the drama of aerial combat in the Pacific as never before . . . A riveting account, by a master craftsman, of the exploits of the heroic Marine Corps airmen of World War II.'-Carlo D'Este, author of Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life`No one does oral history better than Gerald Astor,'-Stephen Ambrose, author of Band of Brothers*Superior history of Marine aviators during WWII*Told largely in their own words*Includes the daring exploits of the famous `Black Sheep' SquadronDuring World War II, the legions of Marine aviators grew rapidly, with assignment to assist the fleet landing forces. Semper Fi in the Air tells the story of these Marine aviators, largely in their own words, through use of oral histories and personal interviews by the author.Captain Henry`Baron' Elrod, while gallantly fighting the Japanese at Wake Island, was shot down. He joined the ground defenses and earned a posthumous Medal of Honor for his bravery in the futile, last ditch attempt to stave off the invaders. In the first stages of the Battle of Midway in June 1942, again in inferior planes, Marine pilots sought to repel attackers from the Japanese aircraft carriers. It was here that Marion Carl, a future ace, experienced combat for the first time. But it was at Guadalcanal that the Marine airmen really excelled. Outnumbered in the air, the Marines were shelled at night by Japanese warships. Surrounded by enemy snipers, beset by mud, ravaged by malaria and poor nutrition, they nevertheless battled the Japanese aircraft and struck at the Japanese ships. Here, Joe Foss who led the Corps, and Bob Galer, who was shot down three times; Marion Carl, John Smith, and Indian Joe Bauer, who scored an incredible total of fourteen kills in only four engagements, entered the pantheon of Marine heroes.From Guadalcanal, the Marine flyers would move island by island towards Japan, demolishing the enemy strongholds, furnishing tactical support to ground troops, even becoming a trusted weapon for the Army's Douglas MacArthur in the Philippines, before finally reaching Okinawa where they would battle the Kamikazes.Gerald Astor is the critically acclaimed military historian and author of Wings of Gold, Terrible Terry Allen, The Mighty Eighth, A Blood-Dimmed Tide, The Right to Fight, The Greatest War, and The Bloody Forest, among other titles. He lives near New York City.