We have all heard about the great generals of military history, and those whose heroic deeds changed the course of war. This is not their book. Instead, this offbeat and engaging book reveals the stories of 75 bit-players of military history: Hitler's personal pilot, Hanna Reitsch; Pierre Basile, the crossbowman whose arrow hit Richard I; Major John D Barry, the Confederate who mistakenly gave the order to fire upon General Stonewall Jackson; and, Lee Duncan, who rescued a puppy from the German trenches of World War I and took him back to America, where he became famous as Rin Tin Tin. If you think you know your history, prepare to think again.