Osprey Publishing

Across A Deadly Field - Regimental Rules for Civil War Battles from Osprey Publishing Item Number:OSPACW1 American Civil War Series Across A Deadly Field – The War in the East : Written by: John Hill Illustrated by: Mark Stacey The American Civil War was a turning point in the history of warfare, as Napoleonic tactics met deadly new technology. Cannons and rifles had become more accurate at longer ranges, rapid-fire pistols gave cavalry a new weapon, and the telegraph and railroad...

The Douglas AD Skyraider is considered the most effective naval aircraft of the Korean War despite the emergence of new jet fighters that captured public imagination. Built to replace the World War 2 workhorses like the Dauntless, Helldiver and Avenger diveand torpedo-bombers, the Skyraider operated numerous combat missions from carrier decks and from US Marine Corps land bases throughout the conflict. Drawing from personal interviews with AD pilots, the authors paint a harrowing picture of...

Alamo Texan War Independence 1835-36 by Osprey PublishingItem Number: OSPMAA173In 1823 Texas was opened to American settlement; over the next 12 years thousands took advantage of the opportunity. During this time the corrupt Santa Anna rose to power. A dishonest and ruthless politician, thief, compulsive gambler, opium addict and liar, he nevetheless gained a measure of popular support and set about destroying federalism. Conflict with the American settlers ('Texians') became inevitable, a...

Allied WW-II Sabotage Devices by Osprey PublishingItem Number: OSPELI184Elite 184Author: Gordon L RottmanIllustrator: Peter DennisAbout this bookFollowing Churchill"s directive to 'set occupied Europe ablaze,' the SOE and later its American sister organization, the OSS, were deployed across the continent. Outnumbered, surrounded and in great peril, these brave agents were armed with a wide variety of devices to help them achieve their objectives, including numerous pieces of sabotage equipment...

About this Osprey Publishing BookWhile the introduction of the Merlin engine did improve the Mustang's performance and produce the bubble-canopied fighters with which we associate the name, credit must be given to the Allison-engined variants that preceded it. From its inception in early 1940, the Mustang's development was extraordinarily rapid - such was the need for a fighter at the time, and the confidence in its design. By early January 1942, the Mustang was in service with the RAF, flying...

Author: Ren_ ChartrandIllustrators: Gerry Embleton Sam EmbletonAbout this bookTo celebrate the 450th titlein the Men-at-Arms series,this book examines in muchmore depth than previouslythe units and the uniforms of a still-controversialarmy: the many thousandsof American colonists who chose to fight for King George during the Revolution. As wellas the better-known corps fromthe Atlantic seaboard, theauthor covers the units raised for service against the Spanish in the Floridas, the...

About this Osprey Publishing BookThe Great Northern War was a long series of campaigns in which Russia, linked with several other countries in temporary alliances, confronted and eventually replaced Sweden as the predominant power in Northern Europe. While contemporary with the Duke of Marlborough's pivotal campaigns against France, the Great Northern War was in fact more decisive, since it reshaped the Northern European power balance up to the eve of the Napoleonic Wars. It began with a...

About this Osprey Publishing BookIn 1917 Poland was recognised as a state by Russia, but the Bolshevik coup threatened this. The Polish leader Marshal Pilsudski hurried to build an army around Polish World War I veterans, and in 1918 war broke out for Poland's independence, involving the the Poles, the Red and White Russian armies, at least two different Ukrainian forces, and Allied intervention troops. The armies that fought these campaigns were extraordinarily varied in their uniforms and...

Armored Trains by OspreyItem Number: OSPNVG140New Vanguard 140Author: Steven J ZalogaIllustrator: Tony BryanAbout this bookFirst seen during the American Civil War and later appearing in the Franco-Prussian War and the Anglo-Boer Wars, the armored train came to prominence on the Eastern Front during World War I. It was also deployed during the Russian Civil War and the technology traveled east into the Chinese Civil War, and the subsequent war with Japan. It saw service on the Russian Front in...

Modelling Masterclass Hard CoverAuthor: John PrigentAbout this bookArmour Modelling answers all a modeller's 'how do I do this' questions. Beginning with the very basics required to build a 'first kit' it works its way through the various skills that any modeller using plastic kits, etched-metal sets and resin or white-metal parts needs to know about to master advanced level techniques.John Prigent breaks the world of armour modelling down into simple, easy to understand chapters that...

Assaye 1803 by OspreyItem Number: OSPCAM166Campaign 166Author: Simon MillarIllustrator: Peter DennisAbout this bookWellington said that of all his battles Assaye, fought during the Second Maratha War (1803-05) in central India, was 'the bloodiest for the numbers that I ever saw'. A small British force, under Major-General the Honourable Arthur Wellesley (as Wellington was then known), crossed into Maratha territory in March 1803 to restore the Peshwa to his throne. On September 23, Wellesley...

About this Osprey Publishing BookOn September 3, 1864, Union Major-General William Tecumseh Sherman telegraphed the War Department in Washington, D.C., "Atlanta is ours, and fairly won. ? ? _ ? ? __ ? ? _ ? ? ___ The capture of the heart of the south the day before was the end of a fiercely fought four-month campaign in the Western Theater of the Civil War and caused jubilation throughout the North. More importantly for the Union cause, it propelled President Abraham Lincoln to reelection two...

Attila The Hun from Osprey Publishing Item Number:OSPCMD31 Command Series: Throughout the history of warfare, individual commanders have dominated the battlefield and in so doing decided the fate of nations. From the warlords of the ancient world through to the architects of the blitzkrieg and beyond, the Command series looks at how these great leaders adopted revolutionary technology, battlefield tactics and training methods, or simply inspired their troops through their leadership skills to...

Auldearn 1645 by OspreyItem Number: OSPCAM123Campaign 123Author: Stuart ReidIllustrator: Gerry EmbletonAbout this bookIn August 1644, at the height of the First English Civil War, John Graham, the Marquis of Montrose, raised the standard of Royalist rebellion in Scotland. In a single year he won a string of remarkable victories with his army of Irish mercenaries and Highland clansmen. His victory at Auldearn, the centrepiece of his campaign, was won only after a day-long struggle and heavy...

The Avro Lancaster was one of the finest bombers of World War II and became the spearhead of the RAF's strategic bombing campaign over the Third Reich. Richard Marks draws on extensive research and detailed technical drawings to explore the evolution of this heavy bomber, revealing how its design developments transformed an old airframe from a dangerous liability into one of the most powerful weapons in the RAF arsenal. It demonstrated excellent performance, ruggedness and good handling...

B-1b Lancer Units In Combat by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM60Combat Aircraft 60Author: Thomas WithingtonIllustrator: Mark StylingAbout this bookThe development of the B-1B Lancer bomber was difficult to say the least. Originally conceived to fulfill a USAF requirement for an Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft, the original B-1A concept aircraft was accused of being a white elephant, capable of performing nothing which could not be achieved at less financial and human expense than an...

B-24 Units Of Pacific War by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM11Combat Aircraft 11Author: Robert F DorrIllustrator: Mark RolfeAbout this bookEver present in the Pacific from Pearl Harbor to VJ-Day, the B-24 Liberator proved to be the staple heavy bomber of the campaign. From its ignominious beginnings in the Allied rout in the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies, the bomber weathered the Japanese storm with a handful of bomb groups, which played a crucial role in checking the enemy's progress...

Mitchell bombers took on the task of disrupting the flow of Japanese supplies to the frontlines at medium ranges, bombing Japanese supply centres, railway depots and bridges. It was in this last capacity that the B-25 established a unique role as a ? bridge-buster'. This provided significant support for the British Fourteenth Army as they advanced into Burma.

Author: Steve PaceIllustrator: Jim LaurierAbout this bookFrom November 1942 through to May 1945, the backbone of the USAAF_s medium bomber force was provided by the clutch of bomb groups equipped with the B-25 Mitchell. First seeing action in North Africa in the wake of Operation Torch, and in the Battle of El Alamein, the _bombing twin_ proved to be one of the most successful allied combat types in the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations (MTO). The first of four volumes planned for the Combat...

By the time the Americans began their aerial bombardment of Japan in 1944, both the JAAF and IJNAF were spent forces. What the Japanese did have though was the Ki-44 "Tojo". Armed with two 40 mm cannon, it was the most heavily armed and feared single-seat fighter to see action against the new American bomber, the B-29 Superfortress. For the bomber crews, they had what they believed was their ? ace in hole': a fully armed B-29 carried four remotely operated gun turrets and a tail gunner's...

About this Osprey Publishing BookOne of the most dramatic bombers of its day, the Convair B-58 came to epitomise the Cold War power of Strategic Air Command. Introduced only 12 years after the sound barrier was first broken, this iconic plane became the first large long-range supersonic bomber to take to the skies, a feat which had seemed far-fetched only a few years previously. Outstripping its contemporaries in terms of speed, and agile enough to escape most interceptors, the B-58 was a...

In AD 132, Shim'on Ben Koseba, a rebel leader who assumed the messianic name Shim'on Bar Kokhba ('Son of a Star'), led the people of Judaea in open rebellion, aiming to establish their own independent Jewish state and to liberate Jerusalem from the Romans. During the ensuing 'Bar Kokhba War' (AKA the Second Jewish War), the insurgents held their own against the crack Roman troops sent by Emperor Hadrian for three-and-a-half years. The cost of this rebellion was catastrophic: hundreds of...

This book is an original, rigorous campaign study of the Luftwaffe's Operation ? Adlerangriff, researched in Germany's World War II archives and using the most accurate data available. Doug Dildy explains the capabilities of both sides, sets the campaign in context, and argues persuasively that it was the Luftwaffe's own mistakes and failures that led to its defeat, and kept alive the Allies' chance to ultimately defeat Nazi Germany.

About this Osprey Publishing BookIn the summer of 1942, following the invasion of Russia the previous year, Hitler's -Brandenburger' commando units undertook a daring operation deep inside Soviet-held territory. Disguised as members of Stalin's NKVD, the secret police dreaded by most Soviet citizens and soldiers, the Brandenburgers passed unsuspected past the Red Army's checkpoints, before launching their surprise operation to seize the vital Soviet oil facilities around Maikop - delivering...

In 1906, the Germans began building their own dreadnought fleet armed with larger guns, word of which soon reached the British Admiralty. This raised the spectre that the British dreadnought fleet would be outgunned, and prompted the Admiralty to order the building of their own "super dreadnoughts-. The first of these new dreadnoughts were laid down in 1909, and entered service three years later. The British public supported this programme, and the slogan "we want eight and cannot wait- became...

British & Empire Aces Of WW I by Osprey PublishingItem Number: OSPACE45At the outset of World War I the British had some 110 assorted aircraft, used mostly for the visual reconnaissance role. With the advent of faster and more agile single-seaters, the Allies and their adversaries raced to outdo each other in the creation of genuinely effective fighters with fixed forward-firing machine gun armament. It was not until 1917 that the British developed a truly effective interrupter gear, which...

British Airships 1905'30 by Osprey PublishingItem Number: OSPNVG155New Vanguard 155Author: Ian CastleIllustrator: Tony BryanAbout this bookThis book reveals the fascinating story of the cat and mouse duel between the airship and another pioneering form of technology ' the submarine during World War 1. Detailed cut-away drawings reveal the design and development of the airship, during and after the war, whilst full-colour illustrations depict the airship in dramatic action shots. A tragic...

Amphibious assault ships have been at the centre of nearly all of Britain's expeditionary campaigns since World War II, from the Suez crisis of 1956 to operations as far afield as Borneo (1963-66), the Falklands (1982), Sierra Leone (2000) and Iraq (2003). In major operations such as Suez and the Falklands, the use of amphibious assault ships was essential to the military success of the campaigns. The Suez Crisis saw two of the Royal Navy's former light fleet carriers converted into 'commando...

As the possibility of war loomed in the 1930s, the British Admiralty looked to update their fleet of destroyers to compete with the new ships being built by Germany and Japan, resulting in the commissioning of the powerful Tribal-class. These were followed by the designing of the first of several slightly smaller ships, which carried fewer guns than the Tribals, but were armed with a greatly enlarged suite of torpedoes. The first of these, the 'J/K/M class' was followed by a number of wartime...

This is the definitive study of British light tanks of the Second World War. The author draws upon a vast and comprehensive body of archival information and research to explore their technical characteristics and combat performance. The title focuses largely on the very widely used Mark VI, but also covers all the variants that preceded it. The type was truly ubiquitous, equipping the British Army in France, the Western Desert regions, Norway, Sumatra, Persia and India. This book chronicles...

One of the prime objectives for the Allies following the D-Day landings was the capture of sufficient ports to supply their armies. The original Overlord plans assumed that ports along the Breton coast would be essential to expansion of the Normandy beach-head. This included the major ports at Brest and on Quiberon Bay.

About this Osprey Publishing BookFirst adopted in 1917, the rugged and reliable Browning .30-caliber machine gun remained in US service into the Vietnam era, and is still occasionally found in use elsewhere even today. Produced in both water-cooled and air-cooled versions, it has been employed in every imaginable role for a machine gun - antipersonnel, antiaircraft, mounted on aircraft as both defensive and offensive armament, defensive armament aboard vehicles (armored and soft-skin), mounted...

Author: Gordon L RottmanIllustrators: Alan Gilliland Johnny ShumateAbout this bookThe Browning _50-cal_ has become the longest serving weapon in the US inventory. The _fifty_ has been employed in every imaginable role for a machine gun. It is considered such an effective and reliable weapon that few countries ever attempted to develop an equivalent weapon. Even the Japanese created a copy of it during World War II when the US was producing literally thousands every month to use in every...

C-47/R4d Units Of Pacific & Cb by OspreyItem Number: OSPCOM66Combat Aircraft 66Author: David IsbyIllustrator: Chris DaveyAbout this bookFrom Pearl Harbor to VJ-Day, the humble Douglas C-47/R4D carried out missions every bit as strategically important, and as dramatic for the aircrew involved, as those of the fighters and bombers in the vast Pacific/CBI theatres. The C-47's wartime operations paved the way for post-war military and civil air transport, proving that aircraft could safely conduct...

In 1917 the soldiers of the Canadian Corps would prove themselves the equal of any fighting on the Western Front, while on the other side of the wire, the men of the Royal Bavarian Army won a distinguished reputation in combat. Employing the latest weapons and pioneering tactics, these two forces would clash in three notable encounters: the Canadian storming of Vimy Ridge, the back-and-forth engagement at Fresnoy and at the sodden, bloody battle of Passchendaele. Featuring carefully chosen...

About this Osprey Publishing BookThe battle of the Catalaunian Fields saw two massive, powerful empires square up in a conflict that was to shape the course of Eurasian history forever. For despite the Roman victory, the Roman Empire would not survive for more than 15 years following the battle, whilst the Huns, shattered and demoralized, would meet their downfall against a coalition of German tribes soon after. This book, using revealing bird's-eye-views of the plains of Champagne and...

Challenger Ii Mbt 1987-05 by OspreyItem Number: OSPNVG112New Vanguard 112Author: Simon DunstanIllustrator: Tony BryanAbout this bookThe Challenger 2 is the current Main Battle Tank of the British Army and represents the culmination of 80 years of tank design. In 1987, its design was presented to the Ministry of Defence in response to a requirement to replace the Chieftain MBT that had been partially superseded by the Challenger 1 MBT. Production began in 1993, and the tank finally entered...

The Chinese Beiyang (Northern) Fleet was led by her flagship, ? Dingyuan, and her sister ship, Zhenyuan, which were the biggest in Asia; German-built armoured turret ships, they were armed with four 12in guns and two 6in guns, plus six smaller guns and three torpedo tubes. For their part the Japanese fleet, including the ? Matsushima ? and her sister ships ? Itsukushima ? and ? Hashidate, were each armed with a single 12.6in Canet gun and 11 or 12 4.7in guns, plus smaller guns and four torpedo...

Confederate Army, Vol. 6 1861-65 by Osprey PublishingItem Number: OSPMAA446The Southern states which formed the Confederacy in 1861 fielded many units of volunteer troops wearing a remarkably wide variety of uniforms, often reflecting foreign influences. In a spirit of independence many states also issued their own uniform regulations on the outbreak of the American Civil War; and these non-standard uniforms were often retained until well into the course of the war. The regulation patterns...

Duel 14Author: Ron FieldIllustrators: Howard Gerrard Peter BullAbout this bookThe Ironclad was a revolutionary weapon of war, the first modern, armoured, self-propelled warships. During the American Civil War the South used ironclads to protect their ports from the Northern blockade. Impressed with their superior resistance to fire and, the North developed its own rival fleet of ironclads. Eventually the two products of this modern arms race duelled at the battle of Hampton Roads in a clash...

Corsair Aces Ww-Ii by OspreyItem Number: OSPACE8Aircraft of the Aces 8Illustrator: Mark StylingAbout this bookThe speed with which the Corsair was rushed into service as a land-based fighter obliged the pilots to learn on the job. The aircraft soon proved to be superior to the Japanese Zero and played a major part in the destruction of Japan's elite air forces in the South Pacific. Later, in an effort to counter the Kamikaze threat, the Corsair was once again hurriedly pressed into service;...

This is a blistering account of the battle of Cowpens, a short, sharp conflict which marked a crucial turning point in the American Revolution. With Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton and the British troops in hot pursuit, Daniel Morgan, leading a small force of 700 Continentals and militia, chose the Cowpens as the battlefield in which to make a stand. The two forces clashed for barely more than 45 minutes, yet this brief battle shaped the outcome of the War in the South and decisively influenced the...

Crete 1941 by OspreyItem Number: OSPCAM147Campaign 147Author: Peter AntillIllustrator: Howard GerrardAbout this bookOperation Mercury, the German airborne assault on the island of Crete in May 1941, was the first strategic use of airborne forces in history. The assault began on 20 May, with landings near the island's key airports, and reinforcements the next day allowed the German forces to capture one end of the runway at Maleme. By 24 May, the Germans were being reinforced by air on a huge...

About this Osprey Publishing BookThe initial version of the Curtiss P-40, designated by the manufacturer as the Hawk H-81, combined the established airframe of the earlier radial-powered H-75 (P-36) fighter with the Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled engine. The year was 1939, and the marriage was one of expediency. With the threat of war in Europe growing by the day, the US Army Air Corps brass wanted a modern fighter that would combine the sterling handling qualities of the P-36 with a boost in...

About this Osprey Publishing BookAn improved version of the Allison V-1710 engine gave rise to the Curtiss H-87, which began life in 1941 as the P-40D and featured a completely redesigned fuselage. The shorter and deeper nose of the new fighter gave it a decidedly snub-nosed appearance compared to the earlier P-40 models. Curtiss continued to tweak the H-87 for the next two years in the search for better performance, but the last major version, the P-40N, was only marginally faster than the...

D-Day 1944 by OspreyItem Number: OSPCAM104Campaign 104Author: Steven J ZalogaIllustrator: Howard GerrardAbout this bookOn their western flank, the Allied landings on D-Day combined a parachute drop by the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions with an amphibious assault on 'Utah' Beach by the US 4th Infantry Division. The landings came ashore in the wrong place but met weaker German resistance as a result. The heaviest fighting took place inland where the badly scattered paratroopers gradually...

D-Day 1944 #4 Gold & Juno by OspreyItem Number: OSPCAM112Campaign 112Author: Ken FordIllustrator: Kevin LylesAbout this bookOperation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, was the greatest sea-borne military operation in history. At the heart of the invasion and key to its success were the landings of British 50th Division on Gold Beach and Canadian 3rd Division on Juno Beach. Not only did they provide the vital link between the landings of British 3rd Division on Sword Beach and the...

About this Osprey Publishing BookInitially designed as a high-speed mail aeroplane and airliner, the Do 17 first made an appearance as a military aircraft in the Spanish Civil War, both as a bomber and in reconnaissance roles. In the early stages of World War II, it, together with the Heinkel He 111, formed the backbone of the German bomber arm over Poland, France, Belgium and the Low Countries, and saw action in almost every major campaign in this period. However, by the start of the Battle...