Osprey: Titles Available This July 2017
Storm of Eagles
Soaring high above the fields and cities of Europe and Asia as well as the vast expanse of the Pacific, Allied and Axis pilots engaged in a deadly battle for control of the skies in World War II. Whoever won the skies would win the war.
Published in association with the National Museum of World War II Aviation, Storm of Eagles is a fully illustrated coffee-table book that brings together classic as well as never-before-seen wartime images. Compiled by one of the world's premier aviation photographers and historians, this remarkable volume is a must-have for anyone interested in World War II aviation.
Canadian Corps Soldier vs Royal Bavarian Soldier
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 archive photographs and specially commissioned artwork, this study assesses these three hard-fought battles in 1917 on the Western Front, and offers a new take on the evolving nature of infantry combat in World War I.
Luftwaffe Emergency Fighters
In late 1944, the German Air Ministry organised what it called an ‘Emergency Fighter Competition' intended to produce designs for quick-to-build yet technically and tactically effective jet fighter aircraft capable of tackling the anticipated arrival of the B-29 Superfortress over Europe, as well as the British Mosquito and US P-38 Lightning which were appearing in ever greater numbers.
Thus was born a cutting-edge, highly sophisticated series of aircraft including the futuristic and elegant Focke-Wulf Ta 183; the extraordinary Blohm und Voss P.212, and the state-of-the-art Messerschmitt P.1101 series. Armed with heavy cannon and the latest air-to-air rockets and missiles, these were designed to inflict carnage on American bomber formations at high speed. Using stunning three-view illustrations of each prototype along with full colour artwork, aviation expert Robert Forsyth traces the history of the extraordinary aircraft of the ‘Emergency Fighter Competition', Hitler's last throw of the dice in the air war against the Allies.
Nakajima B5N ‘Kate’ and B6N ‘Jill’ Units
Entering service during the Sino-Japanese War, the Nakajima B5N (code-named ‘Kate') excelled and went on to achieve surprising and dramatic successes in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It also contributed to the sinking of the US aircraft carriers USS Lexington at the Battle of the Coral Sea, USS Yorktown at the Battle of Midway, and USS Hornet at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Its replacement, the Nakajima B6N ‘Jill', while a marked improvement over its illustrious predecessor, was never able to achieve its full potential in combat due to advances in Allied aircraft, finding itself relegated to the dreaded Kamikaze strikes in the latter part of the war.
Using previously unpublished photographs as well as colour illustrations, this book will cover the history of the ‘Kate' and ‘Jill' torpedo/attack bombers, including their design and development, as well as the combat highs and lows of the Imperial Japanese Navy's premier torpedo-bombers.
St Lô 1944
Following the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, the First US Army engaged in a six-week struggle to break out of the Normandy beachhead. The hedgerow country of lower Normandy, called the Bocage, presented unanticipated tactical problems since it proved to be ideal for German infantry defense.
This book examines the brutal attritional struggle in June-July 1944 to overcome the determined German defense and secure St Lô. The city was the site of a crucial cross-roads and was thus a vital target for the invading Allied forces; the initial bombing attacks were so severe that the journalist and poet Samuel Beckett would later report that it had been 'bombed out of existence in one night'. The attack by ground forces turned into a brutal attritional struggle to overcome the determined German defense. Using full-colour artwork, photographs and maps, this is the engaging story of one of the key engagements in the Battle of Normandy.
Soviet Lend-Lease Tanks of World War II
The Red Army suffered such catastrophic losses of armour in the summer of 1941 that they begged Britain and the United States to send tanks. The first batches arrived in late 1941, just in time to take part in the defence of Moscow. The supplies of British tanks encompassed a very wide range of types including the Matilda, Churchill, and Valentine and even a few Tetrarch airborne tanks. American tanks included the M3 (Stuart) light tank and M3 (Lee) medium tank and the M4 Sherman tank, which became so common in 1944-45 that entire Soviet tank corps were equipped with the type. With these Western tanks, the Soviets were finally able to beat back the German tide in the East.
This study examines the different types of tanks shipped to the Soviet Union during the war, Soviet assessments of their merits and problems, and combat accounts of their use in Soviet service using full colour artwork, contemporary photographs and detailed cut-away illustrations.
Shanghai and Nanjing 1937
From 1931, China and Japan had been embroiled in a number of small-scale conflicts that had seen vast swathes of territory being occupied by the Japanese. On 7 July 1937, the Japanese engineered the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, which led to the fall of Beijing and Tianjin and the start of a de facto state of war between the two countries. This force then moved south, landing an expeditionary force to take Shanghai and from there drive west to capture Nanjing.
This fully illustrated book tells the story of the Japanese assault on these two great Chinese cities. The battle of Shanghai was the first large-scale urban warfare of World War II and one of the bloodiest battles of the entire Sino-Japanese War. The determined resistance by Chinese inflicted sizable Japanese casualties, and may well have contributed to the subsequent massacre of prisoners and civilians in the battle of Nanjing, tarnishing Japan's reputation in the eyes of the world.
Soviet T-10 Heavy Tank and Variants
When it was introduced into service in 1953, the T-10 represented a return to the "classic” Soviet heavy tank. Although considered a major threat to NATO tank forces, it also represented the end of an era. All gun heavy tanks like the T-10 would eventually be made effectively redundant by later models like the T-62 which had powerful next generation armament and new ammunition types. The tank was gradually withdrawn from service in the 1970s, though the last tanks would only leave Russian service, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, in 1997. As such the T-10 outlived the Soviet state that had created it.
Never exported outside of the Soviet Union and rarely used in combat, the T-10 has remained a mysterious tank, with many of its variants unknown in the West until very recently. This study, written from original Russian and Ukrainian primary source documents that have only recently been made available, uncovers the history of this enigmatic tank using 130 stunning contemporary and modern photographs of the T-10 as well as full colour side-view artwork.
Mad Dogs With Guns
In 1919, the US Government declared the production, distribution, and sale of alcohol illegal. America officially became a ‘dry' land. That didn't stop people from drinking, however, and the rise of the ‘speakeasy' offered huge new opportunities for organized crime. Soon, cities both large and small became battlegrounds as various crime syndicates vied for control of the underground alcohol trade. In Mad Dogs With Guns, players form their own small gangs of fedora-wearing, tommy gun-wielding gangsters and battle it out with their rivals. With numerous different gangs to choose from, including cops and G-men, a fully integrated campaign system, and rules for special situations such as car chases, the game offers a huge variety of tactical challenges. Bribe public officials, attend a gangland funeral, but always watch your back - there is always another gang waiting to poach your territory.
Frostgrave: Ulterior Motives
The Frozen City harbours many secrets, and not all of them are ancient. While most adventurers who brave the dangers seek wealth and lost magic, some journey into Frostgrave for more personal reasons.
This expansion for Frostgrave consists of 40 Ulterior Motive cards, which add variety, depth, and new tactical challenges to wargames in the Frozen City. Each card presents the player with a specific task to accomplish and offers rewards if they succeed. Some of these missions must be revealed to all of the players, others must be kept secret. Will your wizard seek to slay a great demon? Rescue a desperate captive? Bring retribution to an enemy? All wizards seek power, but what are their ulterior motives?
Elf Warfare
Although few in number, elves produce the most skilful and deadly warriors of all the races. Renowned for their archery and agility, they are mostly associated with hit and run tactics; however, they should not be underestimated in open battle. This book compiles all of the information known about these elegant warriors and how they practise war. From an initial examination of the fighting methods of the individual elf fighter, it expands to look at how they do battle in small companies and vast armies. It covers all of their troop types from their justifiably famous bowmen and swordmasters to their lightning fast cavalry, making note of regional variations and highly specialized fighters such as war mages. Accompanied by numerous illustrations in both colour and black and white, this book examines specific battles in great detail in order to fully demonstrate the elf way of war.
The Lost Expedition
Number of players: 1-5
Ages: 14+
Playing Time: 30-50 minutes
Components: 6 Character cards, 9 Jungle cards, 56 Adventure cards, 2 Reference cards, 2 Playing pieces, 24 Health tokens, 24 Food tokens, 12 Ammo tokens, 2 Expedition leader tokens
Legendary explorer Percy Fawcett marched deep into the Amazon in search of El Dorado. He was never seen again. Your team is following in his footsteps, but in searching for riches you must be careful not to lose the greatest treasure of all - your life.
Make the best of your food, your ammunition and your health, as you plunge deep into the jungle. Choose your path carefully to ensure you're ready for the pitfalls which may occur. Play solo or co-operatively to survive the expedition, or play head-to-head to see which group can reach the lost city first.
From award-winning designer Peer Sylvester and acclaimed comic artist Garen Ewing, The Lost Expedition is a game of hard choices on the road to El Dorado.
