April 2018 Book Vote

Men-at-Arms is the focus of this month's Book Vote, and with five fascinating topics, it's a difficult one.

Read more about this month's options and find out the results of March's vote by heading to the blog.

This month we are asking you which titles you would like to see in our New Vanguard series. Have a read of the descriptions below and let us know which of these you’d like to see us publish!

Strategic SAMs of the USSR and Russia

Following the success of the high-altitude SA-2 system, the Soviet Union poured effort into developing longer-ranged and much more comprehensive systems. The S-200 of the 1960s could shoot down bombers at a range approaching 200 miles, and the famous S-300 family that followed in the late 1970s was – and remains – among the most capable air defence systems in the world. Variants have added capabilities against ballistic missiles, countermeasures, and low-level targets, and the S-300s have now been joined by the even more fearsome S-400. These systems have been important features of the modern wars in Libya and Syria, with both Soviet-era export systems and modern Russian-operated systems in action against Western air forces and missiles.

French Main Battle Tanks 1945-present: ARL 44, AMX-30 and Leclerc

France consistently developed and fielded its own tanks throughout the Cold War and afterwards. Learning much from captured Panther and Tiger tanks, it built a handful of ARL-44 tanks in the 1950s, followed by the successful AMX-30 – which brought the distinctive French philosophy of limiting weight in favour of better mobility. Its modern replacement, the Leclerc, refined this with a focus on active rather than passive protection, and both were exported, particularly to Middle Eastern states. This book would look at these significant Cold War MBTs, as well as the other French tank projects that failed to make it to production.

M4 Sherman in British Service

British troops were initially suspicious of their new American-built Lend-Lease tanks in the early part of the war. But by D-Day the Sherman equipped more armoured regiments than any other, and British tankers had almost come to think of them as British tanks. This book would focus on the ordinary gun tank versions of the Sherman, examining Britain’s preferred versions and adaptations, and how they were used in British Army service across Europe.

Pink Panthers: Land Rovers of the SAS 1950s-2014

For more than half a century the Special Air Service’s unique Land Rovers helped make the unit’s reputation. They were stripped down to the essentials, painted pink (surprisingly, the ideal colour for desert camouflage), extensively customised to operate alone in the most inhospitable environments, and heavily armed. From the first Series I conversion to be used in Oman through to the fleets of 110 DPVs that fought the Gulf War, his book uncovers the Land Rovers’ roles, their many versions, variants, and possible configurations, and what it was like to operate and fight them, deep inside hostile deserts.

Robot Tanks of World War II

Germany built the most famous remote-controlled demolition vehicles of World War II – the tiny Goliath, the medium-sized Springer, and the large Borgward IV. The Goliath and Springer were tracked, remote-controlled mines – built to survive only long enough to be blown up in the right place. The Borgward was heavier, and designed to emplace its charge and then withdraw relatively unscathed. But it was not alone. The USSR built and operated a series of ‘Teletanks’ for particularly dangerous operations, and Britain designed an unsuccessful Mobile Land Mine along the lines of the German Goliath.

Make Your Vote By Clicking Here

Now it's time to announce the results of March book vote. March vote

Osprey Publishing Ltd

New Releases for April 2018! from Osprey Publishing Ltd

This month we have another fantastic set of new releases

Order Today

Short Stirling Units of World War 2

Of the RAF's trio of four-engined heavy bombers in World War 2, the mighty Short Stirling was the first to enter service in August 1940. From its first raid in February 1941, the Stirling was at the forefront of the British night bombing offensive against Germany before unacceptably high losses forced its relegation to second-line duties later in the war.

In its modified form as the Mark IV the Stirling fulfilled vital roles with the RAF as a paratroop transport and glider tug on D-Day, at Arnhem and on the Rhine crossing as well as flying countless Special Duties operations over Occupied Europe and Norway. Its last gasp was in 1948-49 when a handful of Mk Vs were acquired by the Royal Egyptian Air Force to bomb Israel in the First Arab-Israeli War.

Containing numerous first-hand combat accounts from the crews that flew the bomber and detailed profile artwork, Short Stirling Units of World War 2 uncovers the history of one of the RAF's greatest World War 2 bombers.

Technicals

Over the last 30 years, the ‘technical' or armed pick-up truck has become arguably the most ubiquitous military land vehicle of modern warfare.

Harking back to the armed Jeeps and Chevrolet trucks of the SAS and Long Range Desert Group in North Africa in World War II, the world's first insurgent technicals were those of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army in Algeria in the late 1970s, followed by the Chadian use of technical in the so-called Toyota War against Libya. Since then, technicals have seen use in Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, as well as being used by Western and Russian Special Forces.

Fully illustrated with commissioned artwork and providing rigorous analysis, this is the first history of how this deceptively simple fighting vehicle has been used and developed in conflicts worldwide.

Brittany 1944

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.

The newly arrived Third US Army (TUSA) under Lt. Gen. George S. Patton was delegated to take on the Brittany mission. In one of the most rapid mechanized advances of the war, TUSA had the ports of Avranches and Quiberon encircled by the second week of August 1944.

But changing priorities meant that most of TUSA was redeployed, meaning only a single corps was left to take the Breton port cities. The fight would drag into 1945, long after German field armies had been driven from France. Using full colour maps and artwork as well as contemporary accounts and photographs, Brittany 1944 is the fascinating story of the siege of Germany's last bastions on the French Atlantic coast.

Burrows & Badgers

The Kingdom of Northymbra is a land in turmoil. King Redwulf is missing, and his son rules as regent in his stead, facing threats from within and without: growing dissention among the knights and nobles of the realm, whispers of revolution from the Freebeasts, Wildbeasts encroaching on the borders, and bandits of all stripes making the most of the chaos.

Burrows & Badgers is a tabletop skirmish game set in the ancient realm of Northymbra, a kingdom where mice, badgers, toads and other animals wear armour, wield swords, and cast magic spells.

Your tabletop becomes part of the Kingdom of Northymbra, whose ruined villages, haunted forests, and misty marshes play host to brutal ambushes and desperate skirmishes. Lead your warband from battle to battle, and uphold the name of your faction, whether you stand with Reinert's Royalists, the Freebeasts of the Fox Families, or simply for your own glory or survival.

Each model in Burrows & Badgers represents an individual character, and can be selected from a wide range of species - from the humble mouse to the mighty badger - and armed and equipped as desired. Scenarios link into ongoing campaigns, where heroes and villains may make their names and the assistance of infamous mercenaries might mean the difference between victory and defeat.

Outremer: Faith and Blood

Outremer: Faith and Blood is a 28mm skirmish wargame featuring small groups of warriors fighting in Outremer during the Crusades. While suitable for one-off skirmish encounters the focus of the game is a structured and progressive campaign setting in which they are able to watch their force grow and develop over a series of scenarios and encounters from a small party of five or so soldiers into a powerful warband a score strong. Character development is key, and a wide range of troop options and factions allows a high degree of individuality and personalisation. Players will also be able to recruit mercenaries and agents such as Hashashin and Varangian survivors to bolster their forces - potent but expensive additions that will add a distinct flavour to each encounter.

Hurricane

This remarkable aircraft, designed and built to combat the emerging fighter strength of the Axis nations in the lead-up to World War II, made its name in the air battles over Britain and France in the first years of the war. Beloved by its pilots for its stable firing platform and reputation as a rugged survivor, the Hawker Hurricane quickly became the backbone of the RAF, scoring more kills than the more glamorous Spitfire in the Battle of Britain.

This compact volume draws on a wealth of research, artwork and contemporary photographs, as well as images of surviving Hurricanes in flight today, to present a complete guide to this classic fighter aircraft.

Available for Pre-order

Campaldino 1289

Campaldino is one of the important battles between the Guelphs and Ghibellines - the major political factions in the city states of central and northern Italy. It heralded the rise of Florence to a dominant position over the area of Tuscany and was one of the last occasions when the Italian city militias contested a battle, with the 14th century seeing the rise of the condottiere in Italy's Wars.


In this highly illustrated new study, renowned medieval historians Kelly De Vries and Niccolò Capponi have uncovered new material from the battlefield itself, as well as using all the available sources, to breathe new life into this colourful and fascinating battle.

Hitlerjugend Soldier vs Canadian Soldier

Canadian and Waffen-SS troops of 12. SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjugend faced one another in a series of bloody battles following the D-Day landings of June 1944. The Canadian units fought in a number of distinguished regiments, while the Hitlerjugend Division were drawn from the ranks of the Hitler Youth organizations. Veteran officers and NCOs were joined by inexperienced teenagers, and clashed with the Canadians repeatedly, notably at Authie, Bretteville and Hill 168. The struggle quickly took on an especially bitter nature, fuelled by the massacre of Canadian prisoners by Hitlerjugend personnel.

Employing first-hand accounts and the latest research, as well as specially commissioned artwork and carefully selected archive photographs this absorbing study investigates the origins, ethos, training, fighting techniques and weapons of both sides during the epic struggle for Normandy.

Soviet Cruise Missile Submarines of the Cold War

The Soviet Union's cruise missile submarines from the modified Whiskey, to the Oscar II classes were among the most formidable vessels of the Cold War. They were initially designed to carry land attack nuclear-tipped cruise missiles designed to strike targets on the eastern coast of the United States. By the late 1960s, however, submarine-launched ballistic missiles made the nuclear land-attack mission unnecessary, so existing classes were converted to the ‘carrier killer' role, armed with anti-ship cruise missiles designed to destroy US super-carriers and other important naval targets.

This fully illustrated study examines these powerful machines that were some of the largest and fastest submarines ever built. If war had broken out, they would have been at the forefront of the Soviet Navy's campaign to destroy NATO's sea power and cut America's sea link with Europe.

Operation Crossbow 1944

In mid-1943, Allied intelligence began to pick up the signs of unusual German construction in remote locations near the Channel Coast. Several massive fortifications were beginning to take shape, and they appeared to be oriented towards London. Allied intelligence codenamed these sites as "Crossbow" and began plans to attack them before they could bombard Britain's capital city. These "Heavy Crossbow" sites for the V-1 and V-2 missiles were supposed to be bomb-proof, but they soon attracted the attention of RAF heavy bombers with the new Tallboy concrete-penetrating bombs.

Fully illustrated with commissioned artwork and contemporary photographs, Operation Crossbow 1944 examines the dynamics of the world's first missile war. It also describes the parallel American efforts to develop missiles and assault drones to attack the "Heavy Crossbow" sites, including the Air Force's Aphrodite and Navy Anvil projects.

The FN MAG Machine Gun

For six decades, the 7.62mm FN MAG has been a dominant general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) in worldwide arsenals. Three qualities have guaranteed this enduring status - reliability, ease of operation, and firepower. Several nations have license-produced the weapon as their standard GPMG, including the British (as the L7) and the Americans (M240), and in total more than 80 nations have adopted the FN MAG. The machine gun has also been modified extensively for vehicular, naval, and aircraft platforms, demonstrating versatility in the air, on sea, and on land.

In this book, Chris McNab charts the technical evolution of this extraordinary weapon, created by Belgian company Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal. From the jungles of South East Asia, to the deserts of the Middle East, and the icy battlefields of the Falklands, this study explores the origins, development, combat use, and legacy of the FN MAG machine gun, a dominant weapon in its field for more than a half-century.

Heinkel He 177 Units of World War 2

In many ways, the Heinkel He 177 'Greif' (Griffon) was Nazi Germany's 'lost' strategic bomber. With some fundamental creases ironed out, and built in large numbers, the He 177 would have offered the Luftwaffe the means with which to carry out long-range, mass bombing attacks against targets of a strategic nature. Although competing interests and personalities served to prevent this from happening, from mid-1943 the aircraft nevertheless saw service over England, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and in Russia. The He 177 flew to the end of the war, with some machines undertaking extremely hazardous low-level missions against Soviet armour in Poland in late 1944-45.

This fascinating book, filled with detailed artwork and contemporary photographs, tells the story of this aircraft, including the political infighting at the top of the Luftwaffe's hierarchy that stymied its development, its radical technical design and its state-of-the-art weaponry.

P-39/P-400 Airacobra vs A6M2/3 Zero-sen

After the huge advances made in the early months of the Pacific war, it was in remote New Guinea where the advance of Imperial Japanese Naval Air Force (IJNAF) A6M Zero-sen fighters was first halted due to a series of offensive and defensive aerial battles ranging from treetop height up to 30,000 ft.

Initially, the IJNAF fought Australian Kittyhawks, but by May 1942 they had fought themselves into oblivion, and were relieved by USAAF P-39 and P-400 Airacobras. The battles unfolded over mountainous terrain with treacherous tropical weather. Neither IJNAF or USAAF pilots had been trained for such extreme conditions, incurring many additional losses aside from those that fell in combat. Using specially commissioned artwork and contemporary photographs and testimony, this fascinating study explains how, despite their initial deficit in experience and equipment, the Airacobras managed to square the ledger and defend New Guinea.

We March Against England

In May 1940 Nazi Germany was master of continental Europe, the only European power still standing was Great Britain - and the all-conquering German armed forces stood poised to cross the Channel. Following the destruction of the RAF fighter forces, the sweeping of the Channel of mines, and the wearing down of the Royal Naval defenders, two German army groups were set to storm the beaches of southern England. Despite near-constant British fears from August to October, the invasion never took place after first being postponed to spring 1941 before finally being abandoned entirely.

Robert Forcyzk, author of Where the Iron Crosses Grow, looks beyond the traditional British account of Operation Sea Lion, complete with plucky Home Guards and courageous Spitfire pilots, at the real scale of German ambition, plans and capabilities. He examines, in depth, how Operation Sea Lion fitted in with German air-sea actions around the British Isles as he shows exactly what stopped Hitler from invading Britain.

Konflikt '47: Defiance

Delving deeper into the weird world of Konflikt '47, this supplement presents a range of new material for the game, including:

- New units: Options for troops and technology that can be added to the armies presented in the rulebook.

- Special characters: Field the best of the best, elite men and women who may singlehandedly be the crucial element between victory and defeat.

- New background: The history of the world of Konflikt '47 is detailed in more depth.

- New rules: All-new means of waging war, including material previously published online.

Osprey Publishing Ltd

Miniature Wargames 421, May 2018

• Putty to Pixels: The editor interviews the Mithril sculptor Chris Tubb on the transition from ‘greenstuff’ to computer modelling.

•  A show report from Cavalier 2018: the editor takes a trip to the Tonbridge show.

• Hell By Daylight: The last part of a set of rules for 20th Century Skirmish: build your own insurgency!

• The Victorio Campaign: The final part of a guide one of a guide to the Apache Wars in the Old West from 1870 to 1876.

• The Path to Frostgrave: Rules author Joe McCullough takes us through the rules design process and provides a new scenario!

•  Command Decision. Villiers Bocage: another wargames poser.

• One of these things...Is not like the other. The historical versus non-historical debate continues.

• There’s also more scratch building gaming scenery: The Wargames widow builds swampy rivers and we have a guide to indestructible rocks!

•  Plus all the latest news and reviews!

Miniature Wargames

Wargames Illustrated 366, April 2018

OBSERVATION POST
A special focus on what we picked up at Vapnartak in York this month.

THEME 1: ARMIES OF THE THIRTY YEARS WAR
Jim Graham provides some advice for gamers looking to invest in a new period or army for use during this fascinating period.

THEME 2: AIRCRAFT AND GROUND SUPPORT IN THE GREAT WAR
Jim Graham is back, switching periods to look at some of the less glamorous aspects of being a ‘Knight of the Air’ during World War One.

THEME 1: WARGAMING THE BATTLE OF ROCROI
Simon MacDowall examines the wargaming potential of the Franco-Spanish conflict in the Thirty Years War.

THEME 2: RAID ON KENSINGTON
The drone of engines, the twists and turns of aerial combat – we tried out one of the scenarios and aspects of the expanded rules from the upcoming Blood Red Skies with game designer Andy Chambers.

THEME 1: GOING PLASTIC IN THE THIRTY YEARS WAR
Rupert Mitchell of Drum and Flag presents some thoughts on creating armies using plastic miniatures.

THEME 2: TAKE TO THE SKIES WITH JOHNNY RED
Whilst America had the X-Men and Spiderman, the Brits had more ‘realistic’ heroes, whose stories were told against the backdrop of real warfare. Steve Beckett tells us more about – Johnny Red.

JUST ANOTHER APRIL FOOL
Pete Brown embraces an April tradition, but can you tell the historical truth from the alternative facts?

THEME 2: ROUTE PACK 6
Aerial Warfare over North Vietnam 1965-72. John F. Stanoch discusses this aspect of the war in Vietnam and presents some gaming ideas and a scenario.

THEME 2: BOOTNECK AIR ASSAULT
Although the ‘Suez Crisis’ resulted in a humiliating climb down by Britain and France, the military operation itself succeeded and featured the first example of an assault never before used in combat.

BATTLE OF THE BATTLEMATS
We take a look at a number of battlemats from different companies, along the way charting their evolution and merits.

GO LARGE IN WORLD WAR ONE (OPPY WOOD PART 2)
James Morris takes the 12mm version of his 2017 wargames project (featured last month) to war on a larger scale – 54mm!

RULES SHOWCASE: HAIL THE DARK AGES!
The latest supplement for Hail Caesar from Warlord Games covers the Dark Ages or ‘Early Medieval’ period, with new special rules and updated army lists – we try them out with HC author Rick Priestley.

MODELLING: DRUID
A look at the creation of our Salute 2018 gaming table.

SHOW REPORT: TACTICA 2018
Our travels take us to Hamburg once more, and this excellent showcase of Germanic wargaming talent.

Wargames Illustrated

Warning Order 48, April 2018

Warning Order, a free wargaming e-magazine, now has issue #48 available to download.

This issue features our annual Warmaster tournament, a playtest of the Pickett's Charge ACW rules, a Saltcon report where we ran Frayser's Farm with Brigade Fire & Fury along with a Phantoms game, and a Saga battle report. Two new Engagements scenarios, book and game reviews, plus the usual features round out the issue.

You can download the issue directly with this link.

Back issues are available by going to this page.

Warning Order

New Website Launched by Lancer Miniatures

To all my loyal customers, you may have noticed the old website has vanished, to be replaced by a much sharper and hopefully easier format with an excellent search function to quickly find the exact product you need.

There are a couple of sales going on with 15% discount, due to having too many items in drawers and display boards, these are WW2 figures and tanks, and 10mm walls and hedges.

Resin buildings are now available outside the UK due to the facility of being able to have different postage rates.

Lancer Miniatures

Universal Miniatures Battles

Universal Miniatures Battles is a strategy Wargame in which you can simulate battles from pre-Antiquity to late medieval / pre-gunpowder era, even with any fantasy background you can think or imagine. The rules system is mathematically balanced and has the key advantage that doesn't require additional supplements to create your army list. All you need is in this rulebook!

Thanks to the decks system of UMB, you can create your historical armies based on the facts and information you have researched, any fantasy army you can imagine and be able to play against any other player, regardless the army they collect, because the unique point system is balancing any confrontation.

Wargame Vault

1/144 Business Class Passengers from North Star

1/144 Business class passengers figures set - 4pcs

Business Class Passengers

North Star

1/144 Pan-Am Stewardess from North Star

1/144 Pan-Am stewardess resin figures set - 4pcs

Pan-Am Stewardess

North Star

1/144 Soviet WWII Pilot and War Photographer from North Star

1/144 Soviet WWII Pilot and War photographer painted figures

Soviet WWII Pilot and War Photographer

North Star

Finalizing the Pack Contents from Warmonger Miniatures

I'm finalizing the pack contents with my caster. I don't believe I'm going to be able to offer wheel options given their cost. As of right now the cannon unit will contain:

* 6 crew on foot
* 2 cannon (left), 2 carriage, 4 reinforced wheels

And the horse-mobile cannon unit will contain:

* 4 crew on foot, 2 with/on horse
* 2 cannon (top right), 2 carriage, 2 limber, 8 spoked wheels

And now a bonus light cannon unit:
* 6 crew on foot
* 2 cannon (middle right), 2 cannon (bottom right), 2 carriage, 4 reinforced wheels

That work for people? I'm still planning on having stretch goals for the mortar and organ gun, I also might do a Heckblaster.

Warmonger Miniatures

ZSU-23-4 from Timecast

Our 1:144 scale ZSU-23-4 will be available to order shortly.

ZSU-23-4

We are also happy to announce that the 1:144 Soviet 2S1 122mm SP gun and ACRV artillery command vehicles are now available to order online.

2S1 122mm SP Gun

Timecast

Timecast Upcoming Move to New Premises

Due to the redevelopment of our existing site, we will be moving into new premises at some point in May-June. Although this will involve some disruption to our production and service, it does mean that we will have a bit more room and will also help us keep costs down.

We are still at the planning stage at the moment, but as soon as we have any firm dates, we will post the details on our website news page.

Timecast

1/144 Belgian Light Armoured Train from Van Dyck Models

In addition to our upcoming WWI ranges we would like to share with you some images of a Belgian Light armoured train no release date yet.

Early after the outbreak of the war the decision was made to build several armoured trains. At least three light and three heavy armoured trains were build. These are somewhat forgotten weapons and have never been build as a model kit either.

 Anyway we are building the "light" armoured train that consisted of a front wagon 18 meters long with a 57mm Nordefeld rapid firing gun at the front and a Hotchkiss machine gun on both sides. The only surviving image of this train shows this wagon (see below).

Then came the locomotive, "type de l'état 15" and later "type 32".

After the locomotive came another small wagon 6 meter long with a Hotchkiss machine gun at the back.

 Have a look at the first images:

Original image:

1/144 Belgian Light Armoured Train

Van Dyck Models

10mm Road System from Laser Terrain Co

Hi everyone there was a lot of interest in our 28mm downtown road layout and loads of requests for it to be in 10mm. So here it is! It will be part of the Kickstarter and there will be an add-on to make it 6 x4 ft.

10mm Road System

Please join our event if you like what you see.

Hope it's good. I'm open to suggestions for improvement!

Laser Terrain Co

1:44, BAC 167 Strikemaster from Miniwing

Plastic parts for Strikemaster finished. I wait for decals and boxes. I would like show you boxarts which made Daniel Uhl and one painted my daughter Kristyna

BAC 167 Strikemaster

Miniwing

War of the Spanish Succession from Van Dyck Models

New range under construction: War of the Spanish Succession. First pack will be available on pre-sale, all sales will be shipped next Monday, the 23rd of April.

War of the Spanish Succession

This range was originally planned for the second half of this year but I did have them on preview at "Tactica" in Hamburg. Wargames Illustrated, also present at "Tactica" came by our stand for some pictures and this way the news got out a bit sooner then expected.

I've had a lot questions about when they will be available. First I don't want to alarm our ancient and WWI customers that might think these ranges will see no new items this year, don't worry, a lot of new ancients and WWI packs will appear this year. In fact our WWI German machine guns are just waiting for the production moulds to be released.
And secondly since the first pack of WSS figures is ready, they are available for those of you who want to see our miniatures and to have a feel of what this range will be about.
The pack contains 4x7 miniatures in march attack and two different sergeants.

Some information on the approach of this range.
Since the uniforms for this time period are so beautiful I really wanted to make miniatures that stood out accordingly. To increase their overall appeal and to make them look more dynamic I made seven figures in march attack, all with different heads, hair and slightly different poses. These seven different figures will serve as a basis for the other infantry troop types. For example, the first batch has a ventral ammunition pouch and can be used for French and Spanish infantry. The next will have their ammunition pouch on the right hip, grenadier versions will have different headgear, etc. This way I hope to cover most of the infantry uniforms in use during the war of the Spanish succession. Cavalry and artillery will be covered in the same way.
After all the core elements are present we can look if there are any gaps in the range that need additional figures.

Kris Van Dyck

Van Dyck Models

The Indian Army in the First World War: New Perspectives

The book addresses the important global role of the Indian Army during the First World War. It is an academic reassessment of the army by both established and early career scholars of the Indian Army, as well as naval historians.

It looks at the historiography of the army - taking into account the recent work on the army (particularly on the Western Front in 1914-1915).

The edited volume covers the traditional areas of the Indian Army on the Western Front, in Palestine, Mesopotamia and the defence of the Suez Canal; however, there are also chapters on combined operations; Indian prisoners of war in Germany and Turkey; the expansion of the officer corps; and the Sikh experience, as well as the mobilisation of the equine army at the beginning of the war and the demobilisation of the army in the period from 1918 until 1923.

Three additional chapters are related to the theme, such as the role of the Royal Indian Marine; the Territorial Army in India; and Churchill’s portrayal of the Indian Army during the Gallipoli campaign in his account The World Crisis.

The Forgotten Battle of the Kursk Salient: 7th Guards Army’s Stand Against Army Detachment Kempf

Using the Russian Ministry of Defense’s archives and Western sources, the author has produced a companion work to his masterful study of II SS Panzer Corps’ offensive and the culminating clash at Prokhorovka.

He lays out the German and Soviet plans for the battle; the forces arrayed for it and the extensive Soviet defenses; and then goes through a meticulous examination of the course of the fighting, as III Panzer Corps suffered initial setbacks in its attempt to link up with the right flank of II SS Panzer Corps (then extemporized on the battlefield to get the offensive going and to complete the link-up), while the Soviet side fought valiantly to prevent this (according to the plan of the Voronezh Front Commander-in-Chief, N.F. Vatutin).

Disputed Victory: Schley, Sampson & The Spanish-American War of 1898

In 1898 the United States went to war with Spain over the future of Cuba. The American navy had, in the preceding decade, been revived after years of neglect, and was much stronger than anything that the Spanish could bring against it.

In the Philippines, Admiral George Dewey easily destroyed a weak Spanish squadron. A military invasion of Cuba was supported by the rest of the US Navy, under the command of Admiral William T Sampson. An important part of this force was the Flying Squadron, led by Commodore Winfield Scott Schley. Meanwhile a Spanish squadron under Admiral Pascual Cervera sailed from Europe to the Caribbean and, after disappearing for some days, reached the port of Santiago de Cuba. Schley was the first on the scene; his movements were later to be severely criticised.

When Sampson arrived with the rest of the fleet, a blockade of the port was instituted. In the end, Cervera was obliged to make an attempt to break out, but his squadron of four cruisers was overwhelmed and destroyed. During the battle on Sunday July 3, Schley was in effective command, as Sampson had gone ashore to confer with the army commander. Although the Americans had won another easy victory, a bitter dispute arose between the respective supporters of Schley and Sampson as to who was entitled to the credit. Fanned by the popular press, the issue split the U S Navy to the point where its morale was seriously affected.

Matters came to a head with the publication of a book violently attacking Schley’s conduct. He demanded a Court of Inquiry; this sat for forty days at the Washington Navy Yard, presided over by Admiral Dewey. It was one of the great trials of American history, as the lawyers refought the campaign in minute detail. In the end, the verdict went against Schley, though this was offset by a minority opinion from Dewey that he had indeed been in command and deserved the credit for the victory. This book explores the rights and wrongs of the conduct of those principally involved in a battle that marked the dawn of the American empire, and closely examines the dramatic proceedings of the Court of Inquiry.

The Hundred Thousand Sons of st. Louis: The French Campaign in Spain, April to October 1823

This book sheds light on an almost unknown military campaign conducted by a French army, 100,000 men strong. The army was referred to by the French king as the ‘Sons of St. Louis’ and was pitted against parts of the regular Spanish army and a numerous militia. The cause of the war was a revolution in Spain in 1820 which brought in a ‘Liberal’ government and the Spanish parliament, the Cortez, held Ferdinand, the Spanish king, a virtual prisoner. Ferdinand appealed for help from the French who were supported by an army of Spanish Royalists. A few years earlier many of these Royalist volunteers had been France’s bitter enemies and had fought Napoleon’s generals to a standstill.

The French troops who crossed the Pyrenees were part of a newly-forged army, taken from the debris of Napoleon’s old regiments augmented with newly-raised conscripts and many inexperienced officers drawn from emigrés and the old nobility who had returned to France after the Battle of Waterloo. However, it was led by battle-hardened former Imperial officers and was placed under the overall command of the king of France’s nephew, who was also in line for the throne of France.

Since 1824, when a small number of works appeared in France, there has been no book on the subject, in any language.

A full account of the campaign is given, together with detailed descriptions of the armies of France and Spain, illustrated with contemporary pictures and modern interpretations and including maps and plans of the war. The final and crucial battle, the taking of the forts on the island of the Trocadero, opposite Cadiz, is given special attention. Although small by recent European standards, the fight was decisive for bringing about the end to the war and for establishing the spirit of the new French Royal army and restoring France to a position as one of the leading world powers.

The organisation of the armies, and the uniforms of the post-Napoleonic French forces is covered in detail. The critical book list adds to the reader’s understanding of the sources used.