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30 Jun 2017

Panzer Krieg by Jason D. Mark

Panzer Krieg by Jason D. Mark

The first volume of our Stalingrad panzer series is much larger than originally planned. At almost 580 large-format pages, the combat histories of Panzer-Abteilungen 103, 129 and 160 are examined in depth, both in text and photos.










The pre-publication will be announced in the next few weeks. Thanks to everyone for their patience. The wait will be worth it!

Leaping Horseman Books

New 1/144 BRDM 2 in 10mm from TimeCast

New 1/144 BRDM 2 in 10mm from TimeCast

Our new 1/144 scale (10mm) BRDM-2 and several variants are now available for advance orders on our website. The production moulds are almost ready to go and models will be despatched as soon as the moulds are up and running.

BRDM-2 Reconnaissance Vehicle

BRDM-2 Reconnaissance Vehicle

Sturdy, reliable and simple to operate, the BRDM-2 was the main Soviet recce vehicle,
seen throughout GSFG in the recce and HQ defence roles

BRDM-2 AT-5

BRDM-2 AT-5

A BRDM anti-tank variant. Equipped with AT-5 Spandrel ATGMs this vehicle was found in Soviet Regimental and Divisional Anti-Tank units.

BRDM-2 SA-9

BRDM-2 SA-9

An anti-aircraft variant of  the BRDM-2. Equipped with SA-9 Gaskin
surface to air missiles, this vehicle was found in the Regimental Air Defence Batteries.

BRDM -2U

BRDM -2U

A command variant of the BRDM-2, equipped with extra radios.

Prices from
£3.00 GBP GBP – £3.50 GBP GBP

Timecast

Gaius Marius: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Saviour

Gaius Marius: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Saviour

Gaius Marius was one of the most remarkable and significant figures of the late Roman Republic. At a time when power tended to be restricted to a clique of influential families, he rose from relatively humble origins to attain the top office of consul.

He even went on to hold the post an unprecedented seven times. His political career flourished but was primarily built on military success. First serving in the Numantine War in Spain, he later rose to high command and brought a long-running war in North Africa to a successful conclusion, bringing the Numidian King Jurgurtha back in chains.

His return was timely as northern barbarian tribes threatened Italy and had previously defeated several Roman armies.

Marius reformed and retrained the Republic's forces and decisively defeated the invaders that had easily overpowered his predecessors. Marius' subsequent career was primarily that of an elder statesman, but it was dominated by his rivalry with his erstwhile subordinate, Sulla, which ultimately led to the latter's bloody coup. Marius, once hailed as the saviour of Rome, eventually became a desperate fugitive, literally fleeing for his life from his pursuers.

However, after several harrowing brushes with death, Marius seized an opportunity to return to Rome and mete out justice to his enemies, which tarnished his once-enviable reputation.

29 Jun 2017

Osprey: Available This Month

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.


26 Jun 2017

10mm Ogre Mammoth Riders from Black Gate Miniatures

10mm Ogre Mammoth Riders from Black Gate Miniatures

Great looking old school 10mm Ogre sculpts, cast in the Lead free Pewter. In this phase two release wave, meet the Ogre Mammoth Riders.




Welcome back to Black Gate Miniatures' range of 10mm Fantasy Ogres for the upcoming Kings of the North Miniatures Game (KotN).

Phase two will bring to life the fearsome Ogre Mammoth Riders. Consisting of 3 individually sculpted rider models plus 3 Mammoth mounts. They are cast from Lead-free Pewter and scaled at 10mm.

I need £500 to cover the remaining sculpting and production costs in order to bring these bad boys to life.

The price of £9 per unit featured in pledges of Ogre Warrior is exclusive to this Kickstarter. The regular price will be £10 per unit after the Kickstarter ends.

For the first time ever, we are also offering an Early Bird Special, 50 lucky backers will be able to purchase Mammoth Riders for the incredible price of £8 per unit.

Ogre Mammoths Concept Art

Ogre Mammoth Riders

Test Mammoth Miniature (no tusks yet)

PLEDGE LEVELS:

Greenling £1 - For those people who want to help the project succeed but don't want any Ogres themselves. You get a big thank you from me and a Karma boost.

Ogreling £10 - One unit of Ogre Mammoth Riders. In addition you may purchase further units @ £10 per unit and access any add-ons. (Postage charged separately*)

Ogre Warrior (Early Bird Special) £16 - Two units of Ogre Mammoth Riders. In addition you may purchase further units of mammoth Riders @ £8 per unit and access any add-ons. (Postage charged separately*) Limited to 50 backers

Ogre Warrior £18 - Two units of Ogre Mammoth Riders. In addition you may purchase further units of mammoth Riders @ £9 per unit and access any add-ons. (Postage charged separately*)

STRETCH GOALS:

Stretch Goal 1: £1000 - Character pack add-on for £10 per pack.

Unlocks the Character pack. Featuring two Chieftain models and two Shaman models, all on foot. Available to all pledge levels for £10 per pack. Each pack contains one of each of the four models.

Chieftain Models

One of the Shaman characters

Stretch Goal 2: £1500 - Mammoth Rider Character Pack add-on for £6 per pack.
Unlocks the Mammoth Rider Character Pack add-on. Choose from either a Chieftain or Shaman model riding a Mammoth. Available to all pledge levels for £6 per pack.

Shaman on Mammoth

Chieftain on Mammoth

Stretch Goal 3: £2000 - Yeti unit add-on for £8 per pack.

Unlocks the Yeti unit add-on. Featuring 3 individual sculpts and available for a Kickstarter exclusive price of £8 for a pack of 9 miniatures. Once the Kickstarter is finished they will revert to the normal price of £9 per pack.

More stretch goals will be released as the pledge level rises...

ADD-ONS:

£9 One Unit of Phase 1 Ogres- One unit of Ogre Warriors, Armoured Ogre Warriors or Cannoneers. (Postage charged separately*)

£32 Four Units of Phase 1 Ogres - Four units of Ogre Warriors, Armoured Ogre Warriors or Cannoneers. (Postage charged separately*)

Ogre Warriors

Ogre Cannoneer

Armoured Ogre Warriors

40x20mm Basing Packs - Laser cut from 2mm MDF, supplied in packs of fifty (50) bases for £3.

40mm x 20mm bases

DELIVERY:

* Based on past experience (of us and others), we will be charging shipping after the Kickstarter concludes based on the actual costs incurred to ship. We will collect this via Paypal after the campaign ends. This is so we can be fair to all our backers (shipping is rarely one size fits all).

UK The costs between £1 and £4 for 2nd class delivery depending on weight.

Europe The costs are likely to be around £6 for 500g (10 units), £10 for 1kg (20 units) and £14 for 2kg (40 units).

World Zone 1 (North America, South America, Africa, the Middle East, the Far East and South East Asia) the costs are likely to be around £8 for 500g (10 units), £14 for 1kg (20 units) and £21 for 2kg (40 units).

World Zone 2 (Everywhere else) the costs are likely to be around £9 for 500g (10 units), £15 for 1kg (20 units) and £23 for 2kg (40 units).

CREDITS:

Production - Barry James Pittman

Sculpting - Robi Baker

Art - Christian Schwager

Painting - Jon Webb (Single Model)

Painting - Richard Bowker (Units)

Video music is "Into the Storm" by Brandon Liew


Risks and challenges

The only real risk apart from if the Kickstarter doesn't fund, is that it funds too well!

This is our second Kickstarter and the first was delivered on schedule in April 2017.

The production is all being done in-house and so if the order book gets too big then I may have to delay the shipping date a little from the October 2017 deadline or send orders out in batches.

Kickstarter
Black Gate Miniatures

22 Jun 2017

Ancient History Magazine 11, Jul-Aug 2017

Ancient History Magazine 11, Jul-Aug 2017

This issue focuses on the changes that occurred in Late Antiquity (including the fall of Rome), during which the ancient world transitioned into the Middle Ages.

Theme: The end of Antiquity

Josho Browers, 'The end of antiquity - Historical introduction'.
Claudia Devoto, 'Constantine and the rise of Christian Rome - Crossing the Milvian Bridge'.
Eugenia Russell, 'The last non-Christian Roman Emperor - Julian the Apostate'.
Fabian Schulz, 'How St. Ambros tried to influence rulers - Christian advice'.
Jeroen Wijnendaele, 'The end of the Roman Empire in the west - Attack of the Visigoths'.
Russell Dewhurst, 'The link between ancient and medieval - Augustine of Hippo'.
Olivier Gengler, 'Closure of the Academy at Athens - Plato's second death?'.
Josho Brouwers, 'Recommended books on late antiquity - Beyond the magazine'.

Features:

Shelby Stanfield, 'Vultures in the ancient world - Rejected or revered?'.
Cristian Violatti, 'The quest for immortality in ancient China - Forever alive'.
David L. Reinke, 'An enigma tailor-made for Hollywood - Pontius Pilate'.

Ancient History Magazine

21 Jun 2017

WW1 Austro-Hungarian Dragoons and Hussars by Kallistra

A preview of the master figures for the WW1 Early War Austro-Hungarian Dragoons and Hussars, both mounted and dismounted - to be released shortly.

WW1 Austro-Hungarian Dragoons and Hussars by Kallistra

Kallistra Ltd

20 Jun 2017

More 10mm ECW from Lancer Miniatures

Couple of new bits added to the 10mm ECW range. Rupert and Boy, mounted dragoons and command and a new dragoon kneeling firing to add a bit more variety to dragoon pack

Awaiting Pictures

Dragoon foot command 1 officer 1 drummer

Dragoon mounted command 3 figures

4x Mounted Dragoons

Rupert or any other commander you want him to be

Prince Rupert and Boy

Lancer Miniatures

Miniature Wargames 411, July 2017

Miniature Wargames 411, July 2017

The July issue of Miniature Wargames is available.

FORWARD OBSERVER
What’s up and coming in (mostly) historical wargaming. Perry’s plastics and Travel Battle, a new DeepCut mat, Mad Dogs with Guns, 3D printed models from Butler and explosion markers.

SEND THREE AND FOURPENCE
Advancing like men: a “Little Inkerman” Scenario for The Men who would be King by Conrad Kinch.

PARTIZAN
Roger Dixon walks us through the recent popular show in Newark full of (mostly) historical eye-candy.

YO HO HO!
Jon Sutherland gives us a full rule system for piratical shenanigans on the high seas (with downloadable play aids). Consider your timbers shivered!

TARZAN!
With an exclusive for the magazine, this is a new army for Death In The Dark Continent. Kevin Dallimore shows us that DitDC isn’t just about historical gaming and – although there are 80 historical army lists in the rule set, this is the 81st. And maybe not so historical...

DARKER HORIZONS
This month Fantasy Facts has its usual round up of what’s out in the world(s) of non-historical gaming: new releases from Ground Zero games in 15mm; Crooked Dice in 28mm; Brigade in 15mm and 10mm for scenery and some space ships. On top of that there’s a look at new games from Great Escape. There’s also the second and last part of Graham Green’s Painting the Army of Gondolin plus scratch building a VSF steam launch.

NAGY-SALLO 1849
Designing a scenario. Chris Pringle – author of the “Bloody Big BATTLES!” rules – walks us through the construction of his recreation of Nagy-Salló 1849.

RECCE
Books for wargamers - what’s a good read and what to leave on the rack. This month we have Battle for Angola: The End of the Cold War in Africa; Rails of War;
Military Technology of the First World War; Wargamer’s Guide to the Anglo-Zulu War; Samurai in 100 Objects; The Battle of Actium; Fighting the Russians before Russia 1805-1807; Old Robin’s Foot; Reminiscences Under Wellington: The Memoirs Of William Hay; An Army of Brigadiers; The Budapest Operation;
Vehicle Art of World War 2

WARGAMES WIDOW
Corrugated. Diane Sutherland builds some fences and shacks from crinkly cardboard and plastic!

CLUB DIRECTORY
Find a club in your vicinity and add your club for free!

Miniature Wargames

19 Jun 2017

The Three Battles of Sand Creek: In Blood, in Court, and as the End of History

The Three Battles of Sand Creek: In Blood, in Court, and as the End of History

The Sand Creek Battle, or Massacre, occurred on November 29-30, 1864, a confrontation between Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians and Colorado volunteer soldiers.

The affair was a tragic event in American history, and what occurred there continues to be hotly contested. Indeed, labeling it a “battle” or a “massacre” will likely start an argument before any discussion on the merits even begins. Even questions about who owns the story, and how it should be told, are up for debate. Many questions arise whenever Sand Creek is discussed: were the Indians peaceful? Did they hold white prisoners? Were they under army protection? Were excessive numbers of women and children killed, and were bodies mutilated? Did the Indians fly an American flag? Did the chiefs die stoically in front of their tipis? Were white scalps found in the village? Three hearings were conducted, and there seems to be an overabundance of evidence from which to answer these and other questions. Unfortunately, the evidence only muddies the issues. Award-winning Indian Wars author Gregory Michno divides his study into three sections.

The first, “In Blood,” details the events of November 29 and 30, 1864, in what is surely the most comprehensive account published to date. The second section, “In Court,” focuses on the three investigations into the affair, illustrates some of the biases involved, and presents some of the contradictory testimony. The third and final section, “The End of History,” shows the utter impossibility of sorting fact from fiction. Using Sand Creek as well as contemporary examples, Michno examines the evidence of eyewitnesses all of whom were subject to false memories, implanted memories, leading questions, prejudice, self-interest, motivated reasoning, social, cultural, and political mores, an over-active amygdala, and a brain that had a “mind” of its own―obstacles that make factual accuracy an illusion. Living in a postmodern world of relativism suggests that all history is subject to the fancies and foibles of individual bias.

The example of Sand Creek illustrates why we may be witnessing “the end of history.” Studying Sand Creek exposes our prejudices because facts will not change our minds we invent them in our memories, we are poor eyewitnesses, we follow the leader, we are slaves to our preconceptions, and assuredly we never let truth get in the way of what we already think, feel, or even hope. We do not believe what we see; instead, we see what we believe. Michno’s extensive research includes primary and select secondary studies, including recollections, archival accounts, newspapers, diaries, and other original records. The Three Battles of Sand Creek will take its place as the definitive account of this previously misunderstood, and tragic, event.

15 Jun 2017

The Iasi - Kishinev Operation, 20-29 August 1944: The Red Army's Summer Offensive Into The Balkans

The Iasi - Kishinev Operation, 20-29 August 1944: The Red Army's Summer Offensive Into The Balkans

The Iasi―Kishinev Operation, 20-29 August 1944: The Red Army's Summer Offensive into the Balkans details the Soviet preparation and conduct of the Red Army's massive offensive into Romania in the summer of 1944. The seventh of the ten strategic operations conducted by the Soviet armed forces that year, the operation successfully carried out the task of destroying German forces in northern Romania and taking Germany's Romanian satellite out of the war, and was the first step in Stalin's consolidation of a Balkan empire.

The study, unlike many others in this series, is based only in part on materials published by the Soviet General Staff's historical section. Nonetheless, this and other material was written and published for the purpose of generalizing the experience of the war's experience for training commanders and staffs in the preparation and conduct of multi-front offensive operations. The study is divided into two parts. The first deals with the operation as a whole. This includes the preparations by the Second and Third Ukrainian fronts for launching the operation. This includes an overall strategic appreciation of the situation as it obtained by the summer of 1944 and the Stavka's instructions for carrying out an operation along the southern strategic direction. This is followed by a minute examination of the two fronts' plans for organizing and exploiting a breakthrough of the enemy front, as well as the individual army commanders' plans for their own sectors.

The study concentrates on such standard operational indices as the length of the attack front, the density of forces along the breakthrough front, the echeloning of forces for the attack, and cooperation among the combat arms. Whereas the first part offers an operational-strategic overview of the operation, the second is firmly focused at the tactical-operational level. This study is actually a doctoral dissertation dealing with the Third Ukrainian Front's 37th Army, which played the leading role in the front's offensive across the Dnestr River, from where it subsequently linked up with the Second Ukrainian Front's forces to encircle the German Sixth Army. Many of the operational indices highlighted in the first part are repeated here in even greater detail. The successful conclusion of the Iasi―Kishinev operation destroyed the German position in the Balkans and laid the groundwork for the Red Army's subsequent advance into Hungary and Central Europe. As one of the army's more successful offensive operations, it is worthy of study by history buffs and professional officers alike.

Dubno 1941: The Greatest Tank Battle of the Second World War

Dubno 1941: The Greatest Tank Battle of the Second World War

In June 1941 - during the first week of the Nazi invasion in the Soviet Union - the quiet cornfields and towns of Western Ukraine were awakened by the clanking of steel and thunder of explosions; this was the greatest tank battle of the Second World War. About 3,000 tanks from the Red Army Kiev Special Military District clashed with about 800 German tanks of Heeresgruppe South. Why did the numerically superior Soviets fail? Hundreds of heavy KV-1 and KV-2 tanks, the five-turret giant T-35 and famous T-34 failed to stop the Germans.

Based on recently available archival sources, A. Isaev describes the battle from a new point of view: that in fact it's not the tanks, but armored units, which win or lose battles. The Germans during the Blitzkrieg era had superior T&OE for their tank forces. The German Panzer Division could defeat their opponents not by using tanks, but by using artillery, which included heavy artillery, motorized infantry and engineers. The Red Army's armored unit - the Mechanized Corps - had a lot of teething troubles, as all of them lacked accompanying infantry and artillery. In 1941 the Soviet Armored Forces had to learn the difficult science - and mostly ‘art' - of combined warfare.

Isaev traces the role of these factors in a huge battle around the small Ukrainian town of Dubno. Popular myths about impregnable KV and T-34 tanks are laid to rest. In reality, the Germans in 1941 had the necessary tools to combat them. The author also defines the real achievements on the Soviet side: the Blitzkrieg in the Ukraine had been slowed down. For the Soviet Union, the military situation in June 1941 was much worse than it was for France and Britain during the Western Campaign in 1940.

The Red Army wasn't ready to fight as a whole and the border district's armies lacked infantry units, as they were just arriving from the internal regions of the USSR. In this case, the Red Army tanks became the ‘Iron Shield' of the Soviet Union; they even operated as fire brigades. In many cases, the German infantry - not tanks - became the main enemy of Soviet armored units in the Dubno battle. Poorly organized, but fierce, tank-based counter-attacks slowed down the German infantry - and while the Soviet tanks lost the battle, they won the war.

Best Love to All: The Letters And Diaries Of Captain Eric Rigby-Jones, Mc And Bar And His Experiences As A Young Officer With The Liverpool Pals On The Western Front In 1917 And 1918

Best Love to All: The Letters And Diaries Of Captain Eric Rigby-Jones, Mc And Bar And His Experiences As A Young Officer With The Liverpool Pals On The Western Front In 1917 And 1918

Best Love to All is an account of the experiences of the author's grandfather as a young officer on the Western Front with the Liverpool Pals. Based on his unpublished letters and diaries, it covers his participation in the battles of Arras and Ypres in 1917, with the Fifth and Second Armies during the great German Spring Offensive of 1918, and in Brussels after the armistice. Eric Rigby-Jones is one of the many unsung heroes of the war and, were it not for his own account, his bravery would now be forgotten. He was awarded the Military Cross and Bar for his actions on the first and last days of the Spring Offensive. Invalided home, he was presented with his medals by the King at Buckingham Palace a week after his 21st birthday. Eric would go on to become a leading industrialist in Ireland after the war, founding his company, Irish Ropes, in the disused British cavalry barracks in Newbridge, Co Kildare in 1933.

The book is well-researched and draws heavily on battalion war diaries and other memoirs. Unlike many books based on personal diaries it sets Eric's own detailed, vivid, and often humorous accounts within their broader military, political and social context, and highlights the many close ties that bound the officers and men of the Liverpool Pals together. It also introduces a wide range of characters including Lord Derby, the Secretary of State of War and ‘King of Lancashire', who was instrumental in creating the Pals; his younger brother, Brigadier Stanley, who commanded them; Johnny Douglas, the England cricket captain, who was Eric's battalion commander; Brigadier Robert White, who sent Eric on a suicide mission in March 1918 and who had been tried and jailed for his part in the Jameson Raid in 1895; and Aidan Chavasse, the youngest son of the Bishop of Liverpool and brother of the double VC-winner, Noel Chavasse, who was killed during a Pals' trench raid at Ypres.

The book is aimed at the general reader and will appeal in particular to those who are interested in the history of Liverpool and the Pals battalions and in Eric's later career. However it also includes new details and perspectives, as in Eric's own account of the German spring offensive, which will make it of interest to the specialist reader. The book is well-illustrated and includes numerous photographs and documents from the author's family albums as well as his own photographs of the battlefields where his grandfather fought.

Imperial Bayonets: Tactics Of The Napoleonic Battery, Battalion And Brigade As Found In Contemporary Regulations

Imperial Bayonets: Tactics Of The Napoleonic Battery, Battalion And Brigade As Found In Contemporary Regulations

Imperial Bayonets examines the maneuvering systems of the French, Prussians, Russians, Austrians and British from 1792 to 1815. It studies infantry maneuvers and firepower, cavalry maneuvers, and artillery. It is THE definitive work on Napoleonic tactics and a must read for anyone wanting to understand the fundamentals of period tactics.

It provides not only a discussion of every major maneuver of the five major powers, i.e. from line to square, or column, but does time and motion studies of how long it would take to execute those maneuvers and compares them to the other nations. It covers infantry and cavalry maneuvers on this level. It performs an analysis of both musketry effectiveness and artillery effectiveness, providing curves that demonstrate the effectiveness of both. It also covers brigade maneuvers and army marches.

Understanding The Ypres Salient: An Illuminating Battlefield Guide

Understanding The Ypres Salient: An Illuminating Battlefield Guide

This work aims to provide the reader with a clear understanding of what happened in Ypres Salient between 1914 and 1918. It sets out to transport the visitor around sites of importance for the First, Second and Third Battle of Ypres, and in so doing to bring the battlefield to life. It will augment existing guidebooks by providing a unique new dimension without listing memorials and cemeteries.

It doesn't matter whether you are in your armchair, on foot, on a bicycle, or in a car, this book will effortlessly transport you to Ypres Salient, where you will be able to visualise what happened. It will take you to Kruiseke Crossroads and Gheluvelt in late October 1914, where tired remnants of the British Expeditionary Force fought desperately to prevent the Germans from breaking through to Ypres. It will lead you to the St Julien-Poelcappelle road on 22 April 1915 where Canadian soldiers near the front line formed a defensive flank after a chlorine gas attack had engulfed adjacent French colonial troops, killing many, while the survivors fled to the rear.

You will visit Gravenstafel Ridge, where the Canadians were involved in bitter fighting two days later. You will go to locations throughout the Salient, which will help you to understand the four stages of the Second Battle of Ypres and the eight major phases of the Third Battle of Ypres where British, Australian, New Zealand and Canadian divisions all fought at different times.

Eighteen concise chapters will focus on aspects of particular battles, explaining troop movements and strategy. Each chapter is accompanied by many maps based on those in the Official History, which have been painstakingly designed to provide clarity, while colour photographs taken by the authors in the course of many visits to Ypres Salient will help the visitor to understand important points made in the text. After reading this book you should be able to stand at any location within Ypres salient and be able to work out what happened there throughout four years of war.

You will also be able to conjure up a picture in your mind of events which took place more than 100 years ago as though they were happening in front of you