Magyar Warriors: The History of the Royal Hungarian Armed Forces, 1919-1945 Volume

The Hungarian armed forces (known as the Honvedseg) were built up from the 1920s, their expansion gaining momentum once Hungary became free of the strict post-First World War Trianon treaty limitations in August 1938.

Politically, Hungary was looking for a strong ally, who would help it to recover at least some of the territories containing sizeable Magyar ethnic populations that had been lost after the First World War. Initially, in the mid-1930s, Italy gave political assistance and supplied military materiel; then - on the eve of the Second World War - Germany also lent some support.

In November 1938, Hungary managed to peacefully recover a chunk of its former territory from Czechoslovakia, followed by the Sub-Carpathian area during a brief border war in March 1939, and then the northern part of Transylvania from Rumania in August 1940. Later, in April 1941, the Bachka region and parts of Baranya were also taken back from the dismembered Yugoslavia, in a swift military action.

The rub is that Hungary was sucked into the cauldron of the Eastern Front, and soon the Honveds (Hungarian soldiers) found themselves deep in Soviet territory, outgunned and outnumbered by the Red Army. Later on, from August 1944, the beleaguered Honvedseg had to fight in defence of its own territory. Alongside tiny Croatia, Hungary remained the last German ally up to the bitter end, and paid the price accordingly.

This comprehensive reference, to be published in three volumes - the fruit of over twenty years of meticulous research - strives to provide a complete picture of the Hungarian armed forces between the years 1919 and 1945. Volume 1 (published in 2015) presents a brief history of the Magyars up until the end of the Second World War, as well as the building of the armed forces, and details the armoured formations and their equipment. Volume 2 covers in great details the activity of the air force (Chapter 4), the river flotilla (Chapter 5), as well as the combat operations of the Honvedseg (Chapter 6). The final volume will contain type sheets of every weapon and vehicle used by the Army, as well as all aircraft types in service with the Air Force.

The discussed topics are described in great details, and illustrated with over 500 photographs, several maps and many tables.

Unfailing Gallantry: 8th (Regular) Division in the Great War 1914-1919 (Wolverhampton Military Studies)

Recent years have seen an increasingly sophisticated debate take place with regard to the armies on the Western Front during the Great War.

Some argue that the British and Imperial armies underwent a ‘learning curve' coupled with an increasingly lavish supply of munitions, which meant that during the last three months of fighting the BEF was able to defeat the German Army as its ability to conduct operations was faster than the enemy's ability to react.

This book argues that 8th Division, a war-raised formation made up of units recalled from overseas, became a much more effective and sophisticated organisation by the war's end. It further argues that the formation did not use one solution to problems but adopted a sophisticated approach dependent on the tactical situation.

This is supported by using original sources including war diaries, after-action reports and the post-war correspondence with the British official historian. From its first acquaintance with the peculiar nature of trench-warfare following its arrival in France in late 1914, 8th Division undertook a series of operations that attempted to break the deadlock. Incorrect lessons were learnt, culminating in failure on the Somme in 1916.

The Division became ineffective and required rejuvenation. This was accomplished by a new command team. Involvement in the semi-open warfare during the advance to the Hindenburg Line reinforced the efficiency of the Division. Thus, despite enduring torrid fighting at 3rd Ypres and during the German Spring offensives of 1918, by the ‘advance to victory' of late 1918, 8th Division was able to operate at a tempo far higher than it had achieved before.

Unique selling points: first examination of the Division since the 1920's; gives the background to works such as ‘General Jack's Diary' and Sir John Baynes' book ‘Morale'; shows that not all troops marched in lines on 1st July 1916; use of new tactics, especially in 1917-18, e.g ‘neutralisation' not ‘destruction'.

Slingshot 310

Slingshot 310 is with the printers and will appear in early March.

Contents:

Arsuf Battle Pack, by Matt Bennett
Cataphracts and Concubines by Peter Andrews
The Second (Plastic) Punic War By Tim Thompson
Glasgow Armati, by Peter Barham
Pondering the Portrayal of Pachyderms, by Chris Hahn

The editor is always looking for more articles, photographs and art, so feel free to contact him if you have an idea you would like to pursue.

Slingshot

The Mongol Conquests: The Military Operations of Genghis Khan and Sube'etei

The Mongols created the greatest landlocked empire known to history. It was an empire created and sustained by means of conquest. Initially an insignificant tribal leader, Genghis Khan gradually increased his power, overcoming one rival after another. After he had subjugated all tribes of Inner Asia, he struck southward into China and later attacked distant Khwarizm in the Near East.

Sube'etei continued to make significant conquests after Genghis Khan died, conquering central China and leading a large force into the heart of Europe. Between them, Genghis Khan and Sube'etei directed more than 40 campaigns, fought more than 60 battles, and conquered all lands from Korea in the east to Hungary and Poland in the west.

This book offers a detailed narrative of the military operations of these two leaders, based on early Mongolian, Chinese, Near Eastern, and European sources. Making full use of Chinese sourced not translated properly into any European language, the account offer details never before given in English works. Detailed maps showing the operations support the text.

Many conventional wisdom views of the Mongols, such as their use of terror as a deliberate strategy, or their excellence at siege warfare, are shown to be incorrect. This is a major contribution to our knowledge of the Mongols and their way of warfare.

European Townhouse (#2) from Battlescale Wargame Buildings

Rendered townhouse with Rear Yard.  Suitable for various wargaming eras.

European Townhouse (#2)

Dimensions:

Length : 45mm

Width : 55mm

Height : 55mm (to roof apex)

A perfect companion piece to our European Townhouse  (#1)

Battlescale Wargame Buildings

European Townhouse (#1) from Battlescale Wargame Buildings

Rendered townhouse with side stepped entrance. Suitable for various wargaming eras. Ideal companion piece to our European Townhouse  (#2) also shown here.

European Townhouse (#1)

Dimensions:

Length : 55mm (including steps)

Width : 35mm

Height : 55mm (to roof apex)

Battlescale Wargame Buildings

36 Piece 10mm Hedgerow Set from Battlescale Wargame Buildings

A great starter set for the 10mm wargamer, this 36 piece hedgerow set is supplied unpainted.

The set contains:
24 x Straight hedgerow sections, each 80mm in length.
8 x Corner hedgerow sections, 40mm x 40mm.
4 x Gated hedgerow sections, each 80mm in length.

Supplied unpainted.

The piece is cast in a high quality polyester resin.

Battlescale Wargame Buildings