As World War II entered its later stages and Germany was forced increasingly onto the defensive, the need for fast-moving mobile forces lessened and the Wehrmacht required better protected and more powerfully armed tanks. After debacles against the T-34, Hitler and the Panzerwaffe were determined not to be unprepared again. The result of this determination was the production of...
The M1 Abrams was the most radical departure in US tank design since World War II. Until the advent of the M1 in the early 1980s, the US Army had relied on the steady evolution of the M26 Pershing tank, through the M46, M47, M48 and M
60. The M1 design came at a time when there were a host of important new tank technologies coming to fruition, in terms of structure and weaponry:...
Osprey Publishing, 1993. — 49 p. — ISBN: 185532296X. The M4 Sherman tank was the mainstay of the Western allies between 1942 and 1945. Fast and modern it was better than most of the tanks Britain had to offer. The American Chief of Staff claimed in November 1943 that it had been hailed widely as ‘the best tank on the battlefield today’. However, by the time of the Normandy...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 50 p. — ISBN: 1855322978. The Churchill was undoubtedly one of the most successful British tanks of the Second World War. Although it suffered from being underarmed, a defect common to most British armoured vehicles of the period, it was nevertheless loved by its crews: its cross-country ability was unrivalled and it was less inclined to 'brew-up'...
Osprey Publishing, 1993. — 47 p. — ISBN: 1855323370. Probably the most famous tank of the World War II, the Tiger I was originally conceived in 1941 in response to the German Army’s experience in fighting British tanks and anti-tank guns in Western Europe and the North African desert. Following the invasion of Russia, the appearance of the Soviet T-34 and KW tanks lent a...
Osprey Publishing, 1993. — 64 p. — ISBN: 1855323389. The Russian T-72 Ural tank is the most widely-deployed main battle tank of the current generation. Used by the armies of the former Warsaw pact and Soviet Union, it has also been exported in large numbers to many of the states in the Middle East. This book reveals the previously secret history behind the tank. Steven J Zaloga...
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1855323966. The Iosef Stalin tanks were the ultimate heavy tanks developed by the Soviet Union and were popularly called 'Victory tanks' due to their close association with the defeat of Germany in 1945. Yet in spite of their reputation, the Stalin tanks emerged from a troubled design, had a brief moment of glory in 1944 and 1945, and...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 50 p. — ISBN: 1855324571. The Matilda was the principal British infantry tank in the early years of World War II. It served with the BEF in France and later in North Africa, where it earned the title ‘Queen of the Desert’. Outclassed by increasingly powerful German anti-tank weapons, it still remained a power in the South-East Pacific, and was kept in...
Osprey Publishing Ltd». – 1994. – 50 с. The T-34 was the most influential tank design of World War 2. When first introduced into combat in the summer of 1941, it represented a revolutionary leap forward in tank design. Its firepower, armour protection and mobility were superior to that of any other medium tank of the period. This superiority did not last long. While the T-34...
Osprey Publishing, 1997. — 48 p. — ISBN: 1855323796. The Warrior has been an important component of the British Army since the first production example was handed over in May 1987. It has seen action in many parts of the globe and the British Army alone uses eight different specialised versions of the vehicle, while Desert and Arctic Warriors are also produced for countries...
Osprey Publishing Ltd». – 2002. – 50 с. As armoured warfare tactics matured, mechanised infantry became a key ingredient in what is now called 'combined arms' doctrine. For the US Army of World War 2, the most important technical aspect of infantry mechanisation was the development of the M3 half-track personnel carrier. Steven Zaloga guides the reader through the early 1930s...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 49 p. — ISBN: 1855324334. The Russian BMP infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) was one of the most significant innovations in infantry tactics in the latter half of the 20th century. Built in response to the threat of nuclear warfare, it was the world's first IFV, providing the infantry squad with unprecedented firepower, mobility and protection. With over...
Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 50 p. The Russian BMP infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) was one of the most significant innovations in infantry tactics in the latter half of the 20th century. Built in response to the threat of nuclear warfare, it was the world's first IFV, providing the infantry squad with unprecedented firepower, mobility and protection. With over 55,000 manufactured...
Osprey Publishing, 1995. — 48 p. — ISBN: 1855323907. The Scorpion reconnaissance vehicle was part of the Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (CVR) series first devised in the mid-1960s. Designed to be light enough to be carried and parachute-dropped if necessary, the CVR, with the designation 'tracked' added, entered service with the British Army in 1972. Since then the Scorpion and...
Osprey Publishing Ltd». – 1995. – 50 с. The Covenanter (which never saw active service) and Crusader Cruiser tanks were developed between 1939 and 1940. The Crusader first saw action in the North African desert in June 1941: its speed and sleek design made it a hard target to hit, and the tank was well-respected by the Afrikakorps for its velocity in combat. But its hurried...
Osprey Publishing, 1997. — 50 p. — ISBN: 1855325470. The first attempt at mounting a flamethrower in a German tank was not the result of an engineering design process but rather occurred as a field expedient, when German troops involved in the Spanish Civil War mounted small back-pack flamethrowers on their PzKpfw Is. The German authorities took up this idea and from early 1939...
Osprey Publishing, 1995. — 48 p. — ISBN: 1855325209. Development of the Leopard 1 can be traced back to November 1956, when the operational requirement for a new battle tank was formulated by the Federal German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). Originally a Franco-German project, the tank under design was named the 'Standard-Panzer'. The French later dropped out, however, and on 1...
Named after Klimenti Voroshilov, the People’s Commissar for Defence, the KVs proved a nasty surprise for German tank crews during the early days of Operation Barbarossa. Although slow, they were extremely heavily armoured. This volume examines the transition from multi-turreted tanks to heavy single-turret vehicles, consisting of the KV-1 and 2, and the increased favour given to...
Osprey Publishing, 1996. — 48 p. — ISBN-10 1855324962, ISBN-13 978-1855324961. Named after Klimenti Voroshilov, the People's Commissar for Defence, the KVs proved a nasty surprise for German tank crews during the early days of Operation Barbarossa. Although slow, they were extremely heavily armoured. This volume examines the transition from multi-turreted tanks to heavy...
Osprey Publishing, 1995. — 48 p. — ISBN: 1855325381. One of the most sophisticated armoured fighting vehicles in the world, the M2/M3 Bradley is the United States equivalent of the British Warrior, combining the role of personnel carrier with the formidable armament of a 25mm cannon and TOW anti-tank missiles. With a maximum road speed of 66kmh it also has a degree of...
The workhorse of the German Army that swept across Poland, France and Russia, the Sturmgeschütz III saw service in all theatres of World War II, both in an infantry support role and as a tank destroyer. Cheaper and quicker to produce than a tank, the assault gun proved a remarkably effective weapon. Its design and development, production, capabilities and operational history are...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1855325357. The T-34-85 tank is one of those rare weapons that have remained in service for more than half a century. First introduced in 1944, it has seen combat in nearly every corner of the globe. Steven Zaloga and Jim Kinnear look at this long-serving tank at length. Although long obsolete in Europe, it has proven a reliable and...
Reed International Books Ltd, 1997. — 49 p. — ISBN: 1-85532-643-4 The Merkava, or Chariot, was the first tank entirely designed and built by the Israeli Army. The IDF had previously been using a variety of vehicles, acquired from various sources, including in particular the Sherman and Centurion. The Merkava was designed specifically for the type of warfare and opponents that...
Osprey Publishing Ltd». – 1997. – 48 с. The Panther Medium Tank was produced as a direct result of early experiences with the revolutionary Soviet T-34/ 76. Designers and military experts combined to produce a number of variations to provide armoured support for the many branches of the German army. Whether acting as a command communications vehicle, involved in mobile air...
Illustrated by Peter Sarson. — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 50 p. The successor to the Chieftain from the 1960's, work began in 1976 on development of a new MBT specifically for the Iranian army, who needed a more capable tank than the Chieftain to suit their climatic and geographical conditions. However, once the revolution occurred in 1979 the British army was reluctantly...
The successor to the Chieftain from the 1960's, work began in 1976 on development of a new MBT specifically for the Iranian army, who needed a more capable tank than the Chieftain to suit their climatic and geographical conditions. However, once the revolution occurred in 1979 the British army was reluctantly forced to accept this new design themselves. Once in service there were...
Osprey Publishing, 1998. — 48 p. — ISBN-10 1855326914, ISBN-13 978-1855326910. In 1963 West Germany and the United States signed an agreement to develop the best tank in the world - the MBT/KPz-70. Though by 1970 this project was stopped, West Germany used the components created for the MBT/KPz-70 to develop a new main battle tank - the Leopard 2. Since 1979, when the first...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 1998. — 48 p. Following in the best traditions of German ingenuity in design and construction of armoured vehicles, the SdKfz 251 firmly realised the concept of a competent cross-country tactical vehicle for armoured infantry units. So successful was this half-track that not only did a modified version of it remain in use with Czech...
The light tanks of the Panzerwaffe make a fascinating subject for technical and historical study. Operation Barbarossa was the light tanks' swan song: thoroughly experienced and at the peak of self-confidence, the Panzergruppen brought Moscow to almost within Hitler's grasp. However, the effectiveness and popularity of the light panzers was only proven because Hitler's Panzerwaffe...
During the glory years of blitzkrieg the PzKpfw III was the only weapon in the German tank arsenal that really counted. Like Napoleon's vieux moustaches, it did not merely witness history in the making – it made it, from the Channel to the Volga, and from the Arctic to the North African desert. It was the PzKpfw III that brought Hitler to the gates of Moscow and the closest to...
The PzKpfw IV was essentially an integrated support weapon, and its involvement in WWII is difficult to separate from the story of the Panzerwaffe as a whole. A powerful and robust fighting machine, the PzKpfw IV was supplied to various allies of Germany, and remained in service with the Spanish and Finnish armies for some time after the end of the war. In the glory years of...
Flexibility, mobility, and the ability to effectively communicate were all key requirements that the units operating armoured cars and reconnaissance half-tracks demanded – and that were also crucial to the Panzerwaffe and German Army as a whole. Bryan Perrett’s treatment of the development and history of German armoured cars and recce vehicles fully accounts for the crucial role...
Osprey Publishing, 1999. — 49 p. — ISBN: 185532850X. The first prototype for the LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) was completed in July 1941, its design based on the Alligator, a tracked amphibious vehicle developed for rescue operations in the swamps of Florida. Though the early conception of amtrac operations envisioned using LVTs solely as supply vehicles, at Tarawa amtracs...
Osprey Publishing, 1999. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1855328259. With Cold War fears mounting, the M47 and M48 were rushed into production – teething troubles were inevitable. In the decade that followed, however, these tanks proved to be the backbone of US armoured units. In its lifetime, the Patton has played vital roles in three wars, including Vietnam, and has served with more than 25...
Osprey Publishing, 1999. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781855329584. Formed on 3 July 1940, the Long Range Desert Group was the brilliant product of the vision of Major Ralph Bagnold of the Royal Corps of Signals. As a model for what is now commonly know as a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol unit, the Group can have few equals. Early Days Personnel Organisation and Equipment Command,...
Illustrator: Laurier Jim — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 50 p. The M3 and M5 family of light tanks were the culmination of American tank development of the 1930s. By the time of the outbreak of the World War II, they were approaching obsolescence, as tank forces in Europe were shifting from light to medium tanks as the main element of their armored forces. First entering combat in...
Osprey Publishing, 1999. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841760048. Originally the German assault gun was designed as an infantry support weapon, but the changing conditions of the battlefields of the Second World War forced it to adapt to perform a number of different roles, most importantly as a tank destroyer, although the infantry support role was never wholly discarded. If the...
Osprey Publishing, 2000. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841762024. From the moment that the M4 Sherman had been matched against German Panther and Tiger tanks, the American tank crews had known that their vehicles were outclassed by the opposition. What was needed was a more powerful tank, more heavily armed and armored, that could take-on the powerful German panzers on a more equal footing....
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 50 p. — ISBN: 1841761354. Design and Development Production modifications and improvements March 1944 to 1945 Production history - Design and manufacture by BMM and later Skoda Capabilities in Combat Operational History Tactical Employment Organisation Combat history examples Development of variants - Bergepanzer recovery vehicle and rigid mounted gun...
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841761826. This book reveals how the Sturmgeschütz provided the backbone of Germany's armoured forces in every theatre and on every front during the long fighting-retreat of the final years of the war. Design and development- the Long 75mm and 105mm Howitzer Production modifications and improvements 1942 to 1945 Production history -...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841762180. Perhaps the most influential arm of either army in the prosecution of the American Civil War, the artillery of both sides grew to be highly professional organizations, centralizing their artillery, organizing artillery battalions from individual batteries and giving their commanders higher ranks than field artillerymen had...
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841761834. This book details all of the variants of the Panzerkampfwagen IV with the long guns 7.5cm KwK 40 L/43 and L/48. Until 1942 armed with a short 7.5cm KwK L/24, it was used primarily in an infantry support role. However with the upgrading to the long 7.5cm it became the main battle tank of the Panzer Divisions. Design and...
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841762199. Because of the length of the coastline of the United States, from the beginning American ordnance and engineers placed an emphasis on heavy artillery mounted in coastal defences. The Union army organised its 'Heavy Artillery' into separate regiments, uniformed and equipped differently. While the Field Artillery was assigned...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841763071. The creation of a Confederate ironclad fleet was a miracle of ingenuity, improvisation and logistics. Surrounded by a superior enemy fleet, Confederate designers adapted existing vessels or created new ones from the keel up with the sole purpose of breaking the naval stranglehold on the nascent country. Her ironclads were...
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 52 p. — ISBN: 184176308X. The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars encompassed a period when rival European fleets vied for naval supremacy, and naval tactics were evolving. The British Royal Navy emerged triumphant as the leading world sea power, and the epitome of Britannic naval strength was the Ship-of-the-Line. This book offers detailed...
Osprey Publishing, 2001. — 53 p. — ISBN: 184176339X. The prevalence of particular fortress types in medieval China, Mongolia, Japan and Korea demanded the evolution of different modes of siege warfare in each country. The wealthy walled towns of China, the mountain fortresses of Korea and the military outposts of Japan each presented different challenges to besieging forces,...
Illustrated by Wayne Reynolds. Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 48 p. — (New Vanguard 44). — ISBN: 9781841763408 From the 11th century AD, East Asian armies made increasing use of exploding missiles and siege cannon to reduce the fortifications of their enemies. Some of these weapons were very similar to those used in Europe - for example, the heavy siege cannon used in the siege of...
Illustrator: Tony Bryan. — Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 48 p. The first seagoing ironclad was the USS Monitor, and its profile has made it one of the most easily recognised warships of all time. Following her inconclusive battle with the Confederate ironclad Virginia on March 9, 1862, the production of Union monitors was accelerated. By the end of the year a powerful squadron of...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 50 p. — ISBN: 1841763411. The German 88 mm was by far the most famous and versatile artillery weapon of World War II. It was first used as an anti-aircraft weapon by the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War and saw further service in the German invasions of Poland and France, where it was first used in its anti-tank role. This role was...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841763497. Viking longships evolved from one-man canoes of the Scandinavian Stone Age, through wood-built-ships of c. 200 BC into the recognisable longboats of the 4th century AD. From this point, the Viking Longship developed into the pre-eminent raider and trader in the North Sea and Baltic, venturing as far afield as the...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841763500. This book provides a full combat history of a gun that was used in every theatre of the Second World War and saw extensive service in the postwar years. Introduction Design and Development Operational.
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841764132. At the start of the American Civil War, neither side had warships on the Mississippi River and in the first few months both sides scrambled to gather a flotilla, converting existing riverboats for naval use. These ships were transformed into powerful naval weapons despite a lack of resources, trained manpower and suitable...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841763624. his book traces the development of the U-boat threat from the Brandtaucher, designed by Wilhelm Bauer, the father of the German submarine arm, in 1850, through to the commissioning of Germany's first U-boat to go into service, the U-1, in 1906. It then covers the main types of World War I U-boat, detailing the operational...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841763624. his book traces the development of the U-boat threat from the Brandtaucher, designed by Wilhelm Bauer, the father of the German submarine arm, in 1850, through to the commissioning of Germany's first U-boat to go into service, the U-1, in 1906. It then covers the main types of World War I U-boat, detailing the operational...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 50 p. — ISBN: 1841763632. This, the first of two volumes on Germany's World War II U-boats, traces their development from the early U-boats of the Kaiser's Navy, the prohibition on Germany having U-boats following the Armistice in 1918 and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles, the secret development of U-boats using a 'cover-firm' in Holland,...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841764159. Destined to become one of the most influential postwar armored cars, the V-100 Commando was developed by the Cadillac Gage Company in 1962 as a private venture, and the first prototype was completed in the same year. It was designed as a multi-purpose vehicle and could function as an 11-man personnel carrier, reconnaissance...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 50 p. — ISBN: 184176468X. The M8 light armored car was the only significant wheeled combat vehicle used by the US Army in World War II. In conjunction with the lightly armed utility version, the M20, it was the staple of the army's cavalry squadrons for use in reconnaissance and scouting. This title describes the design and development of the M8,...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841764140. The mortar has proved to be one of the most influential and prevalent infantry support weapons of the 20th century. Throughout the course of World War II many different varieties of this weapon were used by the six main armies of the war: Britain, the USA, the Soviet Union, Germany Italy and Japan. Although the concept of the...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841763640. This title follows from New Vanguard 51: Kriegsmarine U-boats 1939-45 (1) and charts the continuing development of the U-boat in German service, including the evolution of the Type IX as a long range 'cruiser' intended for solo operations in distant waters. Also covered is the revolutionary Type XXI, conceived of in 1942 and...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841764442. This book explains how these vessels worked, how they were constructed, how they were manned and how they were fought.
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841764698. The US Army had a unique tactical doctrine during World War II, placing the emphasis for tank fighting on its Tank Destroyer Command whose main early-war vehicle was the M10 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage, based on the reliable M4A2 Sherman tank chassis. This durable and versatile vehicle saw combat service from the North Africa...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841762350. The Medieval era was a period of huge variety and invention in siege warfare. Before the use of cannon and other gun-powder artillery, siege engines relied on assorted sources of power, from torsion 'energy storage' systems to man-power, counter-balances and others. This book reveals how technological traditions from the...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 48 p. — ISBN: 1841764450. By the outbreak of World War II, Germany had done much to replace the Kaiser's High Seas Fleet, which was scuttled following their surrender at the end of World War I. Forced to build anew, the Kriegsmarine possessed some of the most technically advanced warships in existence. Although the heavy units of the fleet were too...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841764760. This title is the first of two volumes examining the artillery equipment of the British forces during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, along with Wellington's campaigns in India. Throughout this period the British Army used both Foot and Horse artillery, principally using either the 9-pounder gun or the 5.5 inch field...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841763861. This book covers the history of Chinese ship design and naval warfare from the beginning of the Han dynasty to the first few years of the Ming dynasty. Introduction Fighting Ships and Naval Warfare in the Ancient and Medieval Far East Techniques and Types of Chinese Ships and Shipbuilding The Chinese Fighting Ship The Chinese...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841764434. For most of the Renaissance period, naval warfare in the Mediterranean was dominated by the war galley, a unique naval vessel for a momentous age. During the struggle for supremacy between Christian and Muslim powers, war galleys formed the backbone of the rival battlefleets. Different regions of the Mediterranean produced...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. 52 p. ISBN: 1841764787. Introduction Fighting Ships and Naval Warfare in Japan and Korea Techniques and Types of Korean Ships and Shipbuilding Korean Shipboard Armaments Korean Fighting Ships in Action Techniques and Types of Japanese Ships and Shipbuilding Japanese Shipboard Armaments.
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841764965. This book describes the reasons which forced the Confederates to resort to commerce raiding, and outlines the way in which these craft were converted or specially built to perform their role. It details not only the way these craft were operated and manned, but also their brutal attacks, daring escapes and climatic battles...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841764779. This book covers the main equipments used; the 24 pounder siege gun and a variety of mortars. Mortars varied from 4- or 5-inch versions up to a13 inch calibre and were considered to be extremely effective because they used an exploding shell to destroy fortifications or personnel. Also covered in detail is the specialist bomb...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 46 p. Both the technological sophistication of their weaponry and the skill of their gunners was largely the result of the adoption of the system devised by one man, Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval. Gribeauval's standardised system of parts and calibres allowed a degree of uniformity and sophistication in the French artillery that was unmatched...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841765430. The Panzerkampfwagen V Panther is one of the best-known German tanks in existence and is considered one of the greatest tanks of World War II.
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 184176387X. From 1943 the British began the design of a tank that bore distinct similarities to the German Panther tank. Designed as a Universal Tank, the design emerged in mid-1945 as the Centurion. It was last used in action by the British Army in 1991 during the Gulf War. It has also seen action with the Israeli Defence Forces, the...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841764590. When it came to non-gunpowder machine development, the medieval period was one of the most inventive in military history. During this era, the pre-existing military-technological traditions from the ancient worlds were brought together. Three civilisations were primarily responsible for this evolution: the Late-Roman or...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 50 p. — ISBN: 1841764973. The deeds and personalities of famous pirates have received significant attention in recent years: however, no detailed depiction of their vessels has ever been produced. This title redresses the imbalance, conducting a detailed exploration of the wide variety of pirate vessels that sailed the high seas during the 'golden...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841764981. In this, the first of a five volume series covering the capital ships of the German Navy of World War II, Gordon Williamson examines the design, development and operational use of the battleships used by the Kriegsmarine.
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 51 p. — ISBN: 184176499X. The Austrian artillery of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars was a creation of the renowned Lichtenstein system of the early 1750s. This weight system produced a series of weapons of 3-, 6- and 12-pdr. calibre along with 7- and 10-pdr. howitzers. In the 1780s they were joined by Cavalry artillery guns with their Wurst...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841765422. This title covers the M4 version armed with the 76 mm gun, examining developments such as the HVSS suspension, using much new archive material. Introduction Combat debut The 17-pdr option Into production Initial deployment problems The shock of war new ammunition Problems and solutions Upgunning the M4 tank The M4 (76mm) in...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841765007. During the Second World War, flotillas of the Royal Navy's Motor Torpedo Boats and other coastal forces fought a deadly war for control of the English Channel and the North Sea. These small, fast boats attacked enemy convoys, escorted freighters, landed secret agents and even raided enemy ports.
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781841765013. This book covers these three sister ships, the ‘Deutschland', the ‘Admiral Graf Spee' and the ‘Admiral Scheer', which formed the core of the Kriegsmarine's fighting power at the start of World War II.
Osprey New Vanguard Series, Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 9781841765013. This book covers these three German Panzershiffe-type sister ships, the ‘Deutschland', the ‘Admiral Graf Spee' and the ‘Admiral Scheer', which formed the core of the Kriegsmarine's fighting power at the start of World War II.
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841764604. This volume is the second half of the story of the French artillery during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It covers the howitzers, mortars and large siege (16- and 24-pdrs) and garrison (8- and 12-pdrs) guns, placing a special emphasis on their role, technical significance and operational use. The introduction of the...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 48 p. — ISBN: 1841765406. The history of US light tanks during World War II is a chequered one. The Light Battalions of US Armored Divisions were initially filled with M3A1 and M5 Stuart tanks, however, on the battlefields of North Africa it was realised that these were disastrously under armoured and gunned, and a replacement, or the abandonment of...
Osprey Publishing; 2003 — 48 p. — ISBN-10 9781841765402, ISBN-13 978-1841765402. The history of US light tanks during World War II is a chequered one. The Light Battalions of US Armored Divisions were initially filled with M3A1 and M5 Stuart tanks, however, on the battlefields of North Africa it was realised that these were disastrously under armoured and gunned, and a...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841766054. Siege machinery first appeared in the West during the Carthaginian invasion of Sicily in the late-5th century BC, in the form of siege towers and battering rams. After a 50-year hiatus these weapons of war re-appeared in the Macedonian armies of Philip II and Alexander the Great, a period that saw the height of their...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 50 p. — ISBN: 978184176300. By 1805 the 44-gun frigate was probably viewed as a failed experiment whilst the 38-gun frigate was viewed as the vessel of the future. Ten years later every navy was building 44-gun frigates and today it is viewed as the symbol of the Napoleonic-era cruiser. This remarkable transformation resulted from the performance of...
Osprey Publishing, 2002. — 48 p. — ISBN 1841767190. The concept of the Main Battle Tank emerged from the Centurion Universal tank that was developed at the end of World War II. Development of its successor began as early as 1951. The Chieftain incorporated significant innovations including a reclining driver position and two-piece ammunition for greater survivability. The tank...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 50 p. — ISBN: 978184175020. This title covers the design, development and operational history of the Heavy Cruisers of the Admiral Hipper class.
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841765414. The German A-4 ballistic missile, better known by its propaganda name of V-2, was the world's first successful ballistic missile, breaking through the atmosphere to reach its target quicker. It was a forerunner of Cold War ballistic missiles and its combat use in 1944-45 set the pattern for the use of Scud ballistic missiles...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841766321. One of the most important conflicts of the 20th century, the Russian Civil War was the struggle that led to the formation of the Soviet Union. Following the overthrow of the Russian Provisional Government on 7 November 1917, the All-Russian Congress of Soviets met and handed over power to the Soviet Council of People's...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841765031. The German Navy of World War II was small in number, but contained some of the most technologically advanced capital ships in the world. This meant that although the Kriegsmarine never felt capable of encountering the might of the British Navy in a fleet action, her ships were individually more than a match for the outdated...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841765511. Entering service in the early 1960s, the M60 tank was in production for 23 years and formed the backbone of US Army and Marine armoured units during the Cold War. Over 15,000 were built in four basic models: the M60, M60A1, M60A2, and the M60A 3. Although the M60 had been phased out of US Army service by the time Iraq invaded...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841766313. Entering service in the early 1960s, the M109 Self-Propelled Howitzer has been in production for 34 years and forms the backbone of US Army and Reserve artillery units. The M109A6 is the latest development of the M109 series and incorporates advanced fire control systems that enable it to have its first rounds on target less...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841766321. The US Army requirement for a light utility helicopter was formulated after the Korean War. Bell's Model 204 design won a competition in 1955, and was given the military designation H-40, later renamed the HU-1 Iroquois. The original design called for a helicopter that could be used for transport, airborne battlefield command...
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 184176633X. This book traces the pre-war development of these spectacular warships, then describes their wartime exploits, using this to demonstrate their operational and mechanical performance. It examines what life was like on these wartime battlecruisers when they sailed into action.
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841766348. The catapult (katapeltikon) was invented under the patronage of Dionysius I, tyrant of Syracuse, in the 4th century bc. At first only the arrow-firing variant was used, and it was not until the reign of Alexander the Great that stone-projecting catapults were introduced. The Romans adopted these weapons during the Punic Wars...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 48 p. — ISBN: 1841766356. There were many elements to British Napoleonic naval success but one of the key factors was gunnery. Other countries developed different naval weapons to fit their maritime strategies. The French and Spanish systems developed on similar lines, while those of the Baltic navies tended to rely on smaller craft and weapons....
Osprey Publishing, 2003. — 50 p. — ISBN: 184176504X. These vessels, though fewer in number than the British destroyer fleet, tended to be much bigger and more powerful than their allied counterparts. They served their country well in operations in the Channel, North Sea, the Far North and in the rescue of civilians from East Prussia during the final days of the war. This title...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841766364. This book traces their operational history, including the development of purpose-built blockade running ships, and examines their engines, crews and tactics. It describes their wartime exploits, demonstrating their operational and mechanical performance, whilst examining what life was like on these vessels through accounts of...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 50 p. — ISBN: 1841765791. Over the last two decades, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) has introduced a variety of new AFVs. Old models such as the M48 and M60 have been improved beyond recognition, in the form of the Magach 7. The performance of Israel's indigenous Merkava tank has been similarly enhanced with new variants and the new Merkava 4 MBT has...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841766887. In 1914 the artillery of Britain's 'Field Army' encompassed those weapons judged to have sufficient mobility to keep up with troops in the field. This book describes all major variants, from the 60-pdr guns of the heavy field batteries, perched somewhat uncomfortably on the cusp between field artillery and siege artillery, to...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841765457. By 1920 the Red Army fielded an overwhelming array of armored cars and armored trains, while tank detachments had begun forming in earnest. These armored units played an important part in consolidating the newly won Bolshevik empire in the early 1920s; as a consequence of the fact that railways were the strategic arteries...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841766372. The development and construction of the Spanish galleon are discussed in this book, and the ordnance and crewing needed to produce and maintain these stately vessels is covered. The author also examines the role of the galleon as a treasure ship, and describes how these ships were manned and fought in action.
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841766879. This book examines the development of this vehicle, the controversies over the need for high-speed tank destroyers, and its actual performance during World War II. Special emphasis is placed on examining its performance in its intended mission. Coverage also includes derivative vehicles of the M18 such as the M39 armored...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 52 p. — ISBN: 978184176386. This book explores the British efforts to keep up in a war of development, which saw heavier and more powerful guns eventually replaced by experimental ideas in an attempt to stop the German onslaught.
Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2004. — 48 p. — ISBN13: 978-1841766911. The Space Shuttle is one of the oldest and most famous manned launch systems – the only launch vehicle that has been used for a longer period of time is the Soviet (now Russian) R-7 booster. By the start of the third millennium, the Space Shuttle had carried crews into space over 85 times. Although not a military...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841766895. This book details the development of the Mark I, and its surprise arrival in France in the middle of 1916 during the closing weeks of the battles of the Somme. Introduction Little Willie and Mother The Mark I tank Unit organisation and arrival in France The intermediate tanks Mark II & III Variants.
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841766925. The years of the Great War saw the Zeppelins undertake strategic bombing missions against Great Britain. This title covers the post-war fate of the Zeppelins, including the crash of the Hindenburg, and their use by the Luftwaffe at the beginning of World War II. Introduction Forging the weapon: 1900-14 Army and Navy Zeppelins...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841767921. The T-54 and T-55 tanks are the most widely manufactured tanks of all time. They have become ubiquitous to wars around the globe since the 1950s, starting with Hungary in 1956, and including the the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967, 1973 and 1982, the Vietnam war of 1967-75, the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-88, the Afghanistan conflict,...
Osprey Publishing, 2004. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841767204. The primary Union strategy during the American Civil War was a massive naval blockade of the entire Southern coastline of the Confederacy, and it was in the effort to counter this blockade that the Confederates developed their first submarines and torpedo boats. This book traces the development of these new technologies,...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 50 p. — ISBN: 1841768146. For most of World War II, British tank development remained faithful to the design philosophy inaugurated during World War I. Experiences in North Africa highlighted flaws in this basic design, however, and the General Staff identified the need for a new heavy cruiser that could combine speed and manoeuvrability with...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781841767888. This book details the huge guns of the Royal Garrison Artillery, including the 6-in. siege gun and howitzer, the 8-in. howitzer, the 12-in. railway and siege howitzer and the infamous 9.2-in breech-loading siege howitzer. Camouflage and enemy battery locations and transport are covered, as well as tactics used and how the...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841767913. Known to the Allies as the "Buzz Bomb" or "Doodlebug", the V-1 was the world's first cruise missile. This book explores the V-1 in detail, from its initial concept, first use in 1944, the various Allied counter-measures, and the later use of the V-1 during the Battle of the Bulge. The major foreign derivatives, including the...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781841766904. The US Army's development of the 37mm anti-tank gun began in response to needs identified during the Spanish Civil War. By the time it entered service in Tunisia in 1943, the gun was already obsolete, and the US began the licensed manufacture of the British 6-pdr in the hope of finding a quick solution to its artillery...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841767662. At the beginning of the English Civil War it was clear that artillery was to play a significant part in the conflict, as so many battles were fought by siege. Both Royalists and Parliamentarians raced to capture ordnance stores in urban areas such as London and Hull, realising that they would prove strategically decisive in...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781841768533. This book covers the design, development and operation of IJN aircraft carriers built prior to and during World War II. Pearl Harbor, Midway and the first carrier vs carrier battle, the battle of the Coral Sea, are all discussed.
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841768138. The Universal Carrier was a fast, lightly armed vehicle developed by the British Army to carry infantry across ground defended by small-arms fire, specifically the Bren light machine gun, hence the name ‘Bren Gun Carrier’. This name would stick with the Universal Carrier and all of its future variants. This book details the...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841768162. This book examines the design, development and deployment of a quick-reacting, airborne weapons system that can fight close and deep to destroy, disrupt, or delay enemy forces.
Author: Simon Dunstan, Illustrator: Tony Bryan, Изд. Osprey серия New Vanguard. 50 стр, язык: английский 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841768898. The highly successful 'stop-gap' M3 medium tank was designed in 1941, and as adequate turret casting facilities were not yet ready, the M3 used an unusual armament configuration patterned after a French tank. British lend-lease demands led to the design of a second turret type with the US version called the Lee and the...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841768901. This book covers the design, development and operation of USN aircraft carriers built prior to World War II, including their aircraft and weaponry. It also explains their various successes and losses such as the first carrier vs carrier battle at Midway; the battle of the Coral Sea; the battle of the Philippine Sea; and the...
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841769231. The Landing Ship Tank (LST) is one of the most famous of the many World War II amphibious warfare ships. Capable of discharging its cargo directly on to shore and extracting itself, the LST provided the backbone of all Allied landings between 1943 and 1945, notably during the D-Day invasion. Through its history, the LST saw...
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781841768526. The successor to the legendary Bell UH-1 'Huey', the Sikorsky UH-60 first flew in 1974 and was christened the Black Hawk. It has become one of the most versatile and successful utility helicopters currently in service and has been used widely, from the invasion of Grenada to the ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan....
Osprey Publishing, 2005. — 52 p. — ISBN: 184176888X. The jeep was the most famous military vehicle of World War II, and its name has become synonymous with a whole class of military and civilian all-terrain vehicles. The jeep originated in a prewar US Army requirement for a simple, inexpensive, and robust vehicle for basic utility chores. Its simple design proved to be...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841768596. This book details the design and development, classes, weapons and equipment, tactics and operational history of the US submarine in World War II. Detailed tables, photographs, and superb color plates depict the force that had an effect far beyond its size - the submarine accounted for 55% of all Japanese shipping losses,...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841769444. Chariots, the first mobile fighting vehicle, seem to have originated in Mesopotamia in the third millennium BC. The highly mobile two-wheeled war chariot, carrying a driver and an archer armed with a short composite bow, revolutionized military tactics after 1700 BC. This expensive weapon spread throughout the Middle East and...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841769479. This book explores the development and variants of the missile and its launch systems, its proliferation outside of the West, and its role in conflicts around the world.
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841769304. This book details the conception, ongoing development and deployment of one of the most highly anticipated new AFVs in recent years, including its service in Iraq and the ensuing controversy surrounding the Stryker's varying successes.
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841769460. Designed to be the successor to the jeep of World War II with a greater load-bearing capacity, the Humvee has proven to be adaptable to a wide range of roles, including weapons carrier, missile launcher, command vehicle and other specialized types. This book traces the development and use of the Humvee and its variations,...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841769835. The Sherman DD (Duplex Drive) tank was a brilliant innovation; the design and development of a tank that could float and even 'swim' in water was controversial. This book discusses the Sherman DD's many variants, including the prototype Valentine DD tank and examines the successes and tragic failures on the beaches of...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1846030099. This title details all the classes of German battlecruiser, with particular emphasis on each individual ship's battle experience and deployment in conflict.
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841769843. Designed in the mid-1960s as an "interim solution" for an armed escort and close-support weapon to support the US Army in the Vietnam War, it is still being manufactured and improved in the 21st century, making it a success far beyond the wildest dreams of its creators. In this book Chris Bishop discusses the origins of the...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1846030080. This book contains new information on these innovative ships, using previously untapped evidence from the wrecks of the sunken battlecruisers and detailed analysis of admiralty records to show why Admiral Fisher's famous battlecruiser concept was a revolution that drew together technological breakthroughs, global...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1841769452. This book will trace the development of German panzers of the World War One, including the A7V and its intended but unfinished stablemates.
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1841769312. The southernmost region of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) encompassed the vast Mekong River Delta, and area covering 10,190 square miles. Three major rivers run through the Delta, the Song Hou Giang (aka Bassac) and the Song Mekong, which broke into three large rivers (Song My Tho, Ham Luong, and Go Chien). The Nhon...
Osprey Publishing, 2006. — 51 p. — ISBN: 1846030072. This book examines the three major classes - ‘S', ‘T' and ‘U' - detailing their design, development and modification. The major submarine engagements of the war are recounted, including the Norwegian campaign, the battle of Malta in March 1942, Operation Pedestal, and many other engagements in all theatres between the British...
Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781846030376. Development of the Essex class began in 1939, becoming the largest class of carrier ever to be built. Early in the Pacific War it became renowned for its 'Sunday Punch' of 36 fighter planes, 36 dive bombers, and 18 torpedo planes. Alongside the lighter Independence class, these carriers formed the formidable Fast Carrier...
Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 51 p. — ISBN: 9781846030611. Determined to learn from the lessons of World War I, the US Army developed a new generation of field artillery weapons and tactics during the 1930s. Consequently, in World War II it was the clear leader in field artillery. Providing a thorough examination of the many critical innovations and doctrines, and the impact they...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 50 p. Determined to learn from the lessons of World War I, the US Army developed a new generation of field artillery weapons and tactics during the 1930s. Consequently, in World War II it was the clear leader in field artillery. Providing a thorough examination of the many critical innovations and doctrines, and the impact they had on performance,...
Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1846030749. Formidable and sophisticated, triremes were the deadliest battleship of the ancient world, and at the height of their success, the Athenians were the dominant exponents of their devastating power. Primarily longships designed to fight under oar power, the trireme was built for lightness and strength; ship-timber was mostly...
Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846030826. This book reveals the important role the tank played in the historic battle of Cambrai in 1917 as well as the first ever tank-versus-tank actions against German A7Vs. In awe of British technology, the Germans actively captured, salvaged and repaired Mark IVs for deployment against the Allies.
Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 53 p. — ISBN: 9781846030628. he Russian SA-2, nicknamed "Red SAM,” is history's dominant antiaircraft missile. In 1960 it famously downed Gary Powers' U-2 spyplane, and two years later it was one of the missiles deployed during the Cuban Missile Crisis, which almost sparked a nuclear showdown between America and the USSR. The SA-2 was also deployed in...
Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1846030900. The Imperial Japanese Navy in World War II possessed the most technologically advanced and varied submarine fleet in the world. Ranging from the largest pre-nuclear submarines in the world to manned torpedoes, with the fastest combat vessels and midget submarines operating alongside craft capable of carrying floatplane...
Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 51 p. — ISBN: 9781846030833. A fire-breathing monster on the battlefield, the Churchill Crocodile was one of the most awe-inspiring weapons of World War II. Tank expert David Fletcher chronicles the development of the flamethrower tank, examining the dramatic effect of these tanks in battle from use in France to the terrifying attack on the Senio...
Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781846030918. The Japanese Army used tanks to great effect in the build-up to World War II. Inspired by European designs, in the 1920s and 1930s an innovative Japanese tank program facilitated their campaigns in China prior to the Pacific War. During the ensuing war against the Allies tanks were deployed imaginatively in jungle terrain...
Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 52 p. — ISBN: 1846031680. "Silent but deadly" - Osprey's US Nuclear Submarines: The Fast-Attack takes a fresh look at the controversial design and development of the nuclear submarine of which the United States Navy operates the largest fleet in the world. The advent of nuclear power transformed the submarine from a slow underwater vessel, incapable...
Osprey Publishing, 2007. — 51 p. — ISBN: 9781846030840. The Sherman Crab Flail tank was the powerful culmination of a series of mine-clearing flail tanks developed during World War II. In addition to its special mine-clearing role the Sherman Crab was also capable of fighting in tank duels, and this book includes dramatic accounts of its use by the famous 79th Armoured Division...
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 51 p. — ISBN: 9781846032424. First 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846032776. The most powerfully gunned tank fielded by the Allies during World War II was the Sherman Firefly. An ordinary American-built Sherman modified by the British, the Firefly had the firepower that could finally match the awesome German tanks that had dominated Europe.
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 48 p. — ISBN: 9781846032516. In this book, maritime expert Angus Konstam explores the fledging Tudor Navy, tracing its history from its origins as a merchant fleet under Henry VII through to its emergence as a powerful force under Henry VIII. Examining the operational use of Henry VIII's warships the author analyses the battle of the Solent in 1545,...
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846032677. By the end of the Civil War the US Navy was the most advanced in the world, but in subsequent years America's naval might dwindled. However, in the 1880s a 'New Navy' was born and at the forefront of its fleet were the mighty cruisers.
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846032431. After some limited use in World War II, UAVs emerged as substitutes for manned reconnaissance aircraft in missions deemed too dangerous to risk an aircrew. This book examines the development of UAV technology and speculates on its future potential. Packed with rare, recently declassified photographs and detailed...
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846033346. In 1905, briefed with creating a vessel that could be employed on an enemy's coastline, the Admiralty took several technological leaps forward to match Germany's own revolutionary vessels. Written by an influential expert in the field and covering all classes of submarine developed and deployed during the war, this book...
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 51 p. — ISBN: 9781846032806. This title covers the 12 Japanese battleships that saw service between 1941 and 1945, including the mighty Yamato. Each class is considered in light of its design and construction, its armament and wartime modifications.
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 48 p. — ISBN: 1846032660. The "Original Six" frigates were commissioned by the new-born US Navy at a staggering cost of $688, 888.82. Designed to be light and fast, these warships enabled America to project its power across the globe. Among the ships Mark Lardas examines is USS Constellation: the first ship to be commissioned by the United States...
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781846032271. This book examines the design and development of these unique craft, very few of which survive today, and goes on to examine their role and combat deployment in World War II.
Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 50 p. — ISBN: 1846032520. In his second volume on the Tudor Navy, naval expert Angus Konstam covers the extraordinary transformation of the Tudor fleet during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. This period witnessed the birth of a whole new breed of warships designed to dominate the seas and expand the corners of the Empire. Detailing warfare during the...
Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2008. — 48 p. — ISBN: 978 1 846032684. Elephants have been deployed as weapons for centuries, particularly in South and South-East Asia, where war elephants constituted the bulk of most armies in the region from antiquity right up to the 19th century. This book offers an insight into the incredible history of these "living tanks," focusing on the...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846033315. Although often overlooked in favour of the U-boats or battleships, the vast majority of the Kriegsmarine was formed of the smaller vessels of the coastal forces. These ships and boats, which included minesweepers, torpedo boats, patrol boats, and blockade breakers, gave crucial service to Germany during the war, and many...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 52 p. — ISBN 9781846032448. The Soviet T-80 Standard Tank was the last tank fielded before the Soviet collapse, and the most controversial. Despite having the most sophisticated fire controls and multi-layer armor ever fielded on a Soviet tank, its turbine power plant (rather than a conventional diesel) remained a source of considerable trouble...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781846033919. This book tells the story of the US experience with air-mobile tanks, starting with their efforts in World War II. However, full success was not achieved until the production of the M551 Sheridan. The history of this tank provides the focal point of this book, highlighting the difficulties of combining heavy firepower in a...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 49 p. — ISBN: 1846033888. With the outbreak of World War II, Britain's Royal Navy and her fleet of battleships would be at the forefront of her defence. Yet from a fleet of 12 battleships, ten were already over 20 years old, venerable veterans of World War I. Extensive modifications throughout the 1930s allowed these ships to perform a vital service...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846033872. This 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846033339. The Auxiliary Cruisers were immensely successful, not only in the number of enemy ships they sank, but in the resources which were tied up trying to track them down. The Royal Navy's auxiliary cruisers tended to be merchant vessels used to protect convoys from attack. The German Auxiliary Cruisers, however, heavily armed...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846039027. The LCI and its vehicle-delivery counterpart, the Landing Ship, Medium were widely used by the allies during World War II. Later, the hulls of these ships were used as the basis for a fire support ship. While the landing ships were phased out after the Korean War, some fire support craft remained in use throughout the...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846033902. The Soviet Army hastily developed the T-62 in a struggle to compete against the rapid proliferation of NATO tanks in the 1960s. It was essentially a modification of the widely-manufactured T-55 tank with the addition of a new 115mm gun. Within the USSR itself, the T-62 was quickly superseded, but it was widely exported,...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781846033926. This book examines the development of this category of armored cars and offers a detailed analysis of the extensive combat use of the Staghound in British service as well as in the service of other Allied countries.
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846033896. This title offers a comprehensive review of the seven battleships of the Nelson and King George V classes from their initial commissioning to their peacetime modifications and wartime service. Moreover, with specially commissioned artwork and a dramatic re-telling of key battles, such as the duel between the Bismark and...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781849081320. The origins of American warships, primarily light and medium frigates, built for the Continental Navy during the years 1776-1783. This was the first navy of the United States and much of the fleet was comprised of ships that had been modified from existing vessels, converted into warships to provide a crucial service...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846034435. This title details the 169 ships of ten classes introduced in the 1930s: early 1,500-tonners and 1,850-ton destroyer leaders designed to conform to the 1930 London Naval Treaty, plus the successor 1,570-ton Sims class and 1,620and 1,630-ton Benson and Gleaves classes. In wartime, most 1,500-tonners and leaders initially...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846035142. This book recounts the history of the first destroyers of the Royal Navy, which revolutionized the way war was fought at sea with new armaments and a great improvement on earlier designs. Moreover, between 1892, when the first destroyers were laid down, and 1918, destroyers evolved radically from 27-knot, 250-ton ships...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846034671. This volume covers the history of the Deutschland to Osfriesland classes of German battlecruisers, beginning with the last of the pre-dreadnought battleships and explaining the revolutionary developments, particularly the vast increases in size and armament, that took place within the German Imperial Navy as it readied...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781846034442. This title describes the Fletchers and their Allen M. Sumnerand Gearing-class derivatives, their machinery, armament, and construction, with a listing of all 343 ships by hull number and builder.
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781849080774. Motor Gun Boats were the "Spitfires of the Seas” of the Royal Navy. Bristling with small-calibre guns and machine guns, they served in a variety of roles during the War. In the early war period they battled against German E-boats in the English Channel, then went on the offensive, searching the enemy shore for targets of...
Osprey Publishing, 2009. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781849082860. This volume is an informative history of the key classes Kaiser, König and Bayern that formed the backbone of the German Imperial Navy throughout World War I, detailing the technological revolution that had taken place to enable the building of these large dreadnought classes.
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781849080798. In 1938, the Royal Navy launched the HMS Ark Royal, its first-ever purpose-built aircraft carrier. This was quickly followed by others, including the highly-successful Illustrious class. Smaller and tougher than their American cousins, the British carriers were designed to fight in the tight confines of the North Sea and...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781849082921. This volume details the design, construction, and operation of the first six of the ten US fast battleships, two of the North Carolina class and four of the South Dakota class. These six battleships were all authorized in 1936 and were the first vessels built in the US since 1923.
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849082938. The tanks used during the Spanish Civil War are not often examined in any great detail, and are often labeled as little more than test vehicles in a convenient proving ground before World War II. But, with groundbreaking research, armor expert Steven J Zaloga has taken a fresh look at the tanks deployed in Spain, examining...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781849089539. The first Soviet helicopter to function as both a gunship and an assault transport, it served extensively in Afghanistan, and is now employed by militaries across the world. Written by an expert on the 'Hind', an drawing on manufacturing and military sources, this book presents the Mi-24 in all of its brutal glory, from...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846035111. This book covers the design, construction, and employment of the four Iowa-class battleships, the largest in the American fleet. During World War II, they served as guards for the aircraft carriers and their bombardments provided cover for the numerous landings in the Pacific. At the war's end, the Japanese signed their...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781846035135. This title examines the emergence of the first modern tank, the Renault FT. The Renault FT pioneered the modern tank design, with armament in a revolutionary central turret and the engine in the rear. More importantly, the Renault was designed to be cheap and easy to manufacture. Discover the history of the early French...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849083072. This book looks at the development and deployment of the nuclear-powered Nimitz class aircraft carriers from 1975 when the USS Nimitz, the lead ship of the class, was commissioned, to the present day. The Development of Nimitz, Design Considerations, Carrier Systems, The Various Subclasses - Nimitz, Roosevelt, Bush,...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 52 p. — Illustrated by Peter Bull. This book introduces the reader to the early years of US submarine development and operation during the first third of the 20th century. It was in this period of growth and change that the submarine moved from a small vessel of limited range and tactical strength to a far ranging force. It also covers the little-told...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781849081856. This book introduces the reader to the early years of US submarine development and operation during the first third of the 20th century. It was in this period of growth and change that the submarine moved from a small vessel of limited range and tactical strength to a far ranging force. It also covers the little-told story...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781849081481. Like the other vessels of the Japanese Navy, the heavy cruisers were technologically superior to and far more innovative than their Allied rivals, whom they met in many of the major Pacific. The design and development of all 18 ships in the six heavy cruiser classes, from pre-war construction and mid-war alterations, to...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849083102. The Humber LRC gave excellent service to the Reconnaissance Corps with its agility, speed and height proving to be invaluable assets to the units that operated it. Using numerous photographs, and newly commissioned artwork, this book looks at the development of the LRC, its use by the Reconnaissance Corps and its...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 53 p. — ISBN: 9781849083515. Although, to the casual eye, all British tanks of World War I look much the same, the Mark V is quite outstanding and has a strong claim to be the tank that won the Great War. Accompanied by detailed artwork showing the design changes that allowed the Mark V to breach the widest German trenches, this title is an excellent...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781849081870. The patrol vehicles used by Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan and Iraq vary quite dramatically between the theatres as well as amongst the Coalition members, and have been developed and upgraded to meet the demands of the deployment. Covering all the major Coalition nations, Leigh Neville continues his look at the...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781849083539. The destruction of much of the remainder of the Japanese fleet and its air arm in the later half of 1944 left the Japanese Home Islands vulnerable to attack by US naval and air forces. In desperation, the Imperial Japanese Navy proposed using "special attack” formations, or suicide attacks. This book will begin by...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781849084086. This book covers the gunboats of all the major nations that stationed naval forces in China, including America, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Japan. Design & Development Construction & Operation Life on Board Gunboats in Action.
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781849083805. In this book, Mark Stille details why the Italian battleships were able to maintain a solid reputation, examining their impressive designs and the courage and determination of the fleet at Calabria, Sirte, Cape Spartiveto and Cape Matapan.
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781849084109. Three times during the 17th century, England and Holland went to war as part of an ongoing struggle for economic and naval supremacy. Primarily fought in the cold waters of the North Sea and the English Channel, the wars proved revolutionary in their impact upon warship design, armament, and naval tactics. During this...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 48 p. — Illustrated by Peter Bull. Three times during the 17th century, England and Holland went to war as part of an ongoing struggle for economic and naval supremacy. Primarily fought in the cold waters of the North Sea and the English Channel, the wars proved revolutionary in their impact upon warship design, armament, and naval tactics. During...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781849083560. The 8th and 48th Transportation Groups were responsible for hauling supplies through the long, dangerous roads of Vietnam, and they often found themselves the target of ambushes, attacks, and sniping. In response to this, vehicle crews began to arm trucks with machine guns and armour them with sandbags. While these proved...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 49 p.
БТР LAV-25 сыграл значительную роль в Корпусе морской пехоты США, с момента своего появления в начале 1980-х. БТР был основан на проверенной швейцарской серии Piranha MOWAG 4x4, 6x6, 8x8 и колесной техники. Однако разработка организационных единиц, тактики и использовании системы оружия в структуре сил морской пехоты оказался более сложной...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849085601. During World War II, the US Marine Corps formed six tank battalions that battled through the harsh conditions of the Pacific Theatre. Using the same basic tanks as the US Army, notably the M3 and M5A1 light tanks and the M4 Sherman medium tank, the marines made both technical and tactical innovations to make them more...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849085625. The Imperial Japanese Navy went to war with 17 light cruisers and another three cruiser-sized training ships. Of these, most were 5,500-ton ships designed to act as destroyer squadron flagships. This made them much different in capabilities and mission from their American counterparts. During the war, the Japanese built...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849085663. This book examines the design and development of the warships built upon the lakes during the war, emphasising their differences from their salt-water contemporaries. It then goes onto cover their operational use as they were pitted against each other in a number of clashes on the lakes that often saw ships captured,...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849085809. The first Rolls-Royce armoured car was a privately owned vehicle fitted with a machine-gun and a limited amount of armour plate, used by the Royal Naval Air Service in Flanders in 1914. This book tells the complete story of the Rolls-Royce Armoured Car, following its design and development as it fought from theatre to...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849086868. The pre-World War I concept of armoured cruisers had been abandoned, but in their stead the Admiralty saw a place for powerful cruisers, able to patrol the sea lanes of the British Empire, and which were well-armed enough that they could destroy enemy commerce cruisers. The result was a group of British warships, known as...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849087773. During the 1920s the Italian army had just one single tank type in its armoured inventory - the Fiat 3000. Only in 1927 was the first tank unit formed as a branch of the infantry and not as an independent organization, while the cavalry rejected the idea of both tanks and armoured cars and decided to stand by the use of...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849086363. Although a variety of specialized landing craft were developed, the Dieppe raid in 1942 encouraged the development of tanks that could be deployed from further off-shore to limit the vulnerability of the LCT craft. The deep-wading equipment that they developed was first used during Operation Husky on Sicily in July 1943,...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 48 p. — ISBN-10 1849086885, ISBN-13 978-1849086882. Despite imperial politics, a modern Austro-Hungarian battleship fleet was built and contested Italian dominance of the Adriatic and the Mediterranean through a series of daring naval raids that netted greater success than anything the German High Seas Fleet accomplished in the North Sea. The...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849086844. Wartime experience had shown that the British light cruiser was one of the most versatile types of ship in the Royal Navy, able to protect other warships, bombard enemy shores, guard life-saving convoys and intercept and destroy enemy warships. These were truly the workhorses of the wartime Royal Navy. While the...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849087759. Since these European countries bordered with Italy in mountainous areas, light tanks were preferred as these were deemed much more suitable for the narrow roads and bridges of the Alps. Furthermore, development was hampered by the limited number of Italian industries, whose production was also heavily fragmented. All these...
Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849089784. The world's first war machines were ships built two millennia before the dawn of the Classical world. Their influence on the course of history cannot be overstated. A wide variety of galleys and other types of warships were built by successive civilisations, each with their own distinctive appearance, capability and...
Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849089814. The heavy tank proved fairly popular with its crews, who above all respected the powerful armament it carried. The outbreak of war in Korea brought a rush order in December 1950 which led to a complete production run of 300 vehicles.
Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781849089845. This volume will detail the history, weapons and tactics of the Japanese destroyers built before the war. This includes the famous Fubuki class (called "Special Type” by the Japanese, which were, when completed in the late 1920's, the most powerful class of destroyers in the world. This book will also cover the three...
Osprey, 2013. — 48 p. — ISBN 9781780960203. The titanic armor battles of the Russian Front are widely known, but the role of Germany's eastern allies is not as well known. Two of these countries, Romania and Hungary, manufactured their own tanks as well as purchasing tanks from Germany. These ranged from older, obsolete types such as the PzKpfw 35(t) all the way up to the...
Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781780961675. The launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906 changed the face of naval warfare. The first half-dozen dreadnoughts were all improvements of the basic Dreadnought design, all carrying ten 12-inch guns. It was only in 1911, with the launch of HMS Neptune that the layout of this powerful armament was altered as a result of practical...
Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781780960234. Based upon the ubiquitous Grant/Sherman tank, the M7 Priest is the iconic Allied self-propelled howitzer. It was the most widely manufactured vehicle of its type in World War ll and was utilized by the US, British, Canadian and Free French forces. In addition to covering all variants of the Priest, this book also looks at...
Osprey Publishing, 2013. 50 p. ISBN: 9781849089876. This volume details the history, weapons and tactics of the Japanese destroyers built just before and throughout the war, including the famous Kagero and Yugumo classes, the experimental destroyer Shimakaze that boasted a top speed of almost 40 knots and 15 torpedo tubes, and the Matsu class that represented the Japanese...
Osprey, 2013. — 48 p. — ISBN: 9781780960265. American experience, from D-Day to dug-in Japanese defenders, went from British Crocodile to E4-7, USMC Satan, and the many POA-CWS (Pacific Area Operation-Chemical Warfare Section) flamethrower tank variants chronicled in this book. The US Army and Marine Corps experimented with a wide range of flame-thrower tanks through World War...
Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781780961705. 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...
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781780960173. In the early days of World War I, Germany unveiled a new weapon - the mobile 42cm (16.5 inch) M-Gerät howitzer. At the time, it was the largest artillery piece of its kind in the world and a closely guarded secret. This book details the design and development of German siege guns before and during World War I.
Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781780962559. The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle is the newest land warfare system in the United States Army and Marine Corps inventory. Designed to meet the challenges of operating in a counterinsurgency environment, the MRAP has taken survivability to a new level.
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781782003984. This title looks at the Medium Mark A Whippet, one of the most successful British tanks of World War I and, when placed alongside existing titles covering the Mark I, Mark IV and Mark V, completes the New Vanguard series' coverage of the major British tanks of the war. The evolution of the Whippet is examined in detail,...
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781782003861. This comprehensive and detailed title covers the technical characteristics and combat record of the US dreadnoughts throughout their long careers.
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781782003892. The first of two volumes covering the French armor of World War II, this title looks at the infantry and battle tanks that faced the onslaught of the German Blitzkrieg in 1940. Many of the French tanks were intended as replacements for the World War I-era Renault FT, and various modernization efforts throughout the...
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781782006299. Designed and produced under the regulations of the Washington Naval Treaty, the heavy cruisers of the Pensacola, Northampton, Portland, New Orleans and Wichita classes were exercises in compromise. While they possessed very heavy armament - the Pensacolas, for example, carrying a main battery of ten 8” guns - this came at...
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781782003809. All nine of the carriers covered by this volume are icons, and hold a much-respected place in US naval history. They are also some of the more well-known vessels outside of the military, for their long service histories, as well as for some of the more unfortunate events that seem to follow them.
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781472801227. During World War II, Germany, Japan, and Italy built approximately 2,000 small, inherently stealthy, naval craft to perform special operations and conventional naval missions. Much more numerous and more technically advanced than their Allied counterparts, they saw service worldwide, operating in the Pacific,...
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781782003922. Featuring specially commissioned profile artwork, photographs and illustrations, French Tanks of World War II (2) provides detailed insight into the background and design of these tank types and presents a brief, yet thorough assessment of their performance during the Battle of France.
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781782006329. Versatile warships, the heavy cruisers of the Baltimore class, and their successors in the Oregon City and Des Moines classes, commonly acted as carrier escorts throughout World War II, but also performed bombardment duties in support of amphibious landings. Post-World War II, the heavy cruisers continued to see service,...
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781782003953. This title offers a detailed study of a successful but little-known German tank of World War II, the Panzer 38(t). Germany's annexation of Czech provinces in 1938 gave it control of the large Czech armament industry, one of the jewels of which was the very modern LT 38 tank. The type was fully integrated into the Wehrmacht...
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 34 p. — ISBN: 9781782003830. The super-heavy tanks of World War II are heirs to the siege machine tradition - a means of breaking the deadlock of ground combat. As a class of fighting vehicle, they began with the World War I concept of the search for a ‘breakthrough' tank, designed to cross enemy lines. It is not surprising that the breakthrough tank...
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781782003779. 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 various experiments and improvisations carried out on the...
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781472806253. The T-26 was the first major Soviet armour program of the 1930s, beginning as a license-built version of the British Vickers 6-ton export tank. Although the T-26 retained the basic Vickers hull and suspension, the Red Army began to make extensive changes to the turret and armament, starting with the addition of a 45mm tank...
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781472805157. Fully illustrated with a mixture of dramatic archive photos and manufacturers' images, this volume covers the little-known history of riot control vehicles.
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781472806963. This book offers a unique insight into the Standard-type classes of US battleships. It provides a detailed investigation into the histories of each of the warships in the Standard-type battleship classes, the first three of which, the Nevada, Pennsylvania and New Mexico, formed the US Navy's main force in the inter-war period.
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781472804983. Gunboat engagements during this war were bloody and hard fought, if small in scale. Austrian gunboats on the Danube fired the first shots of the war, whilst German, British and Belgian gunboats fought one of the strangest, most intriguing naval campaigns in history in far-flung Lake Tanganyika. From the Mediterranean to...
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 51 p. — ISBN: 9781472806222. This volume examines the design, development and operational history of the Soviet Union's Cold War SPAAGs: the ZSU-37, ZSU-57-2, the infamous ZSU-23-4, and the 9K22 Tunguska (better known by its NATO reporting name: SA-19 ‘Grison').
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472806284. The T-64 tank was the most revolutionary design of the whole Cold War, designed to provide the firepower and armour protection of a heavy tank in a medium-weight design.
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781472808240. This volume is a complete technical study of the machines that formed the backbone of Poland's defences on the ground, using never-before-seen photographs and a comprehensive design and developmental history that reveal a full picture of Poland's armoured forces in the context of their greatest challenge.
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781472808271. This is the story of the design, development and operation of the Republican Roman warship in the age of the conquest of the Mediterranean, from the first Roman naval adventure of 394 BC and the Punic Wars, to Pompey's operations against the Cilician Pirates and Caesar's victorious naval campaigns in Armorica, concluding...
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472805010. In the early 20th century Britain's largest colonies established their own small naval presence, and their ships fought alongside the Royal Navy during World War I. These fleets were expanded during the inter-war years, and in 1939 the Royal Australian Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal New Zealand Navy willingly...
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 48 p. — (Osprey New Vanguard). — ISBN-10 1472806190, ISBN-13 978-1472806192. At the start of the 20th century the Ottoman Navy was a shadow of its former might, a reflection of the empire as a whole - the "Sick Man of Europe". Years of defeat, nepotism, and neglect had left the Ottoman Navy with a mix of obsolete vessels, whilst the list of...
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472809506. This is the story of Germany's commerce raiders of World War I, drawing on technical illustrations and the author's exhaustive research, explains the often overlooked role that the commerce raiders played in World War I. Whilst exploring the design and development of the ships, it also describes their operational history,...
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472806994. This book completes an authoritative two-part study on the Standard-type US battleships of World War II - ships that were designed to fight a different type of war than the one that unfolded. It gives precise technical details of the design history and features of the Tennessee, Colorado and the unfinished South Dakota and...
Illustrator: Giuseppe Rava. — Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 48 p. The Roman Empire was not only built by the strength of the legions but also by a navy that was the most powerful maritime force ever to have existed. It was the presence of this fleet that secured the trade routes and maintained the communications within the huge Empire. The superior design of their warships, coupled...
London: Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 48 p. World War II marked the zenith of railway gun development. Although many of the railway guns initially deployed at the start of the conflict were of World War I vintage, Germany's ambitious development program saw the introduction of a number of new classes, including the world's largest, the 80cm-caliber Schwerer Gustav and Schwerer...
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472811196. This book explains in concise detail the IJN's fleet of 1904-05, from its battleships and armored cruisers to the torpedo boats that launched 'the first great torpedo attack in history,' and outlines the history of the naval campaign against the Russian fleet.
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472813756. The Valentine was the most produced and most widely used British tank of the Second World War. The Valentine first saw combat during Operation Compass in November 1941 and remained one of the main medium tanks in British service into 1943. This book describes the evolution of the Valentine design and weighs up its impact...
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472811165. This book examines the technology and combat performance of Britain's guided missile destroyers over half a century.
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781472810861. This New Vanguard provides a survey of Soviet and Russian Federation MRLs from the beginning of their development in 1941 to the present. It focuses on the history, design, and specifications of self-propelled ground MRL systems, but also covers towed, static, railway, and naval mounts. It highlights the many variants of...
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472811400. This book examines every US light cruiser produced, including those of the Fargo and Worcester classes, which were actually complete after World War II had ended, tracing their design, development and evolution throughout the war and beyond.
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472810656. One of the most common types in Red Army service in the first years of the Second World War, BT tanks saw extensive combat in Poland, Finland, and the opening phases of Operation Barbarossa in 1941 and latterly during the 1945 campaign against the Japanese in Manchuria - this is the story of their design and development...
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 52 p. The weather was overcast and hazy in San Francisco on 18 January 1911. The armoured cruiser Pennsylvania, moored 300 yards off the Folsom Street wharf, had a 120ft-long wooden platform covering the ship’s stern. Ropes anchored by sandbags crossed the platform’s width at regular intervals. Shortly after 11.00am, a Curtis pusher appeared flying...
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472814760. This comprehensive volume offers a detailed analysis of the Nile river gunboats' entire career, from policing British colonial interests along the great river to defending Egypt against the Ottoman Turks in World War I.
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472814739. Designed in the 1950s, the US Marines' M50 Ontos and the US Army's M56 Scorpion were both intended to be fast, light, air-droppable tank-killers for the Cold War battlefield. Detailed illustrations and expert analysis provide the reader with a comprehensive history of these deadly antitank vehicles, from early development...
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 50 p. — ISBN: 9781472814708. At the outbreak of World War I Austria-Hungary had four modern light cruisers and twenty modern destroyers at their disposal, constructed in the early 20th century to defend their growing overseas interests. It was these fast light vessels, not the fleet's prized battleships, which saw most action during the war; from the...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 48 p. Heavily armed and formidable, guided missile cruisers formed the core of the Soviet Navy during the Cold War. From the last class of conventional Sverdlov-class cruisers through to increasingly complex and formidable missile cruisers, these ships ensured that NATO took the Soviet naval threat seriously. Soviet Cold...
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 52 p. — ISBN: 9781472817433. This study details the characteristics, capabilities and performance of the wide variety of armoured vehicles deployed by the SADF, from the Eland armoured car to the Ratel infantry combat vehicle and the Olifant tank.
Illustrator: Giuseppe Rava. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 48 p. The period of relative peace enjoyed by the Roman Empire in its first two centuries ended with the Marcomannic Wars. The following centuries saw near-constant warfare, which brought new challenges for the Roman Navy. It was now not just patrolling the Mediterranean but also fighting against invaders with real naval...
Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781472818072. From the employment of the French Renault FT and British Mark V during their involvement in World War I, the US branched out with their own indigenous designs including the M1 Cavalry Car and the M2 Light and Medium tanks, the precursors to the Stuart and Grant tanks of World War II. Tank designers in this period faced...
Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781472816368. This fully illustrated study is the first in a two-part series on the real workhorses of the wartime Royal Navy, focusing on how these ageing ships took on the formidable navies of the Axis powers.
Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 49 p. — ISBN: 9781472818133. 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.
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 48 p. In 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) went to war with a marginal anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability. This was a lamentable state of affairs for a nation dependent upon imports to sustain its war economy. There were only a few purpose-built ASW escorts available at the start of the war and these were augmented...
Illustrator: Steve Noon. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 48 p. World War I was the Golden Age of the railway gun. Even though at the start of the conflict none of the armies possessed any railway artillery pieces and the very idea was comparatively new, more railway guns were used during this war than in any other conflict. Designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare, the first...
Illustrator: Donato Spedaliere. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 48 p. The Maginot Line was one of the most advanced networks of fortifications in history. Built in the aftermath of World War I, and stretching along the French eastern border from Belgium to Switzerland, it was designed to prevent German troops from ever setting foot on French soil again. Its primary defensive weapons...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 48 p. While not as famous as their larger and faster sister ships such as the Essex- and Yorktown-class carriers, escort carriers made an enormous contribution towards Allied victory both in the Pacific and Atlantic theatres. Rather than relying on size or speed, it was their sheer numbers that made them so effective. Indeed,...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 48 p. While not as famous as their larger and faster sister ships such as the Essex- and Yorktown-class carriers, escort carriers made an enormous contribution towards Allied victory both in the Pacific and Atlantic theatres. Rather than relying on size or speed, it was their sheer numbers that made them so effective....
Illustrator: Henry Morshead, Johnny Shumate. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 48 p. The M113 is the most widely used and versatile armoured vehicle in the world. Fielded in 1960 as a simple 'battlefield taxi', over 80,000 M113s would see service with 50 nations around the world and 55 years later, many thousands are still in use. In addition to its original role of transporting troops...
Illustrator: Tony Bryan. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 48 p. 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,...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. The first American armoured cars began to emerge around the turn of the century, seeing their first military use in 1916 during the Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa. When the United States entered World War I, the American Expeditionary Forces used some armoured cars in France, and American armoured cars...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. In the wake of the T-72 tank's poor performance in the 1991 Gulf War, the Kremlin instructed the Russian tank industry to drop the discredited T-72 designation in favour of the T-90 Vladimir. The T-90 was in fact a further evolution of the T-72 family, but the name change represented an important break in...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. — (New Vanguard). — ISBN-10 1472818229, ISBN-13 978-1472818225. In the wake of the T-72 tank's poor performance in the 1991 Gulf War, the Kremlin instructed the Russian tank industry to drop the discredited T-72 designation in favor of the T-90 Vladimir. The T-90 was in fact a further evolution of the T-72...
Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. The Soviet Navy that faced the German onslaught in 1941 boasted a mixture of modern warships, often built with foreign technical assistance, and antiquated warships from the Tsarist era that were modernised for the conflict. Some Soviet naval vessels saw limited involvement in the war against Finland in 1939-1940, but the main action occurred...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. 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...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. The Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marina) operated one of largest cruiser forces of World War II. As a signatory to the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, the Regia Marina immediately attempted to reinforce its treaty-limited battleship force by building seven large 10,000-ton heavy cruisers. Italian light cruisers also possessed...
Illustrator: Julian Baker, Johnny Shumate. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. Four pipes and flush decks - these ships were a distinctively American destroyer design. Devised immediately prior to and during the United States' involvement in World War I they dominated the US Navy's destroyer forces all the way through to World War II. They were deployed on North Atlantic and...
Illustrator: Adam Tooby. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. 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,...
Illustrator: Adam Tooby. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. 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...
Illustrator: Henry Morshead. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. The first Italian armoured cars were used in the war in Libya in 1911-12 against the Ottoman Empire. With few tanks being developed, the Italians relied instead on the development of more mobile armoured cars like the Ansaldo Lancia 1 Z, during World War I, but post-war the army, focusing on the Alpine battlegrounds...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. In November 1859, the French warship La Gloire was launched. She was the world's first seagoing ironclad - a warship built from wood, but whose hull was clad in a protective layer of iron plate. Britain, not to be outdone, launched her own ironclad the following year - HMS Warrior - which, when she entered service,...
Illustrator: Peter Bull. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. The tiny new state of the United Provinces of the Netherlands won its independence from the mighty Spanish empire by fighting and winning the Eighty Years' War, from 1568 and 1648. In this long conflict, warfare on water played a much bigger role in determining the ultimate victor. On the high seas the fleet carved out a...
Illustrator: Julian Baker, Johnny Shumate. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 48 p. In 1908 the most incredible naval arms race in history began. Flush with cash from rubber and coffee, Brazil decided to order three of the latest, greatest category of warship available - the dreadnought battleship. One Brazilian dreadnought by itself could defeat the combined gunnery of every other...
Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 49 р. — ISBN: 9781472826107. Over the last 150 years, gun designers have sought to transform warfare with artillery of superlative range and power, from William Armstrong's 19th-century "monster guns” to the latest research into hypersonic electro-magnetic railguns. Taking a case study approach, Superguns explains the technology and role of the finest...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. On September 1, 1910, France became the last great naval power to lay down a dreadnought battleship, the Courbet. The ensuing Courbet and Bretagne-class dreadnoughts had a relatively quiet World War I, spending most of it at anchor off the entrance to the Adriatic, keeping watch over the Austro-Hungarian fleet. The...
Illustrator: Henry Morshead. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. French experience with armour in Indo-China dated back to 1919, when it sent FT-17s to the colony, followed by a variety of armoured cars. After World War II, French troops were equipped with a motley collection of American and cast-off British equipment until the outbreak of war in Korea saw an increase in military...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. Since the Gulf War, the Abrams tank has undergone a transformation, while fighting in conflicts across the world. Its M1A1 and M1A2 variants have seen great improvements made to this iconic tank, including in fire-control, armour protection, and thermal imaging technology. Involvement in the conflicts in Iraq and...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. From Spain to Russia, and from Ottoman Turkey to Bismarck's Prussia, this book explores 15 years that transformed European naval warfare. When the Gloire slid down the Toulon slipway in 1859, it changed sea power forever. With this ship, the world's first oceangoing ironclad, France had a warship that could sink any...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. The SU-76 assault gun was the second most widely manufactured Soviet armoured fighting vehicle of World War II, out-numbered only by the legendary T-34. Inspired in part by the German Marder series of tank destroyers, Soviet designers realized that the chassis of the obsolete T-70 light tank could be adapted to a...
Illustrator: Paul Wright, Felipe Rodríguez, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. The first true US battleships began with the experimental Maine and Texas, followed by the three-ship Indiana class, and the Iowa class, which incorporated lessons from the previous ships. These initial ships set the enduring US battleship standard of being heavily armed and armoured...
Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. The NVG covers all seven Marks of Churchill gun tank with variations and the curious self-propelled gun of 1941/42, but not the so-called ‘Funnies' or the armoured recovery vehicle variants. It will begin with the prototype tank A20, which has not been covered in any detail before, then go on to look at all seven Marks of Churchill, in particular...
Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. The first illustration of a cannon in Europe can be dated quite precisely to 1326. This book explores the development of gunpowder, the earliest appearance of cast-bronze cannon in Western Europe, followed by the design and development of the wrought-iron cannon. The wrought-iron hoop-and-stave method of barrel construction was a system that came...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. In 1941, as the Battle of the Atlantic raged and ship losses mounted, the British Admiralty desperately tried to find ways to defeat the U-Boat threat to Britain's maritime lifeline. Facing a shortage of traditional aircraft carriers and shore-based aircraft, the Royal Navy, as a stopgap measure, converted merchant ships...
Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. This book examines the major warships of the Imperial Russian Navy which participated in the Russo-Japanese War. The focus is on the battleships, coastal defence warships, and cruisers of the Pacific Squadron and Baltic Squadron that fought during the war. It discusses in detail their design and development between the years of 1885 and 1905,...
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. Although not as well-known as the V-1 buzz bomb and the V-2 missile, the first German missiles to see combat were anti-ship missiles, the Henschel Hs.293 guided missile and the Fritz-X guided bomb. These began to see extensive combat in the Mediterranean in 1943. In their most famous use, the Italian battleship Roma was...
Illustrator: Adam Tooby. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 48 p. 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...
Illustrator: Adam Tooby.— Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. Faced with an increasingly formidable anti-ship cruise missile threat from the Soviet Union in the early days of the Cold War, and with the recent memory of the kamikaze threat from World War II, the USN placed a great priority on developing air defence cruise missiles and getting them to sea to protect the fleet. The...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. During the American War of Independence (1775-83), Congress issued almost 800 letters of marque, as a way of combating Britain's overwhelming naval and mercantile superiority. At first, it was only fishermen and the skippers of small merchant ships who turned to privateering, with mixed results. Eventually though,...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 50 p. During the American War of Independence (1775-1783), Congress issued almost 800 letters of marque, as a way of combating Britain's overwhelming naval and mercantile superiority. At first, it was only fishermen and the skippers of small merchant ships who turned to privateering, with mixed results. Eventually though,...
Illustrator: Andrea Ricciardi Gaudesi, Adam Tooby— Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. As the outbreak of World War II approached, Nazi Germany ordered artillery manufacturers Krupp and Rheimetall-Borsig to build several super-heavy siege guns, vital to smash through French and Belgian fortresses that stood in the way of the Blitzkrieg. These 'secret weapons' were much larger than...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez.— Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. The Battle of the Bulge raises many questions which, until now, have not been adequately answered: How did the major tank types perform during the battle? What were the specific ‘lessons learned' from the combat? And did these lessons result in changes to tanks in the subsequent months? Offering detailed answers...
Illustrator: Adam Hook. — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. Elite forces need elite vehicles. As Vladimir Putin has devoted effort and funds into modernising Russia's armed forces and turning them into an instrument geared not just for defending the Motherland but also projecting power beyond its borders, Russia has seen a growing emphasis on special and specialist forces....
Illustrator: Adam Hook. — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. Elite forces need elite vehicles. As Vladimir Putin has devoted effort and funds into modernising Russia's armed forces and turning them into an instrument geared not just for defending the Motherland but also projecting power beyond its borders, Russia has seen a growing emphasis on special and specialist forces....
Illustrator: Jim Laurier. Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. World War II was a significant period of development for American missile programs, during which time the US built pioneering examples of guided weapons systems. However, whilst the German missiles of World War II are famous around the world, their American counterparts have remained shrouded in secrecy, despite the...
Illustrator: Adam Hook — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. The armoured car has an important place in the early history of Soviet armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) - they were the most important AFV during the Russian Civil War and figured prominently in the mechanization of the Red Army that began in late 1929. The 1930s saw the development and production of a wide variety of...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. In the late 19th and early 20th century, a combination of coastal defence for the homeland and fleet defence for the East Indies became the established naval strategy for the Royal Dutch Navy and set the template for the world wars. Battleships were too expensive to build and maintain, so after World War I, there was...
Illustrators: Adam Tooby, Paul Wright — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. The last pre-dreadnought battleships of the US Navy were critical to the technological development of US battleships, and they were the first tool of international hard power wielded by the United States, a nation which would eventually become the world's dominant political and military power of the 20th...
Illustrator: Adam Tooby, Paul Wright — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. The last predreadnought battleships of the US Navy were critical to the technological development of US battleships, and they were the first tool of international hard power wielded by the United States, a nation which would eventually become the world's dominant political and military power of the 20th...
Illustrator: Adam Tooby. — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. In this highly detailed book, naval historian Edward Hampshire reveals the fascinating history of the nuclear-powered attack submarines built and operated by the Soviet Union in the Cold War, including each class of these formidable craft as they developed throughout the Cold War period. The November class, which were...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. The ‘Soixantequinze', France's legendary 75mm Modele 1897, was the first modern field gun, pioneering several critical innovations in field artillery designs, including a fast action breech and a soft recoil system. Although some of these features had been incorporated into earlier guns, the 75mm M1897 integrated...
Illustrator: Adam Tooby, Irene Cano Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 48 p. The Destroyer Escort was the smallest ocean-going escort built for the United States Navy - a downsized destroyer with less speed, fewer guns, and fewer torpedoes than its big brother, the fleet destroyer. Destroyer escorts first went into production because the Royal Navy needed an escort...
Illustrator: Paul Wright— Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. The term 'pre-dreadnought' was applied in retrospect, to describe the capital ships built during the decade and a half before the launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906. At that moment these once great warships were rendered obsolete. However, until then, they were simply called 'battleships' and were unquestionably the most...
Illustrator: Henry Morshead, Irene Cano Rodríguez — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. The Long Range Desert Group was one of the most famous special units of World War II, operating heavily modified vehicles deep behind enemy lines to gather intelligence and support the raids of David Stirling's new Special Air Service. When war broke out, a pre-war explorer and army officer,...
Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 84 p. — ISBN 9781472842152. The Long Range Desert Group was one of the most famous special units of World War II, operating heavily modified vehicles deep behind enemy lines to gather intelligence and support the raids of David Stirling's new Special Air Service. When war broke out, a pre-war explorer and army officer, Ralph Bagnold, convinced Middle...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. The Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marine or RM) began the Second World War with one of the largest fleets in the world. Included in this was a total of 59 fleet destroyers, and others were added during the war. These were a diverse collection of ships dating back to the First World War, large destroyers built to counter...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. The Italian Royal Navy (Regia Marine or RM) began the Second World War with one of the largest fleets in the world. Included in this was a total of 59 fleet destroyers, and others were added during the war. These were a diverse collection of ships dating back to the First World War, large destroyers built to counter...
Illustrator: Adam Tooby — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. For more than half a century, American gunboats were the ships often responsible for policing small crises and provided deterrence and fast-response capabilities around the world - showing the flag, landing armed parties, patrolling river and littoral areas, and protecting ex-pats. They were often the United States'...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. When Allied tanks began to roll off the landing craft on D-Day, it marked the start of one of the great periods of tank warfare in World War II. Often outgunned by the German Panzers, and fighting in the close confines of bocage country, they nevertheless managed to break out of Normandy and begin the liberation...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. When Allied tanks began to roll off the landing craft on D-Day, it marked the start of one of the great periods of tank warfare in World War II. Often outgunned by the German Panzers, and fighting in the close confines of bocage country, they nevertheless managed to break out of Normandy and begin the liberation...
Illustrator: Henry Morshead, Irene Cano Rodríguez — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. The SAS, the world's most famous special operations unit, made its name in the desert of North Africa, shooting up Axis airfields from specially modified Willys jeeps. Following the start of the El Alamein offensive in October 1942, the SAS used jeeps effectively in reconnoitring and ambushing...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. Allied success in invading Fortress Europe (the area of Continental Europe occupied by Nazi Germany) depended on getting armor onto the beaches as fast as possible. This book explains how the Allies developed the specialist tanks it needed, their qualities, deployment and numbers, and how they performed on the two...
Illustrator: Wright Paul — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. Though they were never the most glamorous of warships, found US Navy frigates were frequently found on the frontlines of the Cold War at sea. These warships were the descendants of World War II's destroyer escorts, designed primarily to escort convoys. They specialized in anti-submarine warfare, but were intended to be...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. The German tank forces in Normandy in June-August 1944 had the advantage of fighting on the defensive side, as well as comprising of some of the most powerful and advanced tanks used by any side in the war. Yet success in tank warfare depends on many things beyond technological superiority. This book describes the...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. The German tank forces in Normandy in June-August 1944 had the advantage of fighting on the defensive side, as well as comprising of some of the most powerful and advanced tanks used by any side in the war. Yet success in tank warfare depends on many things beyond technological superiority. This book describes the...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Irene Cano — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. One of the most remarkable mechanized campaigns of recent years pitted the brutal and heavily armed jihadis of Islamic State against an improvised force belonging to the Kurdish YPG (later the SDF). While some Kurdish vehicles were originally from Syrian Army stocks or captured from ISIS, many others were...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Irene Cano — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. One of the most remarkable mechanized campaigns of recent years pitted the brutal and heavily armed jihadis of Islamic State against an improvised force belonging to the Kurdish YPG (later the SDF). While some Kurdish vehicles were originally from Syrian Army stocks or captured from ISIS, many others were...
Illustrator: Wright Paul. — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. In July 1936, a pro-fascist coup orchestrated by General Franco tore Spain apart and plunged the country into a bitter civil war. Like Spain itself, the Spanish Navy was torn in two: crews and most ships remained loyal to the Republican government but many of the Navy's officers joined Franco's rebels, and warships...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. A study of the Soviet and NATO armored forces that faced each other off in Central Europe in the early Cold War, and how their technology, tactics, and doctrine were all rapidly developed. For 45 years, the most disputed point in the World was the dividing line between East and West in Europe; here the use and...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 48 p. The crossing of the river Rhine marked the beginning of the end of the Third Reich, but the Wehrmacht would fight ferociously on its home soil until the fall of Berlin. The Battle of Germany saw the most advanced tanks of the Allies pitted against the remnants of the once-formidable Panzerwaffe, now exhausted and...
Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 84 p. — ISBN 9781472848116. The crossing of the river Rhine marked the beginning of the end of the Third Reich, but the Wehrmacht would fight ferociously on its home soil until the fall of Berlin. The Battle of Germany saw the most advanced tanks of the Allies pitted against the remnants of the once-formidable Panzerwaffe, now exhausted and lacking...
Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 82 p. — ISBN 9781472849021. This study explains how the armies of North and South Vietnam, newly equipped with the most modern Soviet and US tanks and weaponry, fought the decisive armored battles of the Easter Offensive. Wearied by years of fighting against Viet Cong guerillas and North Vietnamese regulars, the United States had almost completely...
Illustrator: Irene Cano Rodríguez — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. This study explains how the armies of North and South Vietnam, newly equipped with the most modern Soviet and US tanks and weaponry, fought the decisive armored battles of the Easter Offensive. Wearied by years of fighting against Viet Cong guerillas and North Vietnamese regulars, the United States had almost...
Illustrator: Wright Paul — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. In recent years the phrase 'gunboat diplomacy' has been used to describe the crude use of naval power to bully or coerce a weaker nation. During the reign of Queen Victoria, 'gunboat diplomacy' was viewed very differently. It was the use of a very limited naval force to encourage global stability and to protect British...
Illustrator: Adam Tooby — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. A fascinating look at the British naval intervention in the Baltic in 1918-20, and at the British, Soviet and Baltic nationalist fleets that fought. Following the Russian Revolution of October 1917, the Baltic states became a battleground between Russian Reds and Whites, German troops and emerging Baltic independence...
Illustrator: Wright Paul — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. The quest for a modern aircraft carrier was the ultimate symbol of the Axis powers' challenge to Allied naval might, but fully-fledged carriers proved either too difficult, expensive or politically unpopular for either to make operational. After the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935, Hitler publicly stated his...
Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 88 p. — ISBN 9781472846761. The quest for a modern aircraft carrier was the ultimate symbol of the Axis powers' challenge to Allied naval might, but fully-fledged carriers proved either too difficult, expensive or politically unpopular for either to make operational. After the Anglo-German Naval Agreement of 1935, Hitler publicly stated his intention...
Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 84 p. — ISBN 9781472847003. Packed with illustrations, this is a study of the Polish warships such as the Grom-class destroyers that were developed and built in the interwar years. Newly independent Poland's naval force was created in 1920, initially with six ex-German torpedo boats. However, after German-Soviet exercises off the Polish coast in 1924,...
Illustrator: Wright Paul. — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. Packed with illustrations, this is a study of the Polish warships such as the Grom-class destroyers that were developed and built in the interwar years. Newly independent Poland's naval force was created in 1920, initially with six ex-German torpedo boats. However, after German-Soviet exercises off the Polish coast in...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. A new analysis of the technology and tanks that faced off against each other on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain, during the very height of the Cold War. From the 1960s onwards, there was a generational shift in tank design and warfare with the advent of CBR (chemical, biological, radiological) protection and a...
Illustrator: Irene Cano Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. This is the first history of the legendary US Army's HAWK missile system, the world's first mobile air-defense missile system, which saw service and combat around the world. Designed to counteract the threat posed by advanced 1950s Soviet-built aircraft, the first HAWK unit became operational in 1959. At its...
Illustrator: Irene Cano Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. This is the first history of the legendary US Army's HAWK missile system, the world's first mobile air-defense missile system, which saw service and combat around the world. Designed to counteract the threat posed by advanced 1950s Soviet-built aircraft, the first HAWK unit became operational in 1959. At its...
Illustrator: Tooby Adam. — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. The Essex class was the USN's war-winning ship class of the Pacific War. Of the 24 ships completed, 14 saw action, making the Essex class the largest class of fleet aircraft carriers ever built. These ships had a fine balance of striking power, protection, and speed and were modernized during and after the war. There...
Illustrator: Wright Paul. — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. At the dawn of the “Steel Navy” era, the rapidly expanding US Navy's fleet of capital ships consisted not only of battleships but also armored cruisers, the forerunner of the battlecruiser. Armored cruisers sacrificed the battleship's superlative firepower and protection for superior speed and range but, as this study...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe. — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. — ISBN-13 9781472848710. — ISBN-10 1472848713. The final months of World War II on the Eastern Front saw the Wehrmacht fighting with exhausted armoured divisions, albeit now armed with the most advanced and heaviest tanks of the war, to slow the Soviet advance. The Red Army meanwhile was rolling relentlessly...
Illustrator: Morshead Henry — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. The Panther was arguably the most successful medium tank design of World War II, demonstrated by the number of Germany's enemies that used them after, and even during the war. While some were used by the Western Allies, the Russians used the greatest number of captured Panthers against Nazi Germany, though they did...
Illustrator: Wright Paul — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. Before the start of World War II, the battleship was still king, and all the major powers were designing even mightier battleships to surpass their most modern and powerful classes. But when war broke out, aircraft carriers would dominate naval warfare, and none of these monster warships would ever be completed. In...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. Few modern missile systems have had such significance as the S-300 family. Highly regarded technically, Russia's most powerful air-defense systems have been a major strategic asset to the country, exported to major powers around the world, and are a key weapon in many international hotspots and in recent wars. In...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. Few modern missile systems have had such significance as the S-300 family. Highly regarded technically, Russia's most powerful air-defense systems have been a major strategic asset to the country, exported to major powers around the world, and are a key weapon in many international hotspots and in recent wars. In...
Illustrator: Morshead Henry, Rodríguez Irene Cano — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. A new illustrated study of the devastating, but little-known, Soviet armored blitzkrieg against the Japanese in the last weeks of World War II, and how it influenced Soviet tank doctrine as the Cold War dawned. Although long overshadowed in the West by the dropping of the atomic bombs on...
Illustrator: Henry Morshead, Irene Cano Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 48 p. A new illustrated study of the devastating, but little-known, Soviet armored blitzkrieg against the Japanese in the last weeks of World War II, and how it influenced Soviet tank doctrine as the Cold War dawned. Although long overshadowed in the West by the dropping of the atomic bombs on...
Illustrator: Wright Paul — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. In 1945, at the end of World War II, the Royal Navy's carrier fleet proved essential to the post-war world. Royal Navy carriers fought in the Korean War with the UN fleet, in the debacle at Suez, and in British operations in the last days of Empire, in Malaya, Borneo and Aden. But most famously, they were the key to...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. Operation Bagration, the 1944 summer campaign on the Russian Front, has been called “Hitler's Greatest Defeat.” The operation involved substantial tank and armored vehicles on both sides but the German forces were severely hampered by the transfer of dozens of Panzer divisions to France to repel an expected Allied...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 105 p. Operation Bagration, the 1944 summer campaign on the Russian Front, has been called “Hitler's Greatest Defeat.” The operation involved substantial tank and armored vehicles on both sides but the German forces were severely hampered by the transfer of dozens of Panzer divisions to France to repel an expected...
Illustrator: Tooby Adam — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. As the Battle of the Atlantic grew fiercer, Britain and the Commonwealth needed large quantities of new warships to defend their shipping which could be produced cheaply. The two largest type of ship produced were the escort destroyer and the frigate. Escort destroyers were essentially small destroyers optimized for...
Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 79 p. — ISBN 9781472858115. As the Battle of the Atlantic grew fiercer, Britain and the Commonwealth needed large quantities of new warships to defend their shipping which could be produced cheaply. The two largest type of ship produced were the escort destroyer and the frigate. Escort destroyers were essentially small destroyers optimized for...
Illustrator: Paul Wright — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. Explores the history of the US Navy's 11 new steel warships, built during the late 19th century to advance American naval supremacy. After the American Civil War, the powerful US Navy was allowed to decay into utter decrepitude, and was becoming a security liability. In 1883, Congress approved four new...
Illustrator: Wright Paul — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. After the American Civil War, the powerful US Navy was allowed to decay into utter decrepitude, and was becoming a security liability. In 1883, Congress approved four new steel-constructed vessels called the “ABCD” ships. The three protected cruisers Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago were the first steel warships built for...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. When Eighth Army retired into the defensive line at El Alamein on 30 June 1942, it was tired, dispirited and had lost almost all its tanks during a string of defeats at Gazala, Tobruk and Mersa Matruh. After savage defensive fighting at First Alamein, the reinforced Desert Rats defeated Rommel's last offensive in...
Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 84 p. — ISBN 9781472858016. When Eighth Army retired into the defensive line at El Alamein on 30 June 1942, it was tired, dispirited and had lost almost all its tanks during a string of defeats at Gazala, Tobruk and Mersa Matruh. After savage defensive fighting at First Alamein, the reinforced Desert Rats defeated Rommel's last offensive in a...
Illustrator: Tooby Adam — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. The finest American destroyers of World War II had surprisingly long careers into the Cold War and the missile age. The 175-strong Fletcher-class was the largest class of US Navy destroyers ever built, and most received some modernization after World War II. A handful were converted into ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare)...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. A comprehensive, illustrated account of the new generation of advanced tanks to emerge during the last 15 years of the Cold War, showcasing major improvements in armor protection, gunsights, and fire-control systems. Focusing on the technology of the period, author Steven J. Zaloga explains how the demands of a...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. A comprehensive, illustrated account of the new generation of advanced tanks to emerge during the last 15 years of the Cold War, showcasing major improvements in armor protection, gunsights, and fire-control systems. Focusing on the technology of the period, author Steven J. Zaloga explains how the demands of a...
Illustrator: Góralski Waldemar — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 49 p. Russia's enormous river system has long been its highway and, as early as 1908, the Tsar's armies were developing armoured riverboats that brought tank-like mobility, firepower and survivability to Russian battlefields. This book, the first history of these vessels in English, explains how this concept led to one...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. An illustrated study of the big guns of Hitler's army – the Wehrmacht's field artillery, its capabilities and its role in German fighting units of World War II. Often overshadowed in military history by the tanks and aircraft of Blitzkrieg, Germany's artillery was key to its methods of waging war throughout World...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 48 p. An illustrated study of the big guns of Hitler's army – the Wehrmacht's field artillery, its capabilities and its role in German fighting units of World War II. Often overshadowed in military history by the tanks and aircraft of Blitzkrieg, Germany's artillery was key to its methods of waging war throughout World...
Illustrator: Paul Wright. — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. A history of the Soviet Navy's cruisers, from the opening shots of the October Revolution through to the combat they saw during World War II. The Soviet Navy of World War II boasted a cruiser fleet that was among the most eclectic to see service. In this book, noted military historian and Soviet specialist Alexander...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. A fully illustrated new assessment of the German tank force that won its greatest victory in France during 1940. The German conquest of France in 1940 was arguably the Wehrmacht's greatest military achievement, conquering France in several weeks after having failed to do so in World War I. New Panzer tactics,...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. A fully illustrated new assessment of the German tank force that won its greatest victory in France during 1940. The German conquest of France in 1940 was arguably the Wehrmacht's greatest military achievement, conquering France in several weeks after having failed to do so in World War I. New Panzer tactics,...
Illustrator: Wright Paul — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. In the late 19th century, a war erupted between Chile and Peru, the catalyst for which was control of guano-rich Chincha islands. Given the geography of the two countries, with a narrow, arid land border and long exposed coastlines, it was inevitable that the War of the Pacific would predominantly be a naval war. It...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe. — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. The battle of Iwo Jima is iconic and known for its brutality: this was the only battle in which the number of US casualties outnumbered those of the Japanese. But as is often the case with the Pacific campaigns, the tank action on the island has generally been overshadowed by that of infantry. The tank, however,...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe. — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. The battle of Iwo Jima is iconic and known for its brutality: this was the only battle in which the number of US casualties outnumbered those of the Japanese. But as is often the case with the Pacific campaigns, the tank action on the island has generally been overshadowed by that of infantry. The tank, however,...
Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 52 p. — ISBN 9781472861283. As U-boat attacks on Britain's vital sea lanes increased in ferocity, and Royal Navy warship losses mounted, the United States passed the Lend-Lease Act, the cornerstone of America's wartime role as armourer to the Allies. Naval historian Angus Konstam here offers an account of the Royal Navy's Lend-Lease destroyers and...
Illustrator: Tooby Adam — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. As U-boat attacks on Britain's vital sea lanes increased in ferocity, and Royal Navy warship losses mounted, the United States passed the Lend-Lease Act, the cornerstone of America's wartime role as armourer to the Allies. Naval historian Angus Konstam here offers an account of the Royal Navy's Lend-Lease destroyers and...
Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 49 p. — ISBN 9781472860484. Entering service in September 1945, the Midway-class aircraft carrier was the US Navy's ultimate World War II-era design, and these would be its frontline carriers as the Cold War dawned. A fine design and one big enough to accept significant modernizations over the decades, the class saw combat in the Vietnam War, and...
Illustrator: Tooby Adam — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. Entering service in September 1945, the Midway-class aircraft carrier was the US Navy's ultimate World War II-era design, and these would be its frontline carriers as the Cold War dawned. A fine design and one big enough to accept significant modernizations over the decades, the class saw combat in the Vietnam War, and...
Illustrator: Felipe Rodríguez. — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. In this book Steven J. Zaloga, one of the world's leading armor authorities, uncovers the history of one of the least-known aspects of Germany's World War II Panzers: the extensive use of captured armored vehicles, “Beutepanzer.” The best came from the fall of France, and the Somua S 35 and Panhard 178 proved...
Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 90 p. — ISBN 9781472859389. In this book Steven J. Zaloga, one of the world's leading armor authorities, uncovers the history of one of the least-known aspects of Germany's World War II Panzers: the extensive use of captured armored vehicles, “Beutepanzer.” The best came from the fall of France, and the Somua S 35 and Panhard 178 proved popular in...
Illustrator: Wright Paul — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. The Battle of the Komandorski Islands was unique among World War II naval battles. It was the last daytime naval surface battle of World War II where aircraft played no role, and saw a squadron of US Navy cruisers and destroyers engage their Japanese counterparts over a convoy to reinforce Attu and Kiska. Exploring the...
Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 49 р. ― ISBN 9781472861375. The Battle of the Komandorski Islands was one of the most unusual naval battles of World War II. Fought over a four-hour period, it was a daytime surface action, fought primarily at long ranges. It was the battle the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy had expected since the end of World War I. Both built...
Illustrator: Rodríguez Felipe. — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. The Philippines saw the most extensive tank combat of any single theater in the Pacific War. In this book, armor expert Steven J. Zaloga explains the capabilities of the tank forces involved and how they fought. He explains how while the first tank clashes on Leyte were relatively small scale, the fighting for...
Illustrator: Morshead Henry. — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 48 p. In the summer of 1943, Hitler's army had rebuilt its Panzer forces after defeat at Stalingrad and retreat from the Caucasus. New types, including the Panther, Tiger, and Elefant, at last added technical superiority to the traditional tactical edge enjoyed by the Panzer divisions. The plan was to begin offensive...
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