Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 80 p. The Thompson submachine gun, or Tommy gun developed an almost iconic status during the 20th century. It had an unusual beginning, for it was developed during the dying days of World War I as a 'one-man, hand-held machine gun.' The war ended before these first prototypes could be shipped to Europe but once the M1921 Thompson formally entered...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 80 p. The Thompson submachine gun, or Tommy gun developed an almost iconic status during the 20th century. It had an unusual beginning, for it was developed during the dying days of World War I as a 'one-man, hand-held machine gun.' The war ended before these first prototypes could be shipped to Europe but once the M1921 Thompson formally entered...
Illustrator: Ramiro Bujeiro, Tony Bryan. — Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 80 p. The RPG-series of weapons is the most widely used family of lightweight antitank weapons in the world today. RPGs have been used not only against their intended targets, but against personnel, fortifications, buildings, soft-skin vehicles, watercraft, and aircraft. Lightweight, relatively compact, easy to...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 82 p. — ISBN: 9781849081559, ISBN: 978184908156. This book covers the development of hand-held black powder weapons from their earliest beginnings in the mid-14th century through their development over the next 150 years. These simple weapons, lit by a slow match held in the hand for want of a trigger and lock, went through a rapid development and a...
Illustrator: Alan Gilliland, Johnny Shumate. — Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 80 p. The Browning "50-cal” has become the longest serving weapon in the US inventory. The "fifty” has been employed in every imaginable role for a machine gun. It is considered such an effective and reliable weapon that few countries ever attempted to develop an equivalent weapon. Even the Japanese created...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 80 p. — (Weapon 5). — ISBN: 978 1 84908 151 1; ISBN: 978 1 84908 152 8. The Samurai sword of Japan is probably the finest edged weapon ever made. This volume by leading Samurai expert Stephen Turnbull reveals the story of how and why it achieved this distinction. Particular attention is paid to the development of the familiar curved blade from the...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 80 p. The Samurai sword of Japan is probably the finest edged weapon ever made. This volume by leading Samurai expert Stephen Turnbull reveals the story of how and why it achieved this distinction. Particular attention is paid to the development of the familiar curved blade from the original straight blades, the associated development of Japan's famous...
London, New York: Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 80 p. This is a technical outline of the history of the sniper rifle, from its introduction in warfare during the Napoleonic wars, through the US Civil War to its current apogee as the most frequently used combat rifle in Iraq and Afghanistan. This book details the development of ammunition, different weapons types including single...
Osprey Publishing, 2010. — 81 p. — ISBN 978 1 84908 398 0, 978 1 84908 399 7. A technical outline of the history of the sniper rifle, from its introduction in warfare during the Napoleonic wars, through the US Civil War to its current apogee as the most frequently used combat rifle in Iraq and Afghanistan. This book details the development of ammunition, different weapons types...
Illustrator: Howard Gerrard. — Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2011. — 81 p. — ISBN 978-1-84908-432-1. The Fairbairn-Sykes Commando dagger has become iconic as the most widely recognized fighting knife in the world. The origins of the dagger can be traced to Shanghai in the 1930s where W. E. Fairbairn and US Marine officers including Sam Yeaton carried out experiments to develop what...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 80 p. The Fairbairn-Sykes Commando dagger has become iconic as the most widely recognized fighting knife in the world. The origins of the dagger can be traced to Shanghai in the 1930s where W. E. Fairbairn and US Marine officers including Sam Yeaton carried out experiments to develop what they considered the perfect knife for close combat. When Fairbairn...
Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2011. — 93 p. — (Weapon). — ISBN: 1849084610. The Kalashnikov AK-47 is the most ubiquitous assault rifle in the world, with more AK-47s and its variants in use than any other individual small arm. Created by Senior Sergeant Mikhail Kalashnikov, and first adopted by the USSR soon after World War II (1939-1945), its production continues to this day, with an...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 80 p. The Kalashnikov AK-47 is the most ubiquitous assault rifle in the world, with more AK-47s and its variants in use than any other individual small arm. Created by Senior Sergeant Mikhail Kalashnikov, and first adopted by the USSR soon after World War II (1939-1945), its production continues to this day, with an estimated 75 million produced...
Illustrators: Peter Dennis, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 80 p. First used in combat during the Punitive Expedition into Mexico and then extensively during the world wars, the Colt Government Model (1911) pistol remained the standard issue handgun in the US armed forces for nearly 80 years and has continued in service with some units to this day. In fact, the...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 80 p. The Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle was the first rifled firearm issued to every soldier in the British Army, and gave the infantry a revolutionary increase in firepower. First issued in 1853, the Enfield proved itself worthy during both the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny, where its long range, durability, and interchangeable parts made it a perfect...
Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 80 p. In 1990 the Beretta M9 replaced the venerable Colt 1911 as the main pistol of choice for the US Army. At the time the decision was controversial particularly because it was perceived that a smaller caliber weapon such as the Beretta would lack the necessary stopping power and range in comparison to the .45 caliber Colt. The situation was not helped...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 80 p. The Uzi submachine gun is one of the most recognizable weapons in history. Its familiarity stems in part from the sheer diversity of its users. Uzis have been seen being wielded and fired by US Secret Service agents and SWAT teams, Israeli soldiers, European special-forces, as well as criminals and...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 80 p. In 1938 the US Chief of Infantry requested that the Ordnance Department develop a carbine to be used by service and support troops, artillerymen, machine-gun crews, tankers, mortar crews and other troops not needing the power of the M1 Garand rifle. The development of this new weapon was given an added...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2011. — 80 p. The M16 was first introduced in 1958 and was revolutionary for its time as it was made of lightweight materials including special aluminum and plastics. It was first adopted by US Special Forces and airborne troops in 1962 before it was issued to Army and Marine units serving in Vietnam. Its use spread...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 80 p. For nearly fifty years the hard-hitting, mobile Browning Automatic Rifle, or BAR, served in US infantry units as a light squad automatic "base of fire” weapon, providing quick bursts of concentrated fire. Designed in World War One, it didn't reach the front until September 1918. In the interwar years...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 80 p. The M1 Garand gave the US infantryman a marked edge during World War II. It shot faster and further than enemy infantry rifles and hit harder. No less an authority on killing the enemy than General George S. Patton called the Garand, "The greatest battle implement ever devised.” At a time when opposing...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis. Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 80 p. The Lee-Enfield is one of the 20th century's most recognisable and longest-serving military rifles. It was adopted by the British Army in 1895 and only replaced by the L1A1 SLR in 1957. It saw combat from the Boer War onwards, and thousands are still in use today; it is estimated that 17 million have been produced....
Osprey, 2012. — 82 р. Most belligerents entering World War II armed their infantry with bulky and ineffectual anti-tank rifles as their primary means of combating tanks. US planners realized that what infantrymen needed was a relatively lightweight, man-portable anti-tank weapon that was simple to operate, accurate, and capable of knocking out the average tank at a reasonable...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis. — Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 80 p. The Webley .455in service revolver is among the most powerful top-break revolvers ever produced. First adopted in 1887, in various marques it was the standard-issue service pistol for British and Commonwealth armed forces for nearly fifty years; later versions in .38in calibre went on to see further service in World War...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis. — Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 80 p. The Webley .455in service revolver is among the most powerful top-break revolvers ever produced. First adopted in 1887, in various marques it was the standard-issue service pistol for British and Commonwealth armed forces for nearly fifty years; later versions in .38in calibre went on to see further service in World...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 82 p. — (Osprey Weapon 20). — ISBN: 1849088446 The US M60 General Purpose Machine Gun, known as the Pig, was developed in the years after World War II from two revolutionary German designs. Adopted in 1957, the M60 came into its own in the jungles, hamlets, and city streets of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Humping the Pig became common in US...
Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 82 p. — ISBN: 1780960085. With the MG 34, the German Wehrmacht introduced an entirely new concept in automatic firepower – the general-purpose machine gun (GPMG). In itself the MG 34 was an excellent weapon: an air-cooled, recoil-operated machine gun that could deliver killing firepower at ranges of more than 1,000m. Yet simply by changing its mount...
Illustrator: Mark Stacey, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2012. — 80 p. The Sten submachine gun - officially the 'Carbine, Machine, Sten' - was developed to fulfill the pressing British need for large quantities of cheaply produced weapons after Dunkirk, when German invasion was a very real possibility. Over four million were built during World War II, and the Sten was widely...
Illustrator: Steve Noon, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 80 p. Developed to replace the Model 1892 Krag-Jørgensen rifle, the Model 1903 Springfield was a five-shot bolt-action rifle that introduced the .30-06 cartridge - the standard US round until the introduction of the 7.62mm NATO cartridge - and gave the US infantryman a durable, magazine-fed weapon so renowned...
Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 80 p. This book explores the origins, development, combat use and lasting influence of Nazi Germany's automatic rifles, focusing on the Gew 41(W), Gew 43/Kar 43, FG 42 and MP 43/StG 44. The Blitzkrieg campaigns of 1939-40 convinced many observers that most infantry combat took place at closer ranges than the 750-1,000m. From 1941 Germany's arms designers...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis. — Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 80 p. The world's first self-powered machine gun, the Maxim gun became a potent symbol of Victorian colonialism in the closing years of the 19th century. It was the brainchild of Sir Hiram Maxim, the American-born firearms inventor who founded the company bearing his name with financing from Albert Vickers, who became the...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis. — Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 80 p. The breech-loading, single-shot .458in Martini-Henry rifle has become a symbol of both the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 and the numerous battles in Egypt and the Sudan in 1884-85, but continued to be used by both British and colonial troops well into the 20th century. Its invention and introduction into British service...
Illustrator: Steve Noon. — Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 80 p. Of all the infantry small arms developed during World War II, one that generated the most interest was the German ‘assault rifle', the StG 44 Sturmgewehr. This innovative weapon inspired the Soviet AK-47 in 7.62x39mm calibre. In the West, the NATO countries looked hard at new weapons to upgrade their own infantry arsenals...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis. — Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 80 p. Adopted in 1938 and remaining in British service until 1991, the popular and reliable Bren was an iconic light machine gun, and arguably the most recognizable Commonwealth weapon of World War ll. Gas-operated and magazine-fed, it was based on a Czech design and was issued in large numbers during and after World War ll,...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 80 p. When a soldier must face multiple opponents at close quarters, few weapons can match the effectiveness of the shotgun. From World War I to the War on Terror, the shotgun has been a devastating weapon in the hands of US troops. For urban combat, prisoner control and shipboard operations, it remains as...
Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 80 p. An iconic medieval missile weapon, the deadly longbow made possible the English victories at Crecy and Poitiers at the height of the Hundred Years' War. The longbow was the weapon at the heart of the English military ascendancy in the century after 1340. Capable of subjecting the enemy to a hail of deadly projectiles, the longbow in the hands of...
Osprey Publishing, 2013. — 80 p. An iconic medieval missile weapon, the deadly longbow made possible the English victories at Crecy and Poitiers at the height of the Hundred Years' War. The longbow was the weapon at the heart of the English military ascendancy in the century after 1340. Capable of subjecting the enemy to a hail of deadly projectiles, the longbow in the hands of...
Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 80 p. Nazi Germany's MP 38 and MP 40 submachine guns are among World War II's most recognizable weapons. Portable and with folding stocks, both were widely issued to airborne troops and became the hallmark of Germany's infantry section and platoon leaders. A million were produced during the conflict - and many found their ways into the hands of...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 80 p. First adopted in 1917, the rugged and reliable Browning .30-caliber machine gun remained in US service into the Vietnam era, and is still occasionally found in use elsewhere even today. Produced in both water-cooled and air-cooled versions, it has been employed in every imaginable role for a machine...
New York, Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 82 p. Development. Guns for the masses. Use. Firepower on the Eastern Front. Impact. The SMGs and the new world order.
Illustrator: Peter Dennis, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 80 p. During World War I, the British adopted the US-designed Lewis gun as an infantry weapon, realizing that its light weight and the fact that it could be fired both prone and on the move made it ideal for supporting advances and defending captured trenches. Later adopted by an array of countries from the...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 80 p. Since the mid-1960s the Heckler & Koch MP5 has become the most widely used submachine gun in the world, especially among counterterrorist and special-operations units. Lightweight and offering a blistering rate of fire of up to 900 rounds per minute, the MP5 quickly earned a reputation for accuracy....
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 80 p. Two of World War II's most distinctive weapons, the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck offered German and other infantrymen the ability to destroy enemy tanks singlehandedly at close ranges. While the Panzerschreck owed its origins largely to the US bazooka, the Panzerfaust was a revolutionary design that was unlike any...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2014. — 80 p. The M14 may have only been the primary US service rifle for a little over a decade before being replaced by the M16, but it is still considered by many experts to be the best rifle to ever see US service. Primarily designed for a war in Europe, where it would take its place alongside the other battle...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 80 p. Allowing the user to inflict damage on his opponent within throwing range without leaving cover, the portable, lethally efficient hand grenade is a ubiquitous weapon of modern warfare, and has now found its way into law-enforcement arsenals too. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork and...
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 80 p. — ISBN: 978-1-4728-0595-9. This volume offers an insight into the iconic Mauser family of German bolt-action rifles. Drawing on first-hand accounts of the weapons in combat and primary sources regarding their mechanical performance, this fully illustrated study charts the Mauser's origins, combat record and lasting influence. It explores the...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate. — Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 80 p. A unique chapter in the history of firearms, the multibarrel, hand-cranked Gatling gun was one of the first practical rapid-fire weapons ever to be used in battle. It changed warfare by introducing the capability to project deadly, high-intensity fire on the battlefield, and portended the devastation that automatic...
Illustrator: Steve Noon, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 80 p. The focus of this book is a weapon that has literally placed the power of fire in human hands - the man-portable flamethrower. This formidable weapon first saw battlefield use in the hands of German troops during World War I, and went on to arm the forces of many countries in World War II and beyond....
Illustrator: Mark Stacey, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 80 p. Winchester lever-action repeating rifles are an integral part of the folklore of the American West. Introduced after the American Civil War, the first Winchester, the M1866, would go on to see military service as far afield as Bulgaria, but it was in the hands of civilians that it would become known as...
Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 80 p. Winchester lever-action repeating rifles are an integral part of the folklore of the American West. Introduced after the American Civil War, the first Winchester, the M1866, would go on to see military service as far afield as Bulgaria, but it was in the hands of civilians that it would become known as ‘The gun that won the west'. Offering a lethal...
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 96 p.
An ancient design, emerging from Central Asia in the second millennium BC, the composite bow was adopted by a staggering variety of cultures, from nomadic tribal peoples such as the Huns, Turks and Mongols, to mighty empires such as the Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Arabs and Chinese. Offering high power and portability, the composite bow was an...
Illustrator: Steve Noon, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2015. — 80 p. The flintlock or firelock musket is one of the most iconic weapons in history: used on the battlefields of the English Civil War, it was then carried by both sides at Blenheim, Bunker Hill, Waterloo and the Alamo, and dominated warfare for more than 150 years, with military service as late as the...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 80 p. The Barrett M82A1 and its derivatives are among the most successful sniping rifles ever manufactured. Now entering its fourth decade of service, the short-recoil, semi-automatic system is capable of firing a devastating .50-caliber round with lethal accuracy over distances of more than 2km. Unconfirmed...
Illustrator: Adam Hook, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 80 p. Influenced by the German MP 40 and the British Sten, the .45-caliber M3 "Grease Gun” served as the primary US submachine gun for almost a half-century. Designed to replace the expensive Thompson SMG, the M3 was issued to airborne troops and others during World War II thanks to its compact design with...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 80 p. World War I's defining weapon for many, Germany's MG 08 machine gun won a formidable reputation on battlefields from Tannenberg to the Somme. Although it was a lethally effective weapon when used from static positions, the MG 08 was far too heavy to perform a mobile role on the battlefield. As the...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 80 p. The formidable European longsword - featuring a double-edged straight blade in excess of 40in, and capable of being used with one or both hands - remains one of the most impressive and distinctive edged weapons of the late medieval era. Also known as the ‘bastard' sword and the ‘hand-and-a-half' sword, the longsword...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 80 p. The formidable European longsword - featuring a double-edged straight blade in excess of 40in, and capable of being used with one or both hands - remains one of the most impressive and distinctive edged weapons of the late medieval era. Also known as the ‘bastard' sword and the ‘hand-and-a-half' sword, the longsword...
Illustrator: Peter Dennis, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 80 p. Now the standard weapon for British soldiers across the globe, the SA80's early years were surrounded in controversy after a series of dismal performances. It was prone to jamming in desert conditions, had several flimsy parts that would often break after repeated use and had an incredibly sensitive...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 80 p. The Mosin-Nagant is the world's longest-surviving and most widely distributed military rifle, having armed the forces of Russia and many other countries for more than five decades. It has seen action from World War I to the present day, but is most famous for its role during World War II when it proved...
Osprey Publishing, 2016. — 80 p. — (Illustrations by Peter Dennis). One of the most feared weapons in the ancient world, the gladius was lethal both on the battlefield and in the arena. Literary sources tell of the terror it inspired, while archaeological evidence of wounds inflicted is testament to its deadly effect. By pulling together strands of literary, sculptural and...
Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 80 p. In 1836, Samuel Colt changed the face of warfare with the production of the first of a series of iconic and influential single-action revolvers, including the .44-calibre Colt Walker and the seminal .45-calibre Colt Single Action Army, which remains in production today. These weapons shifted the role of the pistol from single-shot weapon of last...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 80 p. In 1974, renowned Belgian arms company Fabrique Nationale brought out a ground-breaking new light machine gun, the Minimi. Its success has been meteoric, arming more than 45 countries around the world. The Minimi offers the ultimate in portable firepower. Firing the high-velocity 5.56×45mm round, the...
Illustrator: Adam Hook, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 80 p. Entering service in 1931, the 9x19mm Suomi KP/-31 submachine gun saw extensive combat with Finnish troops during their fight against Soviet forces in 1939-44. It was also manufactured under licence in Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden, and remained in Finnish service until the 1980s, an indication of its...
Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 80 p. — (Illustrations by Peter Dennis). A heavy javelin, normally used as a shock weapon immediately before contact, the pilum was designed with a particular speciality: it could penetrate a shield and carry on into the individual behind it. Relying on mass rather than velocity, at short range a volley of pila had much the same effect on a charging...
Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 80 p. — (Illustrations by Peter Dennis). A heavy javelin, normally used as a shock weapon immediately before contact, the pilum was designed with a particular speciality: it could penetrate a shield and carry on into the individual behind it. Relying on mass rather than velocity, at short range a volley of pila had much the same effect on a charging...
Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 80 p. At the outset of the American Civil War, the Union Army's sharpshooters were initially equipped with the M1855 Colt revolving rifle, but it was prone to malfunction. Instead, the North's sharpshooters preferred the Sharps rifle, an innovative breech-loading weapon capable of firing up to ten shots per minute - more than three times the rate of fire...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 80 p. In an effort to provide the US infantryman with more firepower to cover the range gap between the hand grenade and the light mortar, the 40mm M79 grenade launcher - a shoulder-fired, single-shot weapon - entered service with US forces in 1961. Reliable, easy to use, and lethally effective, the M79 soon...
Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 80 p. At a time when most handguns were limited to six rounds, the ten-shot Mauser caught the attention of the world for its unprecedented firepower and formidable high-velocity 7.63×25mm cartridge. This saw its ultimate expression in the first-ever select-fire handgun - the ‘Schnellfeuer' machine pistol, fed by a detachable magazine and offering both...
Osprey Publishing, 2017. — 80 p. The development of cavalry firearms and the widespread disappearance of armour from the European battlefield saw a decline in the use of the cavalry lance in early modern warfare. However, by 1800 the lance, much changed from its medieval predecessors in both form and function, was back. During the next century the use of the lance spread to the...
Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 80 p. The emergence of the tank in World War I led to the development of the first infantry weapons to defend against tanks. Anti-tank rifles became commonplace in the inter-war years and in the early campaigns of World War II in Poland and the Battle of France, which saw renewed use in the form of the British .55in Boys anti-tank rifle - also used by...
Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 80 p. Technologically sophisticated and powerful, the crossbow has long enjoyed a popular reputation for villainous superiority because it could be used with little training as a weapon of assassination. The study of bow designs, trigger mechanisms and spanning devices reveals a tale of considerable mechanical ingenuity; advances that produced a...
Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 80 p. Technologically sophisticated and powerful, the crossbow has long enjoyed a popular reputation for villainous superiority because it could be used with little training as a weapon of assassination. The study of bow designs, trigger mechanisms and spanning devices reveals a tale of considerable mechanical ingenuity; advances that produced a...
Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 80 p. Intended to replace the proliferation of different small arms fielded by US forces during the American Civil War, the "Trapdoor Springfield” was designed in 1865-66 by Erskine S. Allin. Using metallic cartridges, it could be loaded in a single action, increasing the number of shots per minute as much as fivefold. The new weapon quickly proved its...
Illustrator: Steve Noon, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 80 p. Intended to replace the proliferation of different small arms fielded by US forces during the American Civil War, the "Trapdoor Springfield” was designed in 1865-66 by Erskine S. Allin. Using metallic cartridges, it could be loaded in a single action, increasing the number of shots per minute as much as...
Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 80 p. For six decades, the 7.62mm FN MAG has been a dominant general-purpose machine gun (GPMG) in worldwide arsenals. Three qualities have guaranteed this enduring status--reliability, ease of operation, and firepower. Several nations have license-produced the weapon as their standard GPMG, including the Americans (M240) and the British (as the L7), and...
Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 80 p. Patented in 1898 and produced from 1900, Georg Luger's iconic semi-automatic pistol became synonymous with Germany's armed forces throughout both world wars. Initially chambered for the 7.65×21mm round, from 1902 the Luger was designed for DWM's 9×19mm round, which even today remains the most popular military handgun cartridge. It was adopted by...
Illustrator: Adam Hook, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2018. — 80 p. Designed by a motorcycle racer turned small-arms engineer, George Patchett, the submachine gun that eventually became known as the Sterling was developed during World War II. Some suggest it first saw action during Operation Infatuate with No. 4 Commando, before becoming fully adopted by the British Army...
Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 80 р. — (Osprey Weapon 66). — ISBN: 9781472818355. Drawing upon contemporary literary and historical accounts from the North Atlantic to the Arab world, surviving examples of weapons and armor, and practical experimentation and reconstructions by modern weapon-smiths and re-enactors, Weapons of the Viking Warrior casts new light on how Viking weapons...
Illustrator: Alan Gilliland, Johnny Shumate. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 80 p. The Soviet Union had developed a significant sniping force by 1939, but the extraordinary skill and cunning displayed by Finnish snipers during the Winter War forced the Soviets to innovate. On the other side, German sniping suffered from a lack of standardization of weapons and a lack of marksmen...
Illustrator: Steve Noon, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 80 p. During the Cold War, the G3 was one of the world's pre-eminent battle rifles. Developed in France and Spain after 1945, the rifle was produced by the German arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. Adopted by more than 40 countries and produced on licence by many more, it was widely employed during colonial wars...
Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 80 p. Since 1987 the US Special Operations Command has used a wide array of sophisticated weapons in action around the world. Fully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this absorbing study explores the origins, development, and combat record of the distinctive weaponry carried by these elite forces, from pistols to assault rifles. The units...
Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 80 p. Entering service in 1897, the Arisaka family of bolt-action rifles armed Japanese troops and others through two world wars and many other conflicts, including the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. Issued in long and short versions - the latter for cavalry and specialists - the Type 30 was the first main Arisaka model, arming Imperial Japan's forces...
Osprey Publishing, 2019. — 80 p. Created by a long-forgotten Austrian nobleman, Adolf Odkolek von Augezd, the air-cooled Hotchkiss machine gun was the first to function effectively by tapping propellant gas from the bore as the gun fired. Although the Hotchkiss would be overshadowed by the water-cooled Maxim and Vickers Guns, it proved its effectiveness during the Russo-Japanese...
Illustrations by Peter Dennis — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 80 p. Adopted from the Celts in the 1st century BC, the spatha , a lethal and formidable chopping blade, became the primary sword of the Roman soldier in the Later Empire. Over the following centuries, the blade, its scabbard, and its system of carriage underwent a series of developments, until by the 3rd century AD it was...
Illustrator: Alan Gilliland, Adam Hook. — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 80 p. Making its debut in 1935, the Browning High-Power was the world's most widely used military pistol for much of the 20th century. Military and law-enforcement agencies in more than 90 countries have issued the High-Power and it has seen combat in conflicts from World War II through to the ‘War on Terror'....
Illustrator: Alan Gilliland, Adam Hook. — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 80 p. Making its debut in 1935, the Browning High-Power was the world's most widely used military pistol for much of the 20th century. Military and law-enforcement agencies in more than 90 countries have issued the High-Power and it has seen combat in conflicts from World War II through to the ‘War on Terror'....
Illustrator: Alan Gilliland, Adam Hook — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 80 p. Designed in 1942, Britain's innovative Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank (PIAT) provided British and Commonwealth troops with a much-needed means of taking on Germany's formidable Panzers. Replacing the inadequate Boys anti-tank rifle, it was conceived in the top-secret World War II research and development...
Illustrator: Adam Hook, Alan Gilliland — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 80 p. During the American Civil War, the mounted soldiers fighting on both sides of the conflict carried a wide array of weapons, from sabers and lances to carbines, revolvers, and other firearms. Though some sections of the cavalry placed their trust in the sabre, the advent of viable breechloading carbines -...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 80 p. The conduct of combat operations in open order during the 18th and 19th centuries required an improved firearm with more accuracy than the standard-issue smoothbore infantry musket. Consequently, the appearance of a new type of regular light infantry soldier and an innovative military firearm, the...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2020. — 80 p. The conduct of combat operations in open order during the 18th and 19th centuries required an improved firearm with more accuracy than the standard-issue smoothbore infantry musket. Consequently, the appearance of a new type of regular light infantry soldier and an innovative military firearm, the...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 80 p. The M4 carbine has become one of the defining military firearms of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Developed as a fusion of the XM177E2 Colt Commando and the M16A2 assault rifle, the M4 offered a more convenient battlefield firearm than the full-length M16 variants, and the US Army adopted it...
Illustrator: Adam Hook, Alan Gilliland — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 80 p. Although muskets delivered devastating projectiles at comparatively long ranges, their slow rate of fire left the soldier very vulnerable while reloading, and early muskets were useless for close-quarter fighting. Consequently, European infantry regiments of the 17th century were composed of both...
Illustrator: Adam Hook, Alan Gilliland — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 80 p. Although muskets delivered devastating projectiles at comparatively long ranges, their slow rate of fire left the soldier very vulnerable while reloading, and early muskets were useless for close-quarter fighting. Consequently, European infantry regiments of the 17th century were composed of both...
Illustrator: Shumate Johnny, Gilliland Alan — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 80 p. Beginning with the rise of the samurai during the 10th century, this lively study traces the introduction of edged weapons (cutting and piercing) and missile weapons (bows and guns) over the next 500 years. The book shows clearly how they were employed by individual samurai using many previously...
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland — Osprey Publishing, 2021. — 80 p. In response to the challenge of the Soviet Dragunov self-loading rifle, the British Army adopted the 7.62mm L42A1 bolt-action sniping rifle in 1970. The L42A1 was deployed in Dhofar and Northern Ireland, but arguably saw its finest hour during the Falklands War in 1982. The harsh conditions of the...
Illustrator: Noon Steve, Gilliland Alan — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 80 p. In 1939, three machine guns dominated the Red Army's front-line infantry firepower - the DShK 1938 heavy machine gun, the PM M1910 medium/heavy machine gun and the Degtyaryov DP-27, a lighter, bipod-mounted support weapon. Confronted by cutting-edge German technology during the Great Patriotic War...
Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 112 p. — ISBN 9781472842404. In 1939, three machine guns dominated the Red Army's front-line infantry firepower - the DShK 1938 heavy machine gun, the PM M1910 medium/heavy machine gun and the Degtyaryov DP-27, a lighter, bipod-mounted support weapon. Confronted by cutting-edge German technology during the Great Patriotic War (1941-45), the Soviets...
Illustrators: Adam Hook, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 80 p. While the PP and PPK were intended for police work, the Walther P 38 was produced for the Germany military; all three pistols have garnered a formidable international reputation since the 1930s. The innovative Walther PP (Polizeipistole), a double-action semi-automatic pistol intended for the...
Illustrator: Adam Hook, Alan Gilliland — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 80 p. While Germany and Austria-Hungary were well-equipped with sniping rifles in 1914, their Allied opponents were not. This highly illustrated volume tells the inside story of the rifles carried by snipers of all the major powers during World War I. Although military sharpshooting had existed since the 18th...
Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 124 p. — ISBN 9781472850782. While Germany and Austria-Hungary were well-equipped with sniping rifles in 1914, their Allied opponents were not. This highly illustrated volume tells the inside story of the rifles carried by snipers of all the major powers during World War I. Although military sharpshooting had existed since the 18th century, in 1914...
Illustrator: Shumate Johnny, Gilliland Alan — Osprey Publishing, 2022. — 80 p. Featuring archive and present-day photography and specially commissioned artwork, this is the story of the pistols that armed the forces of the Soviet Union and its allies during and after World War II. In 1930 the TT, a single-action semi-automatic pistol developed by Fedor Vasilyevich Tokarev and...
Illustrator: Shumate Johnny, Gilliland Alan — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 80 p. The first attempts at developing a man-portable air defense system (MANPADS) based around a guided missile began in the mid-1950s, as a response to the increased speed and maneuverability of jet aircraft. This book charts the technological evolution of the MANPADS and explores their combat usage and...
Illustrator: Hook Adam, Gilliland Alan — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 80 p. Featuring full-color artwork and carefully chosen photographs, this book charts the origins, development, combat use, and legacy of the Nambu pistols. Cutaway artwork reveals the inner workings of these important handguns, while specially commissioned battlescenes depict them in use in action. Influenced...
Illustrator: Bujeiro Ramiro, Gilliland Alan — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 80 p. Developed as a medium-range sniping rifle in the Soviet Union during the 1960s, the Dragunov stood out against most Western sniping rifle types by being semi-automatic, a configuration that marginally lowers accuracy compared to bolt-action sniping rifles, but which allows for faster follow-up shots....
Illustrator: Bujeiro Ramiro, Gilliland Alan — Osprey Publishing, 2023. — 80 p. Developed as a medium-range sniping rifle in the Soviet Union during the 1960s, the Dragunov stood out against most Western sniping rifle types by being semi-automatic, a configuration that marginally lowers accuracy compared to bolt-action sniping rifles, but which allows for faster follow-up shots....
Illustrator: Johnny Shumate, Alan Gilliland. — Osprey Publishing, 2024. — 80 p. Fully illustrated, this absorbing study explores the evolving sniping technology and tactics employed by both sides in Asia and the Pacific during 1941–45. During World War II, both the Japanese and their Allied opponents made widespread use of snipers armed with a variety of rifles, scopes and...
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