В книге на значительном фактическом материале рассказывается о боевых действиях армии и ополчения, размахе народной войны против захватчиков, прославляется мужество ее героев: П.Багратиона, Н.Раевского, Д.Давыдова, А.Сеславина, Василисы Кожиной, Надежды Дуровой и многих других. Книга содержит множество цветных иллюстраций. Для широкого круга читателей.

This text by Tim Newark explores some of the fascinating peoples who comprised the ancient armies of the Middle East: the Sumerians, who were the first to introduce the use of bronze into warfare, and were centuries ahead of the Egyptians in the use of the wheel - The Akkadians, whose citizen army was composed almost entirely of light troops - The Babylonians, whose people were granted land in return for army service - the horned warriors of the Elamites - the Egyptians, with thier heavy spearmen and archers - the tribal and warlike Libyans - Nubians and Ethiopians - Hyksos - the armies of the Hittite Empire - the Sea People and others.

Besides continuing a long history of world-wide peacekeeping, the commitment of US troops to the Gulf reunified the country and restored a national pride lost in the aftermath of Vietnam. It also proved that the US armed forces were again the most capable military force in the world. This volume by veteran Osprey author Gordon L. Rottman focuses on the structure, equipment, effectiveness, and employment of the 680,000 coalition troops which fought in the Gulf War, covering not only the US forces, but also those of Britain, France, the Arab League and Iraq.

Their lifestyle of hunting for sport and profit honed the Boers' skills of field-craft, horsemanship, and marksmanship, making them a formidable force in the field and well suited to guerrilla operations. This book describes the life and combat experiences of a typical Boer in this key period. Using meticulously researched analysis and comment, and the experiences of a composite character, Johannes de Bruyn, a revealing portrait of Boer life and military operations is drawn. The actions at Laing's Neck, Majuba, the Zulu Civil War and the Second Anglo-Boer War are covered in this packed and informative treatment.

This revised edition of Mike Chappell's original Men-at-Arms 138 represents nearly 20 years' new research. It covers the saddlery, horse furniture, and personal equipment of the British horsed cavalryman from the early stages of the Napoleonic Wars until the final disappearance of the mounted arm during World War II. Such details are essential for an understanding of how cavalry fought in the 19th and early 20th centuries, since the design of equipment was intimately connected with cavalry tactics in any particular period. Students of campaign history, and particularly modellers, will find here a mass of specific information, illustrated with photographs, diagrams, drawings and full colour plates.

For many people the epitome of the British soldier of the late Victorian period is the Redcoat who fought in southern Africa in the 1870s. This title covers the key period of the wars against the Zulu and Boers; the dramatic battles of Rorke's Drift, Isandlwana, Ulundi, Laing's Nek and Majuba are some of the most famous engagements in the history of the British Army. The journey of the British soldier from the back streets of Britain's inner cities, to the isolated rock outcrop of Isandlwana and the mountain top of Majuba is one of discipline, devotion, loyalty, bravery, determination and sheer hard-work. It is a journey from which many men never returned.

The British Light Infantryman of the Seven Years' War was proficient at scouting and skirmishing, and more than a match for the French and their Indian allies. Shooting rapids in canoes, traversing swamps and snowshoeing through endless tracts of forest, British redcoats earned a reputation for resilience and resourcefulness as they adapted to the wilderness conditions of North America. Their development was a watershed in the history of irregular warfare, and this book provides a full examination of their fighting methods, covering training, tactics and campaigning from Canada to the Caribbean.

The rifle corps of the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars are among the most recognisable of all the soldiers of that era: their distinctive dark green uniforms are as familiar as some of their exploits. They have achieved considerable fame through the large numbers of memoirs written by members of the rifle corps as well as through modern fiction, most notably the Sharpe series. Apart from their reputation as a corps d'elite, the riflemen were, in their time, at the very cutting edge of military technology and tactical theory. Philip Haythornwaite here uses fascinating first hand accounts and detailed research to give a 'soldier's-eye view' of the British Rifleman, his life and work.

Adolf Hitler enlisted in the Bavarian Army in august 1914 as a war volunteer. Fanatically devoted to the German cause, between 1914 and 1918 Hitler served with distinction and sometimes reckless bravery, winning both classes of Iron Cross. Using memoirs, military records, regimental, divisional and official war histories as well as (wherever possible) Hitler's own words, this book seeks to reconstruct a period in his life that has been neglected in the literature. It is also the story of a German regiment (16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry, or List Regiment), which fought in all the main battles on the Western Front. As a frontline soldier Hitler began his 'study' of the black art of propaganda; and, as he himself maintained, the List Regiment provided him with his 'university of life'. This is not only an account of the fighting, however. Some of the most profound influences on Hitler occurred on home leave or as a result of official wartime propaganda, which he devoured uncritically. His conversion from passive pathological anti-Semitism began while invalided in Germany in 1916-17. The language of anti-Bolshevik 'Jewish virus' propaganda became Hitler's language, confirmed, as he saw it, by the 'infected' recruits to the List Regiment in 1918. Hitler is here presented less as the product of high-cultural forces than as an avid reader and gullible consumer of state propaganda, which fed his prejudices. He was a 'good soldier' but also a 'true believer' in fact and practice. It is no exaggeration to say that every military decision made by Hitler between 1939 and 1945 was in some way influenced or coloured by his experiences with the List Regiment between 1914 and 1918.

This book addresses an important but little-noticed phenomenon in the revolutionary world of military technology. Across a wide range of otherwise-unrelated weapons programs, the Pentagon is now pursuing arms that are deliberately crafted to be less powerful, less deadly, and less destructive than the systems they are designed to supplement or replace. This direction is historically anomalous; military forces generally pursue ever-bigger bangs, but the modern conditions of counter-insurgency warfare and military operations "other than war" (such as peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance) demand a military capable of modulated force. By providing a capacity to intervene deftly yet effectively, the new generations of "useable" weaponry should enable the U.S. military to accomplish its demanding missions in a manner consistent with legal obligations, public relations realities, and political constraints. Five case studies are provided, regarding precision-guided "smart bombs," low-yield nuclear weapons, self-neutralizing anti-personnel land mines, directed-energy anti-satellite weapons, and non-lethal weapons.

The 13th century was a time of change for knights in England. They were faced with rising costs and increasing demands on their time for local government because of their very status in society, until knighthood itself was sometimes avoided. This period saw as well the development of the tournament from the wild team events of the early years of the century to the single jousts with blunt lance. Campaign life in the 13th century also embraced several theatres of war including the baronial revolt against King John, the Barons' Wars of Simon de Montfort, and the Welsh and Scottish wars of Edward I. This title also covers the use and development of arms, armour, costume and other equipment.

This title draws on contemporary testimonies of life in Napoleon's army, documenting the reality of conscription, training, camp life and combat action for the common infantry soldier. In contrast to most works on this period, it calls into question the propagandist views expounded by numerous Bonapartists - the romantic notion of La Gloire is very much tempered by some hard-hitting recollections of the horror and misery of military life 200 years ago. Packed with prints taken from contemporary sources and superb colour illustrations, it provides a concise, revealing and authentic portrait of life in the Grand Armee.

This book concentrates on the dramatic experiences of Napoleon's Army of the Orient in Egypt and the Holy Land. The fighting of the Mamelukes and Turks are covered in depth, detailing desert combat, siege warfare, cavalry skirmishes and the suppression of uprisings. It examines the French treatment of prisoners as well as the fate of captured Frenchmen, and describes caring for the wounded, outbreaks of bubonic plague, and the terrible retreat from Acre in 1799, in accounts by the men who were there. The experiences of infantry, cavalry and sea soldiers of Napoleon's Army of the Orient are brought vividly back to life.

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 that such units, and more importantly their vehicles, played during the course of World War II. Full orders of battle are also given, along with technical details and specifications of the vehicles assigned to particular units.

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 that such units, and more importantly their vehicles, played during the course of World War II. Full orders of battle are also given, along with technical details and specifications of the vehicles assigned to particular units.

The Hussar were the skilled, daring and flamboyant light cavalrymen first drawn for Hapsburg service, from what is now northern Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia and Hungary in the late 17th century. Before long, major European nations adopted Hussar formations, uniform and equipment. This title covers a dynamic and glamorous period, during which the Hussars were increasingly regulated within the Hapsburg army, and developments took place in clothing, weaponry and equipment, notably the introduction of short carbines and rifles. Battlefield tactics, campaign life, and famous episodes of derring-do are also given full treatment, making this a packed, colourful and fascinating study of the Hungarian Hussar.