Osprey Men-at-Arms Series SC (1973-2011 OSPREY) comic books

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Volume 271 - 1st printing. "The Austrian Army 1740–80 (1)!" Written by Philip Haythornthwaite. Art by Bill Younghusband. Austria was both a major participant and one of the causes of hostilities in the wars of the mid-18th century. The death of the Habsburg Emperor Charles VI in October 1740 set in motion the first of the major wars of the time. His heir was a daughter, Maria Theresa, who was destined become one of the greatest figures in the history of the 18th century. The Hapsburg territories were immense, and a key unifying factor was the army itself, that embraced all nationalities and drew its personnel from Hapsburg lands and beyond. This title, the first in a sequence of three, takes a close look at the organisation, uniforms and equipment of the cavalry of the Austrian Army during Maria Theresa's reign, covering cuirassiers, dragoons, hussars, and chevauxleger. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 273 - 2nd and later printings. "General Washington's Army (1)!" Written by Marko Zlatich. Art by Peter Copeland. During the period 1775-78, General Washington commanded three separate armies: the New England Army of 1775; the one-year army of the United Colonies, renamed Army of the United States in July 1776; and the forces established by the Continental Congress to serve for three years from January 1777, or for the duration. In this, the first of two studies by Marko Zlatich (Men-at Arms 290 continues the treatment, covering the period from 1779-83), the systems used by state and Continental authorities to procure clothing materials, the quantities they obtained and the specifications of the uniforms themselves are all examined in detail. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Volume 291 -2nd and later printings. "Republican Roman Army 200–104 BC!" Written by Nicholas Sekunda. Art by Angus McBride. The principal source of information on the Roman Republican Army is the sixth book of the Histories of the Greek historian Polybius, written a little before 150BC. This engaging text by Nicholas Sekunda draws heavily on this vital source to outline the equipment and organisation of the Roman Republican Army from 200–104 BC – a time when Rome was growing from a regional to a world power. With plenty of photographs and illustrations, including eight vivid full page colour plates by Angus McBride, this fascinating volume examines such topics as the Roman shield, helmets, the cuirass, greaves, the pilum, legion organisation, the principales and the tactics they employed. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

Add to cart Fine $9.60

Volume 309 - 1st printing. "The Italian Invasion of Abyssinia 1935–36!" Written by David Nicolle. Art by Raffaele Ruggeri. In October 1935 Mussolini ordered the invasion of Ethiopia from Italian-held Eritrea and Somaliland, thinking that he would easily crush an ill-prepared and badly equipped enemy. The Italians, in the face of widespread condemnation from the League of Nations, spread terror and destruction through their indiscriminate use of air power and poison gas against an enemy more used to medieval methods of warfare. David Nicolle examines in detail the units, equipment and uniforms of the forces on both sides of this conflict that unrealistically bolstered Il Duce's colonial ambitions. A great read ably supported by Raffaele Ruggeri's detailed full-page colour plates. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Volume 323 - 1st printing. "The Austrian Army 1836–66 (1)!" Written by Darko Pavlovic. Art by Darko Pavlovic. In the mid-19th century, Austria comprised a heterogeneous, multi-ethnic empire consisting of the Austrian or 'German' area; the Hungarian area; the Military Border; and the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. The diverse nature of the empire made it difficult to create a unified and up-to-date military system, especially with remnants of feudalism still strong in some provinces. This book examines the Line infantry, Grenz infantry (Border troops) and Jägers (riflemen) that formed the Austrian infantry. Numerous illustrations and photographs of uniforms, rank insignia and regiments complement the text, as well as eight full colour plates. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Volume 332 - 1st printing. "Spanish Army of the Napoleonic Wars (2)!" Written by René Chartrand. Art by Bill Younghusband. The French 'invasion by stealth' of her uneasy ally Spain, and the final proclamation of Napoleon's brother Joseph as king, led to the spontaneous outbreak of a war of resistance in May 1808 that would rage for six years. Despite Napoleon's clear advantage, the Spanish Army was never completely destroyed, their stubborn resistance typified by epic sieges at Zaragoza and Gerona and nationwide guerrilla warfare. The second of three volumes, this book examines the history, uniforms and equipment of the Spanish Army who, with the help of guerrillas and 'armed peasantry', stood up to Napoleon's Grand Army against all odds. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

Volume 334 - 1st printing. "Spanish Army of the Napoleonic Wars (3)!" Written by René Chartrand. Art by Bill Younghusband. This volume – covering the final years of the Peninsular War and the long trek over the Pyrenees into France – concludes the author's remarkable in-depth study of the army that fought alongside Wellington's redcoats throughout the Peninsular War. Prior to 1813 it was the Spanish armies that bore the brunt of the fighting and this text – based on primary research in Spanish and British archives which will be new to most readers – fills a large and long-standing gap in our knowledge of those Napoleonic campaigns which have always fascinated English-speaking students of the period. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 335 - 1st printing. "Émigré and Foreign Troops in British Service (2)!" Written by René Chartrand. Art by Patrice Courcelle. Following his study of the astonishing range of French Royalist and foreign mercenary units employed by Britain in the period 1793–1802 (Men-at-Arms 328), the author describes - often for the first time in an English language publication - the part played by their successors during the crucial years of the Napoleonic Wars. He covers not only relatively well-recorded units, such as Roll's, Meuron's and Watteville's Swiss corps, but also the unjustly neglected Italians, Corsicans and Greeks, and such exotica as the African and Ceylon regiments. Uniform details of nearly 40 corps are based on impressive primary research, and this book and its companion volume make a genuinely new contribution to Napoleonic studies. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

Add to cart Very Fine $2.50

Volume 338 - 1st printing. "The King's German Legion (1)!" Written by Mike Chappell. Art by Mike Chappell. The formation of the King's German Legion resulted from the occupation of Hanover, their homeland, by the French in 1803. After assorted expeditions including Copenhagen in 1807 and Moore's retreat to Corunna, the Legion joined Sir Arthur Wellesley in the Peninsula. It was here that they were to earn undying renown as the crack corps of Wellington's army. The Legion represented about 20% of Wellington's fighting strength and distinguished itself in all the major actions, including their famous charge at Garcia Hernandez during the Salamanca campaign. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 338 - 2nd and later printings. "The King's German Legion (1)!" Written by Mike Chappell. Art by Mike Chappell. The formation of the King's German Legion resulted from the occupation of Hanover, their homeland, by the French in 1803. After assorted expeditions including Copenhagen in 1807 and Moore's retreat to Corunna, the Legion joined Sir Arthur Wellesley in the Peninsula. It was here that they were to earn undying renown as the crack corps of Wellington's army. The Legion represented about 20% of Wellington's fighting strength and distinguished itself in all the major actions, including their famous charge at Garcia Hernandez during the Salamanca campaign. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Volume 342 - 1st printing. "The US Army in World War II (1)!" Written by Mark Henry. Art by Mike Chappell. When World War II broke out in September 1939 the US Army – starved of resources since 1919 – numbered just 174,000 men. By VJ-Day, 2 September 1945, a total of 8.3 million had served in an army which had risen to a stable strength of 91 divisions. The Army's contribution to the war against Japan – 20 divisions and numerous smaller units – has tended to be overshadowed by the exploits of the much smaller Marine Corps. This first of three titles describes the organisation, uniforms and equipment of the US Army in the CBI and the Central and South-West Pacific from 1941 to 1945. Men-at-Arms 342, 347 and 350 are also available as a single volume special edition as ‘The US Army in World War II'. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Volume 357 - 1st printing. "World War II Allied Women's Services!" Written by Martin Brayley. Art by Ramiro Bujeiro. The contribution of women to the Allied war effort in 1939-45 was massive. Apart from their many vital roles 'on the home front', about a million Soviet, 500,000 British and 200,000 American women, and tens of thousands from other Allied nations, served in uniform with the armed forces. To put these figures in perspective: enough American women served to free sufficient able-bodied men to form 15 infantry divisions. It was not only in the USSR that their duties took them into harm's way; hundreds of British Commonwealth and US servicewomen died, and many were decorated. This book gives a concise introduction to the organisation and uniforms of these services, with an emphasis on the British and US forces. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Volume 358 - 1st printing. "The Portuguese Army of the Napoleonic Wars (3)!" Written by René Chartrand. Art by Bill Younghusband. This remarkable three-part study will transform the research material available to the English-speaking student of the Peninsular War. Most know that Wellington's Portuguese troops were praised as the 'fighting cocks' of his army; fewer appreciate that they represented between half and one-third of his entire forces. Similarly, most uniform historians have been limited to a few half-understood paintings by Dighton, and brief notes from secondary sources. René Chartrand's recent primary research in Portuguese and British archives now offers a wealth of new material. This third volume covers the artillery, militia, Ordenanza, volunteers, troops in the off-shore colonies, navy, and decorations. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 372 - 1st printing. "Colonial American Troops 1610-1774 (2) !" Written by René Chartrand. Art by David Rickman. From the earliest English settlements the survival of the infant colonies in North America depended upon local militias. Throughout the 17th and most of the 18th century royal troops were seldom shipped out from Britain, and the main burden of successive wars with the American Indians, and with the regular troops and militias of Britain's colonial rivals France and Spain, usually fell upon locally raised soldiers. These units also fought alongside the Crown forces during major operations such as the French-Indian War of the 1750s. This second of a fascinating three-part study covers the militias and provincial troops raised in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, New York and New Jersey. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 376 - 1st printing. "Italian Medieval Armies 1000-1300!" Written by David Nicolle. Art by Angus McBride. As early as the 11th century, Italian warfare was developing along lines which were unique in medieval Europe. This fragmented, cosmopolitan region, increasingly rich from international trade, saw the rise of independent cities able to fund armies of urban militia, sometimes defying the traditional feudal aristocracy. Against this background regional powers - the Normans, the Papacy, the German Emperors, the Angevins and Aragonese - manoeuvred for advantage. This engrossing account of the armies of northern and southern Italy - their organisation, command structure, strategy, tactics and fortifications - is illustrated with rare manuscript images, diagrams of fortifications, and eight striking colour plates showing armour and weapons of all types. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 377 - 1st printing. "Luftwaffe Air & Ground Crew 1939-45!" Written by Robert F Stedman. Art by Mike Chappell. The Luftwaffe, honed in the Spanish Civil War, played a vital part in Germany's 'Blitzkrieg' victories in 1939-41. Badly overstretched by war on three fronts in 1942-44, it was crippled by an incompetent commander-in-chief, the losses among experienced aircrew, and shortage of fuel. In 1944-45 it faced a final battle of attrition in skies ruled by the Allies as the Eastern and Western pincers closed on the Reich; but until the very end the dwindling band of veteran pilots - among them the greatest 'aces' the world has ever known - presented a potent threat. This fact-packed review of Luftwaffe uniforms and flying kit is illustrated with rare personal photos, insignia charts, and two dozen meticulously detailed colour figures. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 378 - 1st printing. "Napoleon's Guards of Honour!" Written by Ronald Pawly. Art by Patrice Courcelle. One of the least understood of Napoleon's corps were the four regiments of Gardes d'honneur, raised in 1813 during the frantic rebuilding of the French cavalry after the huge losses in Russia. Recruited from the leading social classes, uniformed and equipped at their own expense, and accompanied by servants to take care of such unpleasant chores as stable duty, these men were promised commissions as officers after a year's service in the ranks. Though spectacularly unready for combat upon their arrival with the army, the Guards of Honour would gain skill and confidence while serving alongside the élite cavalry of the Imperial Guard in the campaigns of Saxony and France, 1813-14, and distinguished themselves in battle at Hanau and Rheims. The story of their organisation, uniforms and service is researched from rare archives and memoirs, and illustrated with portraits, surviving uniform items, and meticulous colour plates. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Volume 382 - 1st printing. "Wellington's Peninsula Regiments (1)!" Written by Mike Chappell. Art by Mike Chappell. The forces which Wellington led in Portugal and Spain and up into southern France between 1808 and 1814 achieved a consistent record of victory perhaps unmatched in the history of the British Army. Some 40 per cent of this volunteer army were Irishmen – a remarkable figure, given the recent unrest and bloodshed in Ireland. This book details the record, and illustrates the uniforms and equipment, of the two cavalry and three infantry units boasting formal Irish identity: the 4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 18th Hussars, 27th (Enniskillen), 87th (Prince of Wales's Own Irish), and 88th (Connaught Rangers) Regiments of Foot. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 383 - 1st printing. "Colonial American Troops 1610-1774 (3)!" Written by René Chartrand. Art by David Rickman. From the earliest English settlements the survival of the infant colonies in North America depended upon local militias. Before the mid-18th century royal troops were seldom shipped out from Britain, and the main burden of successive wars with the American Indians, and with Britain's colonial rivals France and Spain, fell upon locally raised units, which also fought alongside the Crown forces during the major operations of the French-Indian War of the 1750s. This final book of a fascinating three-part study covers the militias and provincial troops raised in the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Georgia, Nova Scotia, Hudson's Bay and Quebec Province; and also Rangers, and colors and standards. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 387 - 1st printing. "The Italian Army of World War I !" Written by David Nicolle. Art by Raffaele Ruggeri. The dilemma of the young Italian kingdom and the experience of her army in the Great War were unique among the combatant nations. Late to enter the war against the Central Powers, she faced a massively defended Austro-Hungarian front in the north, including strong mountain features, as well as distractions in the Balkans and a simultaneous rebellion in her Libyan colony. Costly and repeated battles on the Isonzo front culminated in the disaster of Caporetto in October 1917, followed by a remarkable revival and eventual victory in 1918. This concise study describes and illustrates the Italian Army's campaigns, organisation, uniforms, weapons and equipment – including the famous 'death companies' and Arditi assault troops. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Volume 399 - 1st printing. "Medieval Scandinavian Armies (2)!" Written by David Lindholm and David Nicolle. Art by Angus McBride. While Scandinavia's 'Viking Age' is one of the most studied aspects of early medieval history, much less has been published about the centuries which followed. Yet the armies of Sweden, Norway and Denmark offer fascinating differences from the rest of medieval Western Europe, both in their organisation and their war gear. This second of two books covers the period which saw both expansion in the Baltic, and long wars born of the attempt to bring Scandinavia under a single monarchy - the Union of Kalmar. In the North, as elsewhere, the perfection of plate armour could not prevent the steady decline in the importance of the 15th century mounted knight in favour of the well armed infantryman. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 400 - 1st printing. "Wellington's Peninsula Regiments (2)!" Written by Mike Chappell. Art by Mike Chappell. The forces which Wellington led in Portugal and Spain and up into southern France between 1808 and 1814 achieved a record of victory perhaps unmatched in the history of the British Army. Among his infantry the regiments of the Light Division were self-consciously an élite, trained to fight with initiative and independence on the exposed edges of the marching army. This book explains their evolution and tactics, details the campaigns in which they fought and illustrates the uniforms and equipment of the Light Infantry regiments: the 43rd (Monmouthshire), 52nd (Oxfordshire), 51st (2nd Yorkshire), 68th (Durham) and 85th (Bucks Volunteers). Softcover, PC/PB&W.

Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Volume 402 - 1st printing. "The British Army in World War I (2)!" Written by Mike Chappell. Art by Mike Chappell. In 1916, Britain was finally forced to introduce universal conscription to replace the terrible casualties suffered by the pre-war Regulars, the Territorials and the eager but unprepared volunteers of the 'New Armies'. In 1917 and 1918, the vastly expanded British Expeditionary Force became the most effective of all the combatant armies in France, its improved weapons and tactics forged in the furnaces of the Somme and the Ypres Salient. Shaken but resilient under Germany's last desperate offensive in spring 1918, it swept forward to final victory. This second of three titles charts its changing appearance in colourful detail. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Volume 405 - 1st printing. "Napoleon's Carabiniers!" Written by Ronald Pawly. Art by Patrice Courcelle. The two privileged regiments of Carabiniers survived the French Revolution with their elite status intact. They covered themselves with glory at Austerlitz, Friedland, Ratisbonne and Wagram - where their bloody losses shocked Napoleon into ordering them new helmets and cuirasses. Re-formed after near annihilation in Russia in 1812, they fought at Leipzig and in many actions of the 1814 French campaign, and made one of the final charges at Waterloo. lllustrated with rare early prints and meticulous colour reconstructions, this book details their story, and their unique uniforms, from surviving period documents. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Add to cart Very Fine $6.00

Volume 412 - 1st printing. "Ukrainian Armies 1914–55!" Written by Eugene Pinak and Peter Abbott. Art by Oleksiy Rudenko. There can be no region in Europe whose history has been more tortured than Ukraine. During the 20th century Austria, Poland, Russia, Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Romania vied for power over parts of this vast and fragmented area; and its divided peoples rose time and again in vain attempts to win their independence. For the first time in the West, this book gives a succinct summary of all the different armed forces raised among the Ukrainians, and of their uniforms and insignia. These are illustrated in colour and in a selection of extremely rare photographs, dating from the Great War to the aftermath of World War II, when Ukrainian guerrillas continued to defy the Soviet authorities until the mid-1950s. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

Volume 417 - 1st printing. "The Irish Defence Forces since 1922!" Written by Donal MacCarron. Art by Bill Younghusband. Born in the Civil War of 1922-23, the army of the Republic of Ireland occupied a sensitive place in the national culture for many years. In World War II, it faced the challenge of maintaining Ireland's integrity as a neutral. Post-war, it found a new role in 1960, providing troops for the United Nations intervention in the war-torn Congo; and since then has supported UN missions in the Middle East and elsewhere. More recently the border with troubled Ulster has obliged the Republic to invest in reform and modernisation. Ireland's freedom to seek examples and equipment worldwide has created an interesting progression of uniforms, illustrated in this study of Ireland's forces over 80 years. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 421 - 1st printing. "The Sikh Army 1799-1849!" Written by Ian Heath. Art by Michael Perry. The beginning of the 19th century saw the rise of a remarkable Sikh leader in the Punjab province of north-west India. Unifying the feudal rulers under his authority, the conquering Maharaja Ranjit Singh pursued campaigns of expansion for nearly 40 years, creating for the purpose a new regular army on the Western model. His death in 1839 found the frontiers of Sikh and British power in confrontation; in the 1840s the inevitable trial of strength brought British crown and East India Company troops into battle against the most formidable Indian army they ever faced. Its story is told here in fascinating detail, illustrated with rare early paintings and with colourful reconstructions of Punjabi regular soldiers and feudal warriors. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 435- 1st printing. "The Confederate Army 1861-65 (4)!" Written by Ron Field. Art by Richard Hook. The common image of the Confederate Army during the Civil War is dominated by a limited number of early photographs of troops wearing the gray and butternut of the CS regulations and quartermaster issues. By contrast, this book examines the variety of uniforms worn by the Virginia and Arkansas militia and volunteers brought together in the Confederate field armies, and the continuing efforts to clothe them as wear-and-tear gradually reduced this wide range of uniforms. A mass of information from contemporary documents is illustrated with rare early photographs and meticulous color reconstructions. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

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Volume 438- 1st printing. "US Infantry in the Indian Wars 1865-91!" Written by Ron Field. Art by Ron Field. Contrary to the image portrayed by Hollywood, the infantry played as great a part in the Indian Wars of the 1860s-80s, and were more consistently successful than their more famous counterparts in the Cavalry. The great Paiute War of 1866, where the infantry of the most renowned Indian-fighting general, George Cook, excelled in battle, together with the role of other infantry units in the final subjugation of Geronimo's Apaches in 1886, are but two instances of their achievements. Featuring their involvement in the legendary battles of Wounded Knee and Wolf Mountains, this narrative presents an illustrated history of these critical but overlooked soldiers of the Indian Wars, culminating in the eventual closing of the American Frontier in 1890 and the final conquest of the indigenous inhabitants of North America. Softcover, PC/PB&W.

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

Add to cart Near Mint $8.00

Volume 439 - 1st printing. "The Canadian Corps in World War I!" Written by René Chartrand. Art by Gerry Embleton. This book describes the organization, lists the units and illustrates the uniforms and equipment of the four Canadian divisions which earned an elite reputation on the Western Front in 1915-18. Canada's 600,000 troops - of whom more than 66,000 died and nearly 150,000 were wounded - representedan extraordinary contribution to the British Empire's struggle. On grim battlefields from the Ypres-Salient to the Somme, and from their stunning victory at Vimy Ridge to the final triumphant 'Hundred Days' advance of autumn 1918, Canada's soldiers proved themselves to be a remarkable army in their own right, founding a national tradition. Softcover, PC/PB&W.