Osprey Elite Series SC (1984-2008 OSPREY) comic books 2005

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Volume 6 - 2nd and later printings. "French Foreign Legion Paratroops!" Written by Martin Windrow. Art by Kevin Lyles. The decision, in Spring 1948, to form two battalions of Foreign Legion paratroopers was prompted by the requirement for enlarged airborne forces in Indochina, and the healthy recruitment then employed by the Legion. There were some initial doubts. The Legion were known to be magnificent heavy infantry, but were felt by some to lack the flexibility and agility demanded by independent airborne operations. In the Legion itself there were some misgivings over the possible clash between the self-consciously exclusive 'para mentality', and the Legion's own very marked ésprit de corps. Over time, however, all these doubts evaporated with experience. Softcover,64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $17.95.

Volume 96 - 1st printing. "American Frontier Lawmen 1850-1930!" Written by Charles M Robinson III. Art by Richard Hook. n the 1840s, gold had officially been discovered in California, and many men made their way out West in search of riches. The early mining camps were dangerous places full of violence and crime. Law and order was needed, and the Vigilante Committee became the first organized deliverer of justice in these turbulent new towns. As more and more people headed out West, and many new towns sprang up, a more official system of law was needed. From the days of the California Gold Rush to the killing of Bill Tilghman, the last of the traditional frontier lawmen, this book discusses the men that shaped law and order in the 'Wild, Wild West'. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 109 - 1st printing. "The British Home Front 1939-45!" Written by Martin Brayley. Art by Malcolm McGregor. The population of Britain was mobilized to support the war effort on a scale unseen in any other Western democracy - or in Nazi Germany. They endured long working shifts, shortages of food and all other goods, and complete government control of their daily lives. Most men and women were conscripted or volunteered for additional tasks outside their formal working hours. Under the air raids that destroyed the centres of many towns and made about 2 million homeless, more than 60,000 civilians were killed and 86,000 seriously injured. This fascinating illustrated summary of wartime life, and the organizations that served on the Home front, is a striking record of endurance and sacrifice. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Volume 110 - 1st printing. "Sassanian Elite Cavalry AD 224-642!" Written by Kaveh Farrokh. Art by Angus McBride. The Sassanians ruled the last great imperial Empire of Persia before the Arab conquests of the 7th century. Rome's only equal in the classical world, the Sassanian Empire had an enormous impact on the development of architecture, mythology, arts, music, military tactics and technology. Within the Sassanian military, the cavalry was the most influential element, and Sassanian cavalry tactics were adopted by the Romans, Arabs, and Turks. Their cavalry systems of weaponry, battle tactics, Tamgas, Medallions, court customs, and costumes influenced Romano-Byzantine and medieval European culture, and this book allows the reader to see how a little-studied eastern power affected the development of cavalry traditions in the western world. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Volume 113 - 1st printing. "US Navy SEALs!" Written by Mir Bahmanyar. Art by Michael Welply. After the United States' failures in special operations missions during the late 1970s and 1980, a decision was made to revamp its unconventional military capabilities. The subsequent reorganization and redesignation in 1983 created the SEALs as they are known today, and later the all-encompassing command for US special operations forces under which they operate. Since then, these Navy Special Warfare (NSW) forces have operated in Grenada, the Persian Gulf, Panama, Somalia, Bosnia, Haiti, and Liberia. NSW units have also participated in the ongoing missions of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq. This book looks at the history, organization, training, uniforms, equipment and missions of the US Navy SEALs since their redesignation until the recent conflict in the Gulf. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Volume 118 - 1st printing. "German Commanders of World War II Part 1!" Written by Gordon Williamson. Art by Malcolm McGregor. This first of two studies examines the careers and illustrates the appearance and uniforms of 19 of the German Army's leading field commanders in World War II. Their service covers the whole arc of that army's wartime experience, from stunning success in 1939-41, through the hugely costly middle years on the Russian Front to the stubborn defensive fighting in both East and West in 1943-45. Also included are five more junior unit commanders chosen because their service typifies the achievements of combat leaders in regimental and battalion commands. The colour portraits are in the uniquely meticulous style of the respected World War II illustrator Malcolm McGregor. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Volume 122 - 1st printing. "World War II Infantry Tactics!" Written by Stephen Bull. Art by Peter Dennis. World War II is often seen as a confrontation of technology - tanks and aircraft, artillery and engineering. But at the heart of the battlefield was the struggle between infantrymen, and the technology was there to enable them to capture ground or hold it. This second of two books on the organization and tactics of the German, US and British infantry in Europe focuses on national differences in the development of company and battalion tactics - including those of motorized units - and the confrontation and co-operation between infantry and tanks. Contemporary photos and diagrams and vivid colour plates illustrate what tactical theories actually meant on the ground at human scale. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Volume 123 - 1st printing. "Knight's Cross and Oak-Leaves Recipients 1941-45!" Written by Gordon Williamson. Art by Ramiro Bujeiro. The remarkable early successes of the armed forces of the Third Reich prompted the decision that the supreme decoration for personal valour or outstanding leadership - the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross - was insufficient. To mark further acts of gallantry a new distinction was created in June 1940: the Oak-Leaves clasp. Further decorations in the form of the Swords and, finally, the Diamonds were added. This second title in our series describes and illustrates a selection of recipients of the Knight's Cross and Oak-Leaves between 1941 and early 1944, when the Wehrmacht was engaged on all fronts, as well as at sea and in the air. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

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Volume 124 - 1st printing. "World War II Infantry Anti-Tank Tactics!" Written by Gordon L Rottman. Art by Steve Noon. The battlefield interaction between infantry and tanks was central to combat on most fronts in World War II. The first 'Blitzkrieg' campaigns saw the tank achieve a new dominance. New infantry tactics and weapons - some of them desperately dangerous - had to be adopted, while the armies raced to develop more powerful anti-tank guns and new light weapons. By 1945, a new generation of revolutionary shoulder-fired AT weapons was in widespread use. This book explains in detail the shifting patterns of anti-tank combat, illustrated with photographs, diagrams and colour plates showing how weapons were actually employed on the battlefield. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Add to cart Near Mint $9.00

Volume 125 - 1st printing. "Samurai Commanders Part 1!" Written by Stephen Turnbull. Art by Richard Hook. The samurai were the military elite of medieval and early modern Japan, and the men who led them were hailed as the very greatest, most heroic and most honourable of all samurai warriors. This first of two books examines the lives, equipment, battles and wider roles of the samurai commanders between 940 and 1576, the period from the emergence of the samurai to the triumph of Oda Nobunaga, who set Japan on the road to reunification. The styles of armour and weaponry of the samurai changed considerably during this time and this book visually recreates some of the most famous samurai commanders. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Volume 126 - 1st printing. "Siege Warfare in the Roman World!" Written by Duncan B Campbell. Art by Adam Hook. Sieges were often pivotal in Rome's wars, including its conflicts with the Macedonians and Carthaginians in the 2nd century BC; the civil wars of the Republic; and the late Roman wars against the Sassanid Persians, who, alone amongst Rome's adversaries, were equally skilled in siegecraft. This book discusses the siege techniques employed by Roman armies and their opponents throughout the Republic and Empire. It shows that although the 1st century AD has long been considered the golden age of siegecraft, followed by a decline, new and effective siege techniques were in fact used in the following centuries. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Volume 127 - 1st printing. "Japanese Paratroop Forces of World War II!" Written by Gordon L Rottman and Akira Takizawa. Art by Mike Chappell and Adam Hook. For the first time in English, this book offers a concise but fact-packed account of the organization, equipment, and all operations of Japan's small but elite wartime parachute forces. Correcting and amplifying previous accounts based on wartime intelligence, it traces the Imperial Army's Raiding Regiments and the Imperial Navy's parachute-trained Yokosuka 1st & 3rd Special Naval Landing Forces from the first trials units, through their successful assaults in early 1942, to the last desperate battles and raids of 1944-45. Thetext is illustrated with rare photographs, and meticulouslyreconstructed color artworkof the men and their gear. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Volume 128 - 1st printing. "Samurai Commanders Part 2!" Written by Stephen Turnbull. Art by Richard Hook. This second volume about Japan's samurai commanders covers the generals of the later years of the Age of the Warring States, a period when only the most able leaders survived. This was a time when the prowess of a commander was measured as much by his strategic and organizational abilities as by his individual fighting skills and he was expected to give as great a show of strength in the council chamber as on the battlefield. This book discusses the lives, battles and wider roles of talented commanders such as Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi - great men who stood out prominently due to their elaborate suits of armour and helmets, their stunning personal heraldry and their great armies. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

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Volume 130 - 1st printing. "The Mycenaeans c.1650-1100 BC!" Written by Nicolas Grguric . Art by Angus McBride. The timeless appeal of Homer's epic poem of the ancient TrojanWar, The Iliad, has meant an eduring interest in the Mycenaen age. Modern scholarship and new archaeological evidence now allows us to recontruct with reasonable confidence the appearance of this great warrior civilization, which dominated much of the eastern Mediterranean between the 16th and 12th centuries BC. We can also make deductions, from the few surviving pictorial sources, about the tactics of these armies. This absorbing text is illustrated with examples of the archaeological and pictorial evidence, and with striking colour reconstructions of light and heavy infantry and chariot warriors of the Mycenaean age. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Volume 133 - 1st printing. "Knight's Cross, Oak-Leaves and Swords Recipients 1941-45!" Written by Gordon Williamson. Art by Ramiro Bujeiro. On 21 June 1941, as the Wehrmachtstormed forward across the frontiers of the Soviet Union, Hitler instituted a new higher grade of the Knight's Cross decoration for gallantry and leadership: the silver clasp of the Oak-Leaves with Swords. It would be awarded to only 159 men of the approximately 15 million who served in the German armed forces during World War II. This third in a sequence of four titles describes and illustrates a selection of the recipients: from much-wounded front line infantry officers, to Hitler's 'brother-in-law'; from a sergeant pilot fighter ace, to the commanding general of the greatest tank force ever gathered on the Russian Front. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Volume 134 - 1st printing. "Buffalo Soldiers 1892-1918!" Written by Ron Field. Art by Richard Hook. The Buffalo Soldier played an important part in the US Army's operations during the "age of American Imperialism", between 1898 and 1916. These men campaigned against the Spanish in Cuba, Filipino insurrectionists on Mindanao and Mexican border raiders. They went on to distinguish themselves in the trenches of World War I, and the sum of two divisions of these Doughboys fought with the French Army and the American Expeditionary Force. This book offers a succinct history of these units and the campaigns in which they fought, and it highlights the African-American US soldier, his uniforms and his gear throughout this era in rare photographs and carefully reconstructed color illustrations. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.

Volume 135 - 1st printing. "German Air Forces 1914-18!" Written by Ian Sumner. Art by Graham Sumner. The Imperial German Army Air Service of World War I grew from just 500 men in 1914 to 80,000 in 1918, inventing in the process a wholly new form of warfare. The exploits of the first fighter 'aces' have been widely celebrated, and have tended to overshadow the other, equally important branches of the fighting air forces - the reconnaissance and ground attack units, the airships and strategic bombers. This concise but fact-packed guide to both the Army and Naval Air Services - their command, organization, strength, training, support services and operations - offers a morebalanced picture, while giving the heroes of the Jagdstaffeln their full due. Uniforms and flying clothing are described in detail, and illustrated with rare photographs and meticulous colour plates. Softcover, 64 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $18.95.