Bøker i Men-at-Arms-serien

The German rulers were forceful and powerful men, and, surrounded by potential enemies, circumstances dictated the necessity of rule by strength based on military capacity. In the later 15th Century, three houses rose above the others; the families of Wittelsbach, Luxemburg and the powerful Austrian Hapsburgs. The struggles of these and other houses, and of the knights and towns, were to be a feature of German history throughout the Middle Ages. This title details the dress, weapons, heraldry and insignia of these prolific forces, as well as various battles, such as the Battle of Goellheim of 1298.

King John the Good of France was captured by the English at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356; his 14-year-old son Philip fought valiantly by his side until the bitter end, and as soon as he was in a position to do so, King John rewarded his son's courage and devotion by designating him Duke of Burgundy, a title that by chance had just become extinct. Philip was the first of the Valois Dukes of Burgundy and this fascinating text by Nicholas Michael examines the functioning and organization of the Burgundian armies from the beginning of his reign until the time of the last of the Valois Dukes: Charles the Bold.

Napoleon's line infantry was founded upon that of the Ancien Régime. A total re-organisation began on 1 January 1791 with the abolition of the old regimental titles, and over the next two years an increasing number of conscript and volunteer battalions were formed. Their quality varied from the proficiency of the early National Guard regiments to the untrained and ill-equipped rabble of the levée. To combine the discipline and steadiness of the regular army with the revolutionary fervour of the new army, the Amalgame was decreed on 21 February; by this measure each regular battalion became the nucleus of a new Demi-Brigade.

The history of the Mongol armies is a catalogue of superlatives. No armies in history have ever won so many battles or conquered so much territory. No army has ever provoked such justifiable terror and loathing in its victims, or slaughtered so many of its vanquished. What other army in history has marched on Russia in the winter and survived, let alone won victories? The stories of these and many other amazing feats of this 'barbarian' people are here brought vividly to life by Stephen Turnbull, from the birth of Genghis Khan in the wind-swept steppes of Mongolia, through the conquest of China and beyond.

On 12 October 1492 Columbus discovered the New World. In the following decade a number of Spanish colonies were founded in the West Indies, many of the settlers being ex-soldiers. They were a hardy, adventurous and unruly crew, no longer able to find suitable employment in Europe. They carved a foothold for Spain in the Indies, but quickly became restless in the role of settler. Anxious to avoid the dull work of the administrators and planters, these men began to seek new territories to exploit, once again turning their faces towards the unknown. This title documents both the Conquistadores themselves, and their formidable enemies in the New World - the Aztecs, Incas and Maya.

This final volume on the German Army of World War II details the units of the Wehrmacht that fought in the West, from the beaches of Sicily to the defence of the Reich. The text is supported by tables detailing rank insignia and unit organisation, and artwork showing uniforms and equipment.

Describes the uniforms, insignia, weaponry, campaigns and military practices of the border reivers, the guerrilla soldiers who ran wild in the Marches of England and Scotland between the 13th and 17th centuries, and who for a while produced the best cavalry of their time.

Part two of this series details the uniforms and equipment of the troops of the Third Republic who fought out the last five months of the war before the final catastrophic defeat.

This volume covers medieval Russian armies from the foundation of Kiev by the pagan Rus', through the many internecine and external wars, the rise of the Novgorod Empire, to the incursions of the Mongols and the many battles of Prince Alexander Nevski.

In text, photographs and colour plates, this book describes the uniforms, weaponary and military customs of the French Medieval armies.

The Great War of 1914-18 is often seen as one major battleground - the Western Front - with numerous 'side-shows'. The other battle zones were not side-shows to those involved, however, although the local inhabitants often fought for motives which remained a closed book to their European allies or foes. David Nicolle relates the story of the Arab Revolts (1916-18), and discusses just how important (or unimportant) was the role of T. E. Lawrence in the affair, in a fascinating text backed by a fine collection of contemporary photographs and eight full page colour plates by Richard Hook.

Although the common Roman fighting men themselves have left no account, much literature has survived from antiquity. The wealth of archaeological finds, plus the study of surviving Roman scultpure has allowed hisorians to learn much about the nature of the Roman army which conquered an astonishing expanse of territory. Michael Simkins brings all his substantial knowledge to bear on this fascinating subject, covering such topics as army composition, recruitment, training, campaign routine and providing a wealth of detail on weapons, uniforms and equipment.

The birth of the Ottoman state is shrouded in legend. Whatever the truth of its origins, the Ottomans formed an Empire which almost succeeded in bringing Christian Europe to its knees. During the last decades of the 13th century, the ambitious Osman Bey's tiny mountain state took eight frontier castles plus the Turkish town of Eskisehir. In 1299 Osman seized Yenisehir after working up the Kara Su valley. With this as its first real capital, the Ottoman state emerged into history poised above the fertile shores of the Sea of Marmara.

In 1543 three Portuguese merchants entered a turbulent Japan, bringing with them the first firearms the Japanese had ever seen: simple matchlock muskets called arquebuses. They proved a decisive addition to the Japanese armoury, as for centuries the samurai had fought only with bow, sword and spear. In 1575, during the Battle of Nagashino, one of the greatest original thinkers in the history of samurai, Oda Nobunaga, arranged his arquebusiers in ranks three deep behind a palisade and proceeded, quite literally, to blow his opponent's cavalry to pieces, marking the beginning of a new era in Japanese military history.

The main instrument with which the Bolsheviks imposed communism on Russia was the Red Army. Traditionally the origins of this army were among the factory workers who laid down their tools and took up arms as a way of expressing their grievances. Already formed by the time of the revolutions of 1905 and February 1917, these militant workers organised themselves into parliamentary detachments known as the krasnogvardeytsi, or 'Red Guards'. In this first of two volumes [see Men-at-Arms 305: White Armies] focusing on the Russian Civil War, Mikhail Khvostov examines the Red Army's organisation, weaponry, uniforms and insignia.

The military branch of the Nazi SS security organisation grew by the end of World War II from a handful of poorly regarded infantry battalions in 1939, into a force of more than 30 divisions including units of every type. This text details their organisation, uniforms and insignia and their battle record.

The fall of the Manchu Empire in 1911 ended thousands of years of Imperial rule and ushered in almost 40 years of strife and conflict. This work looks at the fighting men and women who fought for the communists, imperialists, warlords and the Japanese.

The first of a series of five books on the German army of World War II, this volume looks at their acheivements from 1935 to 1940, from pre-war campaigns in Spain and Austria to the Polish, Norwegian and French invasions. Blitzkrieg tactics, training and uniforms are all covered.

On June 27, 1862, with the American Civil War already a year old, General Robert E. Lee assumed personal command of troops engaged in driving the Federal Army of the Potomac out of Richmond ΓÇô troops which would henceforth be known as The Army of Northern Virginia. Philip Katcher explores in absorbing detail all aspects of the army, including infantry, cavalry, artillery, technical and medical corps, paying particular attention to equipment, weapons and uniforms. Contemporary and museum photographs, together with the author''s expert text, combine to paint a vivid and accurate picture of what life was like for the average confederate soldier.

This title covers the introduction of new uniforms and equipment used by the British army in the lead up to World War II. It also examines the costly lessons of Norway and France 1940, in light of uniform and equipment changes.

This volume looks at the uniforms, equipment and organization of France's military forces during the first two years of World War II. On paper, the French army was the most powerful in the world in 1939, but it's officers were unprepared for Germany's "Blitskrieg" tactics of 1940.

A history of the early medieval German Armies from the fragmentation of Charlemagne's Frankish Empire to the rise of the German, or Holy Roman Empire. This text looks in detail at the period of the Saxon wars and the Crusades including the rise of the Teutonic Knights.

The second volume in a series of five books on the German army of World War II. It looks at the units that fought in North Africa and the Mediterranian with details of unit strengths, equipment and uniforms.

By the late 4th century the pressures on the frontiers of the Roman Empire had transformed the nature of the army which defended it into a mobile unit. This book details the rise of the army and its evolution, after the collapse of the west, into the army of the Byzantine Empire.

At the time of the Second Empire, under Napoleon III, the French army, elevated from tactful obscurity, was re-modelled on Napoleonic lines. This army first fought in the Crimea, and then against Austria. Later, In Mexico, they had a disastrous adventure while in Europe Prussia was fast emerging as a challenge to France's military pre-eminence. Together with Austria, Bismarck first crushed Denmark before turning on Austria herself. The victory at Sadowa in 1866 stunned Europe, and in Paris Napoleon and his advisers set to thinking of a way to counter this new threat. In this first of two volumes looking at the French Army of the Franco-Prussian War, Stephen Shann and Louis Delperier examine the history, organisation and weapons of the French Imperial troops.

A number of German regiments and divisions were considered "elite". This status was marked by the award of a special badge or another uniform distinction. This title looks at these uniform distinctions, along with the organization, actions and leading personalities of these regiments and divisions.