Originally hired by wealthy Italian city states to protect their assets during a time of ceaseless warring, the Condottiere of the Italian peninsula became famous for his wealth, venality and amoralit
Osprey's study of French Resistance fighters of World War II (1939-1945). Working as an underground force, the French Resistance was initially formed spontaneously from scattered groups of men and wom
For four centuries, from the civil wars of the Late Republic to Constantine's bloody reunification of the Empire, elite corps of guardsmen were at the heart of every Roman army. Whether as bodyguards
Osprey's examination of the 'Desert Rats', a popular nickname used to describe first 7th Armoured Division and then all the mixed body of British Commonwealth troops - British, Australian, New Zealand
This book gives a detailed and authentic account of the life and experiences of French warship crews from the French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802) up to Trafalgar. It describes the recruitment and co
The collapse of Roman rule in Britain was not so much a sudden catastrophe as a long and drawn-out decline. The 'Celtic' Britons retreated gradually to the highland areas of Wales, Cornwall and the so
Between the 3rd and 6th centuries AD the traditional legions of heavy infantry were whittled away and eventually replaced by a force of various arms and nationalities dominated by cavalry and supporte
The English military ascendancy which lasted from the mid-14th to the early 16th century was founded upon defensive tactics based on the use of the longbow. This weapon, distinctive in that it was use
During the reigns of Philip II and Alexander the Great, the Macedonian Army (the phalangites) were reformed and drilled into an invincible fighting force with unique tactics and weaponry. The Macedoni
Several thousand Native Americans fought on both sides during the American Civil War (1861-1865). They came from various tribes in the Indian Territory of present-day eastern Oklahoma. They were orga
Dedicated to the life of the average US soldier during World War I, this book follows the doughboy during the course of the war: from conscription, arrival at a training facility, transportation to Eu
In 1783 the British army struggled home from North America in a shattered condition. It had acquitted itself well, but its regiments were now woefully understrength, and it was not until 1789 that the
First mentioned by name in AD 297, the Picts inhabited Northern Britain from the end of the 3rd century AD to the 9th. They rose to power in the devastation following Emperor Septimus Severus's repres
Osprey's study of patrolmen of the Long Range Desert Group of World War II (1939-1945). Nicknamed the 'Libyan Desert Taxi Service' by the SAS, the Long Range Desert Group was tasked with strategic rec
The US Army in World War II could not have functioned without the services of its engineer units. Using a variety of specialized equipment and vehicles, these men bridged rivers, cleared minefields,
The Pionier troops of the Wehrmacht were at the forefront of the blitzkrieg, storming through any obstacles that lay in their path. Not mere engineers, they were assault troops first and construction
Napoleon's Imperial Guard was one of the most famous military formations in history. The Imperial Guard could perform ceremonial duties as well as any, but it was primarily as an elite combat formatio
One of the most prestigious and versatile units of the British armed forces, the Royal Marine Commandos were a specialized fighting force, serving in many theaters, including the Korean War (1950-1953
Few branches of the German armed forces were represented on so many fronts as the mountain infantrymen, or Gebirgstruppen. From the Blitzkrieg campaigns of 1940, through the invasions of the Balkans a
