Nigel Thomas

Featuring rare photos, detailed colour illustrations and insignia tables, this study explores the contribution made by Czech and Slovak troops fighting alongside Allied forces during World War II. Following the Anglo-French failure at the Munich Conference in March 1938 to prevent a Nazi take-over of Bohemia-Moravia (modern Czech Republic/Czechia), many frustrated Czech and Slovak soldiers sided with Allied forces and...

In early 1943, the annihilation of the 6th Army at Stalingrad marked the irreversible turning point of the war in the East. Despite occasional local successes gained in the face of great odds—testimony to the Wehrmacht's extraordinary resilience—from now on Germany was on the defensive. Despite Hitler's damaging interference, the quality of German field leadership and of new weapons remained...

An illustrated study of the uniforms and personal equipment worn by the personnel of the Kriegsmarine, the German Navy of the Third Reich, from 1935–45. Founded in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles, the Kriegsmarine was established in 1935 and reached a peak strength of more than 800,000 personnel in 1944. Its original aim of amassing a surface fleet on...

Despite the huge pressure of fighting on three fronts, ever-worsening shortages of manpower and equipment, and Allied command of the skies, Germany's decimated divisions fought on with impressive skill and determination. This period also saw a fascinating mixture of obsolescent, newly designed, and field-made combat clothing which gave the German soldier a radically different appearance from his predecessor of just...

A detailed analysis of the Soviet armed forces during the final days of the war, covering the soldiers that successfully turned the tide against the Nazi onslaught and pushed it back into Germany itself. World War II Soviet Armed Forces (3) documents the Red Army's push through Germany to Berlin, which eventually culminated in the surrender of the German forces...