Series: Elite

Fighting in every theatre from the burning sands of North Africa to the icy wastes above the Arctic Circle, the German Army's Gebirgstruppen troops were some of the most effective in the whole of the Wehrmacht. Their esprit de corps and morale were extremely high, and their commanders, men such as Eduard Dietl, the 'Hero of Narvik', and Julius 'Papa'...

Over the centuries of their existence, the Scottish regiments of the British Army have gained a reputation in war that is the envy of all and which can be matched, or surpassed, by very few. The very description 'Scottish soldier' conjures up images ranging from the 'thin red streak tipped with a line of steel' of the 93rd Highlanders at...

An exclusive, illustrated account of the tactics of the specialized and effective armored infantry formation of World War II. Little has been published on US armored infantry units and tactics over the years. However, their contribution to the war effort was hugely important. There were a total of 57 armored infantry battalions and two regiments that served throughout the war...

From the army of Marc Antony in the 1st century BC, Roman generals hired heavy armoured Eastern cavalry to serve in their military alongside the legions. These troops, both from the northern steppes and the Persian frontiers, continued an ancient tradition of using heavy armour and long lances, and fought in a compact formation for maximum shock effect. They were...

Reveals the tactics, technologies, and specially raised units at the heart of the Union’s conduct of combined operations in the American Civil War. During the Civil War, as well as confronting the Confederates on land, the Union forces mounted several ambitious amphibious operations, both on the coast and along the banks of the great rivers. In American Civil War Amphibious...

A fully illustrated study of the Roman cavalry's evolution, this fascinating book chronicles tactics and composition from the time of the Republic to the fall of the Dominate. The cavalry 'wings' that probed ahead of the Roman Army played a key role in its campaigns of conquest, masking its marching flanks and seeking to encircle enemies in battle. However, the...

This fully illustrated study explores the formidable Athenian army, rivalled only by the Spartan army in terms of battlefield prowess and influence. In 508 BC, the reforms of Kleisthenes established the ten tribes of Athens, inaugurating a system of military organisation that remained in place for nearly 200 years until Athens’ eclipse by the growing power of Macedon in the...

This study investigates the development, manufacture, decoration and use of the Roman infantry helmet, a vital piece of personal protection equipment for both legionary and auxiliary troops. The protective headgear worn by Roman foot soldiers of the Republican period was adopted directly from the Etruscans, who had, in turn, adapted helmets from neighbouring European cultures within and beyond the Italian...

This illustrated study tells the story of the Russian mercenary force led by business tycoon Yevgeny Prigozhin, and the mutiny it launched against Putin's government in 2023. Conceived by the Kremlin in 2013 as an instrument of ‘deniable’ power projection, the Wagner private military company (PMC) – or mercenary force – was a fixture of Russian foreign deployments for nine...

An illustrated study of the development and operations of coalition and Afghan Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan from 2009 until the withdrawal in 2021. At the end of 2008, the clearly inadequate strength of the coalition’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan prompted the US and NATO to deploy troops in numbers that could not be sustained long-term. This...

Just about every war movie—famously, Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers—includes dramatic scenes of soldiers trying to attack an enemy pillbox or trench. Gordon L. Rottman, who became expert in these tactics whilst serving in the Vietnam War, explains and illustrates the kit and techniques used in assaulting fortifications in World War II Infantry Assault Tactics. He covers the...

Despite all technological advances, final mastery of any battlefield depends upon the tight-knit group of footsoldiers trained to manoeuvre, shoot and dig in. This first of a two-part study examines the methods by which the Western infantry of World War II—the German, British and US armies—actually brought their firepower to bear. Drawing upon period training manuals for the evolving theory,...

A Vietnam veteran explains the composition, capabilities, equipment and missions of the US Army and Marine Corps helicopter and airmobile units in the Vietnam war - and exactly how they carried out their missions. This compact, yet detailed volume centres on the classic airmobile assault mission: how it was planned and prepared; how the troop-carrying “slicks” and their “gunship” escorts...

The SAS 1983–2014 is a compelling exploration by Special Forces expert Leigh Neville, offering an illustrated history of the SAS since the Falklands War. This comprehensive account includes details of their operations in the Gulf War and the War on Terror. Renowned for their exceptional training and skill, the SAS are regarded as one of the premier Special Forces units...

Fully illustrated, this book investigates the articulated plate armour worn by Roman legionaries. First named by Renaissance historians studying the reliefs on Trajan’s Column, lorica segmentata evaded successful attempts to reconstruct it until a series of important archaeological finds in the 20th century revealed how it worked and the truth of its extended chronology. The earliest finds date from the...

This illustrated study lifts the veil on the gladiators of ancient Rome, who provided a bloody spectacle for the people of the Eternal City and its vast empire. By the start of the Principate in 27 BC, the gladiator games were a long-standing part of the social and political life of Rome and its sprawling empire. In the wake of...

Soviet Naval Infantry 1917–91, drawing upon Soviet sources, assesses the evolving organisation, uniforms, insignia, weaponry, and personal equipment of Soviet naval infantry units from 1917 to 1991. Featuring eight plates of specially commissioned artwork alongside carefully chosen archive photographs, this study charts the history and appearance of the Soviet Union’s naval infantry, from the October Revolution to the end of...

A careful examination of the development of infantry tactics from the late sixteenth to middle seventeenth century. Throughout the 17th century, large parts of Europe were depopulated during the wide-ranging and savage wars of religion and dynasty, involving all of the major powers. This was therefore a key period in the development of 'modern' infantry tactics, such as the use...

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...

In March 1642, King Charles I, believing that Parliament had gone too far when it issued the Grand Remonstrance, moved to arrest John Pym and four other leaders. That summer, Parliament, fearing military action, tried to seize control of the army by issuing orders for soldiers to report to Parliamentary rather than royal representatives. The King countered by ordering the...

This title features up-to-date historical and archaeological research into the mysterious and powerful confederations of raiders who troubled the Eastern Mediterranean in the last half of the Bronze Age. Research into the origins of the so-called Shardana, Shekelesh, Danuna, Lukka, Peleset and other peoples is a detective 'work in progress'. However, it is known that they both provided the Egyptian...

Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, the story of the perilous glider assaults carried out by the men who sometimes led and sometimes followed World War II paratroopers onto their objectives. Military gliders came of age in World War II, when glider assault infantry were the forerunners of today’s helicopter-delivered airmobile troops. From the light pre-war sports and training machines, several...

Besides continuing a long history of worldwide peacekeeping, the commitment of US troops to the Gulf reunified the country and restored a national pride lost in the aftermath of Vietnam. It also proved that the US armed forces were again the most capable military force in the world. This volume by veteran Osprey author Gordon L. Rottman focuses on the...

During the Middle Ages, siege warfare played a vital role in military strategy. Sieges were far more numerous than pitched battles, ranging from small-scale affairs against palisaded earthworks to full-scale assaults on vast strongholds. Needless to say, the art of siege warfare assumed a unique importance to both invader and defender alike. In Medieval Siege Warfare, Christopher Gravett explores the...

Established in 1932, the Vozdushno-desantnye voyska (‘air-landing forces’, or VDV) of the Red Army led the way in airborne doctrine and practice. Though they were initially handicapped by a lack of infrastructure, due in part to a turbulent political climate in the 1930s, they still conducted major drops during World War II, including at the Dnepr River in September 1943....

Featuring specially commissioned artwork and archive illustrations, this engrossing study describes the US Marine Corps’ early operations and illustrates its evolving uniforms and personal equipment. The US Marine Corps 1775–1859 details the Corps' uniforms, personal equipment, insignia, and weaponry, all beautifully illustrated and described. It also complements this with a succinct history of the Marines’ military record from their beginnings...

An illustrated study of Rome’s key enemies from the Late Principate and Dominate: the western Visigoths and the eastern Ostrogoths. The Goths were a Germanic people who, under pressure from the Huns, migrated during the 2nd century AD to the Balkans, where they split into the Visigoths to the west, and the Ostrogoths to the east. After first raiding and...