Osprey Roundup

Reviewed By John Prigent

There wasn’t a Roundup for January because nothing reached me from Osprey, there were only a few books published in December so they combined the two months. So this month I’ll look at both months’ books.

New Vanguard 83, Armored Units of the Russian Civil War, White and Allied, by D Bullock and A Deryabin, illustrated by A Aksenov, ISBN 1-84176-544-9, 48 pages.

Here’s a good book to use for alternative ideas on markings for WW1 tank models – the British Mark IV and V heavy tanks and the Medium A Whippet are available in plastic and so is the Renault FT, and there are a number resin kits of armoured cars are availablef rom East European makers. Coverage includes useful information about their deployment and use as well as a nice selection of contemporary photographs – and that’s just the first half of the book. The second half deals with armoured trains, and is just as good in text and photographic selection. The colour plates cover a good mix of armoured cars, tanks and armoured trains, with interesting markings, and there are text sections on colour schemes and markings as well as the usual extended captions for the plates. A second volume will deal with the Red Russian tanks, armoured cars and armoured trains. Highly recommended!

Fortress 17, Troy c. 1700-1250 BC, by Nic Fields, illustrated by D Spedaliere and S Sulemsohn Spedaliere, ISBN 1-84176-703-4, 64 pages.

The new Fortress title is fascinating! If you’ve seen the TV series with Michael Wood, or encountered the Homeric tale of the Iliad, already seen one of the films about the siege of Troy or simply want some background to the new film that we’ve all heard about, this is the book to get. Excellent explanatory text about the site and the successive cities that grew on top of each other’s ruins, and clear photographs of the archeological finds, is backed up by superb plates showing the reconstructed appearance of the city. Be prepared to pick holes in the film sets! Recommended to all fans of ancient history too, and of course extremely useful to modellers of Bronze Age Greek warriors who want them to have proper settings.

Warrior 72, Imperial Roman Legionary AD 161-284, by Ross Cowan, illustrated by Angus McBride, ISBN 1-84176-601-1, 64 pages.

Following earlier Osprey titles about the Legions’ clothing and equipment, here is a good book about the recruitment, training and battles of the Imperial Legionaries. Great stuff, detailed and informative! Angus McBride’s colour plates are as good as ever, and it’s worth buying the book just to have them. Very highly recommended to anyone interested in ancient Rome’s late Imperial period, either for its history or simply modelling the Legionaries.

Fortress 16, The Fortifications of Malta 1530-1945, by Charles Stephenson, illustrated by Steve Noon, ISBN 1-84176-693-3, 64 pages.

We’ve already had an Osprey Campaign title on the Siege of Malta by the Turks, and here is the detail of how the fortifications were laid out and built over a long period. The book starts with the arrival of the Knights Hospitaller on Malta and the forts and walls they built to hold off the Turks, then looks at the British additions in the 19th Century and finally at the works added in WW2. Anyone planning a holiday on Malta will find this book a splendid guide to the fortifications – there are far more to see than just those of Valetta. The plates and plans cover the whole period of interest, and are ably backed up by good photographs. Recommended for historic interest and modellers as well as to tourists!

Fortress 15, Germany’ West Wall, The Siegfried Line, by Neil Short, illustrated by Chris Taylor, ISBN 1-84176-678-X, 64 pages.

Perhaps a bit more esoteric than other Fortress titles but very interesting anyway, this is the story of how the Siegfried Line was built, garrisoned, defended, and eventually breached by the British and US Armies. Actually the building was slipshod in many places, and the author explains why its quality varied so much. The fortifications were ungarrisoned for much of the war period, and some of those that were occupied uncomfortable to say the least – read this book to find out why. Few modellers will want to reproduce an entire emplacement, but anyone wanting to know what a small area looked like for a diorama base will find these plates and photographs essential reference.

New Vanguard 92, Confederate Blockade Runner 1861-65, by Angus Konstam, illustrated by Tony Bryan, ISBN 1-84176-636-4, 48 pages.

Are you wondering why unarmed blockade runners should feature in the New Vanguard series? Well, they did serve during a war and many of the ones included here were owned by the Confederate government – which seem like good reasons to include them. The evolution of their designs from the beginning of the Union blockade to the end of the ACW is described, with some interesting accounts of how they operated. The contemporary illustrations are complemented by colour plates, whose commentaries give potted histories of each ship shown. Some captured ships even became Union blockaders! This is definitely one for ACW enthusiasts.

Men-at-Arms 400, Wellington’s Peninsular Regiments (2) The Light Infantry, by Mike Chappell with illustrations by the author, ISBN 1-84176-403-5, 48 pages.

No, this isn’t about the 95th Rifles. It deals with all the other light infantry units, both those raised in Britain and the Portuguese and other allied troops. The evolution of the “light infantry” idea is British service is described, with the training methods adopted and the units’ battle experiences in the Peninsula. Their uniforms are very well shown by the plates, as well as by contemporary illustrations and by later ones (whose errors are pointed out in their captions) and by photographs of surviving items. Recommended!

Campaign 124, Fair Oaks 1862, McClellan’s Peninsula campaign, by Angus Konstam, illustrated by Steve Noon, ISBN 1-84176-680-1, 96 pages.

This is a good addition to any ACW book collection, explaining how McClellan failed to capture Richmond and end the war at a stroke. The whole campaign is covered, including the Union landings at Fort Monroe to the siege of Yorktown and the battle of Williamsburg before the main two-day action at Five Oaks. The plates and contemporary illustrations give a good idea of the terrain, field fortifications and uniforms, and the battlemaps and bird’s-eye views make everything clear. Recommended.