 Campaign
136, Meiktila 1945, The battle to liberate Burma, by Edward M Young, illustrated
by Howard Gerrard, ISBN 1-84176-698-4, 96 pages.
Here’s the story of how the “forgotten” XIVth Army defeated
the Japanese in Burma in 1945. Indian Army infantry and tank regiments
formed the major part of the Army, and their role is fully acknowledged
as well as that of the British troops. The course of the campaign is excellently
described and there are good photographs of men and tanks as well as colour
plates and maps. It’s noteworthy that much of the fighting was outside
the jungles that we normally think of as composing the whole area –
diorama builders wanting to produce “Burma” Shermans or Lees
will need to see these photos.
Recommended.
Elite 101, Austrian Commanders of the Napoleonic  Wars
1792-1815, by David Hollins, illustrated by Christopher Rothero, ISBN
1-84176-664-X, 48 pages.
This is in the usual style of Osprey’s “Commanders of...”
books, giving potted biographies and battle histories of all the major
commanders and many of those who are not generally known. The Archduke
Charles is here of course, with Schwarzenberg, Mack and Radetzky, but
so for example are Belgian and Irish officers who served Austria. All
of them are shown by contemporary illustrations and Mr Rothero’s
colour plates, making a great display for figure modellers looking to
go beyond the usual French and British figures of the period. Recommended.
Men-at-Arms 409, The Hussite Wars 1419-36, by Stephen Turnbull, illustrated
by Angus McBride, ISBN 1-84176-665-8, 48 pages.
 Here’s
another great book for figure modellers as well as anyone interested in
late medieval history! The Hussite Wars began with a doomed attempt in
Bohemia at an early Reformation, which led to the Hussites being declared
heretics and a crusade being launched against them. The famous war-waggons
featured largely in their tactics, and there’s enough information
here for one to be modelled. Combine that with Angus McBride’s usual
gorgeous plates showing them and their opponents, and with the contemporary
illustrations and modern photographs of surviving items, and you have
the makings of a really unusual diorama. Highly recommended!
New Vanguard 90, Napoleonic Naval Armaments 1792-1815, by Chris Henry,
illustrated by Brian Delf, ISBN 1-84176-635-6, 48 pages.
Hornblower,  Jack
Aubrey in Master and Commander, Richard Bolitho, Nicholas Ramage –
fans of all of them will find this book interesting. It deals with the
cannon and carronades of British, French and Spanish ships-of-war, and
doesn’t leave out the ammunition, swivel guns, small arms and even
rockets. The main concentration is on British equipments and their use,
with the differences in French and Spanish guns and tactics explained
more briefly since the basics were the same. There are some places where
photograph captions have been accidentally switched around: the page 3
caption belongs on page 11, that on page 5 belongs on page 3, that on
page 7 belongs on page 5, and the page 11 caption should be on page 7.
Nevertheless this is a useful primer on naval guns and gunnery, well worth
adding to your bookshelf as long as you keep the captions straight in
your mind.
Elite 108, Spanish Guerillas in the Peninsular War 1808-14, by Rene
Chartrand, illustrated by Richard Hook, ISBN 1-84176-629-1, 64 pages.
 Anyone
who’s read about the Peninsular War in history books or the Sharpe
novels knows about the bestial behaviour of some French troops and the
response of the Spanish guerrillas. However, although many guerrillas
fought purely for revenge many others fought for patriotism and the full
story of how they were recruited and organised is here. Yes, they were
organised, not just a collection of small mobs in local areas but a real
army in their own right. In fact some of their leaders went on to high
command in the Spanish army after the war, sometimes with their guerrillas
converted into regular army units. Tactics, regional clothing, weapons,
and co-operation with British and Spanish army units is covered and potted
biographies of the major guerrilla leaders are given. There are plenty
of contemporary illustrations here as well as great colour plates, so
figure modellers will find inspiration for some unusual figures. Recommended!
 Campaign
135, Monmouth Courthouse 1778, The last great battle in the North, by
Brendan Morrissey, illustrated by Adam Hook, ISBN 1-84176-772-7, 94 pages.
Monmouth Courthouse was the last major battle in the Northern campaign
of the War of Independence, and it given full justice here. The campaign
is too complex to summarise, but began with what was effectively a running
fight as British forces withdrew from Philadelphia and culminated in an
attempt at encircling them. The excellent text is accompanied by clear
maps and birds’-eye-views, and there are good contemporary illustrations
as well as modern paintings and photographs. The colour plates are very
good, too. Recommended.
Elite 105, World War II Infantry Tactics, Squad and Platoon, by Dr Stephen
Bull, illustrated by Mike Chappell & Brian Delf, ISBN 1-84176-662-3,
64 pages.
 This
is an interesting book for anyone wanting to know how the infantry fought.
It looks at training methods, squad and platoon organisations and tactical
doctrines in the British, German and US armies and shows how they differed
in both attack and defence. Weapons and field entrenchments are covered
too, and the book allows some interesting comparisons to be made in the
ways that organisation and weapons affected the different armies’
tactics at this level. This is the first book of a two-part study, so
the second will presumably look at the higher formation levels. Recommended.
Fortress 20, British Home Defences 1940-45, by Bernard Lowry, illustrated
by Chris Taylor & Vincent Boulanger, ISBN 1-84176-767-0,64 pages.
When Britain “stood alone” against Germany in 1940 there was
a clear risk of invasion but not much in  the
way of forces to meet it. Although many troops had been evacuated from
Dunkirk and Calais they had had to abandon much transport and most of
their tanks and artillery. The home defence forces therefore needed not
only new equipment but also fixed fortifications to give them some chance
of resisting invading troops. It is sometimes thought that these were
only constructed in the southern counties, but actually they were all
over Britain. Pillboxes were built from concrete or brick to a number
of designs, some with walls so thin that even small-calibre artillery
could have penetrated them and to designs that offered little protection
– but in the emergency haste was essential. The Home Guard was formed,
and so were some secret stay-behind groups whose chances of survival would
have been slender. Here are brief details of the anti-invasion plans,
various types of pillbox, gun emplacements, and even steel cupolas for
light machine guns. Anyone building a “home front” diorama for
troops between 1940 and 1945 will find here the information needed for
authentic pillboxes etc. Recommended.
 Fortress
19, Crusader Castles of the Teutonic Knights (2), The stone castle of
Latvia and Estonia 1185-1560, by Stephen Turnbull, illustrated by Peter
Dennis, ISBN 1-84176-712-3, 64 pages.
This second volume about the Teutonic Knights’ castles actually
begins with those of the Swordbrothers who preceded them. This was not
a particularly successful Order and was effectively absorbed by the Teutonic
Order. The castles built to defend Latvia and Estonia had their own peculiarities
and differed in many respects from the main Teutonic castles in Germany
itself. This book describes and illustrates most of them as well as dealing
with some of the Order’s battles. Anyone interested in castles will
find it as fascinating as are the other “castle” books in this
series. Recommended!
Elite 103, Vietnam ANZACs, Australian & New Zealand Troops in Vietnam
1962-72, by Kevin Lyles with illustrations by the author, ISBN 1-84176-702-6,
64 pages.
 Here’s
a great book for anyone modelling the Vietnam War or simply proud of their
ANZAC heritage. It deals with Australian involvement from the earliest
days of military advisors to the involvement of Centurion tanks and final
withdrawal, as well as with the New Zealanders from their first deployment
to the end. Uniforms and equipment are discussed in detail. Contrary to
popular belief they weren’t exclusively equipped with US uniforms
and guns, and the Australian and New Zealand patterns are given plenty
of coverage. Victoria Cross winners are given their due, and the SAS gets
good coverage too. Highly recommended!
My thanks as always to Osprey for the review books. If you don’t
have a local stockist these books can be ordered online direct.
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