Osprey Roundup

New Vanguard 113, M3 Lee/Grant Medium Tank 1941-45, by Steven J Zaloga, illustrated by Hugh Johnson, ISBN 1-84176-889-8, 48 pages

This is a good one! Mr Zaloga begins by describing the M3’s forerunners the M2 and M2A1 medium tanks with their 37mm turret guns and hulls festooned in machine guns. Evidence from the Spanish Civil War and the fall of France had proved that thicker armour and a heavier main gun were needed, so the improved M3 Lee resulted. It now had a 75mm gun in the right sponson and fewer machine guns. The British wanted the radio to be in the turret, so a new cast one was developed and M3s with this were known as Grants. Both Lees and Grants were provided to Britain under Lend-Lease but the US Army used only Lees.

Their arrival in North Africa came as a nasty shock to the Germans, who were now faced with a tank that could penetrate theirs at much longer ranges than the British 2 pounder and could also lob a useful high explosive round at anti-tank guns and infantry. M3 gun tanks did not see use in mainland Europe though they gave good service in Burma and the Pacific against Japanese tanks.

All the hull and engine variants of the gun tanks are described, as well as all the non-gun tank versions from tank retrievers and Canal Defence Lights to the M12 with its 155mm gun. Service with the Soviet and Australian armies is also covered. The photographs are clear and have excellent captions, and the colour plates show US, British and Soviet M3s. Highly recommended!

Men-at-Arms 425, Roman Military Clothing (3) AD 400-640, by Raffaele D’Amato, illustrated by Graham Sumner, ISBN 1-84176-843-X, 48 pages

There’s only one word to describe the clothes shown here – sumptuous! The average peacock pales into insignificance, and everything has been meticulously researched with sources given to figure modellers can rely on it. Here we have all the late Roman articles of military dress described clearly and shown in photographs and drawings of surviving items and of wall paintings and mosaics. Not only that, but a Latin/Greek glossary of the terms used so you can learn while you enjoy the book. Armour is not covered specifically, but some is shown in the illustrations and plates. Those plates are among Graham Sumner’s best yet, and have to be seen to be appreciated – these are real people, not dummies dressed up. Very highly recommended!

Warrior 95, Japanese Infantryman 1937-45, Sword of the Empire, by Gordon L Rottman, illustrated by Michael Welply, ISBN 1-84176-818-9, 64 pages

This one follows the usual Warrior format in following a typical soldier from recruitment to the end of his career. Much of the information will be new to most readers, but the main meat for me was not in the soldier’s career but in the detailed descriptions of infantry clothing and equipment. Here is everything you need to know to paint Japanese WW2 figures, from clothing colours to when web gear was issued to replace leather. This is an essential reference for Pacific Campaign modellers who want to show accurate Japanese soldiers. Highly recommended.

Elite 113, US Navy SEALs, by Mir Bahmanyar, illustrated by Michael Welply, ISBN 1-84176-807-3, 64 pages

I now have a copy of the book as it will be published on 10th August. The only difference I can find is that the cover photograph has been changed so here’s the review I originally wrote, repeated to save you looking back a couple of months: Here’s an interesting book for anyone intrigued by modern US Special Forces. Everything is covered, from organisation to training and weapon systems, but the main meat is in the descriptions of SEAL combat actions from Urgent Fury to Iraqi Freedom. Readers may end with the feeling that the SEAL reputation is overblown, but my instinct tells me that the early failures are outweighed by the stuff that Mr Baymanyar isn’t allowed to tell us about – high security does have its downside since the lessons were learned but we can’t know how they are now applied. What is fascinating is to read about the deployment of SEALs into Afghanistan, on the face of it an unlikely environment for them but one where they fought some hard actions.

Fortress 33, Special Forces Camps in Vietnam 1961-70, by Gordon L Rottman, illustrated by Chris Taylor, ISBN 1-84176-839-1, 64 pages

Mr Rottman writes with considerable authority about these camps, having served in Vietnam with 5th Special Forces Group and used some of them. Here he sets out the different layouts used and the types of fortification possible in differing Viet terrain– would you believe floating fortified camps? They did exist. He discusses how the camps were used and how they were defended, and gives three interesting examples of attacks upon them. If you’re a figure modeller wanting accurate setting for Special Forces figures, or a tank modeller wishing to build a PT-76 in action, this book is a Godsend. Recommended.

New Vanguard 105, British Artillery 1914-19, Heavy Artillery, by Dale Calorie, illustrated by Brian Delf, ISBN 1-84176-788-3, 48 pages

We’re not exactly inundated by kits of these artillery pieces, so let’s hope this book encourages manufacturers to produce some as they’re great model subjects. What we have here is very complete view of British heavy artillery in World War I – how the branch was organised, how it expanded, how it fought and, most importantly, what all the different guns were used for. Every type I’ve ever heard of is described and illustrated by period photographs and/or the great colour plates. Recommended to all artillery buffs!

Campaign 157, Trafalgar 1805 Nelson’s Crowning Victory, by Gregory Fremont-Barnes, illustrated by Christa Hook, ISBN 1-84176-892-8, 96 pages

In the bicentennial year of Trafalgar we must have a book about the sea campaign, and Osprey has done it proud. It covers the British, French and Spanish fleet dispositions before the Trafalgar campaign itself, and goes on to explain how the ships moved hither and yon in response to orders (on the Franco/Spanish side) and the enemies’ believed movements (on the British side). Communication was not exactly fast in those days so even when a frigate sighted the enemy sailing from harbour in one direction they might well have gone on a completely different course by the time a report could reach the admiral – and that’s what happened here, causing Nelson to spend time chasing phantoms. This led to a fruitless chase across the Atlantic following one into the Mediterranean, before the combined fleets were finally tracked to Cadiz. All the details are here, so you can follow all three fleets up to the final battle off Cape Trafalgar. The battle itself is of course described in detail, and so is its aftermath in the famous storm that sank most of the captured ships and the follow-up victory of Sir Richard Strachan on 2 November 1805 when he captured three of the line-of-battle ships that had escaped from Trafalgar. The period illustrations are well chosen and the colour plates are excellently atmospheric as well as repaying close study for their details. Highly recommended.

Warrior 100, Nelson’s Sailors, by Gregory Fremont-Barnes, illustrated by Steve Noon, ISBN 1-84176-906-1, 64 pages

To go with the Trafalgar title Mr Fremont-Barns has produced this one about the British sailors that took part in it (French seamen were covered in Osprey Warrior 97, French Warship Crews 1789-1805, From the French Revolution to Trafalgar, by Terry Crowdy, reviewed in the May 2005 Internet Modeler).
Here is a wealth of information from recruitment (not all by the famous pressgang, there were plenty of volunteers) and shipboard life to the quality (or lack of it) of food, punishments, the treatment of the sick and wounded, and of course battles. There’s nothing on training as such, since it was carried out on the job. Some of the period illustrations do show a rather romanticised view of Jack Tar, not uncommon among landsmen at the time, but others are a very good guide to his appearance and the colour plates are really good. Highly recommended!

Men-at-Arms 426, The Confederate Army 1861-65 (2) Florida, Alabama and Georgia, by Ron Field, illustrated by Richard Hook, ISBN 1-84176-850-2, 48 pages

Part 2 of the Confederate Army series deals with the Militias, Volunteers and State Troops of the listed states. There are many period photographs, showing some fascinating details of dress, and the plates show even more. There’s plenty of variety here, and some surprisingly colourful uniforms to delight figure painters. Recommended to all with an interest in the Civil War as well as to figure modellers.

Fortress 34, Japanese Fortified Temples and Monasteries AD 710 – 1602, by Stephen Turnbull, illustrated by Peter Dennis, ISBN 1-84176826-X, 64 pages

Warrior 70 dealt with the famous Warrior Monks, and here is the story of how they became warriors and defended their temples. The original simple fortifications were erected ad hoc when an attack was made upon them, but the monks soon expanded into large fighting forces that needed strong fortified bases. Their temples therefore tended to be sited in natural defensive positions and, although not themselves castles, they were effectively surrounded by castle walls and gates. Here we have the details of how the temples were laid out within their compounds and how the fortifications around them were built and defended. After the descriptions of these design features we get seven detailed examinations of specific temples on different types of site, followed by a description of life within the compounds and a selection of the sieges and attacks made against them. It’s all accompanied by period illustrations and by photographs of temple buildings, models of their original fortifications, and superb birds’-eye-view plates showing what they looked like in their heyday. Like all Stephen Turnbull’s books, highly recommended!

Campaign 155, Anzio 1944 The beleaguered beachhead, by Steven J Zaloga, illustrated by Peter Dennis, ISBN 1-84176-913-4, 96 pages

This is a very detailed account of the fighting at Anzio, including Naval matters such as the German use of guided weapons that forced the bombardment ships to move away at night. The landing itself was effectively unopposed, but, due to its small scale and the clashes of personalities involved that led to unclear instructions, the troops did not move inland to cut off the German forces at Cassino. Here we read the full story, with ever-stronger German counterattacks and Allied reinforcements producing high casualties on both sides. After reading this unbiased account I am left with the impression that if the original beachhead had been extended to cut off Cassino the result would have been disaster – but read it yourself and decide if you think the risk would have succeeded. A good selection of photographs are supplemented by birds’-eye-views, maps and plates to complete your understanding of the campaign. Highly recommended.

Elite 128, Samurai Commanders (2) 1577-1638, by Stephen Turnbull, illustrated by Richard Hook, ISBN 1-84176-744-1, 64 pages

The second volume of this mini-series covers the most famous commanders and their subordinates during the period of heavy fighting that led to the reunification of Japan. Their biographies are fascinating, and brief accounts of their main battles and campaigns are included. The book throws light on their personal armour too – Japanese armour was by no means a static design and this period saw the introduction of firearms to force new armour designs. Period illustrations and modern photographs of high-quality statues are backed up by some really good plates to give figure modellers an excellent reference for personality figures. Very highly recommended.

Campaign 154, Acre 1291 Bloody sunset of the Crusader states, by David Nicolle, illustrated by Graham Turner, ISBN 1-84176-862-6, 96 pages

This book is not just about the fall of the city of Acre but deals with the whole political and military situation of the last Crusader footholds in the Middle East – even the Moslem concerns about the Christian kingdoms in Nubia are covered. The chapters about Crusader and Moslem rulers and leaders make fascinating reading by themselves, and it’s not surprising given the Crusaders’ politics that they were unable to resist conquest. What is slightly surprising is that the Moslem side ever got its act together, given the number of assassinations and other changes of rulers. The whole period is confusing to the general reader, and this book makes it so much clearer that I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone interested in Middle Eastern history.

Highly recommended.

Osprey Modelling 7, Modelling the De Havilland Mosquito, by Roy Sutherland, ISBN 1-84176-765-4, 80 pages

This is excellent! After a brief history of the real plane there’s an introductory rundown on the kits available in 1/72 and 1/48 scales, and accessories for them. There are only four builds, but all are very good indeed. First is the Tamiya 1/48 B Mk IV with a Paragon bulged bomb bay and other aftermarket items – exhausts, mudguards, tailwheel, and photoetch. All the processes are clearly described and shown in good photographs. Next comes a conversion of Tamiya’s 1/72 FB Mk VI to an NF Mk XIII, mostly by scratchbuilding details. Again, everything is clearly described and illustrated. The third build reverts to 1/48 scale and converts the Tamiya kit to a PR Mk XVI by adding parts from the Airfix 1/48 NF Mk XXX, as well as a Cutting Edge cockpit set, and more scratchbuilding. The final build converts the Tamiya 1/48 NF Mk XIII to an NF Mk XIX and incorporates more aftermarket resin and etched parts as well as, you guessed it, scratchbuilt details. This one shows how to achieve the look of a Mossy that flew through the fireball of an exploding German bomber – very different and very well done. Do I need to say that both the last builds are also well described and illustrated? My only disappointment in the book is that the painting was done with custom-mixed Tamiya acrylics but there’s no mention of the mixes used. Very highly recommended!