Osprey Roundup

By John Prigent

Men-at-Arms 402, The British Army in World War I (2) The Western Front 1916-18, by Mike Chappell with plates by the author, ISBN 1-84176-400-0, 48 pages.

The second book of this set deals admirably with the second half of the Great War on the Western Front. All arms are here, from infantry to tanks, the Royal Flying Corps and the Naval Brigade and even the Womens’ Services. The text concentrates on organisation, tactics and weapons with very good descriptions, leaving uniform coverage to the great selection of photographs and excellent plates, all with very informative captions. This is definitely one for the bookshelf if WWI is among your fields of interest – recommended!

Elite 118, German Commanders of World War II (1) Army, by Gordon Williamson, illustrated by Malcolm McGregor, ISBN 104176-596-1, 64 pages.

24 of the best-known German commanders are covered here, from Field Marshalls to battalion commanders, and all arms are included. They all get potted biographies, photographs and colour plates so modellers can use this as a very handy reference for figures from Kleist to Bake, making it very useful for command groups and individual tank commanders such as Bake. Recommended.

New Vanguard 106, V-1 Flying Bomb 1942-52, Hitler’s infamous “doodlebug”, by Steve J Zaloga, illustrated by Jim Laurier, ISBN 1-84176-791-3, 48 pages.

Steve Zaloga deals here with the whole history of the Doodlebug from the early designs to combat use. Actual live firings were not exactly successful in the early days, with more crashes on takeoff than completed flights, and the guidance system was so primitive that the expectation was only for 90% of rounds to hit within 6 miles of the target. It was news to me that there were several versions of the unmanned bomb, but the descriptions of the changes are given together with drawings showing how to distinguish them. The piloted versions are here as well, both the trainers and the “live rounds”. There are plenty of photographs and the plates are very good, so this is an excellent reference for modellers. Both ground bases and air-launched operations are included, as well as postwar development by the US and USSR. Recommended!

Osprey Modelling 14, Modelling the M113 Series, by Graeme Davidson, ISBN 1-84176-822-7, 82 pages.

The latest Osprey Modelling title covers not the M113 itself but some of its more interesting derivatives. A Dutch YPR-765 PRAT antitank vehicle is built from the AFV Club YPR765, upgraded to the latest standard and fitted with a TOW mount converted from the FIST-V setup in Academy’s Fire Support Team Vehicle. Then there’s a South Korean K263 antiaircraft vehicle, using a modified Academy KIFV and an Academy Vulcan turret. More difficult is a Danish Army M92 PNMK, built with the leftover Academy FIST-V hull and an Accurate Armour M92 conversion set, plus scratchbuilt corrugated appliqué armour. Moving up a step in difficulty is a scratchbuilt Italian quad- 25mm antiaircraft turret mated to the Academy Vulcan hull, itself heavily modified and with scratchbuilt details. Fortunately there’s a Historica conversion now for the turret to make life easier! The final build is a Lynx C&R Vehicle, built from a Hobby Fan kit with plenty of scratchbuilding too.

All the work is clearly described and shown in good photographs, and there are very full painting notes are given with suggested colours for all the models plus the usual paint card at the back of the book. Recommended!

Elite 116, Napoleon’s Imperial Headquarters (2) On campaign, by Ronal Pawley, illustrated by Patrice Courcelle, ISBN 1-84176-794-8, 64 pages.

The second book of this set deals with the campaign uniforms an organisation of the Imperial HQ, noticeably different from the Paris arrangements. Here we get descriptions of the staff’s life on campaign as well as the Emperor’s. Plenty of contemporary portraits and paintings are backed up by excellent plates, the latter even showing the layout of Napoleon’s tented camp in Russia. Great stuff for figure modellers wanting to put more than one or two IHQ figures together with a correct background – recommended!

Warrior 88, British Light Infantryman of the Seven Years’ War, North America 1757-63, by Ian M McCulloch & Tim J Todish, illustrated by Steve Noon, ISBN 1-84176-733-6, 64 pages.

Here’s another excellent reference work covering everything you could ask for – recruitment, uniforms and equipment, training, tactics, barrack life, campaign life, and battles. There are many contemporary illustrations of the men as well as modern ones and of course some very good plates. Recommended to everyone interested in the period.

Elite 121, Ancient Siege Warfare, Persians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans 546 – 146 BC, by Duncan C Campbell, illustrated by Adam Hook, ISBN 1-84176-770-0,64 pages.

This is a great book for lovers of the Ancient period. Sieges, and the machine and tactics used in them, are described from Cyrus of Persia through Classical Greece, Carthage, and Alexander the Great to Republican Rome. It’s definitely not a “uniform book” (though the illustrations do show the soldiers) but one that tells you how sieges were conducted and sometimes repelled. There’s a lot of information from archaeological digs, and photos from them too, as well as drawings of equipment and both maps and photographs of significant terrain and fortifications. The plates are reconstructions of famous sieges, very well done. Very highly recommended!

Men-at-Arms 421, The Sikh Army 1799-149, by Ian Heath, illustrated by Michael Perry, ISBN 1-84176-777-8, 48 pages.

Wow! This book really fills a gap in the uniformography of India. It does not cover the history and battles of the Sikh state that emerged after the effective collapse of the Moghul Empire, but concentrates on the men and their recruitment, conditions of service, and uniforms. And what a colourful sight they made, ranging from bare-chested zealots and mail-armoured horsemen to line infantry and artillery in almost European uniforms. These were not “rear-echelon peacocks” but fighting men with a great record, and they are splendidly described and shown here. I simply cannot praise this book to highly to anyone interested in the armies of India, either as modeller or for historical interest, or of course to Sikhs. Very highly recommended!

Warrior 79, US Doughboy 1916-19, by Thomas A Hoff, illustrated by Adam Hook, ISBN 1084176-676-3, 64 pages.

Here is the Doughboy of World War I. Everything is described, from recruitment and training to combat experience. The contemporary photographs give a real feel for how the men looked and the conditions they fought under, and the atmospheric plates reinforce them. Equipment and transport are shown too, and one photograph even shows how the compulsory wearing of gas masks all day in some stages of training could have benefits – the man is peeling onions! Recommended.