OSPREY ROUNDUP

By John Prigent

First off this month is a heads-up alert for a new modelling series from Osprey. No, this is not a revival of the Osprey Modelling Manuals but a completely new set of books written by people whose names you’ll know as experts. The first two, which should be in UK shops by the time you read this but may take longer to reach North American retailers, are Modelling the Messerschmitt Bf 110 by Brett Green and Modelling the Harrier I and II by Glenn Ashley. Both should be on their way to IM’s editor for review, and may even have arrived in time for this issue – pause for editorial comment (grin!). I’ll leave comment on aircraft books to him since I haven’t built a winged model for many years.

Following them in November will be Modelling the F-4 Phantom II by Geoff Coughlin and Modelling the M3/M5 Stuart Light Tank by Steve Zaloga. I’m really looking forward to the latter and will send IM a full review.

OK, now for the latest releases. First, New Vanguard 85, M60 Main Battle Tank 1960-91 by R Lathrop & J McDonald, illustrated by Jim Laurier, ISBN 1-84176-551-1.

Here we have a neat history of the M60’s development out of the M48, together with its specialised variants – engineer and bridging tanks – and of course the M60A2 “Starship”. An interesting section on Life With The M60 is followed by one detailing the upgrades of the 1970s, and the book includes some useful photographs. What lets it down is that Jim Laurier was evidently not given enough information to make the plates interesting. Even the USMC M60A1 in Desert Storm, 1991, is only shown in plain sand with chevron identity markings and no unit identification is given although there are plenty of photographs of the USMC tanks with names on their guns and their units identified. To balance this there is a good colour plate of the General Dynamics S102, basically an improved M60 fitted with an Abrams turret which would make an interesting model. Recommended with reservations.

New Vanguard 80, Chieftain Main Battle Tank 1965-2003, by Simon Dunstan, illustrated by Peter Sarson, ISBN 1-84176-719-0.

This is much better. Not only do we get a development history and technical description but also a detailed listing of the differences between the several Marks of the Chieftain – which runs to no fewer than six pages of text, so you can tell exactly what to do to the existing kits to model the version you want. The excellent photographs have clear captions pointing out those differences too, and there are some interior shots to let you scratchbuild at least a partial interior to avoid the dreaded “empty inside” look if you leave the hatches open. The special purpose variants are described in fair detail too, and included among the plates. Those plates do show tanks with full markings for identified units, including the Kuwaiti Mark 5/2K used in Desert Storm. Highly recommended.

Elite 94, American Civil War Commanders (4) Confederate Leaders in the West, by Philip Katcher, illustrated by Richard Hook.

This one lives up to its predecessors in the mini-series, with potted biographies, contemporary illustrations and colour plates showing all the Confederate Generals of the Western campaigns that I’d heard of and several that I hadn’t as well. Another “must buy” for all ACW fans.

Men-at-Arms 391, The British Army in World War I (1) The Western Front 1914-16, by Mike Chappel with illustrations by the author, ISBN 1-84176-399-3.

This book – and its followers in the planned mini-series - is simply unmissable if WWI interests you either as historian or modeller. Organisation, weapons, tactics and uniforms, they’re all here. The tanks get only a brief mention, since this isn’t their period, but the Royal Flying Corps is covered together with the infantry and gunners. The photographs in this one are, for me, a supplement to Mr Chappell’s superb colour plates rather than the plates supplementing the photographs. Very highly recommended indeed!

Campaign 129, Operation Barbarossa 1941(1) Army Group South, by Robert Kirchubel, illustrated by Howard Gerrard, ISBN 1-84176-697-6.

This follows the usual Campaign format, with brief descriptions of the opposing commanders, their plans and their armies followed by 61 pages describing the course of the fighting. Maps and bird’s-eye-view battlefield plans let you understand what happened, where and when, and the battle plates are atmospheric while the photographs include a good number of shots taken in action. Recommended.

New Vanguard 84, German Light Cruisers 1939-45, by Gordon Williamson, illustrated by Ian Palmer, ISBN 1-84176-503-1.

The Kreigsmarine only had six light cruisers, and all of them are given their due here. Descriptions of each are followed by their wartime modifications (where they survived long enough to have any), their service and combat histories and their eventual fates. The photographs are good and the colour plates include a variety of camouflage schemes to delight ship modellers. Recommended. Now, Osprey, when do we get the corresponding series on Allied warships?

Elite 95, World War II Medal of Honor Recipients (2) Army & Air Corps, by S Sinton & R Hargis, illustrated by R Bujeiro, ISBN 1-84176-614-3.

This second volume on the Medal of Honor winners includes really stirring stories. Yes, a certain Audie Murphy is here but so are many others who deserve to be remembered. Highly recommended.

Essential Histories, The First World War, The War to End All Wars, by Peter Simkins, Geoffrey Jukes & Michael Hickey, ISBN 1-84176-738-7.

My final book is a compendium made up of Essential Histories 13, 14, 22 and 23. Between them the whole war is covered on the Western, Eastern and Mediterranean fronts – no mean feat in a book of 341 pages excluding the bibliography and index. If you don’t have the individual books this is an excellent guide to the course of the fighting and the background to each campaign. Recommended - especially to anyone stuck with WWI as an examination subject!