Backlist > History > Military History

Field of Glory Napoleonic is being designed in an approachable and easy-to-learn manner to allow players to concentrate on realistic deployments and battlefield tactics of the early modern era. Our aim is to capture the atmosphere of battles ranging from the early wars of the French Republic through the rise of Bonaparte and the Grande Armee, to the Empire's last stand at Waterloo. This period is an ever-popular gaming period, and wargamers enjoy playing both historical battles and 'what-if' scenarios. FOGN will cater for bo... read more

In 1965, soon after the first US combat troops had arrived in Vietnam, it was realized that in some areas the Viet Cong had developed vast tunnel complexes in which to hide from the enemy. It was long known that such complexes existed, but it was not realized just how extensive they were in some areas, how important they were to the Viet Cong, and how difficult it was to detect and neutralize them.Most complexes were not nearly as developed and extensive as the famous tunnels of Cu Chi, but nonetheless they caused difficulties for ... read more

When war broke out between the United States and Great Britain in 1812, neither side was prepared for the conflict, as evidenced by their respective fortifications. The most sophisticated and modern fortifications were those built by the US Corps of Engineers to protect some of the main port cities. These included Fort Mifflin in Philadelphia, Fort McHenry in Baltimore and Castle William in New York. The British also heavily fortified their main harbor at Halifax and their main center of power at Quebec. However, elsewhere, esp... read more

The Lee-Enfield is one of the 20th century's most recognizable and longest-serving military rifles. It was adopted by the British Army in 1895 and only replaced by the L1A1 SLR in 1957; even then a sniper variant, the L42A1, was used until 1989, giving a service life of nearly a century. It saw combat from the Boer War onwards, and thousands are still in use today, notably by the Taliban in Afghanistan; it is estimated that 17 million have been produced. The Lee-Enfield featured an innovative detachable ten-round magazine; this... read more

The US Marine Corps formed six tank battalions in World War II which saw combat in some of the most varied and extreme conditions of the Pacific theater. The Marine tank battalions fought on small coral atolls such as Tarawa, in the fetid jungles of the south west Pacific including Guadalcanal, in the lush central Pacific islands of the Marianas such as Saipan and Guam, and on the volcanic deserts of the Bonin islands such as Iwo Jima. The tank equipment of the Marine Corps was essentially the same as that used by the US Army: ... read more

A collection of deeply personal accounts of soldiers and their families who were involved firsthand in one the defining events in New Zealand history. Using the soldier's service files, Keith Scott presents a keyhole study of the character, background, fortunes and fate of the men from Central Otago who went to war together.

December 2011 sees the premier of Steven Spielberg's much anticipated film, "War Horse", which is the most popular piece of fiction ever written about horses in war. "My Horse Warrior", first published in 1934 is equally wondrous fact. It is told by Winston Churchill's great heroic friend, Jack Seely, about the thoroughbred horse he took to France in 1914 surviving five years of bombs and bullets to lead a cavalry charge in 1918 before returning home where they rode on together until 1938, their combined ages (70+30) totalling 100.... read more

The work of the RAF's 100 Group remains one of the least known aspects of the 1939-45 war. Even less has been written about the specifics of day-to-day electronic warface operations and the countermeasures employed. This book, the result of many years meticulous research by Squadron Leader Richard Forder RAF (Ret'd) redresses the balance by focussing on one the heavy units, 223, and its sister units at RAF Oulton, Norfolk. Equipped with former USAAF Liberators, they operated from August 1944 to the end of the European war, with a p... read more

According to a recent international study, the Lightning is the fifth most popular military aircraft of all time. It has many thousands of devotees who are a ready market for this timely and entertaining book which, with over twenty individual stories from former Lightning pilots, relates the highs and lows, the dramas and the demands of those who operated this iconic aircraft from the sharp end. Tales include the recollections of an aerobatic display pilot, an implausible yet true account of telepathic communication, and an extrao... read more

'Nothing to touch the glory of the great cartoonists!...they teach the historians their trade' said the former Labour Party leader Michael Foot, a view also held by Winston Churchill. However, though many of the cartoons of international conflicts from the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars until the end of the Second World War have become iconic, very little is known about their creators. This book puts the record straight by assembling, for the first time in a single volume, brief biographies of 300 of the most significant internat... read more

The logical successor to the highly acclaimed "Finding the Few" and "Finding the Foe", this new work covers a selection of similar mysteries involving missing aircrew and spanning almost the entire twentieth century. Starting with a re-appraisal of the Mannock affair, the author highlights the fates variously of RAF, USAF, Luftwaffe personnel from bomber, reconnaissance and fighter crews. Each case is examined with a microscopic and forensic approach worthy of 'Silent Witness', and evaluates the detective work involved in unravelli... read more

This is the captivating story of the four Raw brothers, all of whom served with the Royal Air Force. The eldest three flew during WW2 and all three died. The youngest, not old enough to see wartime flying, flew night-fighters in the post-war years, ending up flying Spitfires with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. The eldest brother, John, was killed in a flying accident just as he was starting a job as a flying instructor, in 1941. Peter was a fighter pilot, flying Typhoons with 609 Squadron, winning the DFC. Sadly he was kill... read more

The M16 was first introduced in 1958 and was revolutionary for its time as it was made of lightweight materials including special aluminum and plastics. It was first adopted by US Special Forces and airborne troops in 1962 before it was issued to Army and Marine units serving in Vietnam. Its use spread throughout the following decades and a number of variants including submachine and carbine versions were also fielded. As a result it is now amongst the three most used combat cartridges in the world while over 10 million M16s and va... read more

The battle of the Wabash, or St Clair’s Defeat, was the greatest ever victory of American Indians over US Army forces. In 1791, Revolutionary War commander Arthur St Clair led a hastily recruited American army into Ohio in an attempt to wrest control of the area from its Indian inhabitants. Hindered by geographical ignorance, difficult terrain, bad weather, and a lack of supplies, the Americans advanced slowly through the wilderness. After a month, they reached the Wabash River, where an Indian army awaited them. On a cold No... read more

The Light Armored Vehicle 25 (LAV-25) has played a significant role in transforming United States Marine Corps doctrine since its introduction in the early 1980s. The Marine Corps’ Light Armored Vehicle program was based on the proven Swiss MOWAG Piranha series of 4x4, 6x6, and 8x8 wheeled vehicles. However, developing organizational units, tactics, and employment of the weapon system within the force structure of the Marine Corps proved to be more of a challenge than fielding the weapon system. This resulted in multiple re-d... read more

In 1938 the US Chief of Infantry requested that the Ordnance Department develop a carbine to be used by service and support troops, artillerymen, machine-gun crews, tankers, mortar crews and other troops not needing the power of the M1 Garand rifle. The development of this new weapon was given an added impetus by Germany’s successful use of airborne and glider troops early on in World War II. This caused a fear amongst US officers that troops normally considered ‘behind the lines’ personnel might have to fight eli... read more

On the same day that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, they also launched air attacks on Wake Island, an American marine and naval base in the Pacific. Three days later a Japanese invasion force stormed the island, but were bloodily repulsed by the scratch force of marines, sailors and even service personnel who defended it. Despite US attempts to relieve the island, the Japanese launched a much greater invasion a few weeks later and, despite gallant resistance, eventually caused the US Forces to surrender. This book tells the co... read more

Long before England established a serious presence in the New World, Spain had already established an overseas Empire. In North America, this included vast tracts of territory including most of what today comprises the states of Florida, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Alabama, Illinois and California. In later years, as the British and the French came to expand their claims, they often came into conflict with the Spanish. The Spanish also played a significant part during the American Revolution, fighting against the British an... read more

Italian military historian Pier Paolo Battistelli examines the elite and specialforces units of the Italian Army during World War II. This includes a vast array of troop types, including paratroopers, assault engineers, sea-landing and swimmer units, long-range recce and ski units, and even hand-picked Fascist ‘Mussolini’ units. It also delves into the specialist tank and armoured units that were created to emulate the German armoured units. While the Italian units discussed enjoyed mixed success, the volume draws atten... read more

The Uzi submachine gun is one of the most recognizable weapons in history. Its familiarity stems in part from the sheer diversity of its users. Uzis have been seen being wielded and fired by US Secret Service agents and SWAT teams, Israeli soldiers, European special-forces, as well as criminals and terrorists the world over. The reasons they use the Uzi are simple – it provides devastating close-range firepower in a reliable, highly compact weapon. Weapon: The Uzi Submachine Gun tells the story of this unique weapon. It not o... read more