Angus McBride – illustratör

An in-depth and fully illustrated examination of Charlemagne's military and empire - and his opponents - from the 8th century to the 10th century AD.Most historians agree that the Carolingian Age, from the 8th to 10th centuries AD, represented one of the most important turning points in European history. It can be said with some certainty that early Carolingian military success was built on good leadership, adequate administration, and troops whose morale was almost consistently superb. It is also clear that the Carolingian army managed to adapt itself to face many and differing foes. This absorbing text by David Nicolle explores the organisation and history of the Carolingian Empire during the age of one of history's most romanticised and heroic figures - Charlemagne.

While Scandinavia's 'Viking Age' is one of the most studied aspects of early medieval history, much less has been published about the centuries which followed.Yet the armies of Sweden, Norway and Denmark offer fascinating differences from the rest of medieval Western Europe, both in their organisation and their war gear. This second of two books covers the period which saw both expansion in the Baltic, and long wars born of the attempt to bring Scandinavia under a single monarchy - the Union of Kalmar.In the North, as elsewhere, the perfection of plate armour could not prevent the steady decline in the importance of the 15th century mounted knight in favour of the well armed infantryman.

While Scandinavia's 'Viking Age' is one of the most studied aspects of early medieval history, much less has been published about the centuries that followed.Yet the armies of Sweden, Norway and Denmark offer fascinating differences from the rest of medieval Western Europe, both in their organisation and their war gear - due partly to their remoteness, climate and terrain, but partly to their long freedom from the feudal system of other kingdoms.This book explains the special nature of Scandinavian armies, shaped by the relative weakness of kings and aristocrats, and the contrasts between the separate nations of the North.

After disastrous defeats at the hands of the Mongols in the 13th century, the Russian principalities became vassals of the Khans of the Golden Horde for more then 200 years.At the same time the western princes faced the German crusaders of the Teutonic Order. Remarkably, Russia responded with a new surge of military vigour. Eventually, freedom from the 'Mongol yoke' coincided with a degree of unity around a powerful new state - Muscovy. This exciting chapter of history is illustrated with rare early paintings, photos, diagrams, and eight plates reconstructing the mixed influences of East and West in the appearance of Russian warriors.

Few people will realise that at one time the Polish state was one of Europe's great powers.One of the chief instruments of her success was undoubtedly her army, which though small can claim many accomplishments and major successes in the 16th and 17th centuries. Richard Brzezinski redresses this imbalance by providing a portrait of Polish armies from 1569-1696, detailing their history, organisation, arms, armour, insignia and dress, accompanied by numerous illustrations and eight superb full page colour plates by Angus McBride.

The 17th century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was almost as varied as modern America.Alongside Slavs lived Lithuanians and other Balts, Germans, Tatars, Armenian merchants, Jewish traders, and even a remarkably large populations of Scots. This variety of cultures had a strong influence on the Polish army. Along with the predominantly Polish and Lithuanian 'winged' hussars served numerous foreigners from both within and outside the Commonwealth: Tatars and Cossacks, Wallachians, Transylvanians, Moldavians, Hungarians, Serbians and Albanians; and from the West, French, Italians, Dutch, Walloons, Swedes and Scots.Richard Brzezinski's companion volume to Men-at-Arms 184 completes his fascinating examination of Polish armies from 1569-1696.

Of all the conquerors who swept out of Central Asia, two names stand out in European memory – Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan the Mongol.Both are remembered for massacres and devastation; yet whereas Genghis is also famous for the laws he imposed on half of Asia and for the trade which flourished under Mongol rule, Attila's notoriety seems unrelieved by positive achievements. But what was Attila's short-lived empire really like? What happened to the Huns afterwards, and what role did the nomads of Central Asia play in the centuries between Attila and Genghis Khan?This concise guide explores the nomad hordes, how they were organised and how they fought.

Despite the small geographic extent of Normandy its people played a crucial role in the history of the medieval world.Ferocity, boundless energy, cunning and a capacity for leadership were their heritage, to which modern scholars would add supreme adaptability and a simple piety. Their amazing military successes resulted from careful planning, speed of movement, decisiveness, daring and sheer ruthlessness. Added to this was a strong business sense and an appreciation of the value of money.Veteran Osprey author David Nicolle describes the history, arms and armour of the remarkable Normans in this fascinating volume.

A fully-illustrated, in-depth exploration of early Islamic military forces, their weapons and armour, and the conflicts in which they fought.During the Middle Ages, Islam was Christian Europe's only civilised and most troublesome neighbour; the Middle Ages saw almost continual strife between these two distinct cultures. By the time the Frankish Crusaders reached the Middle East at the end of the 11th century, Islam had already incorporated three major races: Arabs, Persians and Turks, each of which contributed different strengths to the armoury of Islam. This title explores the organisation, uniforms and equipment of the armies of Islam from the 7th to 11th centuries, backed by illustrations, museum photographs and eight full page colour plates by popular Osprey artist Angus McBride.

Though for centuries fighting was considered primarily a man's job, the world wars of the 20th century demanded women's involvement in the war effort.By World War II women were playing a major auxiliary role in all branches of the armed forces. From the daring female fighter pilots of besieged Russia to the heroic American nurses on the front line, this book looks at the vital jobs that women undertook at a time of national crisis. Numerous fascinating photos and eight full colour plates detail the uniforms and equipment of the British, American German and Russian women who participated in this global conflict.

An illustrated study of the fighting men of the Hussite Wars in 15th-century Bohemia, a significant transition point in medieval history.In 1415, the judicial murder of the religious reformer Jan Hus sparked a major uprising in Bohemia. His death led within a few years to the 'Hussite' revolution against the monarchy, the German aristocracy and the Church establishment. In this book, Stephen Turnbull examines how the largely peasant Hussite armies successfully defied a series of international 'crusades' for two decades. He details how the Hussites owed many of their victories to the charismatic general Jan Zizka, and his novel tactical methods based on the use of 'war wagons'. Fully illustrated with archive photography and specially commissioned colour artwork, this book investigates a remarkable episode in medieval warfare, which is remembered not only as the Czech national epic, but as an important forerunner to the wars of the Reformation the following century.

The Byzantines had a remarkably sophisticated approach to politics and military strategy.Unlike most of their contemporaries, they learnt very early in their history that winning a battle did not necessarily win a war, and they frequently bought off their enemies with treaties and bribes rather than squander men and matériel in potentially fruitless campaigns. The Byzantine army of the 10th and early 11th centuries, at the height of its power and efficiency, was the best-organised, best-trained, best-equipped and highest-paid in the known world.This splendid book by Ian Heath examines the Byzantine Armies from 886-1118, including the lusty, hard-fighting, hard-drinking 'barbarian' Varangian guard.

A slim, illustrated volume on the two key battles of William Wallace, the legendary Scottish rebel.The death of the last of the Scottish royal house of Canmore in 1290 triggered a succession crisis. Attempts to undermine Scottish independence by King Edward I of England sparked open rebellion culminating in an English defeat at the hands of William Wallace at Stirling Bridge in 1297. Edward gathered an army, marched north and at Falkirk on 22 July 1298 he brought Wallace’s army to battle. Amid accusations of treachery, Wallace’s spearmen were slaughtered by Edward’s longbowmen, then charged by the English cavalry and almost annihilated. Complete with illustrations, including bird's eye view maps of each battle, Peter Armstrong details the events up until Wallace was captured and executed in 1305, and demonstrates that the flame of rebellion he had ignited could not be extinguished.

This book describes and illustrates the armour, weapons, fortifications and ships of one of the least-known phases of the Medieval Crusades.The expeditions by Scandinavian Catholics against the pagan peoples to the east of the Baltic Sea, resulted in clashes with the Eastern Orthodox Russian princes of Novgorod and Muscovy. From isolated castles built in this bleak wilderness of forests, lakes and bogs, the small garrisons struggled equally against the enemy and the harsh terrain and climate.The text is illustrated with photographs of rare museum relics and of castles, and spirited colour plates by Angus McBride.

France was to call up a total of 1,600,000 men during the Napoleonic Wars, of whom a mere 600,000 were to survive.For those conscripted into service, one of the better fates would be recruitment as a cavalryman. Napoleon's dragoons were not just any band of individuals sorted and labelled cavalrymen; they were mounted infantrymen, trained to be adept with both musket and sabre, and proud of that distinction. Originally mounted for the sake of mobility but generally fighting on foot, they evolved into an army equally at home sabring at the charge as firing dismounted.

Owing to the heavy casualties suffered by the carabiniers in the 1809 campaign, the Emperor decreed that they should be armoured to the same advantage as the cuirassiers.In this way the two corps drew together in being the only troops of the Grande Armeé who were armoured, while at the same time they diverged in breaking away from their traditionally similar dress. Emir Bukhari thoroughly examines the uniforms and equipment of Napoleon's cuirassiers and carabiniers, in a text complemented throughout by numerous illustrations and diagrams including eight full page colour plates by the ever popular Angus McBride.

Napoleon's Hussars made their first real impact in 1806 with their astonishing pursuit of the Prussians over 1,160km from the river Saale to the Oder in twenty-five days.They then capped this feat on arrival when, by dint of audacious demonstrations by the 500 men of the combined 5th and 7th Hussars, the 6,000-strong Prussian garrison was bluffed into capitulating its fortress at Stettin along with 160 cannon.This splendid volume by Emir Bukhari describes the organisation, war records, dress and equipment of these most colourful of Napoleon's troops.

By the end of the nineteenth century the fame of the Zulu was world-wide, and their army was one of the few non-European military organisations to have become the subject of serious historical study.Their very name is still synonymous with bravery, discipline and military skill. This excellent addition to Osprey's Men-at-Arms series tells the story of the Zulus at war, from their rise to unrivalled power under the fearsome Shaka to the final devastating defeat against the British at Ulundi, detailing Zulu weapons and tactics, and the famous battles in which they fought.

The chasseurs, being the indigenous French light horse, can perhaps therefore be equated best with the infantry demi-brigades of this period.A half-trained, unprofessional, make-shift collection, they made up with zeal what they lacked in experience, a qualification which in no way diminished the importance of their role within Napoleon's all-conquering army.Emir Bukhari's fine text examines the dress and equipment of Napoleon's line chasseurs, plus the histories of individual regiments in a volume containing a plethora of illustrations and diagrams including eight full page colour plates by popular artist Angus McBride, showing a variety of uniforms in admirable detail.

The uniform of the British Army underwent many changes between 1965 and 1980.This book catalogues these changes and outlines in detail the many regimental distinctions which exist throughout this old and prestigious army. Among the formations examined are the Household Division, the Royal Armoured Corps, the Scottish Division, the Queen's Division, the King's Division, the Prince of Wales's Division, the Light Division and the Brigade of Gurkhas.The text is backed by numerous photographs and eight colour plates vividly depicting the nuances of the army's combat and service dress.

A concise illustrated study of the troops of India's North-West Frontier in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.For over a hundred years British and Indian troops were engaged on the North-West Frontier of India policing the tribes, mounting expeditions, and guarding against the ever-present threat from Russia. Populated mainly by Pathans, one of the fiercest warrior races on earth, the Frontier came to be known as 'The Grim' by generations of British soldiers. This book details not only the three Afghan wars but also the issues surrounding Chitral, Malakand and Tirah. Colour illustrations and photographs offer a rare glimpse into life on the Frontier, illuminating Lord Curzon's remark, 'No man who has read a page of Indian history will ever prophesy about the frontier'.

This title examines some of the most colourful and fanciful uniforms in military history, those of Napoleon's Guard Cavalry.The detailed text covers units such as the Grenadiers à Cheval; the Empress's Dragoons; the Chasseurs à Cheval; the Mamelukes; the Gardes d'Honneur; the Polish Lancers; the Dutch Lancers; the German Lancers and the Lithuanian Tartars. A plethora of illustrations complement the text, including eight fine full page colour plates by inimitable Angus McBride, providing admirably detailed reconstructions of uniforms and accompanied by ten pages of commentaries.

The succession of the French Duke of Anjou to the Spanish throne in 1700 provoked the formation of a Grand Alliance to thwart the king's expansionist ambitions.Led by the Duke of Marlborough, the army of the Grand Alliance declared war on France. Between 1702 and 1711, this united force, comprised of English, Dutch, Danish, Prussian, Austrian and other German troops, were victorious at such historic battles as Blenheim, Oudenarde and Malplaquet.This book chronicles Marlborough's campaigns in the War of the Spanish Succession, detailing the tactics, troops and uniforms of his army.

On 12 October 1492 Columbus 'discovered' the New World. In the following decade a number of Spanish colonies were founded in the West Indies, many of the settlers being ex-soldiers.They were a hardy, adventurous and unruly crew, no longer able to find suitable employment in Europe. They carved a foothold for Spain in the Indies, but quickly became restless in the role of settler. Anxious to avoid the dull work of the administrators and planters, these men began to seek new territories to exploit, once again turning their faces towards the unknown.This title documents both the Conquistadores themselves, and their formidable enemies in the New World - the Aztecs, Incas and Maya.

The history of the Mongol armies is a catalogue of superlatives.No armies in history have ever won so many battles or conquered so much territory. No army has ever provoked such justifiable terror and loathing in its victims, or slaughtered so many of its vanquished. What other army in history has marched on Russia in the winter and survived, let alone won victories? The stories of these and many other amazing feats of this 'barbarian' people are here brought vividly to life by Stephen Turnbull, from the birth of Genghis Khan in the wind-swept steppes of Mongolia, through the conquest of China and beyond.

This text by Terence Wise explores some of the fascinating peoples who comprised the ancient armies of the Middle East.This includes the Sumerians, who were the first to introduce the use of bronze into warfare, and were centuries ahead of the Egyptians in the use of the wheel – The Akkadians, whose citizen army was composed almost entirely of light troops – The Babylonians, whose people were granted land in return for army service – the horned warriors of the Elamites – the Egyptians, with their heavy spearmen and archers – the tribal and warlike Libyans – Nubians and Ethiopians – Hyksos – the armies of the Hittite Empire – the Sea People and others.

Since its birth at Kabrti in 1941, the Special Air Service has consistently captured the imagination of the military and public alike by the daring and unconventional nature of its operations.The nature of the tasks and the methods peculiar to the SAS have made it difficult to standardise items of equipment. Apart from issues common to the British Army as a whole, SAS personnel have need of, and access to, various specialised 'pieces of kit': often SAS innovations created to meet specific needs. James Shortt investigates the organisation, tactics, equipment and remarkable history of Britain's elite fighting force.

The Second World War, unlike the First, fostered the projection of 'characters'.Thanks to the media, many of the Allied commanders became household names, known as much for their successes and defeats on the battlefield as for their personalities. This book provides a brief review of the careers of some of the most notable figures to achieve high command in the Allied forces, a list that includes General of the Army Omar Bradley, Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, General George Patton and General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower.These characters are brought to life through numerous illustrations, including photographs and colour plates.

This fascinating study by Anthony Kemp outlines the careers and characters of a number of senior German commanders.To those who read military history many of the names are familiar. It is a paradox, however, that few biographies have been written. The impression still exists today of German generals as stiff-necked, scar-faced, monocled Prussians. Whilst in a few cases this was certainly true, the fact remains that all of them were men, some more ordinary than others.With a variety of photographs, eight full-page colour plates by Angus McBride, accompanied by ten pages of commentaries, this is a first-class addition to Osprey's Men-at-Arms series.