Jeffrey Burn – illustratör

By the spring of 1936 an armed clash was imminent between the forces of Spain's extreme Left and extreme Right.Viewed largely as a confrontation between democracy and fascism, the resulting civil war proved to be of enormous international significance. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy intervened to assist General Franco, while the Soviet Union came to the aid of the Republican forces.This book explains the background to the war and charts the course of the nearly three-year long conflict through to General Franco's victory. Photographs and colour plates illustrate the uniforms and equipment of the Republican and Nationalist armies.

In the early 1920s, a tiny group was formed within the SA to serve as Hitler's personal bodyguard.Originally labelled the 'Stosstruppe Adolf Hitler', they later became known as the SS – Schutz Staffeln, or 'protection squads'. From these humble beginnings, the SS rose to a nominal strength of 38 divisions of over 800,000 men by 1945, representing a sizeable portion of Germany's land forces and more importantly a quarter of her tank forces and a third of her mechanised infantry.Martin Windrow provides a splendid in-depth review of the history, uniforms and insignia of the infamous Waffen-SS.

Viking longships evolved from one-man canoes of the Scandinavian Stone Age, through wood-built-ships of c. 200 BC into the recognisable longboats of the 4th century AD.From this point, the Viking Longship developed into the pre-eminent raider and trader in the North Sea and Baltic, venturing as far afield as the Mediterranean, North Atlantic and modern-day Russia.Keith Durham uses reconstructions, original sources, translations and archaeological evidence to render a vivid picture of the vessels that dominated the seaways of Scandinavia, founded colonies on Iceland, Greenland and the New World and terrorised the coastlines of northern Europe. Also covered are Norman vessels, including the invasion fleet of William the Conqueror.

Between 1890 and 1920 the US Army underwent profound changes in organization, function, composition and appearance.The Army was transformed from a small, blue-clad force whose primary weapon was the single-shot rifle, into a mighty host of men dressed in dirt-coloured combat uniforms, using automatic weapons, tanks and aircraft to fight enemies on fields across the world. This book details the Army's developments during its involvement in the Spanish-American War, the Boxer Rebellion and World War I.Particular attention is given to the evolution of the Army's uniforms, which are illustrated vividly throughout the book.

At the time of the Second Empire, under Napoleon III, the French army, elevated from tactful obscurity, was re-modelled on Napoleonic lines.This army first fought in the Crimea, and then against Austria. Later, In Mexico, they had a disastrous adventure while in Europe Prussia was fast emerging as a challenge to France's military pre-eminence. Together with Austria, Bismarck first crushed Denmark before turning on Austria herself. The victory at Sadowa in 1866 stunned Europe, and in Paris Napoleon and his advisers set to thinking of a way to counter this new threat.In this first of two volumes looking at the French Army of the Franco-Prussian War, Stephen Shann and Louis Delperier examine the history, organisation and weapons of the French Imperial troops.

A concise illustrated study of one of the most iconic battles in English history.Henry V's forces were tired, hungry, and faced a French army three to six times more numerous. However, they possessed several advantages, and English success resulted from the combination of heavily armoured men-at-arms with troops armed with the infamous longbow: the havoc this weapon wreaked was crucial. Using original fifteenth-century evidence, including the surviving French battle plan and the accounts of men present in both armies, this fully illustrated title featuring maps, photographs and detailed original artwork discusses the lead-up to the battle, the tactical dispositions of the two forces and the reasons for the ultimate English success.

Probably the most highly motivated and ruthless combatant to take the field in World War 2, the Waffen-SS soldier was the cutting edge of Germany's military might.Aggressive in attack, dogged in defence, his units generally suffered higher casualties than the regular army formations. The apple of the Führer's eye, he was the first to receive the best available equipment and was expected to produce results to match.From the green fields of France to the freezing steppes of Russia and finally to the shattered streets of Berlin this title details the development of the weapons, equipment and tactics of one of history's most formidable soldiers.