Campaign – serie

Supported by original sources and thoroughly illustrated, a detailed account of the Douglases' fight against the Percys.In his Chronicles, Froissart describes Otterburn as ‘the best fought and the most severe’ battle of his time. Fought at Redesdale in Northumberland in August 1388, the battle originated from the ongoing war between the Scots and the English following Robert Bruce’s victory over the English at Bannockburn in 1314.Using all the contemporary sources, this book details the events that led up to the clash on the borders, examines the opposing armies, their weaponry and their commanders – including the Douglases on the Scots side and the Percys on the English – and gives a full account of the battle and its aftermath.

A compact, illustrated volume detailing the capture of Walcheren by amphibious assault.Although the Alllies captured Antwerp in September 1944, the port itself could not be opened due to the continued German presence on the island of Walcheren, which guarded the port entrance. In November, the Allies launched an assault on the island, using a number of Commando units. Supported by warships and assault vehicles, the Allies fought their way ashore and engaged in deadly streets battles with the Germans.Richard Brookes examines the capture and how it would ensure the Allies had sufficient logistic arrangements in place to hold off the German assault in the Ardennes.

Russian expert Mark Galeotti provides an in-depth look at the siege that pitted Ivan the Terrible and Russia's first standing army against the Khanate of Kazan, leading to Muscovy's rise.The Khanate of Kazan, one of the greatest Turkic successor states to the Mongol Golden Horde, had for generations been a thorn in Muscovy's side, raiding its lands for slaves and plunder. The newly crowned Ivan IV, who would become known as Ivan the Terrible, was determined to end the threat once and for all, leading a massive army against Kazan in 1552, comprising the Streltsy (musketeers), Russia's first standing army, and a massive artillery and engineer train, including an English expert in siegecraft. Kazan was finally taken and brought directly into Muscovy's control, making it a truly multi-ethnic empire. The next four years would see a bitter guerrilla war against the Russians, but they were committed to the march south – going on to conquer the Astrakhan Khanate and the move east into Siberia, setting the scene for the rapid expansion of the Russian Empire under Ivan's Romanov successors.In this gripping tale of Russian history, expert historian Mark Galeotti explores the major land and river offensive that saw Kazan fall to Ivan the Terrible's Army. With colourful battlescenes, detailed 2D maps and 3D diagrams, this book showcases how this siege marked the rise of Muscovy and ultimately helped lead to the Russian state today.

A compact account of the battle of Kohima, known as 'the Stalingrad of the East' - the turning point of Britain's land war against the Japanese.In March 1944 the Japanese Army launched Operation U-Go, an attack on Assam in India intended to inspire a rising against British rule. A month earlier the Japanese had launched Operation Ha-Go, which was intended as a feint to draw British attention away from the Imphal area. But British forces employed new defensive techniques to counter the Japanese infiltration tactics.These tactics were again employed on a larger scale when Imphal and Kohima were surrounded during Operation U-Go. Kohima took place in two stages. From 3 to 16 April the Japanese attempted to capture Kohima Ridge. As the small garrison held out against fierce and repeatedly desperate attempts by the Japanese 31st Division to destroy them, so the British 2nd Division fought to break through and relieve them. Then for over two months British and Indian troops counter-attacked to drive the Japanese from the positions they had already captured.In this illustrated volume, Robert Lyman describes the unfolding of the battle, up to its end on June 22. British and Indian troops from Kohima and Imphal met at Milestone 109, thus ending the siege.

The story of General George Washington and the Continental Army's first major campaign, in a slimm detailed volume.General Sir William Howe's New York campaign gave the British their best chance of destroying the Continental Army and George Washington's resistance to colonial power. Howe succeeded in dividing the Continentals, defeated them on Long Island and forced Washington to retreat to Brooklyn Heights. Under siege there, Washington successfully crossed the East River to Manhattan but soon had to fall back on Harlem Heights.After a few weeks Howe forced the Continentals north to White Plains and defeated them again. However, he allowed Washington to withdraw and preserve his army when a more aggressive pursuit could have ended the war. Instead, with the British army rapidly weakening and facing huge manpower shortages, Washington emerged from a succession of defeats to produce what was ultimately a war-winning strategy.The author provides fascinating insights into a unique campaign in which a string of British victories ultimately led to failure and defeat.

The first in a series of illustrated books exploring the longest and best-known naval campaign of World War II, focusing on the struggle between Allied naval and air forces and Hitler's U-boats.When fighting broke out in September 1939, neither the British Royal Navy nor the German Kriegsmarine were prepared for another war in the North Atlantic. Having defeated the U-boats in World War I, the Royal Navy was confident it would succeed again. This was quickly shown to be a delusion, as neither the scale of forces available nor their tactics were sufficient. The Germans were even less prepared, having only a small number of U-boats and fewer still that were large enough for operations in the Atlantic. The Germans attempted to win a tonnage war against Allied shipping, with well-trained and bold U-boat commanders enjoying some brilliant successes. However, torpedo problems and the shortage of U-boats prevented the Germans from inflicting crippling losses, even though the British found it impossible to protect all shipping, primarily because of a lack of convoy escorts and inadequate air cover.Respected naval historian Mark Stille examines the struggle between Allied naval and air forces and German U-boats in the first 15 months of World War II. Featuring maps, diagrams, photographs and stunning battlescene artworks, this book vividly brings to life the weapons, personalities and tactics of the opposing sides.

A fascinating story of a key turning point in the War in the Mediterranean, as the island of Malta was thrown a vital lifeline. Since 1940, the island of Malta had been a thorn in the Axis' side. It sat astride the direct sea route between Italy and its North African colonies, and from 1941 the Royal Navy had used the island as a base for its attacks on Axis convoys. The island, though, relied on convoys to survive, and from early 1941 these came under increasingly heavy air and submarine attack. As the situation became critical in 1942, the decision was made to send through a heavily protected convoy, carrying fuel and supplies, in an effort to save the island. This mission was codenamed Operation Pedestal. This fascinating work describes how, after leaving Britain on 2 August 1942, the convoy was repeatedly pummeled by Axis air and submarine attacks as it ground its way towards Malta, with most of the merchant ships sunk during the passage, along with an aircraft carrier and two cruisers. It also explores how despite this grim toll, the sacrifice was worth it.The specially commissioned illustrations in this work cover the progress of the convoy step by step, the submarine and surface naval actions during Pedestal’s voyage, the Stuka attack on the carrier Indomitable and the air attacks against the convoy, and the broader strategic situation in the Western Mediterranean. The result is a unique visual exploration of one of the most famous episodes of the war in this theatre.

A fascinating dive into the overlooked fight between the British Empire's Egyptian Expeditionary Force and the Ottoman Empire for control of the Suez Canal.The Battle of Romani was fought between Britain's Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) and the Ottoman Empire's Sinai Expeditionary Force in the Sinai Desert in early August 1916. The Ottoman objective was to disrupt and cut off the Suez Canal, while the EEF's main objective was to protect the Canal and the flow of materials that were struggling to keep the war economies of Britain, France and Italy working. The two sides came to a head on 4–5 August, resulting in the defeat of the Ottomans. The EEF then continued to advance to the edge of the desert by the end of the year. With this, not only did Britain secure its supply lines, but it was also the first major land victory against the Ottoman Empire. The tide was finally turning in the war between the empires.Historian Stuart Hadaway provides an in-depth look at the much overlooked Sinai Campaign, which was a victory of immense strategic importance in World War I. However, it was a hard-won battle with critical mistakes made on both sides. Illustrated with period photographs, detailed maps and stunning artwork, this book examines the fight for the Canal, the lessons the EEF failed to learn, and how the courage and bravery of the troops, especially the Australians and New Zealanders, saved the situation on many occasions.

An in-depth study of the ground campaign led by the US and Coalition forces against Iraq in the Gulf War.In 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, precipitating an eight-year war. By the end of the 1980s, Iraq was bankrupt, having amassed enormous debts, and oil-rich neighboring Kuwait, which Iraq had long claimed was rightly part of greater Iraq, seemed like the perfect solution. Saddam Hussein's invasion in August 1990 pitted one of the largest Arab armies against the smallest and Kuwait fell in a few days. Upset at this turn of events and worried about Hussein's military power, Saudi Arabia began negotiations with the US, UK and France to create a coalition to oust Iraq from Kuwait. More than 30 countries joined the coalition force. Operation Desert Shield had begun.With contemporary images, maps, diagrams and stunning artwork, this book by expert historian Steven J. Zaloga dives into the response from the forces of the Coalition to help liberate Kuwait following the month-long air campaign to weaken the Iraqi forces. While Iraq was defeated, the war did not unseat Hussein and the conflict would resume a decade later. This detailed study brings the ground campaign of the Gulf War to life.

The Second Battle of Sirte was a key naval clash in the Mediterranean, and a vital moment in the struggle for Malta's survival.Malta was the key to the hard-fought naval campaign being waged in the Mediterranean, a link in the vital Axis supply lines between Italy and North Africa. Struggling under a sustained Axis bombing campaign, Malta depended on convoys of supplies to survive. Axis air formations dominated the skies, making any attempt to relieve the island extremely hazardous. In December 1941, a convoy from the east led to an inconclusive clash with the Italians at the First Battle of Sirte. In late March 1942, the situation escalated. The decisive clash came on the afternoon of 22 March, when British destroyers launched a series of torpedo attacks against Italian ships. At dawn, Axis aircraft appeared and a series of intense air attacks followed. Although three of the convoy’s four ships reached Malta, they were sunk days later. Still, it was enough to buy Malta the time it needed to remain in the fight.This highly illustrated title by renowned naval historian Angus Konstam demonstrates the importance of radar, intelligence and airpower, and above all determination and grit in the face of a superior enemy.

As the American Revolution continued, the British refocused their fight on the southern colonies in the hopes of triggering an outbreak of loyalism that would sweep the rebels aside.Under Sir Henry Clinton they captured Savannah at the end of 1778, and Charleston in May 1780, with Lord Cornwallis being left in command with just 8,500 men under him. Too thinly spread to guard the 15,000 square miles he was responsible for, Cornwallis went on the offensive, invading North Carolina and using Camden as a launch pad.This history reveals how Cornwallis was able to use his aggressive strategy to great effect and how the overconfidence of the re-formed American forces under Horatio Gates was to result in a shocking defeat on the night of 15 August 1780 – a defeat that would allow Cornwallis to push deep into North Carolina the following year, where he would only be stopped by the American victory at Yorktown.

A detailed look at the 1983 American invasion of Grenada, the largest and most significant US military operation since the end of the Vietnam War.When a hardline Marxist faction overthrew Grenada’s existing communist regime in October 1983, a coalition of Caribbean countries requested US military assistance. With many American students on the island, President Ronald Reagan and military leaders were forced to plan the operation with minimal warning and poor intelligence. Operation Urgent Fury – the US invasion of Grenada – began on October 25, and was the only time that President Reagan deployed American ground forces in combat during his presidency.This was the first major deployment of the post-Vietnam all-volunteer force and involved the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and special forces. Despite international criticism and UN disapproval, the US maintained that rescuing the American citizens trapped in Grenada was reason enough to invade. This book examines the tricky political situation Reagan faced, the three-day battle against Grenadian and Cuban forces, and how this operation led to the modernization of the US military and prepared it for post-Cold War conflicts. With detailed maps, diagrams, and stunning artwork, this book explores the legacy of this small but crucial military campaign in US history.

An illustrated account of the disastrous British-led effort to occupy the Dodecanese in autumn 1943, as Winston Churchill attempted to secure the Aegean islands in the wake of the Italian armistice.The occupation was a gamble intended to increase pressure against Germany and at the same time possibly provide encouragement for Turkey to join the Allies. Spearheaded by the Special Boat Squadron and the Long Range Desert Group, garrison troops were deployed to the Italian-occupied Dodecanese, but they were too late to prevent the Germans from taking control of the key island of Rhodes and its all-important airfields.An all-out German offensive followed. Air force and naval units supported a series of assaults by infantry and paratroopers, including specialist forces of the Division Brandenburg. Within three months, only Castelorizzo was still in British hands. Rhodes, Kos and Leros remained under German occupation until May 1945 and the end of the war in Europe.The Dodecanese would be Adolf Hitler’s last enduring victory – and the last enduring British-led defeat.

An in-depth look at the battle that saw the American Overmountain Men come together and defeat the British Loyalist army, turning the tide of the war.By 1780, the British strategy of subduing the South by mobilizing Loyalist forces appeared to be working following the capture of Charleston and the destruction of General Gates' Grand Army at Camden. Major Patrick Ferguson was appointed to raise forces and soon amassed a small army of more than 4,000 men, with which the South Carolina backcountry was cowed. It appeared Britain had a firm grip on South Carolina and Georgia, prompting a move into North Carolina.Ferguson, commanding only a fraction of his Loyalists, was given the job of screening the advance of the main British army under Cornwallis, but his actions in the backcountry caught the attention of the fiercely independent "Overmountain Men." Roused into action by a handful of charismatic leaders, the Overmountain Men joined forces with Patriot militia and set off to find the Loyalists. After a grueling march of more than 300 miles, they caught up to them at Kings Mountain and annihilated Ferguson's command.With detailed maps, diagrams, and illustrations, this well-researched book by expert author David Smith dives into Britain's plans for the area, the events that drove the Overmountain Men to band together and the final battle that saw the Loyalists defeated.

A compact study of one of the less well-known campaigns of the Pacific War, which featured complex Japanese and Allied operations, and included the first use of airborne troops in the war.Imperial Japan's campaigns of conquest in late 1941/early 1942 were launched in order to achieve self-sufficiency for the Japanese people, chiefly in the precious commodity of oil. The Netherlands (or Dutch) East Indies formed one of Japan's primary targets, on account of its abundant rubber plantations and oilfields.The Japanese despatched an enormous naval task force to support the amphibious landings over the vast terrain of the Netherlands East Indies. The combined-arms offensive was divided into three groups: western, centre and eastern. The isolated airfields and oilfields were, however, picked off one by one by the Japanese, in the rush to secure the major islands before major Allied reinforcements arrived. This superbly illustrated title describes the operational plans and conduct of the fighting by the major parties involved, and assesses the performance of the opposing forces on the battlefield, bringing to life an often-overlooked campaign of the Pacific War.

Featuring superb illustrations throughout, this compact volume examines the battle between the Teutonic Knights and the Russian city-state of Novgorod, led by its inspirational leader Alexandre Nevskii.The Teutonic Knights were a powerful military order, backed with the crusading zeal of Europe, the blessing of the Pope and the support of the Holy Roman Emperor. This battle, although little-known in the west, was important in the history of the medieval eastern crusades, the Teutonic defeat having a serious effect on future events.David Nicolle's excellent text examines the Crusade against Novgorod and the fierce fighting around the frozen shores of Lake Peipus.

A detailed exploration of a critical month-long battle, which set the stage for German strategic-level defeats on both the Eastern and Western fronts.In February 1944, 1st Panzer Army (under Generaloberst Hube) played a major role in the relief operation that saved part of the German forces trapped in the Korsun Pocket. However, the losses suffered in that effort left Hube’s forces materially weakened, exhausted and with vulnerable flanks. Unexpectedly, Zhukov’s 1st Ukrainian Front and Konev’s 2nd Ukrainian Front attacked on 4 March, conducting a huge pincer operation against 1st Panzer Army. Within three weeks, Hube’s 200,000-strong army was isolated, with its back to the Dniester River. The destruction of Hube’s army would doubtless precipitate a rapid German collapse on the Eastern Front – two months before the Allied invasion of France. In this work, Eastern Front expert Robert Forczyk presents a superbly illustrated examination of the initial Soviet encirclement operation, Hube’s full-scale breakout operation to save his army, and the relief operation by 2nd SS-Panzer Corps (redeployed from the West) in April 1944. Although Hube’s army managed to escape Zhukov’s trap, it lost most of its equipment and was no longer fully combat capable. The German Army in the East had been seriously weakened, and the amount of German armour deployed in the West to counter any Allied landings in France had simultaneously been reduced.

The first in a three-book series examining the Stalingrad campaign, one of the most decisive military operations in World War II that set the stage for the ultimate defeat of the Third Reich.After failing to defeat the Soviet Union with Operation Barbarossa in 1941, Adolf Hitler planned a new campaign for the summer of 1942 that was intended to achieve a decisive victory: Operation Blue (Case Blau). In this new campaign, Hitler directed that one army group (Heeresgruppe A) would advance to seize the Soviet oilfields in the Caucasus, while the other (Heeresgruppe B) pushed on to the Volga River. The expectation was for a rapid victory – instead, German forces had to fight hard just to reach the outskirts of Stalingrad, and then found themselves embroiled in a protracted urban battle amid the ruins of a devastated city on the Volga.The Soviet Red Army was hit hard by the initial German offensive but held onto the city and then launched Operation Uranus, a winter counteroffensive that encircled the German 6. Armee at Stalingrad. Despite a desperate German relief operation, the Red Army eventually crushed the German forces and hurled the remnants of the German southern front back in disorder.This first volume in the Stalingrad trilogy covers the period from 28 June to 11 September 1942, including operations around Voronezh. The fighting in the Don Bend, which lasted weeks, comprised some of the largest tank battles of World War II – involving more armour than the tanks employed at Prokhorovka in 1943.

The second in a three-part series examining the Stalingrad campaign, one of the most decisive military operations in World War II, that set the stage for the ultimate defeat of the Third Reich.By early September 1942, 6.Armee and 4.Panzer-Armee had reached the outskirts of Stalingrad, and Hitler believed it was about to fall. He ordered for the capture of the city as soon as possible, but this was easier said than done.On 13 September, a direct German assault was launched against the city on the Volga and a protracted urban battle followed amid the ruins, already devastated by massive Luftwaffe raids. Although hit hard by the initial German offensive, a ruthless and obstinate Red Army was able to hold onto the city through a costly battle of attrition that sacrificed huge amounts of men and materiel.This second volume in the Stalingrad trilogy, written by a leading expert on the military history of the Eastern Front, brings the fighting in the city to life in full visual detail, including the iconic battles at the Krasny Oktyabr Steel Plant, the Grain Elevator, the Barrikady and STZ factories, the ‘Tennis Racquet’ and Rynok–Spartanovka.Drawing from sources on both sides, this book offers a truly comprehensive account of history’s greatest urban battle.

The final part in a three-book series on the Battle of Stalingrad, examining the Soviet encirclement, German relief efforts, and the final surrender of Paulus’ 6.Armee.Having fought hard just to reach the outskirts of Stalingrad, the Axis forces found themselves embroiled in a protracted urban battle amid the ruins of a devastated city on the Volga. The Soviet Red Army was able to hold onto the city then mount a surprise winter counter-offensive known as Operation Uranus, which succeeded in encircling the German 6.Armee at Stalingrad. Despite a desperate German relief operation, the Red Army eventually crushed the 6.Armee and hurled the remnants of the German southern front back in disorder.This third and final volume in the Stalingrad trilogy begins just after the German 6.Armee has been isolated at Stalingrad, and covers the period from 24 November 1942 to 2 February 1943. The specially commissioned maps and 3D diagrams guide the reader in step-by-step, easily to follow detail through the German relief operation (Wintergewitter), the fighting on the Chir River, and the Soviet operations Koltso and Little Saturn, and are complimented by the battlescene artworks that vividly depict the harsh conditions experienced by the common soldiers fighting on both sides.

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.

A detailed, compact volume examining the 1809 campaign on the Danube, which was to break the spell of Napoleon's invincibility. Wagram – the largest battle in history at the time – was Napoleon's revenge for his first personal defeat on the battlefield, at Aspern–Essling. In gaining this revenge the French commander was not wholly successful. Although the French won the battle as the Austrians eventually quit the field, the victory was an extremely hollow one.Both these epic battles are expertly described by Ian Castle, chronicling the many changes of fortune as each side captured, lost, then recaptured key positions.

The product of meticulous research in Austrian archives, this volume outlines Archduke Charles' Bavarian defeat, face-to-face with Napoleon.In the Spring of 1809, the Austrian army, buoyant and full of new-found patriotic fervour, rolled across the frontier with Bavaria. The time had come to exact revenge for the humiliating defeat suffered at Austerlitz. But ten days later, harassed by ceaseless rain, they were streaming back from the Abens river with Napoleon in hot pursuit. Napoleon had not been in the front line when Austria had launched its campaign and the French and their German allies had blundered backwards and forwards across the Bavarian countryside. But, with the appearance of Napoleon, Archduke Charles lost the initiative.Based for the first time upon the Austrian primary sources, this title takes the reader through the various clashes of this significant campaign.

The Kursk campaign was the major German offensive of 1943 and the last strategic offensive the Germans were to launch on the Eastern Front in World War II.Mauled at Stalingrad, the German army looked to regain the initiative on the Eastern Front with a huge offensive launched near the city of Kursk, 280 miles south-west of Moscow. Armed with the new Panther tank, Hitler and Field Marshal von Manstein were confident that they could inflict another crushing defeat on the Soviet Union. What they did not know is that the Soviets knew about the coming attack, and they were ready.This book focuses on the southern front of this campaign, which featured one of the biggest clash of armour of the warin the battle of Prokhorovka which involved over a thousand tanks. It examines in detail the tactics and mistakes of the army commanders as they orchestrated one of the bloodiest battles in World War II.Using campaign maps, stunning photographs and vivid artwork, this new study, a companion to Campaign 272 Kursk 1943: The Northern Front, examines whether that the German offensive was doomed from the start as it takes the reader through this titanic clash of armour.

The Kursk campaign was the major German offensive of 1943 and the last strategic offensive the Germans were to launch on the Eastern Front in World War II.In the summer of 1943, recoiling from defeat at Stalingrad, Hitler conducted a limited objective offensive to eliminate the Soviet Kursk salient. Operating a classic pincer attack of the kind that succeeded during the 1942 Kharkov campaign he hoped that the resulting heavy losses inflicted on the Red Army would give the Wehrmacht time to recover its strength. However, the Soviet anticipation of the attack led to extensive losses on both sides as Soviet anti-tank mines and fierce fighting pushed the Germans back, liberating the German-held Orel in the process.Focusing on the northern front of the battle with Generaloberst, Walter Model’s forces pitted against General Rokossovsky’s Central Front between 5 July and 18 August, this volume will explore both the German offensive and the Soviet counteroffensive. Using documents from both sides, extensive photographs – both contemporary and modern, maps and bird’s-eye-views this title will shed new light on this often ignored part of the battle.

A detailed examination of one of the crucial campaigns of World War II in Burma, in which British and Commonwealth forces achieved their first decisive victory over Japanese arms.The hard-fought Second Arakan campaign was a second attempt by Allied arms to advance in the coastal Arakan region in western Burma, following a failed first effort in early 1943. The battles fought shattered the myth of Japanese invincibility that had for over two years crippled the Allied cause, and for the first time offered the prospect of successful offensive operations against the Japanese in Burma.Military historian Tim Moreman examines the wide range of actions that made up the Second Arakan campaign, from XV Indian Corps’ initial push down the Burmese coast towards Akyab Island, to the key events of the major Japanese Ha-Go operation launched by Twenty-Eighth Army. These include the Battle of the Admin Box near Sinweyza, where the surrounded 7th Indian Division inflicted a serious defeat on the Japanese 55th Division; the reinforcement of Imphal and Kohima; and the seizure of Razabil, the Tunnels and Point 551 between March and May 1944. Packed with maps, diagrams, battlescene artworks and photographs that guide the reader through this complex campaign in easy to follow detail, this work provides a must-have illustrated companion to this decisive victory for British and Commonwealth arms over the Imperial Japanese Army.

This detailed study explores the battle of Leuctra and the tactics that ultimately led to the complete defeat of Sparta, and freed Greece from domination by Sparta in a single afternoon.The battle of Leuctra, fought in early July in 371 BC was one of the most important battles ever to be fought in the ancient world. Not only did it see the destruction of the Spartan dominance of Greece, it also introduced several tactical innovations which are still studied and emulated to this day. Sparta’s hegemony of Greece (which had been in effect since the Persian wars of 480/79 and especially since the Peloponnesian War in 431-404 BC) was wiped away in a single day of destruction. Sparta would never recover from the losses in manpower which were suffered at Leuctra. The importance of the battle of Leuctra cannot be underestimated. This superbly illustrated title gives the reader a detailed understanding of this epic clash of forces, what led to it, its commanders, sources and the consequences it had for future civilizations.

A highly illustrated account of the greatest, and the last, victory of the Native Americans over the United States military.The death of George Armstrong Custer, and over half of his 7th Cavalry Regiment in the valley of the Little Big Horn on 25 June 1876, has become the most celebrated battle of the Indian wars. This illustrated volume outlines how, disobeying orders, Custer followed a trail to a large encampment of Indians. Without determining the numbers he faced split his command into three groups and attacked. In the resulting chaos Custer and more than half the troops under his command were killed.US Army officer Peter Panzeri describes the battle from its origins to its conclusion in a concise, yet detailed format.

An in-depth look at the battles at Kokoda, Milne Bay and Buna-Gona, which saw the Japanese battle the Australians and Americans on Papua.The Japanese invasion of, and ejection from, the Territory of Papua was a six-month long campaign. From July to September 1942, the Japanese, having landed at Buna, advanced towards Port Moresby along the Kokoda Trail (or Track). They were opposed, at first, by Australian militia and later by Australian veterans of the war in North Africa. In September, a Japanese operation intended to support the advance was defeated at Milne Bay. By November, the Japanese had been driven back to their starting point, where, in a two-month siege, American troops joined the Australians to eliminate the Japanese beachhead at Buna. With detailed maps, colourful artwork and period images, historian and Kokoda expert Dr Peter Williams examines the strategies and tactics of both sides, along with the limitations terrain, disease and weather imposed on the armies. It also covers the struggles of the American–Australian alliance, both at high command and on the battlefield. Along with Guadalcanal, the Papuan campaign marks the end of the Japanese advance in the Pacific, and the beginning of the Allied counter-offensive.