Combat – serie

This colourful study investigates the Byzantine and Seljuk forces that fought in a series of battles with profound implications for the Middle East during the 11th and 12th centuries.The Byzantine defeat at Manzikert in one of history’s pivotal battles resulted in the victorious Seljuk Turks pushing west to the Bosporus. Byzantine appeals for aid sparked the First Crusade, as the Byzantines and Seljuks continued to fight their own private war for control of the Anatolian peninsula (present-day Turkey).In this account, Si Sheppard examines the fighting men on both sides of this critical struggle, as the Byzantine armies stabilized their Empire’s eastern frontier, reclaiming control over the coastline, while the Seljuk forces tightened their grip in its interior. Placing the two sides’ struggle in the wider political and military context, he shows how this war of raid and counter-raid periodically flared up into full scale military commitments by both sides; the outcome of this stand-off hung in the balance, hinging on one wrong move, one decisive victory.Incorporating carefully chosen photographs, specially drawn maps and vivid original artwork, this book also analyses the battles of Manzikert (1071), Philomelion (1116) and Myriokephalon (1176), three decisive encounters that determined not just the ultimate fate of the Anatolian peninsula, but the Levant to its east and Balkans to its west for centuries to come.

Fully illustrated, this study examines the US Army and Japanese troops who fought for control of the Philippine Islands in the climactic months of World War II.In October 1944 the Sixth US Army landed on Leyte in the Japanese-held Central Philippine Islands, initiating a series of battles that became the largest contest between the US and Japanese armies. Determined to liberate the Philippines, General Douglas MacArthur’s forces confronted the Japanese troops intent on extracting a bitter price from their adversaries, amid challenging terrain ranging from the urban streets of Manila to the mountains and jungles of Leyte. Featuring specially commissioned artwork, archive photographs, and full-color mapping, this book examines three important battles of the Philippines campaign.The IJA’s 1st Division faced the US Army’s 24th Division as it attacked toward the port of Ormoc (Breakneck Ridge, November 3–11, 1944), in a fight that pitted one of Japan’s crack divisions against prewar US Regular units. The US 38th Division battled the reinforced 39th Infantry Regiment at Zig-Zag Pass (February 1–13, 1945), an action that saw a relatively green US division facing IJA veterans located in highly defensible terrain. Finally, Gregg Adams examines the battle for the Ipo Dam (May 6–21, 1945), where the veteran US 43d Division fought the Kawashima Force. This absorbing study casts light on the fighting men on both sides.

At the turn of the 20th century, the region of Manchuria sat atop a potentially catastrophic political fault line; the ancient strength of China was crumbling, leaving opportunities for both Russia and Japan to claw out new territories from the edges of that dying empire.Russian pride would contend with Japanese ambition in a conflict that ushered in the age of massed armies fighting on battlefields that were being redefined by the new tools of war such as newer, larger artillery pieces, and the use of machine guns in pitched battles. The vast, but over-stretched Russian Army was expected to steamroller its far smaller opponent, but the aggressiveness and zeal of the more modern Japanese military confounded expectations.Examining these two armies in detail, this fully illustrated study tells the story of how these two empires clashed in the Russo-Japanese War, heralding a new phase in modern warfare as World War I loomed on the horizon.

Fully illustrated, this book assesses the Roman and Dacian fighting men who clashed in three bloody encounters during the Dacian Wars of AD 85–106.While the Roman emperor Trajan’s two campaigns against the Dacian people (AD 101–02 and 105–06) are widely known, the earlier conflicts between the Dacians and their Roman neighbours are also important. Drawing upon the latest research and findings, this fully illustrated study investigates the emperor Domitian’s Dacian war (AD 86–88) as well as Trajan’s campaigns.Inhabiting an area of Europe from the Tisza River to the Black Sea, the Dacians mounted raids into Roman territory throughout the 1st century AD. In 85 Dacian forces invaded Roman territory; after defeating the invaders, the Roman Army moved into Dacia. Distracted by other crises, Domitian made peace and Dacia became a client kingdom of Rome.In AD 101, the emperor Trajan launched a pre-emptive strike on Dacia, prompting the Dacians to sue for peace in 102. In 105, Trajan’s troops commenced a new campaign; the Romans besieged the Dacian capital, Sarmizegetusa. After the Dacian king committed suicide, a new Roman province of Dacia was established.Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork and mapping, this study pits the might of the Roman Army against the formidable Dacians, showing how the fighting men of both sides adapted their tactics and technologies as the fighting progressed.

An illustrated study of the British tribal warriors and Roman auxiliaries who fought in three epic battles for control of Britain in the 1st century AD.Following the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, the tribes of the west and north resisted the establishment of a ‘Roman peace’, led in particular by the chieftain Caratacus. Even in the south-east, resentment of Roman occupation remained, exploding into the revolt of Boudicca’s Iceni in AD 60. Roman auxiliaries from two particular peoples are known to have taken part in the invasion of Britain: the Tungrians, from what is now Belgium, and the Batavians, from the delta of the River Rhine in the modern Netherlands. From the late 80s AD, units of both the Batavians and the Tungrians were garrisoned at a fort at Vindolanda in northern Britain. The so called ‘Vindolanda tablets’ provide an unparalleled body of material with which to reconstruct the lives of these auxiliary soldiers in Britain.Featuring full-colour maps and specially commissioned battlescene and figure artwork plates, this book examines how both the British warriors and the Roman auxiliaries experienced the decades of conflict that followed the invasion. Their recruitment, training, leadership, motivation, culture and beliefs are compared alongside an assessment of three particular battles: the final defeat of Caratacus in the hills of Wales in AD 50; the Roman assault on the island of Mona (Anglesey) in AD 60; and the battle of Mons Graupius in Scotland in AD 83.

A study of the US infantry's struggle to wrest control of Normandy, the Siegfried Line and the Ardennes from their German opponents, offering a glimpse into close-quarters infantry combat of World War 2.The Allied airborne and amphibious landings on D-Day opened up the long-awaited Second Front against Nazi Germany, but after overcoming the German coastal defenses at Utah and “Bloody Omaha,” the US Army found itself having to contest every hedgerow and street in a nightmarish battle of attrition.It was the humble infantrymen of both sides who would play a vital role in taking and holding key objectives. Battles across Europe tested both sides to the limit, from the close-quarters warfare around Cherbourg in June 1944 to the struggle for the Scharnhorst Line in October and the brutal cold-weather fighting in the Ardennes that December.Featuring full-color artwork, specially drawn maps, and archive photographs, this study offers key insights into the tactics, leadership, and combat performance of the US and German infantrymen pitched into three pivotal actions at the height of World War II.

Fully illustrated, this enthralling study explores how the Vandals in North Africa attempted to defend their kingdom against the resurgent Byzantine Empire during 533–36.In AD 533, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I launched the first of his campaigns to reconquer the Western Roman Empire. This effort began in North Africa (modern Algeria and Tunisia), targeting the Vandal kingdom established there a century earlier, which also included Sardinia, Corsica and the Balearic Islands. Featuring full-colour artwork and mapping alongside carefully chosen archive illustrations, this book shows how the Byzantine general Belisarius established his formidable reputation in the lightning-fast campaign that ensued, exploring the origins, tactics and reputation of the two sides’ forces as they fought for control of North Africa.The landing of Belisarius’ forces took the Vandal king, Gelimer, completely by surprise; in September 533 the two sides met in battle near Carthage in an encounter known to posterity as Ad Decimum, with Gelimer ambitiously attempting to trap Belisarius’ forces as they advanced. In December, the two sides fought again in a momentous clash at Tricamarum, where the fate of Gelimer’s regime would be determined. A third battle ensued in 536, when the rebel Stotzas’ Byzantine and Vandal troops confronted Belisarius’ forces, the outcome sealing the Byzantine general’s standing as the foremost soldier of his age.Featuring specially commissioned artwork and mapping alongside archive illustrations and photographs, this vivid account compares and assesses the two sides’ fighting men as they vied for supremacy in North Africa.

Featuring specially commissioned artwork, gripping first-hand accounts and expert analysis, this engaging reassessment offers a glimpse of what it was like for Britain's Chindits to fight in the jungles and mountains of Burma at the height of World War II.In order to keep China in the war against the Japanese, the Western Allies believed they had to return to Northern Burma. Colonel Orde Wingate, a military maverick and proponent of guerrilla warfare, knew that a different type of British infantryman was required for this role – the Chindit, indoctrinated with special training – to re-enter the jungles and mountains of Northern Burma in order to combat the victorious Japanese forces there.The Chindits’ opponents would include the 18th Division, one of Imperial Japan’s most seasoned formations, which by 1941 had already accumulated as much operational experience as most Anglo-American divisions would acquire in the entire 1939–45 war. In a host of encounters the two sides clashed repeatedly in the harsh conditions of the Burmese jungle; the intended role and subsequent operational performance of the Chindits remains fraught with controversy today.Packed with full-colour artwork, specially drawn maps and archive photographs, this gripping study offers key insights into the tactics, leadership, combat performance and subsequent reputations of six representative Chindit and Japanese infantry units involved in three pivotal actions that hastened Japan’s defeat in Burma during World War II.

The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), waged between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies, involved some of the most important developments in ancient warfare.A life-and-death struggle between the two most powerful Greek city-states in the wake of their combined successes against the Persian invasion of Xerxes in 480–479 BC, the conflict dragged in communities from all over the Greek world on one side or the other. Ranging from the Black Sea to Sicily, the war saw the first recorded widespread use of light-armed troops, reserves, the deep phalanx, and other ideas important for the development of Western warfare into the 4th century BC, such as strategic thinking. It also revealed lessons (some learned and some not) with respect to the strengths and weaknesses of hoplite warfare and the various states in Greece.Featuring full-color artwork and drawing upon an array of sources, this study of three pivotal clashes between Spartan and Athenian hoplite forces during the Peloponnesian War highlights all of these developments and lessons.

This illustrated study reveals the crucial roles played by German troops and commanders fighting on both sides during the American Revolution.During the American Revolutionary War, the British Crown deployed hired German troops in its efforts to defeat the Patriots. Facing a steep learning curve, the newly established Continental Army – some of the soldiers in its ranks also German-speakers, notably those from Pennsylvania – faced these stolid regulars hailing from Hessen-Cassel, Braunschweig, and other German principalities. In this fully illustrated account, Robbie MacNiven assesses both sides’ combat effectiveness during three critical months of fighting in late 1776.At White Plains, New York (October 28, 1776), Hessian troops spearheaded a Crown Forces attack on Continental forces; the disciplined Germans turned the Patriot flank and forced the Continentals to withdraw in good order. At Fort Washington, New York (November 16, 1776), the Crown Forces inflicted a demoralizing defeat on their opponents, with the Hessians taking the surrender of the Continental garrison. At Trenton, New Jersey (December 26, 1776), the Continentals crossed the Delaware and surprised and defeated a complacent Hessian garrison consisting of three regiments. Featuring archive illustrations, specially commissioned artwork, and full-color mapping, this book exposes the grueling impact of the American Revolutionary War on both sides’ forces.

The bloody campaigns of the American Revolutionary War pitted Britain’s redcoats against Washington’s Continentals in a host of encounters, from Germantown in 1777 to Cowpens in 1781. The Redcoats were a highly trained organization manned by long-serving and experienced infantrymen with a formidable reputation forged on European battlefields during the Seven Years’ War. So, how were the poorly trained, poorly supplied Continental infantry able to hold their own and shape the outcome of the Revolutionary War and establish the future of their young nation?David Bonk answers this question in a highly illustrated book that looks at the challenges facing both armies, weighing up how each side was able to cope with the day-to-day experiences of the war and using extensive first-hand accounts to allow a modern audience to experience what life was like for soldiers on and off the battlefield during the war.Featuring full-color artwork and lively analysis, this engaging study lifts the lid on what it was like to fight in the line of battle in the conflict that determined America’s future.

The brutal fighting between US Marines and Japanese infantry on the island of Guadalcanal in many ways came to typify the island-hopping war in the Pacific.This book not only explores the differing tactics and equipment used by the two combatants but also shows how the challenges of fighting in inhospitable tropical jungles impacted on soldiers on the ground, as combatants had to deal not only with their determined opponents but also the twin issues of disease and stretched supply lines.Written by a former special forces veteran with extensive knowledge of jungle warfare, this fully illustrated book lifts the veil on one of the most pivotal and ferocious close combat duels of World War II.

The brutal fighting between US Marines and Japanese infantry on the island of Guadalcanal in many ways came to typify the island-hopping war in the Pacific.This book not only explores the differing tactics and equipment used by the two combatants but also shows how the challenges of fighting in inhospitable tropical jungles impacted on soldiers on the ground, as combatants had to deal not only with their determined opponents but also the twin issues of disease and stretched supply lines.Written by a former special forces veteran with extensive knowledge of jungle warfare, this fully illustrated book lifts the veil on one of the most pivotal and ferocious close combat duels of World War II.

The brutal fighting between US Marines and Japanese infantry on the island of Guadalcanal in many ways came to typify the island-hopping war in the Pacific.This book not only explores the differing tactics and equipment used by the two combatants but also shows how the challenges of fighting in inhospitable tropical jungles impacted on soldiers on the ground, as combatants had to deal not only with their determined opponents but also the twin issues of disease and stretched supply lines.Written by a former special forces veteran with extensive knowledge of jungle warfare, this fully illustrated book lifts the veil on one of the most pivotal and ferocious close combat duels of World War II.

A study of the US infantry''s struggle to wrest control of Normandy, the Siegfried Line and the Ardennes from their German opponents, offering a glimpse into close-quarters infantry combat of World War 2.The Allied airborne and amphibious landings on D-Day opened up the long-awaited Second Front against Nazi Germany, but after overcoming the German coastal defenses at Utah and “Bloody Omaha,” the US Army found itself having to contest every hedgerow and street in a nightmarish battle of attrition.It was the humble infantrymen of both sides who would play a vital role in taking and holding key objectives. Battles across Europe tested both sides to the limit, from the close-quarters warfare around Cherbourg in June 1944 to the struggle for the Scharnhorst Line in October and the brutal cold-weather fighting in the Ardennes that December.Featuring full-color artwork, specially drawn maps, and archive photographs, this study offers key insights into the tactics, leadership, and combat performance of the US and German infantrymen pitched into three pivotal actions at the height of World War II.

A study of the US infantry''s struggle to wrest control of Normandy, the Siegfried Line and the Ardennes from their German opponents, offering a glimpse into close-quarters infantry combat of World War 2.The Allied airborne and amphibious landings on D-Day opened up the long-awaited Second Front against Nazi Germany, but after overcoming the German coastal defenses at Utah and “Bloody Omaha,” the US Army found itself having to contest every hedgerow and street in a nightmarish battle of attrition.It was the humble infantrymen of both sides who would play a vital role in taking and holding key objectives. Battles across Europe tested both sides to the limit, from the close-quarters warfare around Cherbourg in June 1944 to the struggle for the Scharnhorst Line in October and the brutal cold-weather fighting in the Ardennes that December.Featuring full-color artwork, specially drawn maps, and archive photographs, this study offers key insights into the tactics, leadership, and combat performance of the US and German infantrymen pitched into three pivotal actions at the height of World War II.

The Axis invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 pitted Nazi Germany and her allies against Stalin’s forces in a mighty struggle for survival.Fighting alongside the spearhead Panzer divisions were Germany’s highly skilled and veteran motorized infantrymen – including the German Army’s premier unit, Infanterie-Regiment (mot.) Großdeutschland. Opposing these German mobile forces, the Soviets deployed the often ill-trained and poorly equipped men of the rifle regiments, who fought tenaciously and with the threat of savage reprisals from their own side.In this book three bruising clashes during the first seven weeks of the campaign are assessed – a bloody encounter battle at Zhlobin, the struggle for the destroyed city of Smolensk and then a prolonged clash along a dangerously stretched German defensive perimeter at Vas’kovo–Voroshilovo.

The Axis invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 pitted Nazi Germany and her allies against Stalin''s forces in a mighty struggle for survival.Fighting alongside the spearhead Panzer divisions were Germany''s highly skilled and veteran motorized infantrymen – including the German Army''s premier unit, Infanterie-Regiment (mot.) Großdeutschland. Opposing these German mobile forces, the Soviets deployed the often ill-trained and poorly equipped men of the rifle regiments, who fought tenaciously and with the threat of savage reprisals from their own side.In this book three bruising clashes during the first seven weeks of the campaign are assessed – a bloody encounter battle at Zhlobin, the struggle for the destroyed city of Smolensk and then a prolonged clash along a dangerously stretched German defensive perimeter at Vas''kovo–Voroshilovo.

The Axis invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941 pitted Nazi Germany and her allies against Stalin''s forces in a mighty struggle for survival.Fighting alongside the spearhead Panzer divisions were Germany''s highly skilled and veteran motorized infantrymen – including the German Army''s premier unit, Infanterie-Regiment (mot.) Großdeutschland. Opposing these German mobile forces, the Soviets deployed the often ill-trained and poorly equipped men of the rifle regiments, who fought tenaciously and with the threat of savage reprisals from their own side.In this book three bruising clashes during the first seven weeks of the campaign are assessed – a bloody encounter battle at Zhlobin, the struggle for the destroyed city of Smolensk and then a prolonged clash along a dangerously stretched German defensive perimeter at Vas''kovo–Voroshilovo.

The reigns of Augustus and his successor Tiberius saw an epic struggle between the Romans and local peoples for the territory between the Rhine and Elbe rivers in what is now Germany.Following two decades of Roman occupation, Germania Magna erupted into revolt in AD 9 following the loss of the three legions commanded by Publius Quinctilius Varus to the Cheruscan nobleman Arminius and an alliance of Germanic nations in the dense forests of the Teutoburger Wald. The Romans’ initial panic subsided as it became clear that Arminius and his allies could not continue the war into Germania Inferior on the western bank of the Rhine, and Imperial troops poured into the region as the Romans decided how best to resolve the situation.Featuring full-colour artwork, specially drawn maps and an array of revealing illustrations depicting weapons, equipment, key locations and personalities, this study offers key insights into the tactics, leadership, combat performance and subsequent reputations of the Roman soldiers and their Germanic opponents pitched into a series of pivotal actions on the Imperial frontier that would influence Roman/German relations for decades to come.

The reigns of Augustus and his successor Tiberius saw an epic struggle between the Romans and local peoples for the territory between the Rhine and Elbe rivers in what is now Germany.Following two decades of Roman occupation, Germania Magna erupted into revolt in AD 9 following the loss of the three legions commanded by Publius Quinctilius Varus to the Cheruscan nobleman Arminius and an alliance of Germanic nations in the dense forests of the Teutoburger Wald. The Romans'' initial panic subsided as it became clear that Arminius and his allies could not continue the war into Germania Inferior on the western bank of the Rhine, and Imperial troops poured into the region as the Romans decided how best to resolve the situation.Featuring full-colour artwork, specially drawn maps and an array of revealing illustrations depicting weapons, equipment, key locations and personalities, this study offers key insights into the tactics, leadership, combat performance and subsequent reputations of the Roman soldiers and their Germanic opponents pitched into a series of pivotal actions on the Imperial frontier that would influence Roman/German relations for decades to come.

The reigns of Augustus and his successor Tiberius saw an epic struggle between the Romans and local peoples for the territory between the Rhine and Elbe rivers in what is now Germany.Following two decades of Roman occupation, Germania Magna erupted into revolt in AD 9 following the loss of the three legions commanded by Publius Quinctilius Varus to the Cheruscan nobleman Arminius and an alliance of Germanic nations in the dense forests of the Teutoburger Wald. The Romans'' initial panic subsided as it became clear that Arminius and his allies could not continue the war into Germania Inferior on the western bank of the Rhine, and Imperial troops poured into the region as the Romans decided how best to resolve the situation.Featuring full-colour artwork, specially drawn maps and an array of revealing illustrations depicting weapons, equipment, key locations and personalities, this study offers key insights into the tactics, leadership, combat performance and subsequent reputations of the Roman soldiers and their Germanic opponents pitched into a series of pivotal actions on the Imperial frontier that would influence Roman/German relations for decades to come.

Britain''s budding airborne forces saw their first prolonged combat in the battles for North Africa and Sicily in 1942–43, while their German counterparts - reinforced and expanded since their costly victory in Crete - proved their value as veteran ''fire fighters'', able to counter emergencies.The airborne forces of Britain and Germany were among their best troops of World War II and when they met in battle the result was a brutal trial of strength. British paratroopers and German Fallschirmjäger clashed repeatedly and their training, tactics, experience, morale and weaponry were tested against each other, not least in the three bruising encounters outlined here, in Tunisia and Sicily.From the British attempts to seize the airfields at Depienne and Oudna to the bloody night battle for Green Hill and the bitter struggle for Primosole Bridge in Sicily, this book explores the ways in which highly trained parachute troops clashed with their opposite numbers, gaining experience, refining tactics and learning valuable lessons.

Britain''s budding airborne forces saw their first prolonged combat in the battles for North Africa and Sicily in 1942–43, while their German counterparts - reinforced and expanded since their costly victory in Crete - proved their value as veteran ''fire fighters'', able to counter emergencies.The airborne forces of Britain and Germany were among their best troops of World War II and when they met in battle the result was a brutal trial of strength. British paratroopers and German Fallschirmjäger clashed repeatedly and their training, tactics, experience, morale and weaponry were tested against each other, not least in the three bruising encounters outlined here, in Tunisia and Sicily.From the British attempts to seize the airfields at Depienne and Oudna to the bloody night battle for Green Hill and the bitter struggle for Primosole Bridge in Sicily, this book explores the ways in which highly trained parachute troops clashed with their opposite numbers, gaining experience, refining tactics and learning valuable lessons.

Men from all over North America and beyond – whether regulars, volunteers, or draftees – found themselves fighting for their lives on a host of bloody battlefields during the Civil War.The enthusiastic but largely inexperienced soldiers serving on both sides had to adapt quickly to the appalling realities of warfare in the industrial age. Author Ron Field, an authority on the Civil War, investigates three clashes that illustrate the changing realities of combat.Pitched into combat after an exhausting march to reach the battlefield, newly recruited infantrymen of both sides clashed at First Bull Run/Manassas in 1861.Two years later, the outcome of the Civil War''s pivotal battle at Gettysburg hung in the balance as the Confederate veterans of Pickett''s Division mounted a set-piece attack on Union positions at ''The Bloody Angle''. In 1864, African-American troops fighting for the Union took part in a bloody assault on formidable Confederate positions at Chaffin''s Farm/New Market Heights, outside Petersburg.This absorbing study casts light on what it was like to take part in close-quarters battle during the Civil War, as increased infantry firepower and an increasing reliance on prepared defensive positions spelled the end of close-order tactics in the conflict that shaped America.

Men from all over North America and beyond – whether regulars, volunteers, or draftees – found themselves fighting for their lives on a host of bloody battlefields during the Civil War.The enthusiastic but largely inexperienced soldiers serving on both sides had to adapt quickly to the appalling realities of warfare in the industrial age. Author Ron Field, an authority on the Civil War, investigates three clashes that illustrate the changing realities of combat.Pitched into combat after an exhausting march to reach the battlefield, newly recruited infantrymen of both sides clashed at First Bull Run/Manassas in 1861.Two years later, the outcome of the Civil War''s pivotal battle at Gettysburg hung in the balance as the Confederate veterans of Pickett''s Division mounted a set-piece attack on Union positions at ''The Bloody Angle''. In 1864, African-American troops fighting for the Union took part in a bloody assault on formidable Confederate positions at Chaffin''s Farm/New Market Heights, outside Petersburg.This absorbing study casts light on what it was like to take part in close-quarters battle during the Civil War, as increased infantry firepower and an increasing reliance on prepared defensive positions spelled the end of close-order tactics in the conflict that shaped America.

The short but savage Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 pitched well-equipped but complacent British soldiers into combat with the Zulu, one of history''s finest fighting forces.The clashes between these two different armies prompted tactical innovation on both sides, as the British and their Zulu opponents sought to find the optimal combination of mobility, protection and firepower. This engrossing study traces the changing face of infantry combat in the Anglo-Zulu War. Three major engagements are detailed: the Zulu ambush at Nyezane, repulsed by the British using their established tactics; the shocking defeat and massacre of outmanoeuvred British forces in savage close-quarter fighting at iSandlwana; and the British victory at Khambula following their adoption of more condensed firing lines and prepared positions.A noted authority on this epic confrontation examines three pivotal clashes from the infantryman''s perspective on both sides to shed new light on the nature of colonial warfare ''at the sharp end''.

The short but savage Anglo-Zulu War of 1879 pitched well-equipped but complacent British soldiers into combat with the Zulu, one of history''s finest fighting forces.The clashes between these two different armies prompted tactical innovation on both sides, as the British and their Zulu opponents sought to find the optimal combination of mobility, protection and firepower. This engrossing study traces the changing face of infantry combat in the Anglo-Zulu War. Three major engagements are detailed: the Zulu ambush at Nyezane, repulsed by the British using their established tactics; the shocking defeat and massacre of outmanoeuvred British forces in savage close-quarter fighting at iSandlwana; and the British victory at Khambula following their adoption of more condensed firing lines and prepared positions.A noted authority on this epic confrontation examines three pivotal clashes from the infantryman''s perspective on both sides to shed new light on the nature of colonial warfare ''at the sharp end''.

The Russian Jaeger regiments and Napoleon''s Young Guard clashed repeatedly during the campaigns of 1812–14.The Russian Jaeger were light infantry who gained enormous experience and prestige during the struggle to rid Europe of Napoleon''s armies, while the Young Guard was expanded to become the main strike force of the French field armies. In appalling winter conditions in 1812, the Young Guard turned to confront their opponents, including Jaeger forces, at Krasnyi.In the face of constant bombardment, Young Guard regiments held off the Russians, covering the retreat of large parts of Napoleon''s forces. They clashed again at Leipzig in 1813 and then again in the bitter cold at Craonne in 1814, where horrendous casualties finally told on the newly formed Young Guard units pitched into an attack upon Russian Jaeger regiments.Putting the reader in the shoes of the ordinary soldiers of both sides, this absorbing book traces the evolving trial of strength between Russia''s Jaeger arm and France''s Young Guardsmen at the height of the Napoleonic Wars.