Bolt Action: Armies of Italy and the Axis
$24.95 SRP
While many nations flocked to the side of the Allies, others joined forces with Germany as part of the Axis. This volume is the definitive guide to the armies of Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Finland. Fight the Winter War against the Soviets, hold back the British in North Africa, or help shore up the German offensives on the Eastern Front with this latest supplement for Bolt Action.
Author: Warlord Games
Illustrator: Peter Dennis
96 pages
China’s Wars: Rousing the Dragon 1894-1949
$40.00 SRP
By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, China had become one of the great powers of the modern world. Economically, politically and militarily, its power and international reach is only exceeded by the United States, the world’s one remaining superpower. Its military spending, though dwarfed by the United States, is over $100 billion a year and it is busy developing an aircraft carrier, a stealth fighter jet and missiles that can shoot down satellites, all in an effort to project its power on a global scale.
This is all a far cry from its position at the end of the 19th century, when it was a ramshackle and isolated medieval empire upon whom the European colonial powers could impose their wishes at will. Militarily at least, the years between 1894 and 1949 proved to be the defining period in Chinese history.
In this new study, Philip Jowett traces the complicated military history of China during these pivotal years, describing in detail the conflicts that forges the modern superpower that is China today.
Author: Philip Jowett
400 pages
Deliver Us From Darkness: The Untold Story of Third Battalion 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment
$16.95 SRP
This follow-up to Tonight We Die As Men continues the story of the 506 Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division as they dropped into Holland as part of Operation Market Garden. The following 72-day campaign saw the 506PIR constantly on the move, defending various transport hubs around Eindhoven, desperately trying to keep open ‘Hell’s Highway’. From there, the airborne troopers moved north to near Arnhem where they took a new position around Betuwe.
For two months, the Americans battled against German tanks, constant artillery barrages and driving rain and they grimly held their ground, until the Germans finally abandoned the effort.
Written with the help and input from numerous veterans, this book tells the complete story of many of America’s best soldiers as they fought and died in Holland.
Authors: Ian Gardner, Mario DiCarlo
344 pages
World War I Companion
$27.95 SRP
2014 sees the centenary of the start of World War I. This was a period of intense development in military technology, technique and innovation as the belligerent powers sought to break the deadlock. The rise of airpower, coronation of artillery as queen of the battlefield and development of the tank as a means of restoring mobility to the battlefield all came about in this period and have had a lasting influence through to the present day.
This study consists of separate articles by thirteen respected academics focusing on different aspects of the Great War, ranging from the war at sea, through the Gallipoli campaign to the final offensives of 1918 to give a wide-ranging companion to this truly global conflict.
272 pages
Curtiss P-40 - Snub-nosed Kittyhawks and Warhawks
$18.95 SRP
An improved version of the Allison V-1710 engine gave rise to the Curtiss H-87, which began life in 1941 as the P-40D and featured a completely redesigned fuselage. The shorter and deeper nose of the new fighter gave it a decidedly snub-nosed appearance compared to the earlier P-40 models. Curtiss continued to tweak the H-87 for the next two years in the search for better performance, but the last major version, the P-40N, was only marginally faster than the first. In the process, Curtiss even tried an engine change to the Packard Merlin in the P-40F and L but to no avail. What the late model P-40s lacked in speed and service ceiling, they traded for maneuverability, durability and availability.
Their niche became fighter-bomber operations, and they fought on fronts as varied as the arctic wastes of the Aleutian Islands and Iceland, the steaming jungles of the South Pacific and the barren deserts of North Africa. P-40s were a common sight in the skies over Burma and China, Sicily and Italy, and western Russia as well. By the time production ceased in 1944, Curtiss had produced nearly 14,000 P-40s.
Author: Carl Molesworth
Illustrators: Richard Chasemore, Adam Tooby
64 pages.
Aces of Jagdgeschwader 3 ‘Udet’
$22.95 SRP
Jagdgeschwader 3 may not have the same immediate resonance as some of the more famous Luftwaffe fighter units, such Jagdgeschwader 2 ‘Richthofen’, but it is arguably the archetypal German fighter formation of World War 2. Not only did it participate in every campaign fought by the Luftwaffe (with the exceptions of Poland and Norway), it flew every major variant of the two legendary German wartime fighters, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, starting with the Bf 109E in 1939 and ending with the Fw 190D-9 ‘Long-nose’ in 1945. And, during the course of the hostilities, it numbered among its ranks more than 70 Knight’s Cross winners (a total exceeded by only one other Jagdgeschwader).
The wealth and variety of detail afforded by such a background; which includes the historic battles of Britain, Stalingrad, Kursk, Normandy, the Ardennes and Berlin, provides an ideal framework upon which to portray the multitude of stories, exploits and ultimate fates of the many aces themselves, from the now unknown trio who achieved their first five kills during the Blitzkrieg in France in the late spring/early summer of 1940 to the nearly two-dozen highly acclaimed and lauded ‘centurions’ who flew with JG 3.
Illustrator: John Weal
96 pages
Aces of Jagdstaffel 17
$22.95 SRP
Initially formed to assist in the defense of the city of Metz against French bombing raids, Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 17 would go on to become one of the most distinguish German fighter units of World War 1. Its first victory was scored by the pilot whose story is inextricably interwoven with that of his unit, the ‘Blue Max’ recipient Julius Buckler. He was largely responsible for inspiring the unit’s unique Esprit de Corps, expressed in its famous and unique ‘battle-cry’ of ‘Malaula!’ Indeed, in its final days the unit gained the nickname Zirkus Buckler, or the ‘Buckler Circus’. Besides Buckler, Jasta 17 boasted such aces as Karl Strasser, Alfred Fleischer and Christian Donhauser. In addition, the roster included colorful characters like the successful Jewish airman Jakob Wolff, who at over 48 years of age was the oldest German fighter pilot of the war.
The story of this illustrious unit is told with many first-hand accounts by Buckler, Fleischer and others, as well as dozens of rare archival photos of the unit’s beautifully decorated fighter aircraft.
Author: Greg VanWyngarden
Illustrator: Harry Dempsey
96 pages
US Army and Marine Corps MRAPs
$17.95 SRP
The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle is the newest land warfare system in the United States Army and Marine Corps inventory. Designed to meet the challenges of operating in a counterinsurgency environment, the MRAP has taken survivability to a new level.
MRAPs are currently manufactured by three companies: BAE Systems, Navistar International Military Group, and Force Protection Inc. Each company manufactures an MRAP according to one of three classifications set by the US Department of Defense: Category I, Category II, or Category III. The Category I MRAPs are designed for urban combat. Category II covers the MRAPs designed for convoy security, medical evacuation, and explosive ordnance disposal. The Category III MRAP performs the same function as Category II but is designed to carry more personnel.
Since their introduction in 2007, MRAPs have performed remarkably in the asymmetric warfare environment. Their unique design and survivability characteristics have saved the lives hundreds of soldiers who otherwise would have been lost to landmines or IED attacks. As with any combat system, however, the MRAP is not without its drawbacks.
Illustrator: Henry Morshead
48 pages
British Battlecruiser vs. German Battlecruiser: 1914-16
$18.95 SRP
The rival battlecruisers first clashed in January 1915 at Dogger Bank in the North Sea and although the battle was a British tactical victory with neither side losing any of its battlecruisers, the differences in the designs of the British and German ships were already apparent. The two sides responded very differently to this first clash; while the Germans improved their ammunition-handling procedures to lessen the risk of disabling explosions, the British drew the opposite lesson and stockpiled ammunition in an effort to improve their rate of fire, rendering their battlecruisers more vulnerable.
These differences were highlighted more starkly during the battle of Jutland in May 1916. Of the nine British battlecruisers committed, three were destroyed, all by their German counterparts. Five German battlecruisers were present, and of these, only one was sunk and the remainder damaged. Fully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork, this is the gripping story of the clash between the rival battlecruisers of the Royal Navy and the Kaiserliche Marine at the height of World War I.
Author: Mark Stille
Illustrators: Ian Palmer, Paul Wright
80 pages
Hercules
$17.95 SRP
Hercules battled gods, men and monsters in a lifetime of violence and destruction. Today, Hercules is best known for his ‘twelve labors’, a series of near-impossible tasks assigned to him as punishment for the killing of his wife and children. During those tasks, he slew the multi-headed hydra, wrestled with Cerberus, hound of the underworld, and stole the girdle of Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons. Yet even when his labors were done, his adventures continued. Hercules led armies, sacked cities, fought against the gods, and then joined forces with the gods in the great war known as ‘The Gigantomachy’.
This book tells the complete story of this legendary warrior, including information on the classical sources, his deification and cult, and his continuing popularity as a character in film, television and comic books.
80 pages
We Will Destroy Your Planet: An Alien’s Guide to Conquering the Earth
$17.95 SRP
For over a hundred years, Aliens have been trying to take over the Earth, but every time they have failed, often in the most unlikely ways. Well, no more! We Will Destroy Your Planet offers our future alien overlords all of the information necessary to bring humanity to its knees.
Planning for an interstellar, or even intergalactic, conquest is a complex affair, that even races which have mastered faster than light travel might find difficult. This book offers practical, ‘how-to’ advice on a variety of topics including logistics, environmental factors, and of course human weaknesses. It also goes into the big question of ‘why’ you want to destroy or enslave the Earth, as this is crucial in determining which strategy and tactics to employ. Once that has been determined, the book follows as step-by-step approach to annihilating human resistance, suggesting the best and worst weapons, and giving guidelines on just how much destruction is optimal.
With this book in hand, there is little doubt that humans are now in their last generation as masters of the Earth.
Author: David McIntee
Illustrator: Miguel Coimbra
224 pages
Fort William Henry 1755–57
$21.95 SRP
After the British garrison of Fort William Henry in the colony of New York surrendered to the besieging army of the French commander Marquis de Montcalm in August 1757, it appeared that this particular episode of the French and Indian War was over. What happened next became the most infamous incident of the war and one which forms an integral part of James Fenimore Cooper’s classic novel The Last of the Mohicans; the ‘massacre’ of Fort William Henry. As the garrison prepared to march for Fort Edward a flood of enraged Native Americans swept over the column, unleashing an unstoppable tide of slaughter. Cooper’s version has colored our view of the incident, so what really happened?
Ian Castle details new research on the campaign, including some fascinating archaeological work that has taken place over the last 20 years, updating the view put forward by The Last of the Mohicans.
Author: Ian Castle
Illustrator: Graham Turner
96 pages
Italian soldier in North Africa 1941–43
$18.95 SRP
Despite the attention paid to the Afrikakorps over the years, it was the numerically far superior forces of the Italian Army that held the line and formed the bulk of the fighting power available to the Axis powers during the War in the Desert from 1941 through to 1943.
Their performance has been unfairly criticized over the years, the best units of the Italian Army were equal to those of the British and Germans, but they suffered from a lack of mobility and poor equipment that made it impossible for them to meet mobile British forces on anywhere near equal terms. Despite this, the Italian Army went through many changes through the period, with the introduction of a variety of elite units, armored, mechanized and parachute divisions that did much to restore the fighting reputation of the Italian soldier in the desert war. Their German allies belatedly acknowledged this with the redesignation of Panzerarmee Afrika as 1st Italian Army in February 1943.
This title details recruitment, organization and experience of the Italian forces in this theatre, casting new light on a force whose fighting power and capabilities have been unfairly ignored and maligned for too long.
Authors: Pier Paolo Battistelli, Piero Crociani
Illustrator: Steve Noon
64 pages
Heroes, Villains and Fiends: A Companion for In Her Majesty’s Name
$17.95 SRP
A selection of Company Lists, scenarios and special rules designed to expand and develop the world of In Her Majesty’s Name. The Company Lists will introduce new, fully playable factions to the setting, from the Vatican’s monster hunters to revolutionaries and underworld organizations across Europe to Russia’s intelligence agents, American rail barons, Asian secret societies, and the inhabitants of darkest Africa. The scenarios and special rules further develop the base game, giving players more variety, and increasing the possibilities!
Authors: Craig Cartmell, Charles Murton
Illustrator: Fabien Esnard-Lascombe
64 pages
French Guardsman vs. Russian Jaeger: 1812-14
$18.95 SRP
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.
Author: Laurence Spring
Illustrator: Mark Stacey
80 pages
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