Osprey Elite Series New Releases
During the past few months, Osprey Publishing has been very busy releasing new books for the historian, gamer and modeler. Below are a few of the new book releases in the Elite Series of books with short a description of each book title.
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| Elite 172 Roman Battle Tactics 390 – 110BC
This is book number 172 in Osprey’s “Elite” series of books. By 390 BC, the organization of the Roman army was in need of change. Fighting in the Greek-style with a heavy infantry was proving increasingly outdated and inflexible, resulting in Roman’s defeat at the hands of the Gauls at the battle of Allia. Following on from this catastrophe and in the next fifty years of warfare against Gallic and Italian tribes, a military revolution was born: the legion. This was a new unit of organization made up of three flexible lines of maniples consisting of troops of both heavy and light infantry. However, at the end of the 3rd century BC, Rome’s prestige was shattered once more by the genius of Hannibal of Carthage, causing Roman battle tactics to be revised again. The legendary general Scipio Africanus achieved this, finally destroying the Carthaginian army at the climatic victory of Zama. A wholly new kind of soldier had been invented, and the whole Mediterranean world was now at Rome’s feet. This book reveals these two defining moments in Roman military history and the revolution in battle tactics that was the result.
Paperback, $18.95 US / $22.00 CAN |
Elite 178 – Hatamoto
This is book number 178 in Osprey’s “Elite” series of books. Each great samurai warlord, or daimyo, had a household division of troops, known as the Hatamoto- “those who stand under the flag.” The Hatamoto included the personal bodyguards, both horse (uma mawari) and foot (kachi); the senior generals (bugyo), the standard bearers and color-guard, couriers, and other samurai under the warlord’s personal command. Apart from bodyguard and other duties, both horse and foot guards often played crucial roles in battle. Their intervention could turn defeat into victory, and their collapse meant final disaster. As favored fighting men under the warlord’s eye, members of the bodyguards could hope for promotion, and some rose to be daimyo themselves. All three great leaders of the 16-17th century – including Oda, Hideyoshi and Tokugawa had their own elite corps. Such troops were distinguished by dazzling apparel and heraldry, with banners both carried and attached to the back of the armor, all of which are detailed in an array of color artwork specially created for this publication. Paperback, $18.95 US / $22.00 CAN |
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Throughout the 17th century, large parts of Europe were depopulated during the wide-ranging and savage wars of religion and dynasty involving all the major powers. These included the Dutch-Spanish wars of independence, The Thirty Years’ War and the English Civil Wars. This was the key period in the development of modern infantry tactics, incorporating the use of pole-arms and muskets together. Although cavalry participated in such conflicts, it was the infantry that was the decisive arm. Such Infantry tactics infolved different national schools of thought and practice, tested bloodily in great battles. Paperback, $18.95 US / $22.00 CAN |
Elite 180 – US Coast Guard in World War II
The full history of the US Coast Guard in World War II is revealed in this Elite title. The book draws attention to the little known history of how the US Coast Guard ran a number of landing craft throughout D-Day in 1944 as well as providing crucial anti U-Boat patrols throughout the war years. A number of Coast Guard servicemen were lost in thse two campaigns and their undeniable contribution to the US war effort deserves greater recognition. There was a diverse array of roles within the wartime Coast Guard aviators and gunners to the Merchant Marine and Port Security Services. These roles are all fully explained and illustrated with a number of rare photographs and artwork. Paperback, $18.95 US / $22.00 CAN |
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| Elite 181 World War II Battlefield Communications
The biggest difference in the fighting between the world wars lay in the technological invention of the man-portable radio. This technology advancement allowed a greater coordination of tactics between units. This book offers a unique view by providing an informative study of the use of small radios, field telephones, signal flares and ground-to-air signaling that revolutionized these battlefield tactics. Paperback, $18.95 US / $22.00 CAN |
