Böcker i Elite-serien

This work takes a look at the Royal Navy during World War II. It covers the organization of the fleet, the duties and conditions of shipboard life, and the uniforms and gear worn in all theatres of war. It also traces the development of the Royal Navy from 1939 to the end of the war.

''A very remarkable people, the Zulu'', the British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, said on hearing of a fresh disaster in the war of 1879, ''They defeat our generals; they convert our bishops; they have settled the fate of a great European dynasty''. Remarkable indeed, to have taken on the full might of the British Empire at its height, and won, if not the war, at least some of the battles. This book explains who the Zulus were, and how they achieved the fame as warriors which they enjoy to this day.

The years from 1914 to 1918 saw a whole series of complex and rapid changes in infantry tactics, which fundamentally altered the way wars had been fought for 150 years. This study describes the development of infantry equipment and weapons and how these items and techniques were employed in battle.

This work charts the seemingly spontaneous growth of the "Free Corps" movement from the ashes of the Imperial German Army following the 1918 Armistice. It features accounts of dramatic and little-known campaigns inside Germany and on the Baltic and Polish frontiers.

Describes and analyzes the history, uniforms, weaponry and military practices of United Nations peace-keeping forces since 1948, which have been deployed in trouble-spots across the globe, including two major wars, in Korea and the Gulf, fought under the UN banner.

From its very inception the United States Army Special Forces has been enmeshed in controversy, its mission misunderstood to varying degrees, and its very existence opposed by some of the Army hierarchy. Nevertheless it continues to serve in a highly specialised role in all manner of differing conditions. There can be few better qualified to chronicle the history of this unique organisation than former Special Forces Group weapons specialist Gordon Rottman, whose expert knowledge is clearly evident in this authoritative text. This volume also contains 12 full page colour plates by one of the world''s most respected military artists, Ron Volstad.

Describes and analyzes the history, uniforms, weaponry and military practices of the Janissary Infantry. This was the elite military force and Sultanate guard of the Ottoman Empire from the 14th to the 19th centuries.

Describes the organization, uniforms and equipment of the Third Reich's elite North African soldiers. The author gives a history of the North Africa campaign, but also detailed operational histories of the Afrikakorps' constituent units and examines their equipment and insignia.

Of all the conquerors who swept out of Central Asia, two names stand out in European memory - Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan the Mongol. Both are remembered for massacres and devastation; yet whereas Genghis is also famous for the laws he imposed on half of Asia and for the trade which flourished under Mongol rule, Attila's notoriety seems unrelieved by positive achievements. But what was Attila's short-lived empire really like? What happened to the Huns afterwards, and what role did the nomads of Central Asia play in the centuries between Attila and Genghis Khan?

This is a detailed study of the most consistently successful troops in the Vietnam War - the Australians and New Zealanders.

The decision, in Spring 1948, to form two battalions of Foreign Legion paratroopers was prompted by the requirement for enlarged airborne forces in the First Indochina War (1946), and the healthy recruitment then employed by the Legion. There were some initial doubts. The Legion were known to be magnificent heavy infantry, but were felt by some to lack the flexibility and agility demanded by independent airborne operations. In the Legion itself there were some misgivings over the possible clash between the self-consciously exclusive ''para mentality'', and the Legion''s own very marked ésprit de corps. Over time, however, all these doubts evaporated with experience.

Details the privateer captains of the golden age of "state-sponsored piracy" - men such as John Paul Jones, Jean Lafitte, and Benito de Soto. It includes episodes such as Bonhomme Richard's epic battle with HMS Serapis.

This volume portrays an accurate picture of the pirates who sailed of the Caribbean and American coastlines during the "golden age" of piracy between 1660 and 1730. It examines their lifestyle and codes of conduct, what ships and weapons they used and the main characters of the period.

Details the uniforms of one of the most skilled and professional navies in the world, the men who swept the seas clean of Britain's enemies. This book covers many of the most famous battles and personalities of that period, as well as the ships, combat and crews.

Under the leadership of rulers such as Rameses II, Egypt - the most ancient and enduring power of the biblical world - fought every other major power to control an empire that stretched from the Sudan to Palestine. In this book the arms and equipment of Ancient Egypt are examined.

In the 17th century, English, French and Dutch buccaneers launched a series of attacks on Spanish towns, ports and shipping. This volume details the buccaneer captains, such as Henry Morgan, the crews of their ships, how they recruited, and how they fought their battles on land and at sea.

In the 1840s, gold had officially been discovered in California, and many men made their way out West in search of riches. The early mining camps were dangerous places full of violence and crime. Law and order was needed, and the Vigilante Committee became the first organized deliverer of justice in these turbulent new towns. As more and more people headed out West, and many new towns sprang up, a more official system of law was needed. From the days of the California Gold Rush to the killing of Bill Tilghman, the last of the traditional frontier lawmen, this book discusses the men that shaped law and order in the 'Wild, Wild West'.

War played a central part in the history of Japan. Warring clans controlled much of the country. The wars were usually about land, the struggle for control of which eventually gave rise to perhaps the most formidable warriors of all time: the Samurai. Ancient Yayoi warriors developed weapons, armour and a code during the ensuing centuries that became the centrepiece for the Japanese Samurai. Anthony Bryant chronicles the history, arms and armour of these truly élite warriors, from the rise of the Yayoi through the Genpei War (1180–1185) between the Minamoto and Taira clans, to the Mongol invasions of the 13th century.

This title describes and illustrates the weapons and tactics of the specialist military marksman from World War I to the Gulf War. It focuses on the scout-sniper to snipers on the Russian Front; a role in which women excelled.

Osprey''s examination of Japan''s Samurai warriors of the medieval period. Perhaps the greatest warriors in history, the Samurai were a product of a social system totally geared to war. The Samurai became expert in fighting both on horseback and on the ground. Their way of life was dictated by the code of Bushido or ''way of the warrior'' and clad in their magnificent, multi-coloured armour they were perfectly suited to the violent clan and dynastic warfare that dominated medieval Japan as the most powerful families vied for supremacy. In this title Anthony J Bryant presents a fascinating overview of these truly élite warriors.

The years from 1914 to 1918 saw a whole series of complex and very rapid changes in infantry tactics, which fundamentally altered the way wars had been fought for 150 years. This second volume concentrates on the men who fought in such important battles as those of Ypres and the Somme.

Sparta was a city in the ancient Greek state of Lakedaimon, the only state in Greece to have a full-time army. Nick Sekunda examines this ancient military machine, describing the organizational system of the Spartan army, the battles they fought and the society that produced them.

Features distinguished German commanders of World War II from the Waffen-SS, the Luftwaffe and the Navy. This book details wartime experiences of those commanders such as, Josef Dietrich, Theodor Eicke, Kurt Meyer, Joachim Peiper and Karl Donitz.

Besides continuing a long history of world-wide peacekeeping, the commitment of US troops to the Gulf reunified the country and restored a national pride lost in the aftermath of Vietnam. It also proved that the US armed forces were again the most capable military force in the world. This volume by veteran Osprey author Gordon L. Rottman focuses on the structure, equipment, effectiveness, and employment of the 680,000 coalition troops which fought in the Gulf War, covering not only the US forces, but also those of Britain, France, the Arab League and Iraq.

The Praetorian Guard of Imperial Rome was the power behind the throne, with the ability to make or break an emperor. As the main body of troops in Rome, they were the emperor''s instrument to discourage plotting and rebellion and to crush unrest. The emperor''s most immediate line of defence, they could also be his most deadly enemies. This book details the organization, dress and history of the Praetorian Guard from the time of the late Republic to the Guard''s effective destruction at the battle of Milvian Bridge in AD 312. Numerous illustrations vividly depict the uniforms and weaponry of this elite fighting unit.

The antagonism between the Persian and the Greek colonies on the Ionian coast of Asia Minor began with Cyrus I and continued for some 200 years until the Empire was destroyed by Alexander's Macedonians. This book looks at the arms, equipment and organization of these forces.