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Author: Ernst Jünger
Howard Fertig

A memoir of astonishing power, savagery, and ashen lyricism, Storm of Steel illuminates not only the horrors but also the fascination of total war, seen through the eyes of an ordinary German soldier. Young, tough, patriotic, but also disturbingly self-aware, Jünger exulted in the Great War, which he saw not just as a great national conflict but—more importantly—as a unique personal struggle. Leading raiding parties, defending trenches against murderous British incursions, simply enduring as shells tore his comrades apart, Jünger kept testing himself, braced for the death that will mark his failure. Published shortly after the war’s end, Storm of Steel was a worldwide bestseller.

Storm of Steel begins with Jünger as a private entering the line with the 73rd Hanoverian Regiment (7./F.R.73) in Champagne. His first taste of combat came at Les Éparges in April 1915 where he was first wounded.

After recuperating, he took an officer's course and achieved the rank of Ensign. He rejoined his regiment on the Arras sector. In 1916, with the Battle of the Somme underway, Jünger's regiment moved to Combles in August for the defence of the village of Guillemont. Here Jünger was wounded again, and fortunately absent shortly before the final British assault which captured the village—his platoon was annihilated. In 1917 Jünger saw action during the Battle of Arras in April, the Third Battle of Ypres in July and October, and the German counter-attack during the Battle of Cambrai in November. Jünger led a company of assault troops during the final German Spring Offensive, 21 March 1918 when he was wounded again. On 23 August he suffered his most severe wound when he was shot through the chest.

In total, Jünger was wounded 14 times during the war, including five bullet wounds. He was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class and was the youngest, and last, ever recipient of the Pour le Mérite

Author: Sir Alistair Horne
Penguin Books

The "Price of Glory: Verdun 1916" is the second book of Alistair Horne's trilogy, which includes "The Fall of Paris" and "To Lose a Battle" and tells the story of the great crises of the rivalry between France and Germany. The battle of Verdun lasted ten months. It was a battle in which at least 700,000 men fell, along a front of fifteen miles. Its aim was less to defeat the enemy than bleed him to death and a battleground whose once fertile terrain is even now a haunted wilderness. Alistair Horne's classic work, continuously in print for over fifty years, is a profoundly moving, sympathetic study of the battle and the men who fought there. It shows that Verdun is a key to understanding the First World War to the minds of those who waged it, the traditions that bound them and the world that gave them the opportunity. "Verdun was the bloodiest battle in history..."The Price of Glory" is the essential book on the subject". ("Sunday Times"). "It has almost every merit...Horne sorts out complicating issues with the greatest clarity. He has a splendid gift for depicting individuals". (A.J.P. Taylor, "Observer"). "A masterpiece". ("The New York Times"). "Compellingly told...Alastair Horne uses contemporary accounts from both sides to build up a picture of heroism, mistakes, even farce". ("Sunday Telegraph"). "Brilliantly written ...very readable; almost like a historical novel - except that it is true". (Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery). One of Britain's greatest historians, Sir Alistair Horne, CBE, is the author of a trilogy on the rivalry between France and Germany, "The Price of Glory", "The Fall of Paris" and "To Lose a Battle", as well as a two-volume life of Harold Macmillan.

Author: Ronald Pawly
Illustrator: Patrice Courcelle
Osprey (Elite)

Osprey's study of the German commanders of World War I (1914-1918). The turn of the 20th century saw Imperial Germany as essentially a militarist state, whose growing industrial resources and wealth were harnessed to the task of increasing German military power, at a time of aggressive expansionist diplomacy in competition with Britain and France. After her victories over Austria in the 1860s and France in 1870, Germany's General Staff enjoyed tremendous professional prestige throughout Europe, and was the model for all aspects of command and control. The German army was essentially that of Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony with smaller contingents from the lesser states. Its generals were the men who planned, initiated, and to a large extent controlled the course of World War I.

(Marsh comment: I didn't like the art—it isn't up to Osprey's
usual high standards -- kinda funky and blurry...)

Author: David Fraser
Illustrator: Angus McBride
Osprey (Men-at-Arms)

General Sir David Fraser tells the story of this famous regiment; their beginnings, customs, battles and traditions from their formation as 'The Royal Regiment of Guards' in 1656 down to our own times. It is a remarkable story that includes Marlborough's campaigns in the struggle against France, the battle of Waterloo, the Crimean War, and of course two World Wars and beyond. Numerous photographs and illustrations populate Sir David's absorbing text, including eight full page colour plates by renowned military artist Angus McBride, with lengthy commentaries examining in detail the uniforms of the Grenadiers from 1865 to the 1970's.

Author: Ron Field
Illustrator: Richard Hook
Osprey (Elite)

The role of the Frontier scout in the US Army during the period of westward expansion, was often far more important than that of the commanding officer. They possessed a priceless knowledge of the geography, people and characteristics of the great, unknown American hinterland and from the earliest days of exploration, the US Army depended on its scouts to guide troops across the plains and through the mountains as they guarded the nation's frontier settlements. This book tells the colourful story of these frontier men, covering many famous scouts such as 'Wild Bill' Hickok and 'Buffalo Bill' Cody.

Author: Mark Henry
Illustrator: Darko Pavlovic
Osprey (Men-at-Arms)

Though the US Marines initially struggled to maintain their distinctive identity within the huge American Expeditionary Force in France, their unforgettable performance at Belleau Wood, Soissons, St Mihiel, Blanc Mont and the Meuse-Argonne established their reputation as 'the most aggressive body of diehards on the Western Front'. This book describes the organization of this formidable force during World War II, from 1917 to 1918, and details their uniforms, insignia and decorations, weapons and equipment. Numerous photographs and eight full colour plates vividly depict the various ranks of the US Marine Corps.

Author: Alejandro de Quesada
Illustrator: Peter Dennis
Osprey (Raid)

On March 9, 1916, troops under the command of Pancho Villa attacked Columbus, New Mexico and its local detachment of the US 13th Cavalry Regiment, killing 18 people and burning the town. Six days later, on orders from President Woodrow Wilson, General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing led an expeditionary force of 4,800 men into Mexico to capture Villa. What followed was a series of skirmishes, battles, and chases through the wild and uncharted Mexican countryside. While the Americans failed in their ultimate purpose of catching Villa, they did kill two of his top lieutenants. This book charts the progress of the entire enterprise, covering the dusty marches and the bitter gunfights in the streets of small border towns, analyzing the successes and failures of this unique military expedition.

Author: Robert Forczyk
Illustrator: Howard Gerrard and Ian Palmer
Osprey (Duel)

The first major clash between a European and Asian state in the modern era signalled the beginning of Japan's rise as a major power on the world stage. What began as differing expansionist interests in Manchuria and Korea developed into a full-blown war in 1904, with an unexpected outcome. Watched by the rest of the world's superpowers, this incredibly violent war was disastrous for the Russians who, despite their superior numbers, were defeated by the Japanese underdogs in a spectacular fashion. Japan won major victories against the Russians including the critical naval battle of Tsushima in May 1905 which saw almost the entire Russian fleet sunk, captured or interned. This was the first and last encounter of pre-dreadnought battleships and it was a huge success for Japanese tactics, skill and planning. This book discusses the design and development of the pre-dreadnoughts that would ultimately lead to a new wave of battleships. The key technical elements of firepower, protection, maneuverability and communications for each side are covered in detail and accompanied by first-hand accounts and specially commissioned artwork to explain and illustrate this historically significant duel.

Author: Geoffrey Jukes
Osprey (Essential Histories)

The Russo-Japanese war saw the first defeat of a major European imperialist power by an Asian country. When Japanese and Russian expansionist interests collided over Manchuria and Korea, the Tsar assumed Japan would never dare to fight. However, after years of planning, Japan launched a surprise attack on the Russian Port Arthur, on the Liaoyang Peninsula in 1904 and the war that followed saw Japan win major battles against Russia. This book explains the background and outbreak of the war, then follows the course of the fighting at Yalu River, Sha-ho, and finally Mukden, the largest battle anywhere in the world before the First World War.

Author: Alexei Ivanov
Illustrator: Andrei Karachtchouk
Osprey (Men-at-Arms)

The Russo-Japanese War in Manchuria was the first 20th century conflict fought between the regular armies of major powers, employing the most modern means – machine guns, trench warfare, minefields and telephone communications; and the battle of Mukden in March 1905 was the largest clash of armies in world history up to that date. Events were followed by many foreign observers; but the events of 1914 in Western Europe suggest that not all of them drew the correct conclusions. For the first time in the West the armies of this distant but important war are described and illustrated in detail, with rare photos and the superbly atmospheric paintings of Russia's leading military illustrator.


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