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WWII Listings WW2 Bookstore and Uniforms, Armies Personal
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Books on British and Commonwealth Uniforms and Equipment |
Okay, on this page, you're going to find books about Uniforms and insignia of British and Commonwealth units. As usuual for us, there are a lot are Osprey Books as they were there, easy to find and I find Osprey books to be a great primer for any subject! Besides, Osprey not only shows a cover pix, they have descriptions, unlike Amazon and other places.
We have more books on the way, so don't dispair, LOTS more books! Just give us time to get things going and laid-in! ;-)
Please send us your input and books we should list! To suggest a book, simply click HERE!
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The British Army 1939-45, Vol. 1--North-West Europe (Men-at-Arms 354)--Author: Martin Brayley, Illustrator: Mike Chappell. 48 pages; ISBN: 1841760528. The Second World War was Britain's last as a world power; it was a citizen's war, in which most British men and women were mobilised. For a year it saw Britain standing alone against the fascist dictatorships; and winning it cost the sacrifice of the entire national wealth. This first title of three describes and explains the uniforms developed for European service. It traces the appearence of the 'Tommy' from pre-war mobilisation, through the years of defeat and endurance, to the final return to Europe on D-Day and the long fighting advance to Northern Germany by spring 1945. Uniform information is supported by a campaign summary, infantry organisation tables, lists of arms and services and basic specifications of a number of heavy weapons. |
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The British Army 1939-45, Vol. 2--Middle East & Mediterranean (Men-at-Arms 368)--Author: Martin Brayley, Illustrator: Mike Chappell. 48 pages; ISBN: 1841762377. The importance of the British Army's contribution to World War II - and of World War II in the history of the British Army - is impossible to overstate. This second of three titles devoted to the uniforms and equipment of 1939-45 describes and illustrates the tropical uniforms issued to the legendary 'Desert Rats' of 8th Army and their comrades of 1st Army. It covers the period of Britain's first significant land victory of the war - the crushing defeat of the Italian Army in North Africa in 1940-41; the long, see-saw desert campaign against Rommel's Afrika Korps, 1941-43, during which harsh lessons in modern mechanised warfare were learnt in a series of sobering defeats; and the final decisive victories at El Alamein and in Tunisia. The 8th Army's war was far from over, however; there followed the invasion of Sicily and Italy, 1943; and the bitter struggle northwards through the Italian mountains, against stubborn resistance, which lasted until VE-Day in May 1945. |
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British Battledress 1937-61 (Men at Arms #112)--Author: Brian Jewell, Illustrator: Mike Chappell. 48 pages; ISBN: 0850453879. At the end of the 1930s more than a few British Army Drill Sergeants must have suffered nightmares after the announcement of a new uniform for the British soldier. Traditional methods are sacred to such men, and their professional world was already shaken by a flood of civilians in uniform and by Mr Hoare Belisha's new barracks. Now they had to accommodate their professional standards to a uniform which resembled a mechanic's overalls, with a huge pocket on the front of the left thigh just where there ought to be a razor-edged crease, and without even any buttons which would take a shine. It is sadly true that many who wore battledress showed a striking resemblance to an animated sack of potatoes. Those with long backs found it impossible to keep the two parts together whenever they had to bend over, this manoeuvre being attended by a pinging of buttons and a rapid cooling of the area above the kidneys. But with all its faults, battledress served its purpose well. It clothed the servicemen of many nations, at war and at peace, for more than 25 years, and did so with reasonable warmth and convenience. Brian Jewell, tells the story of the humble British battledress from 1937-61 in this engaging and readable text which is accompanied by numerous photographs and eight full page colour plates by Mike Chappell. |
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British Battle Insignia 2: 1939-45 (Men at Arms #187)--With the introduction of Battledress the British military authorities had every reason to believe they had at last triumphed in a long and arduous struggle to achieve uniformity of dress in the British Army. All soldiers - officers and other ranks, Scots, dismounted cavalrymen, Riflemen, Guardsmen, etc. - would, in Battledress, merge into shapeless anonymity on the battlefield, with nothing but the odd badge or rank to mar authority's dream. As early as October 1939, however, the Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force was in communication with the War Office ro recommend that officers' ranking be made more readily distinguishable on Battledress, and pointing out that infantry ésprit de corps would suffer if units were not allowed to wear titles or distinguishing marks. By the New Year of 1940 the War Office had conceded these points to Lord Gort and had agreed in principle to (a) the enhancement of officers' badges of rank with cloth in the colour of the arm-of-service; (b) strips of cloth in the same colours to be worn at the top of the sleeves by all ranks; and (c) the wearing of regimental flashes on Battledress. And so, in late 1940, the rules for the wearing of battle insignia throughout the British Army were established. How far they were obeyed and how often they were ignored will become obvious to anyone reading Mike Chappell's companion work to Men-At-Arms 182, which is illustrated throughout by numerous photographs and eight full page colour plates by the author himself. |
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The Royal Air Force 1939-45 (Men-at-Arms 225)--Author: Andrew Cormack, Illustrator: Ronald Volstad. 48 pages; ISBN: 0850459664. During the middle years of the Second World War the Royal Air Force constituted the only section of the British armed forces in Europe which was routinely on the offensive. Its aircraft and operations have been voluminously dealt with by historians; but its uniform and flying clothing have received only moderate attention. Whereas service on the ground and in Europe and the tropics definitely required different clothing, this was not necessarily the case with airborne operations. The RAF did not therefore have a set of flying clothing for home service and another for Middle or Far East use. Naturally, aircrew operating during the day at low altitude in North Africa did not need to wear as much as those flying at high altitude at night over northern Europe. Nevertheless there was a surprising commonality of flying clothing across most operational roles, althugh certain items were more likely to be worn by some crews than others - heated clothing, for instance, was if not the exclusive preserve of Bomber Command, at least far more common in that force than elsewhere. Andrew Cormack explores the fascinating history of the uniforms of the RAF throughout the Second World War, in a text accompanied by numerous contemporary photographs and eight full page colour plates by Ron Volstad. |
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The Canadian Army at War (Men-at-Arms 164)--Author and Illustrator: Mike Chappell. 48 pages; ISBN: 0850456002.Looking back from the dawn of the previous century, Canada can be said to have had a turbulent history. Frenchman, Briton, Indian and American revolutionary fought each other in a series of wars which ended with the prize of Canada in British hands. Even then Canada had to contend with periodic internal unrest and threats from beyond its frontiers. British troops were withdrawn in 1871 following Confederation, leaving the defence of Canada entirely in the hands of her own people. By the 1890s this task had been entrusted to a Militia force (said by some to be nothing more than a political gendarmerie), and a woefully small band of regulars. It was in this see-saw atmosphere that Canada, not by any means a military country, was drawn into the first war of the 20th century - an episode that set in motion the sequence of events that was to lead her into two World Wars as well as a number of minor ones. The fascinating history of the Canadian armed forces is here told by Mike Chappell, with numerous contemporary photographs and eight full page colour plates by the author himself. |
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Canadian Forces in World War II (Men-at-Arms 359)--Author: René Chartrand, Illustrator: Ronald Volstad. 48 pages; ISBN: 1841763020. Canada was the first Commonwealth country to send troops to Britain in 1939. During 1939-45 hundreds of thousands of Canadians - more than 40 per cent of the male population between the ages of 18 and 45, and virtually all of them volunteers - enlisted. Canadians fought with tragic courage at Hong Kong and Dieppe; with growing strength and confidence in Sicily, Italy and Normandy; and finally provided an entire Army for the liberation of NW Europe. This concise account of an extraordinary national effort in the cause of freedom is supported by data tables, photos, and eight colour plates by Canada's most knowledgeable military illustrator. |
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Montgomery's Desert Army (Men-at-Arms 66)--Author: John Wilkinson-Latham, Illustrator: Gerry Embleton. 48 pages; ISBN: 0850452503. This book examines the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of Montgomery's army during the North African campaigns of World War 2. Major battles and weapons are all covered, and uniforms are shown in full colour artwork. |
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Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Men-at-Arms 3) 48 pages; ISBN: 0850450853--On 1 July 1881 Viscount Cardwell's wholesale reorganisation of the British Army brought into existence Princess Louise's Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Both had existed as separate regiments even before their official incorporation into the British Army and on the face of it, this seemed a highly improbable union, Being separated both geographically and historically - they had never even served together in the same theatre. Yet, as history has shown, this unlikely combination proved to be a tremendous success. With the help of contemporary accounts and black and white illustrations and photographs, William McElwee tells the story of this most famous of regiments, from the historical origins of both, to their amalgamation and subsequent service in two world wars and beyond. With numerous illustrations and eight superb full page colour plates by Michael Roffe. |
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