This second volume about Japan's samurai commanders covers the generals of the later years of the Age of the Warring States, a period when only the most able leaders survived.This was a time when the prowess of a commander was measured as much by his strategic and organizational abilities as by his individual fighting skills and he was expected to give as great a show of strength in the council chamber as on the battlefield.This book discusses the lives, ba...

The battle which took place on the Little Bighorn river on June 25, 1876 has passed into legend as “Custer's Last Stand”.This remarkable book is a unique analysis of the oral and pictorial evidence for the appearance of nearly 30 named Sioux and Cheyenne warriors who were present that day, and for their parts in the battle. The fruit of many years' study by one of today's most internationally respected interpreters and illustrators of Native American material cultu...

The Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the CIA, was founded in 1942 by William 'Wild Bill' Donovan under the direction of President Roosevelt. Agents were enlisted from both the armed services and civilians to produce operational groups specialising in different foreign areas including Italy, Norway, Yugoslavia and China. In 1944 the number of men and women working in the service totalled nearly 13,500. This intriguing story of the origins and development of the American espio...

The volunteer army that fought the Mexican dictator Santa Anna from 1835 to 1836 was immortalized in the epic battle of the Alamo.Taking arms initially to fight for the restoration of the liberal Mexican constitution of 1824, the volunteers were eventually fighting for outright Texan independence. This book describes and illustrates the group of men who, despite the diversity of their origins, equipment, weaponry and dress, were united in a common cause that reache...

An illustrated account of one of the most important campaigns in the history of Japan and the origin of the kami kaze - a key part of Japanese national identity.From his seat in Xanadu, the great Mongol Emperor of China, Kubla Khan, had long plotted an invasion of Japan. However, it was only with the acquisition of Korea, that the Khan gained the maritime resources necessary for such a major amphibious operation.Written by expert Stephen Turnbull, this book...

Coats of arms were at first used only by kings and princes, then by their great nobles.But by the mid-13th century arms were being used extensively by the lesser nobility, knights and those who later came to be styled gentlemen. In some countries the use of arms spread even to merchants, townspeople and the peasantry.From the mundane to the fantastic, from simple geometric patterns to elaborate mythological beasts, this fascinating work by Terence Wise expl...

An illustrated account of one of the most important campaigns in the history of Japan and the origin of the kami kaze - a key part of Japanese national identity.From his seat in Xanadu, the great Mongol Emperor of China, Kubla Khan, had long plotted an invasion of Japan. However, it was only with the acquisition of Korea, that the Khan gained the maritime resources necessary for such a major amphibious operation.Written by expert Stephen Turnbull, this book...

Filled with recently declassified material, first hand accounts, and unique photographs, this book offers a rare look at the largest mobilisation of Special Forces in recent history.The companion volume to Elite 163: Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan, Leigh Neville now turns his expert analysis to the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the US and Coalition allies serving in Iraq since 2003. Examining in detail the US Delta Force, the British SAS, Au...

A slim, yet detailed volume on the downfall of the Teutonic Knights, featuring battlescene maps and illustrations throughout.By 1400 the long running conflict between the Order of Teutonic Knights and Poland and Lithuania was coming to a head, partly as a result of the Order's meddling in the internal politics of its neighbours. In June 1410 King Wladislaw Jagiello of Poland invaded the Order's territory with a powerful allied army including all the enemies of the ...

The commanders who led the opposing armies of the American War of Independence came from remarkably different backgrounds.They included not only men from Britain and America, but from Germany, France and Spain as well. Some were from the great families of the "Old World", while others were frontiersmen or farmers in the "New World". Despite their differing origins, all were leaders in the events that led to the establishment of the United States of America....

In January 1794 the French 'Army of Italy' was commanded by General Dumerbion and he acknowledged a great debt to his 25-year-old commander of artillery – Napoleon Bonaparte.The French Revolution had resulted in major changes in the military system, conscription created a national army and new tactics and initiatives allowed an officer of such promise as Napoleon to rise quickly through the ranks. By 1796 he was the general commanding the French in Italy and at the...

Constant Spanish guerrilla activity so drained the resources and diverted the attention of the French military that Wellington was able to advance against and overcome a numerically superior enemy.So many French soldiers were being used to counter the guerrillas and the threat that they posed that less than a third of the French army could be tasked with confronting Wellington. This book brings to life, for the first time, the formation, tactics and experiences of ...