Osprey's Big Reveal: Men-at-Arms

To navigate your way through the Big Reveal please use the links in the bar above.

Kicking off our Big Reveal this year is a look at our longest-running series - Men-at-Arms. 2017 sees five new books joining the already impressive list.

Dutch Armies of the 80 Years’ War 1568-1648 (1): Infantry

During the course of the 80 Years’ War one of its main leaders – Maurice of Orange-Nassau – created an army and a tactical system that became a model throughout Europe. This study focuses on the Dutch infantry, examining how Maurice of Orange-Nassau mobilized patriots and volunteers from across Europe, introduced innovative new training methods and standardised the organisation and payment system of the army to make it more than a match for the occupying Spanish.

Roman Army Units in the Eastern Provinces (1): 31 BC - AD 195

Between the reigns of Augustus and Septimus Severus, the Eastern provinces of the Roman Empire frequently saw brutal fighting, most notably during the conquest of Dacia by Trajan, the suppression of the Great Revolt in Judea and the intermittent clashes with Rome’s great rival Parthia. Drawing upon the latest archaeological research, this book examines the variation of equipment and uniforms both between different military units, and in armies stationed in different regions of the Empire.

Dutch Armies of the 80 Years’ War 1568-1648 (2): Cavalry, Artillery & Engineers

The second in a two-part series on the Dutch armies of the 80 Years’ War focuses on the cavalry, artillery and engineers of the evolving armies created by Maurice of Nassau. Using specially commissioned artwork and photographs of historical artefacts, it shows how the Dutch cavalry arm, artillery, and conduct of siege warfare contributed to the long struggle against the might of the Spanish Empire. These two books include previously unpublished details of unit flags.

Armies of the Italian Wars of Unification 1848-70 (1): Piedmont and the Two Sicilies

In the 1840s, post-Napoleonic Italy was 'a geographical expression' – not a country, but a patchwork of states, divided between the Austrian-occupied north, and a Spanish-descended Bourbon monarchy, who ruled the south from Naples. Two decades later, it was a nation united under a single king and government, thanks largely to the efforts of the King of Sardinia-Piedmont, and the revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi. This book, the first of a two-part series on the armies that fought in the Italian Wars of Unification, examines the Piedmontese and Neapolitan armies that fought in the north and south of the peninsula.

Armies of the Greek-Italian War 1940-41

In October/November 1940 an Italian army some 200,000 strong invaded Greece across the largely undefended Albanian border. Britain supported Greece, at first by sea and in the air and later by landing British and ANZAC troops from North Africa, but the main burden of the six-month war was borne by the Greek Army, Navy and Air Force. Although greatly outnumbered, LtGen Papagos's Greek army was so successful against the Italians in north-west Greece that by 22 November it was actually advancing into Albania, inflicting heavy casualties and capturing much equipment. Simultaneously faced with disastrous defeats at British hands in North Africa and at sea, Mussolini appealed for German help. Although providing German troops and aircraft imposed a serious delay on the planned invasion of the USSR, in early April 1941 the Wehrmacht invaded both Yugoslavia and then, with nine divisions including a Panzer Korps, Greece.

Which of these are you most excited for in 2017? Let us know in the comments section below.