Osprey's Big Reveal: General Military (2)

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GNM: Panzergrenadier

With the development of the German Panzerwaffe, military planners realized both the enormous potential of the tank as a breakthrough weapon, but also the issues faced by support units following the attacking force – including the infantry. A tank assault moved rapidly forwards and this required a motorized infantry which could keep pace with the attack and provide all necessary support. This motorized infantry element for a Panzer division was an integral Schützenbrigade (rifle brigade), and it was equipped with a suitable means of transport – the Schützenpanzerwagen (armoured personnel carrier).

During Operation Barbarossa, German forces were faced by the Red Army and unforeseen weather conditions. With the onset of the harsh Russian winter the operation failed, and the war in the east entered a new phase. From experience gained from the operation, a new arm of the military was created: the Panzergrenadier. This groundbreaking book describes the development and evolution of the armoured infantry force that accompanied the German Panzers as they crossed the battlefields of Europe, as well as detailing the vehicles and equipment that were developed to support their specialized role.

GNM: Peace Through Sacrifice

This is the pictorial story of the triumph of the human spirit through conflict, starting with the Second Boer War at the start of the 20th century through to the World Wars. These thought-provoking images of leaders, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and those who were committed to their care and healing, demonstrate that even during the worst of times, simple human compassion and collaboration often prevails.

Through featuring many memorable yet little-known images, some taken by ordinary soldiers rather than official war photographers, have been gathered from the great UK photographic archives such as the Hulton-Deutsch Collection, the Keystone library, the Alamy and the National Library of Scotland, revealing the great treasures of our pictorial history hidden in these collections.

GNM: Soviet T-62 Main Battle Tank

The T-62 is one of the most widespread tanks used by the Soviets during the Cold War. Developed from the T-55, the T-62 enjoyed a long career in the Red Army and even into the early days of the reformed Russian Army. It was the principal tank used by Soviet forces in the Soviet-Afghan War, and went on to see service with Russian forces in Chechnya and South Ossetia. It has also been employed in almost every conflict in the Middle East and Africa from its introduction into service. It remains in service with many countries throughout the world and has seen a great deal of use in the Syrian Civil War. Containing more than 400 stunning contemporary and modern photographs, and written by two experts on Soviet armour, this authoritative book tells the complete story of the T-62.

GNM: The Churchill Quiz Book

Do you think you know everything there is to know about Churchill? Have you seen every film and read every book ever produced about this great British statesman? Then delve into The Churchill Quiz Book to find over 1,000 questions on every aspect of his heroic, colourful and controversial life!

With multiple-choice questions, truth or fiction sections to baffle and intrigue, picture quizzes from the Imperial War Museums' archive – one of the largest military photographic archives in the world – and much more, you will find there is still something new to learn about the compelling icon who led Great Britain to ultimate victory in World War II.

GNM: The Last Viking

King Harald III (called Hardrada, or “Hard Ruler”) of Norway was a real-life fantasy hero who burst into history as a teenaged youth in a Viking battle, from which he escaped with little more than his life and a thirst for vengeance. Journey with him across the medieval world, from the frozen barrens of the North to the glittering towers of Byzantium and the passions of the Holy Land. He’ll fight for and against Christian, Muslim and pagan rulers. He’ll bed handmaids, a princess and an empress alike, writing poetry and amassing a fortune along the way, before returning home to claim his love, his crown and his destiny, ultimately dying like a Viking: in battle, laughing, with sword in hand.

The Last Viking is a fast-moving narrative that reads like a novel, combining Norse sagas, Byzantine accounts, Anglo Saxon chronicles, and even King Harald’s own verse and prose, into a single, compelling story. While pointing out errors and contradictions in the ancient stories for the sake of accuracy, Don Hollway brings the true tale of this hero to life.

GNM: The United States Navy in World War II

Although slowly building its navy while neutral during the early years of World War II, the US Navy was struck a serious blow when its battleships were the target of the dramatic attack at Pearl Harbor. The attack put the US on the defensive, and precipitated a change of doctrine, relying instead on aircraft carriers. In the Pacific Theatre, the US was thereafter locked into a head to head struggle with the impressive Imperial Japanese Navy, fighting a series of major battles in the Coral Sea, at Midway, the Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa in the struggle for supremacy over Japan. Having avoided the decisive defeat sought by the IJN, US industrial production was increased and by the end of the war, the US had built an astonishing number of ships and was larger than any other navy in the world. 

Meanwhile, in the west, the US Navy operated on a second front, supporting landings in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, and in 1944 played a significant part in the D-Day landings, the largest and most complex amphibious operation of all time.
Written by an acknowledged expert and incorporating extensive illustrations including photographs, maps and colour artwork, The US Navy in the Pacific War provides a comprehensive look at the strategy, operations and vessels of the US Navy in World War II.

GNM: Under the Southern Cross

If the Battle of Midway, fought in June 1942, stopped further Japanese expansion in the Pacific, it was the Battle of Guadalcanal and the following Solomons Campaign that broke the back of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Between August 7, 1942 and February 24, 1944, the US Navy fought the most difficult campaign in its history, suffering such high personnel losses during the campaign that for years it refused to publicly release total casualty figures.

Unlike the Central Pacific Campaign, the Solomons campaign saw the US Navy at its lowest point, using those ships that had survived the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and other units of the pre-war navy hastily transferred to the Pacific. After the Battle of Santa Cruz in late October, USS Enterprise was the only pre-war carrier left in the South Pacific and the Navy would not have been able to resist the Imperial Japanese Navy had they sought a third major fleet action in the region. For most of the campaign, the issue of which side would ultimately prevail was in doubt until toward the end when the surge of American industrial production began to make itself felt.

Under the Southern Cross examines the Solomons campaign from land, sea and air, offering a new account of the military offensive that laid the groundwork for Allied success throughout the rest of the Pacific War.

GNM: Warship 2021

For over 40 years, Warship has been the leading annual resource on the design, development, and deployment of the world's combat ships. Among Warship 2021’s feature articles are detailed new accounts of Stalin’s Sovetskii Soiuz-class super-battleships; Italy’s Aquila, the unfinished World War II aircraft carrier converted from the ocean liner Roma; the influential, stealthy French La Fayette-class light frigates; the Atlantic anti-submarine operations of Royal Navy ‘O’ and ‘P’ class fleet destroyers in spring 1943; and the technically impressive Japanese I-15 class fleet submarines, which however failed to make the anticipated impact on the Pacific War due to conceptual flaws. It also includes the regular features of new book reviews, warship notes, and an image gallery.