Forum

Hello

I like to have Battle Orders series back, it was and it is a good series....Comments ?

Tomi

Posted on: 30/11/2019 18:45:46

I agree, I think Battle Orders should make a return. As far as I can tell, the closest thing they have to Battle Orders right now is the Elite series. However I find Elite to be too specific as an overview for different units and less focused on organization. The graphical representations found in the original battle series were very interesting and helpful. I have some titles in mind if Battle Orders were to return:

- Soviet Mechanized Corps 1942-45

-Waffen-SS Panzer Divisions 1943-45

-British Airborne Divisions 1942-45

-Soviet Naval Infantry and Naval Rifle Brigades 1941-45

-Japanese Army in World War II: Burma 1944-45

Posted on: 30/11/2019 23:01:00

I would be delighted to see more titles for the "Battle Orders" series; the book on Wellingtons Peninsula Army is one of the best value books I've ever bought.

My choice of titles would be: French and German armies 1870-71, Army of north Virginia and Army of the Potomac... but plenty more spring to mind.

I think the problem for this series is that it is comparatively expensive but has no colour illustrations.

Posted on: 01/12/2019 04:59:37

Hello

Here couple of titles also in my mind:

Luftwaffe Field Divisions 1941-45

Parachute Panzer Corps HG

Posted on: 01/12/2019 16:29:51

Here are a few modern suggestions:

Coalition Ground Forces of the Gulf War 1991

The US Army in Afghanistan 2001-2020

The US Army in Iraq 2003-2011

The United States Marine Corps in Afghanistan

The United States Marine Corps in Iraq

NATO Forces in Afghanistan 

Posted on: 02/12/2019 22:39:40

Some great suggestions  here guys, especially like the ww2 titles, personally my favourite suggestion is British airborne divisions. Again I wonder how profitable they were as expensive with little illustrations. Not sure if it was the page count that raised the price. 

Posted on: 25/12/2019 22:14:08

"Battle Orders" is my personal favorite Osprey series, and that's saying something. I always assumed the "Battle Orders" books were relatively inexpensive to produce, because their simple two-color TO&E diagrams and relatively simple maps presumably did not require highly-skilled artists, and the books typically only used three or four colors of ink as far as I can tell (Campaign books are also 96 pages but are full color, every page). I assume there is/was a cost effectiveness reason they were canceled, but it sure seems there were a lot of obvious topics left available to cover. Perhaps they didn't sell as well as we would assume they did. 

When I wrote my Elite Tactics series book "World War II US Fast Carrier Task Force Tactics 1943-45" (coming out this February) I consciously tried to illuminate "Battle Orders" type force structure of the FCTF's various tactical organizations as much as the Elite Tactics format allowed. The eight color plates are obviously tactical diagrams as one would expect in a Tactics book, but hopefully the structure/organization is clear and lucid and leaves little to ambiguity, as the "Battle Orders" series did so well. I also describe evolving force structure as Battle Orders books typically did. 

I personally would love to see the Battle Orders series resurrected. I can think of quite a few major and fascinating topics that haven't even been touched. 

Posted on: 01/01/2020 22:15:07