Bücher veröffentlicht von Naval & Military Press

The second of the two Macedonia campaign volumes completes the narrative of British military operations in that Balkan theatre. The four months from late May to early September 1917 were relatively uneventful apart from raids, the most dramatic occurrence being a major fire in Salonika which destroyed between a third and a half of the Greek city, rendering 80,000 people homeless. Towards the end of 1917 things livened up, with operations in the Struma Valley, and at the end of the year the Allied C-in-C, the French General Sarrail, was recalled and replaced by Gen. Guillaumat. In May/June 1918 there were Franco-Greek operations, a testing rehearsal for the planned final offensive which was launched in September. The battles of Dobropolje and Dojran caused the Bulgarians to retreat. The narrative takes the story through the Allied pursuit to the armistice with Bulgaria on 30 September 1918. Total battle casualties among British and Indian troops amounted to 23,762; total non-battle casualties numbered 481,262, of whom just over 198,000 were malaria cases.

This volume in the Official History of The Great War covers the first half of the campaign in East Africa (the planned second volume was never published). The fighting in 'German East' - the German colony comprising the modern state of Tanzania - became one of the most famous guerilla wars in history, and the tenacious and cunning German commander, Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck, won the respect of his enemies for the clever way he resisted all attempts to subdue his tiny force of European officers and highly trained native 'Askaris'. But, despite Lettow-Vorbeck's fame, the Allied side of the war - involving international forces from South Africa and India as well as Britain, is virtually unknown. Of all the subsidiary enterprises undertaken during The Great War, the operations described in this volume are probably the least known. The only regular British battalion involved was the 2nd Loyal N. Lancs. The early stages were disastrous for the British, beginning with the unsuccessful attack from the sea on the port of Tanga, described as "one of the most notable failures in British military history." The British commander was replaced and ordered home, while on the German side Tanga proved the first of many victories for the commander who would earn the admiration of friend and foe alike and remain undefeated right through the war: von Lettow-Vorbeck.

This volume of the Official History of The Great War in subsidiary theatres contains a well-written account of a little-known campaign, overshadowed by the Western Front, Gallipoli and other theatres, including the war in German East Africa. The conquest of Togoland took just under three weeks, beginning on 7 August 1914 when troops of the Gold Coast Regiment crossed the border while French colonial troops moved in from Dahomey and Upper Senegal. It was all over on 26 August. On 12 August RSM Alhaji Grunshi, DCM, MM, of the Gold Coast Regiment, fired the first shot of the Togoland campaign and probably the first rifle shot fired by any soldier of the British Army in The Great War. The Cameroons campaign was a particularly arduous one; the troops had to contend with thick bush, wide rivers, swamps and rugged and hilly country, and the enemy resistance was stiffer. It began on 24 August when troops of the Nigeria Regiment crossed the border at various points, followed a month later by a Franco-British expedition under Brig (later Maj) General Dobell. A Belgian detachment from the Congo joined in October. The operation ended on 18 February 1916 with the German surrender, by which time an area the size of Germany had been conquered. No British troops were involved other than officers and NCOs serving with African units. Casualties were very light.

Inspired by the sermons of the radical cleric John Ball, and led by Wat Tyler, a contingent of Kentish rebels advanced on London. They were met at Blackheath by representatives of the royal government, who unsuccessfully attempted to persuade them to return home. King Richard II, then aged 14, retreated to the safety of the Tower of London, but most of the royal forces were abroad or in northern England. On 13 June, the rebels entered London and, joined by many local townsfolk, attacked the gaols, destroyed the Savoy Palace, set fire to law books and buildings in the Temple, and killed anyone associated with the royal government. The following day, Richard met the rebels at Mile End and acceded to most of their demands, including the abolition of serfdom. Meanwhile, rebels entered the Tower of London, killing the Lord Chancellor and the Lord High Treasurer, whom they found inside.On 15 June, Richard left the city to meet with Tyler and the rebels at Smithfield. Violence broke out, and Richard's party killed Tyler. Richard defused the tense situation long enough for London's mayor, William Walworth, to gather a militia from the city and disperse the rebel forces. Unrest continued until the intervention of Henry le Despenser, who defeated a rebel army at the Battle of North Walsham on 25 or 26 June. Troubles extended north to York, Beverley and Scarborough, and as far west as Bridgwater in Somerset. Richard mobilised 4,000 soldiers to restore order. Most of the rebel leaders were tracked down and executed; by November, at least 1,500 rebels had been killed

Massive laudatory biography of Scotland's premier national military hero, the Marquis of Montrose, who kept the Royal flag flying with a series of brilliant victories over the Covenanters and Campbells, before his shameful betrayal and death. Written by George Wishart, Bishop of Edinburgh.

The 16th century bears witness to several critical military developments. The most obvious is the emergence of firepower on the battlefield. Gunpowder was several centuries old by that time, but it remained a rare and expensive siege weapon. In the 16th century, all of that changes. Cannon are lighter, limbered on smaller and more manoeuvrable carriages. Suddenly, armies have a powerful and portable siege train. In a matter of a few years, every castle in Europe becomes obsolete. Furthermore, cannon, for the first time, can be handled effectively on the battlefield. This spells ultimate doom for the large, unwieldy formations popular in earlier times, such as the Swiss pikemen's phalanx.The new power and portability of artillery forces a radical evolution in fortification. The tall stone walls of the medieval period are now indefensible. Instead, huge, broad and low fortifications, covered by overlapping fields of fire, become essential. This new style, the "trace italienne", will dominate warfare until the wars of Frederick the Great. Indeed, one finds combat conditions in heavily fortified regions, such as the Low Countries, that resemble World War One: Interminable battles fought in muddy trenches, where snipers dominate No Man's Land and the grenade and mortar are the weapons of choice.Gunpowder also spurs the rearmament of the infantry. A judicious mix of arqubusiers and pikemen become the favourite mix of battlefield commanders. Interestingly, gunpowder helps to revive the cavalry arm. Long helpless against the Swiss pikeman, German landesknecht and English long bowmen, the mounted soldier regains his effectiveness with the advent of firepower. Artillery now breaks up formerly untouchable infantry formations, making them vulnerable to a cavalry charge. Cavalry also embraces the pistol, giving them firepower in addition to shock value. Gustavus Adolphus, in the next century, actually has to use considerable effort to wean his cavalry off of firepower and its excessive reliance on the caracole.These technological advances require a new level of professionalism on the part of soldiers. The professional warrior of the Middle Ages is replaced in the 16th century by the professional soldier of the modern period. In turn, the nation state finds itself required to maintain a standing, professional military. The increasing dissatisfaction of commanders with mercenary troops only accelerates this move to national, professional armies. This process becomes an essential catalyst to the birth of the modern nation state.

Sir Charles Oman's classic two-volume history of warfare in the Middle Ages is the key work for understanding the changing face of battle as it was tested, refined and transformed through centuries of upheaval. Both scholarly and accessible this is wonderful account, from a gifted writer, of the characteristic strategies, tactics, military organisation, and of the developments in war that took place during the Middle Ages.Volume One charts the period from 378 to the battle of Marchfield in 1278 which decided the fate of Austria and marked the ascendancy of the armoured knight. Includes the transition from the Roman to Medieval Warfare and the development of Cavalry, the Byzantine Army and its development, the Crusades, the Visigoths, the Lombards, the Franks, the Anglo-Saxons, Charlemagne, the Vikings and Magyars, their weaponry,arms and armour. With detailed descriptions of particular battles such as Adrianople, Louvain, Hastings and Lewis.Volume Two covers Edward the First's Welsh Wars, Bannockburn,the Hundred Years War, the rise of the Swiss, the Condottieri in Italy, the Housesit Wars and the wars of the Roses. Particular importance is accorded to the early use of gunpowder and its revolutionary impact on tactics, siege craft and politics and conduct of war.