Books in the Campaign series

"The Fourth Crusade 1202-04: The Betrayal of Byzantium".

Describes the battle for the pass of Thermopylae as the combined Greek forces held off the army of Xerxes, buying time for a retreat which would save Greece. This book is illustrated with colour artwork, maps and battle scenes. It is an analysis of the acts of resolute defence in the face of overwhelming odds.

Tells the story of the battle of Actium.

On 18 November 1941, the British launched Operation Crusader against the Axis positions in Africa. This title tells the story of the British victory that demonstrated their ability to fight head-to-head against the Germans in Africa.

In AD 77, Roman forces under Agricola marched into the northern reaches of Britain in an attempt to pacify the Caledonian tribesman. For seven years, the Romans marched and battled across what is now Scotland. Finally, in AD 83, they fought the final battle at Mons Graupius where 10,000 Caledonians were slaughtered from only 360 Roman dead.

Constructed throughout the 1930s, the Maginot Line was supposed to form the ultimate defence against a German invasion of France. This book uses maps and period photographs to tell the story of the five German operations launched against the Maginot Line.

In 480 BC, the Greek and Persian fleets met in a battle in the strait between Attica and the island of Salamis. Although outnumbered, the Greeks delivered a victory that ended the Persian threat to Greece. This book draws on the findings of archaeological, technological and naval research to recreate an important naval campaigns in world history.

Offering an example of innovation and success in the First World War, this book presents a fresh examination of a fascinating campaign.

On 26 August 1071 a large Byzantine army under Emperor Romanus IV met the Saljuq Turk forces of Sultan Alp Arslan near the town of Manzikert. The battle ended in a decisive defeat for the Byzantine forces, with the Byzantine emperor captured and much of his fabled Varangian guard killed. This title deals with this battle.

The War of 1812 was never the most popular of conflicts on both sides of the Atlantic. Bogged down by their involvement in the Napoleonic conflict in Europe, the British largely relied on the power of the Royal Navy in the early years of the war. This title brings these dramatic events of American history to life.

On a sunny May afternoon in 1917, the peace of an English seaside town was shattered when a flight of German Gotha bombers appeared without warning. Twenty-three Gothas had set out to attack London in this first bomber raid. This book tells the story of the Gotha and the massive Staaken 'Giant' bomber raids against London.

In March 1944, the Japanese Army launched Operation U-Go, an attack on Assam in India intended to inspire a rising against British rule. A month earlier the Japanese had launched Operation Ha-Go. But British forces employed defensive techniques to counter the Japanese infiltration tactics.

On the night of 1 August 1798 a British fleet under the command of Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson met a French fleet under the command of Admiral Franois-Paul Brueys D'Aigalliers. By morning the British had won a near-complete victory. This book tells the story of one of the great sea battles of the Napoleonic era.

The break of the German battleship Bismark into the North Atlantic in May 1941 was one of the most dramatic episodes of World War II. It began with a battle between the Bismark and the British battleship Prince of Wales and the heavy cruiser Hood. The Hood was blown to pieces, while the battered Prince of Wales managed to escape.

"Walcheren 1944: Storming Hitler's Island Fortress".

Offers up a rigorous and absorbing study of the major Allied operation in Normandy after the D-Day landings - the capture of Cherbourg. Blending expert analysis, specially commissioned artwork and illustrative maps, this book tells the story of the bitter struggle to capture this vital point.

Details the curtain-closing campaign of the American Civil War in the East. This book tells the story of the skirmishes and pursuits that led directly to Lee's surrender, as his frantic efforts to extricate his forces from ever more perilous positions became increasingly untenable.

Major General "Stonewall" Jackson became a legend for his actions in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, in 1862. This title showcases the mobility and success of Jackson's outnumbered men, consequently allowing Jackson to force march his men to take part in the Seven Days Battles that saved Richmond and gained him victory.

"Nez Perce 1877: The Last Fight".

In May 1864 the Union Army of the Potomac under General George Meade had been in a leisurely pursuit of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia for nearly a year after the defeat of the Rebels at Gettysburg. His tactics at Gettysburg were defensive and he was unsure that he was able to take the offensive against Lee.

Operation Pointblank was the code name for the United States Army Air Force's attempt to destroy German fighter capability through the use of daylight strategic bombing in advance of the D-Day landings. This book examines the entire operation from both the Allied and the German perspectives.

"Wake Island 1941: A Battle to Make the Gods Weep".

"Plataea 479 BC: Greece's Greatest Victory".

"Wabash 1791: St Clair's Defeat".

"St. Mihiel 1918: The American Expeditionary Forces' Trial by Fire".

General George Patton's most controversial campaign was the series of battles in autumn 1944 battles along the German frontier which centered on the fortified city of Metz. In part, the problem was logistics. As was the case with the rest of the Allied forces in the European Theatre, supplies were limited until the port of Antwerp could finally be cleared. Also problematic was the weather. The autumn of 1944 was one of the wettest on record, and hardly conducive to the type of mechanized warfare for which Patton was so famous. However at the heart of the problem was the accretion of sophisticated fortifications. Metz had been fortified since ancient times, heavily rebuilt by France in the post-Napoleonic period, modernized by Germany in 1870-1914, and modernized by France during the Maginot effort in 1935-40. The Germans hoped to hold Metz with a thin screen of second-rate troops, counting on the impregnable fortifications. This book covers the entire campaign from beginning to end, offering an unbiased assessment of the success and failures of both the Allied and Axis efforts.

In the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese launched an attack on the Philippines to eliminate the United States' other major Pacific naval base. Catching the US forces completely by surprise, the Japanese bombed the major airfields and quickly gained air supremacy. They followed with a full-scale invasion that quickly rolled up US-Filipino opposition and captured Manila. Meanwhile US forces, under the leadership of the Douglas MacArthur, created a series of defensive lines to try and stop the Japanese advance. Despite their efforts, they were continually pushed back until they held nothing more than the small island of Corregidor. With doom hanging over the US-Filipino forces, Douglas MacArthur was ordered to fly to safety in Australia, vowing to return. Nearly five months after the invasion began, the US-Filipino forces surrendered, and were led off on the 'Bataan Death March'. This book covers the full campaign from the planning through to the execution, looking at the various battles and strategies that were employed by both sides in the battle for the Philippines.

On 3 April 1982 British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced that Argentine armed forces had landed on British sovereign territory and had run up the Argentine flag. An immediate response was required and a task force was rapidly assembled to retake the islands. This volume details the major stages of the land campaign to retake the islands.

The fighting around the town of Demyansk was one of the longest encirclement battles on the Eastern Front during World War II, stretching from February 1942 to February 1943. This volume concludes with the drama of a German Army-sized withdrawal under fire in winter, under attack from three sides.

Despite myth, the Japanese carrier force was not destroyed at Midway but survived to still prove a threat in the Pacific Theater. Nowhere was this clearer than in the battle of Santa Cruz of October 1942. The Japanese were able to gain a tactical victory at Santa Cruz. This book deals with this topic.