Books in the Campaign series

This book provides a fascinating exploration of the Japanese conquest of Burma, as the Allied forces were forced back in disarray to India and China.The Japanese invasion of Burma in January 1942 marked the beginning of the single longest campaign of World War II. In the Burmese jungles, the battle-hardened, highly trained and lightly equipped Imperial Japanese Army quickly proved itself a vastly superior fighting force in clashes against the British, Indian and Gurkha troops that formed Burma Army and Chinese nationalist forces deployed in eastern Burma. This superbly illustrated book narrates Burma Corps' epic fighting retreat northwards, carried out mostly in contact with the enemy and across hundreds of miles of highly malarial and extremely difficult terrain, to safety in India. Among the battles covered are the disaster at the Sittang Bridge on 22 February 1942 (where 17th Indian Division was all but destroyed), the fall of Rangoon in March 1942 and the clashes at Yenangyaung, Monywa and Shwegyin. The performance of the opposing commanders and forces is also examined in detail, highlighting the success of Japanese aggressive light infantry tactics, which ruthlessly exploited the cover and concealment provided by the jungle to outflank, bypass and encircle their bewildered enemy.

Osprey''s examination of one of the most important battles of the Crimean War (1853-1856). The port of Balaclava was crucial in maintaining the supply lines for the Allied siege of Sevastapol. The Russian attack in October 1854 therefore posed a major threat to the survival of the Allied cause. This book examines in detail the crucial battle of Balaclava, including: the attack on the redoubts; the action of ΓÇ£the thin red line" in which an assortment of about 700 British troops, some invalids, were abandoned by their Turkish allies; the subsequent charge of the Heavy Brigade; and the most famous part of the battle: the infamous charge of the Light Brigade.

Osprey''s Campaign title for France''s defeat in the early period of World War II (1939-1945). The German victory of 1940 stunned the world. France, major European power and owner of the world''s largest armies had fallen in less than seven weeks to the might of the German Wehrmacht. The secret of the Wehrmacht''s success lay in its carefully thought out organization and the tactics of blitzkrieg. Fast moving tank divisions supported by armoured, mobile infantry swept over opposition, helped by both conventional bombers and deadly Stuka dive-bombers. Alan Shepperd''s highly detailed text examines the tactics, organization and equipment of the Allied and German forces, and provides a daily account of the most crucial period of the battle.

Osprey''s examination of the battles of Jena and Auerstadt of the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). Forewarned of Prussia''s intention to declare war on France, Napoleon decided to strike first with a bold advance from Wurzburg into Saxony. On 14 October the double battle was fought: Napoleon with 96,000 men and 120 guns engaged and heavily defeated Prince Hohenlohe and General Ruchel. The decisive engagement was fought further north where Marshal Davout with 27,000 men and 40 guns routed the main Prussian army under Frederick William IV and the Duke of Brunswick. This title examines these two battles, Jena and Auerstadt in detail, showing clearly the swiftness with which Napoleon dealt Prussia''s military machine a severe blow.

A concise account of the origins, events and outcome of the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876 - the most famous campaign of the Indian wars involving characters such as Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, which resulted in the death of General Custer and over half of his 7th Cavalry.

An account of the epic siege of the island fortress of the Knights Hospitaller by the Turkish Army of the Emperor Suleiman. The six battle scenes in the book depict the brutal fighting and acts of bravery by the 500 Knights who held out against 30,000 Turkish soldiers for four months.

The Battle of Bosworth, the last great battle of the War of the Roses, established the House of Tudor on the throne. This work aims to cut through the myth and propaganda to detail the course of this pivotal campaign.