Books published by Naval & Military Press

Part of the acclaimed “Special Campaign” series of works intended for serious professional students of military history, each volume is interspersed with strategical and tactical comments and illustrated by numerous sketches.The Russo-Japanese War was fought during 1904 and 1905 between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea.The major theatres of operations were the Liaodong Peninsula and Mukden in Southern Manchuria and the seas around Korea, Japan and the Yellow Sea. The Battles of Yalu, Nanshan, Telissu, Tashichiao, Hsimucheng, and the Battle on the East Front, 31st of July all receive good coverage.Russia suffered multiple defeats by Japan, but Tsar Nicholas II was convinced that Russia would win and chose to remain engaged in the war. The complete victory of the Japanese military surprised world observers. The consequences transformed the balance of power in East Asia. It was the first major military victory in the modern era of an Asian power over a European one. Military scholars continue to debate the historical significance of the war.

This a very good WW2 Regimental History of a fine fighting unit that formed part of the the 1st Armoured Division. The regiment's battle honours for the Second World War were as follows: Somme 1940, Withdrawal to Seine, North-West Europe 1940, Saunnu, Gazala, Bir el Aslagh, Sidi Rezegh 1942, Defence of Alamein Line, Ruweisat, Ruweisat Ridge, El Alamein, Tebaga Gap, El Hamma, El Kourzia, Tunis, Creteville Pass, North Africa 1942-43, Coriano, Capture of Forli, Lamone Crossing, Pideura, Defence of Lamone Bridgehead, Argenta Gap, Italy 1944-45.The Lancers landed in France to cover the retreating French, Belgian and British armies on 20 May 1940 and took part in the Battle of France. Withdrawn to England, the regiment landed in North Africa in September 1941 and undertook a leading part in the First Battle of El Alamein in July 1942.According to General Sir Richard McCreery: "The 9th Lancers took part in many decisive battles, none more so perhaps than the long withdrawal from Knightsbridge, south of Gazala, to El Alamein. Many think that Egypt was saved when the Eighth Army defeated Rommel's last big attack in the Western Desert at the end of August 1942. Actually, Egypt was saved earlier during those first few critical days of July when Rommel drove his tanks and self-propelled guns and trucks forward along the Ruweisat Ridge in close formations, to be stopped by the 25-pounders and the remnants of the 2nd Armoured Brigade with their "thin-skinned" Crusader tanks. In this critical action the 9th Lancers took the principal part. Throughout that long withdrawal from Knightsbridge, when the fluctuating Battle of Gazala had finally swung against the Eighth Army, past Sollum and Matruh to the Ruweisat Ridge, only seventy miles from Alexandria, the 2nd Armoured Brigade with the 9th Lancers always there but often reduced to only a handful of tanks, fought on skilfully and with gallant endurance and determination. Egypt was then saved indeed and with the arrival of the 9th Australian Division from Syria about the 6th of July, the tide of the whole war was turned.”McCreery went on:"Right well did the intensive training of the 9th Lancers with the Sherman bear fruit in the great battle which followed. As the world knows, the breakthrough at El Alamein did not come quickly. Rommel had had two months to build up defences and minefields in depth. However, in the ten days "dogfight" tank crews with their new 75-mm guns were knocking out far more enemy tanks than our infantry appreciated at the time."The regiment's marksmanship was renowned; their best shot was Corporal Nicholls of B Squadron, who was once personally congratulated by General Bernard Montgomery for knocking out nine enemy tanks in one day. The regiment landed in Italy in mid-1944, where it saw action at San Savino in the battle for the Gothic Line in September 1944 on the Italian Front. The regiment formed the spearhead of the British Eighth Army in the breakthrough to the River Po in the Spring of 1945. By the end of War, 143 members of the regiment had lost their lives.The regiment was amalgamated with the 12th Royal Lancers to form the 9th/12th Royal Lancers in September 1960.

Part of the acclaimed “Special Campaign” series of works intended for serious professional students of military history each volume is interspersed with strategical and tactical comments and illustrated by numerous sketches.This was the first major military victory in the modern era of an Asian power over a European one. Military scholars continue to debate the historical significance of the war. Good coverage is given to the Battle of Liaoyang.Post-war reports conclusively illustrated the battlefield destructiveness of this conflict. This  was the first time the tactics of entrenched positions for infantry defended with machine guns and artillery became vitally important. Both would become dominant factors in World War I. Even though entrenched positions had already been a significant part of both the Franco-Prussian War and the American Civil War, it is now apparent that the high casualty counts, and the tactical lessons readily available to observer nations, were completely disregarded in preparations for war in Europe, and during much of the course of World War I.Introductory. - The Plans of Campaign. - Synopsis of the Battle of Liaoyang. - Order for Advance and Preliminary Movemets, 22nd to 25th August. - Actions of the 26th August. - Note to Chapter V: Events of the 26th in Detail. - Retreat to the “Advanced Position of Liaoyang”. - The Second Day of the Battle of Liaoyang. - Note to Chapter VIII- Employment of the Reserves by the Russians. The Fighting of the 5th, 3rd, and 6th Division. - The Russian retreat to the “Main Position of Liaoyang.” - Advance of the Japanese Armies. The Capture of Manjuyama. - The Russian Counter-Attack. - The Retreat of the Russians to Mukden. - Both Sides Recuperate After the Struggle. - Synopsis of the Battle of the Shaho. - 4th to 10th October. - 11th October. - Night Operations, 11th - 12th October. Notes to Chapter XVII: the Night Attacks, 11-12th October. - 12th October. Notes to Chapter XVIII: Action of the Guards and 2nd Divisions. - 13th October. - 14th October. - 15th, 16th and 17th October: The End of the Battle. - Conclusion.

Gas was a very effective way of attacking the enemy without direct contact and attacks were the thing soldiers in the trenches feared over anything. This manual originally published by the War Office in February 1917 covers topics including the nature of gas: attacks, types, projectiles, personal anti-gas equipment & precautions & observations.

Scout-Sniping is a classic 1918 sniping manual written by a Big Game hunter and decorated Great War soldier who is believed to be the only Canadian officer to escape from a German prison camp during the War. A rarity in it's original 1918 printing, it lays down the principles for the foundation for sniper training.Anderson, went overseas with the first Canadian contingent. The 101st contributed the entire 9th Battalion, but the 9th was broken up to reinforce the 1st Brigade; thus, they almost all ended up in Ontario units.He was taken prisoner at 2nd Ypres on May 9, 1915 but he escaped in October 25, 1915 using his knowledge of languages to bluff his way back to England after his escape. In a humorous letter to the Commandant of the POW Camp he has escaped from he wrote: "It was on April 24, 1915 that I was taken Prisoner at Ypres after every man that was with me was killed. I was blown up twice and when I woke up I was a Prisoner. I arrived at your Hotel on 28th of April and it is no doubt one of the best, if not the best, Prison Camps in Germany... No one ever had a prison camp, but there is always some way of getting out. I had been a big game hunter all my life. I can go get the big bull moose, elk, deer, grizzly bear. That being the case, yours or any one else's sentries are worth little or nothing as far as I am concerned..."

In A Guide to the Volunteer Training Corps, Ray Westlake has provided for the first time records of many of these fascinating early home defence volunteer units; his main source of information being contemporary records. A short history of the Volunteer Training Corps has also been provided, together with a comprehensive listing of all Volunteer Regiments, Volunteer Battalions, Artillery, Engineer, Army Service Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps and Motor formations. This will be an essential reference book for all those researching the men who, being too old or too young to fight, voluntarily set aside their private time during the First World War for their King and Country.A regular question put to Ray Westlake during his fifty or more years writing and researching Britain's auxiliary forces has been, 'Where can I find a list giving details of the several Volunteer Training Corps units raised during the early months of the Great War?' True, the post-1915 years that saw the smaller companies merged into battalions, and later regiments, has been adequately covered in the several Volunteer Lists available. But what about the 'Citizens' corps, or the 'Fencibles', the 'Defence' organisations, the 'Village Guards'; those raised by shooting, cricket, golf or football clubs, or by railway companies, factories or athletes, businessmen or old school fellows? The answer, until now, has regrettably been there is none.

This is the classic WW2 sniping handbook. The author had much experience in sniping on the western front in the First World War, and he wrote his experiences down for the use of troops and the Home Guard at the beginning of the Second World War. This important manual covers all aspects of sniping and is a first class introduction to the subject both then and now. At the start of the Second World War, Armstrong became an instructor in the Sniping Wing of the Small Arms Schools at Hythe and Bisley. In 1942 he became Commandant at the Royal Marine Sniping School.Written by one of the greatest experts in the art of sniping, Lt-Colonel Nevill Armstrong, a Canadian Officer who served with distinction on the Western Front during the First World War, this is the classic WW2 sniping handbook. The author had much experience in sniping during the war and he wrote his experiences down for the use of troops and the Home Guard at the beginning of the Second World War. This important manual covers all aspects of sniping and is a first-class introduction to the subject both then and now. At the start of the Second World War, Armstrong became an instructor in the Sniping Wing of the Small Arms Schools at Hythe and Bisley. In 1942 he became Commandant at the Royal Marine Sniping School.Armstrong served in France between 1915 and 1917, being mentioned in despatches four times. He was Chief Instructor at the 2nd Army School of Scouting, Observation and Sniping from 1915-16, and Commandant of the Canadian Corps School of Sniping from 1917-18. The book covers all aspects of sniping, fieldcraft and intelligence. It was largely based on Armstrong's experiences in the trenches, and includes detailed instructions for snipers operating in trench warfare, along with descriptions of hides, loopholes, sniper suits and all the other equipment and techniques in use at the time. It is well illustrated with many line drawings and diagrams, some of which are in colour. The book also looks at the tactical use of fieldcraft, camouflage and battlefield intelligence work.The Allies' development of systematic sniping during WW1 was initially unpopular, even among their own troops, but was an inevitable response to highly effective German sniping. In the first two years of the war German sniping was accounting for around 100 fatalities a day. By the end of the war, Allied snipers were more than matching their German opponents, thanks largely to their Canadian instructors. In ‘Fieldcraft, Sniping and Intelligence’, Armstrong defines the sniper as: “An expert rifleman ‘out to kill’ who is highly trained in observation and the use of ground; equally valuable in trench and open warfare. He should be able to pick out targets exposed for only short periods and kill with a single shot from concealed positions”.

Part of the acclaimed "Special Campaign" series of works intended for serious professional students of military history each volume is interspersed with strategical and tactical comments and illustrated by numerous sketches.The military lessons of the Russian campaign are numerous. In its general features, in the grandeur of its conception, and in some respects in its execution, as well as in its abysmal end, this gigantic invasion was splendid and awe-inspiring. Who can contemplate unmoved the sublime spectacle of that mighty human stream pouring across Europe into Russia, fighting its way to Moscow, and its shattered remnants struggling back across the Berezina, in worst icy flood so many thousand lives were quenched in circumstances of tragic horror. The dramatic figure of the Great Emperor, standing in the snow during the retreat, domination the situation by the mere terror of his personality, will stand out for ever on the page of history. The fortitude in the retreat of Ney, what warrior of transcendent courage, who, asked were the rearguard, replied in all truth "I am the rearguard"; and in response to a summons to surrender "A Marshal of France never surrenders!" furnishes one of the finest episodes of this dramatic epoch.The Causes of War - Preparations for War - The Opposing Forces - The Theatre of War - The Invasion of Lithuania - The Advance to the Dwina - From the Dwina to the Dnieper - The Battle of Smolensk - The Advance to Borodino - The Battle of Borodino - The Occupation of Moscow - From Moscow to Maloyaroslavetz - The Retreat to Smolensk - From Smolensk to Borisov - The Passage of the Berezina - From the Berezina to the Niemen - The Causes of Failure.Maps and Plans:1. Map of the Theatre of Operations.2. Map to Illustrate the Operations round Smolensk.3. Plan of Smolensk and its Environs.4. The Battle of Borodino.5. From Moscow to Smolensk.6. The Passage of the Berezina.

Part of the acclaimed "Special Campaign" series of works intended for serious professional students of military history each volume is interspersed with strategical and tactical comments and illustrated by numerous sketches.Marlborough's leadership of the Allied armies from 1701 to 1710 during The War of the Spanish Succession consolidated Britain's emergence as a front-rank power, while his ability to maintain unity demonstrated his diplomatic skills. He is often remembered by military historians as much for his organisational and logistic skills as tactical abilities. However, he was also instrumental in moving from the siege warfare that dominated the Nine Years' War, arguing one battle was worth ten sieges.

Part of the acclaimed "Special Campaign" series of works intended for serious professional students of military history each volume is interspersed with strategical and tactical comments and illustrated by numerous sketches.Lt.-Col. Pratt, who served as an officer in the Royal Engineers, provides a useful account of the campaign that examines the evidence with an expert military eye. He deals with the varied opinions of previous historians and weighs the eyewitness accounts against the events.

Part of the acclaimed "Special Campaign" series of works intended for serious professional students of military history each volume is interspersed with strategical and tactical comments and illustrated by numerous sketches.The 1814 campaign in France was Napoleon's final campaign. Following their victory at Leipzig , Russian, Austrian and other German armies invaded France. Despite the disproportionate forces in favour of the Coalition, Napoleon managed to inflict many defeats. However, the Coalition kept advancing towards Paris, which capitulated in late March 1814. Napoleon was deposed and exiled to Elba and the victorious powers started to redraw the map of Europe. Napoleon escaped from Elba the following year leading to the last conflict in the Napoleonic Wars, the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

Part of the acclaimed "Special Campaign" series of works intended for serious professional students of military history each volume is interspersed with strategical and tactical comments and illustrated by numerous sketches.The engagement between France and Austria, during the second war of Italian independence, on the 4th of June 1859 at Magenta, and the decisive engagement in that war the Battle of Solferino on the 24 June 1859 were crucial steps in Italian unification.Solferino interestingly was the last major battle in world history where all the armies were under the personal command of their monarchs, approximately 300,000 soldiers fought in the important battle, the largest since the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. There were about 130,000 Austrian troops and a combined total of 140,000 French and allied Piedmontese troops. After the battle, the Austrian Emperor refrained from further direct command of the army.The war's geopolitical context was the nationalist struggle to unify Italy, which had long been divided among France, Austria, Spain and numerous independent Italian states.

¿For his work on novels like War of the Worlds and The Island of Doctor Moreau, British author H.G. Wells is rightly lauded as a visionary. What often gets lost amongst the applause for his ideas on science fiction though is another area in which he was a pioneer: the field of tabletop wargaming. Which, at least as far as we know it today, was basically invented by Wells while he and a friend were playing with toy soldiers.Wells did not invent the idea of using abstract rules to simulate the events of a battle. Prussian officers in the 19th century were trained on complex military board games called Kriegsspiel (literally "War Games"), while there are many other examples throughout history of using the basic ideas of war either as a primitive simulation tool or, in the case of chess, a game.But what Wells did was invent the concept of the recreational wargame, the kind of experience you find today in things like Warhammer, games which are bought and enjoyed by the wider population, not just military professionals.Sitting around after dinner one night with his friend Jerome K. Jerome, the pair began firing a toy cannon at toy soldiers, eventually making an impromptu competitive game out of it. Convinced that with some rules and a little more variety he could make a structured experience of it, Wells - an admirer of Kriegsspiel as a concept - decided to write what would become known as Little Wars.The game was based around two concepts: that units and terrain would be represented by miniaturised models (or at least something lying around that resembled a hill or horse), and that the movement and interaction between the game's units would be determined by a relatively simple set of rules.

Lawrence's personal driver in the desert "our strongest & most resourceful man, the ready mechanic who largely kept our cars in running order", Rolls was a pre-war motor mechanic who enlisted into the Armoured Car Brigade of the Royal Naval Air Service in 1914. After a short sojourn in Flanders this book follows his many adventures combating the Senussi Uprising in North Africa, rescuing captured British Sailors and fighting in support of Lawrence's Arab irregulars battling against the Turkish army in the Middle East. All this accomplished from behind the steering wheel of his Rolls Royce Armoured Car.Of particular interest is the authors association with T E Lawrence, known affectionately by Rolls as the 'Skipper'. His description of their first meeting shows how he was captivated from the start by the inspirational aura surrounding this enigmatic Englishman who is so inextricably linked to the Imperial Army's Desert Campaign and the Arab Revolt against the Turks. As well as Lawrence, we are also introduced to several of the other important figures of the Middle East campaign such as Faisal, Allenby, Nuri Bey and Auda of the Howeitat.

Baron Jomini is familiar to every military reader. As a writer on strategy and the tactics of battles, or the application of military science to the practical operations of the campaign and battlefield, he had few equals. His 'Life of Napoleon', though less of a technical character than most of his other works, is regarded as his masterpiece.

The name of the author, Baron Jomini, is familiar to every military reader. As a writer on strategy and the tactics of battles, or the application of military science to the practical operations of the campaign and battlefield, he had few equals. His works have long been studied and read as textbooks by military students of every country. Prior to the American Civil War, the translated writings of Jomini were the only works on military strategy that were taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His ideas permeated the Academy and shaped the basic military thinking of its graduates. The regular army officers who became the general officers for both the Union and the Confederacy in the Civil War began by following Jominian principles. His 'Life of Napoleon', though less of a technical character than most of his other works, is regarded as his masterpiece.Volume IIICAMPAIGN OF 1809 IN AUSTRIA; From the Declaration of War by Austria to the Treaty of Vienna.CAMPAIGN OF 18009 IN SPAIN; From the Assault of Oporto to the Siege of Gerona.CAMPAIGN OF 1810 IN SPAIN; From the Siege of Gerona to the Lines of Torres Vedras.CAMPAIGN OF 1811 IN SPAIN; From Soult's Capture of Badajos to its recapture by Wellington.CAMPAIGN OF 1812 IN RUSSIA; Part I: Advance to Moscow

The name of the author, Baron Jomini, is familiar to every military reader. As a writer on strategy and the tactics of battles, or the application of military science to the practical operations of the campaign and battlefield, he had few equals. His works have long been studied and read as textbooks by military students of every country. Prior to the American Civil War, the translated writings of Jomini were the only works on military strategy that were taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His ideas permeated the Academy and shaped the basic military thinking of its graduates. The regular army officers who became the general officers for both the Union and the Confederacy in the Civil War began by following Jominian principles. His 'Life of Napoleon', though less of a technical character than most of his other works, is regarded as his masterpiece.Volume IICAMPAIGNS FROM 1802 TO 1804; From the Rupture of the Peace of Amiens to the Establishment of the Empire.CAMPAIGN OF 1805; From the Formation of the Third Coalition to the Treaties of Vienna and Presburg.CAMPAIGN OF 1806; From The Rupture of the Peace of Presburg to the Destruction of the Prussian Army.CAMPAIGN OF 1807; From the Arrival of the Russians on the Vistula to the Treaty of Tilsit.CAMPAIGN OF 1808; From the Treaty of Tilsit to the Invasion of Portugal.PENINSULAR CAMPAIGNS OF 1807 AND 1808; From the Invasion of Portugal to the Treaty of Evacuation.NAPOLEON'S CAMPAIGN OF 1808 IN SPAIN; From the Evacuation of Portugal to its Re-invasion by Soult.

The name of the author, Baron Jomini, is familiar to every military reader. As a writer on strategy and the tactics of battles, or the application of military science to the practical operations of the campaign and battlefield, he had few equals. His works have long been studied and read as textbooks by military students of every country. Prior to the American Civil War, the translated writings of Jomini were the only works on military strategy that were taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His ideas permeated the Academy and shaped the basic military thinking of its graduates. The regular army officers who became the general officers for both the Union and the Confederacy in the Civil War began by following Jominian principles. His 'Life of Napoleon', though less of a technical character than most of his other works, is regarded as his masterpiece.Volume IEARLY LIFE OF NAPOLEON; From his Birth to his Appointment to Command the Army of Italy.CAMPAIGN OF 1796 IN ITALY; From the Beginning of the Campaign to the Peace in Tolentino.CAMPAIGN OF 1798 IN AUSTRIA; From the Crossing of the Tagliamento to the Peace of Campo-Formio.EXPEDITION TO EGYPT; Military Operations in 1798 and Part of 1799.CAMPAIGN OF 1799; Military Operations in Germany, Switzerland and Italy.CAMPAIGNS OF 1800 AND 1801;From Napoleon's Return from Egypt to the Peace of Amiens.APPENDIX : THE BONAPARTE FAMILY

In PART I by A G Butler, the general and detailed plans for the medical arrangements for the Landing, the operations in August, and the Evacuation are described; the working of these plans at Anzac, on the lines of communication, and at the base, are reviewed; and the causes and consequences of the confusion in the clearance of the wounded, which occurred in connection with the Landing and, to a less extent, the August fighting, are traced and exposed. The important part allotted to the inadequately-prepared "Black Ships" at the Landing is fully dealt with, and the actual influence on mortality of the "breakdown" in the Medical Service is assessed. The fight with disease, which at Gallipoli proved to be in some respects more serious a menace than the enemy's fire, is followed in detail from its first "onslaught" on the AIF in Egypt until "the debacle" on Gallipoli in September and October. The causes of the collapse in health, which is revealed in an arresting series of graphs, are analysed, and the methods of prevention critically examined. During 1914-15 the Medical Services slowly evolved a system of internal order and control, and the vicissitudes through which they passed in the process of obtaining self-government while serving as an integral part of the British forces are impartially narrated. Part I concludes with a review of the activities of the Services in Australia during the first half of the war - the training of personnel for the AAMS, the selection and medical care of recruits for the AIF, and the reception and treatment of invalids returned from overseas. From these tasks there arose problems of great importance and interest - the sanitation of camps preventive inoculation, treatment of disabled and incapacitated soldiers, their reinstatement, and the inauguration of schemes for repatriation and pensioning which were far-reaching and fraught with momentous consequences. PART II by R M Downes, presents the detail of medical work with mounted troops in a completeness not hitherto attempted in connection with modern warfare. The climate, terrain, nature of the operations, and diseases endemic in this Eastern theatre of war, gave rise to problems entirely different from those which confronted the Medical Services in France. Special interest is also lent to this part, as its writer points out, by "the likelihood that military operations in Australia would resemble more closely those carried on in Sinai and Palestine than the trench warfare of France." PART III by F A Maguire and R W Cilento deals not only with the short military campaign but also with the long period of military government with its quasi-civil problems of administration and of public health in a tropical country. The system then improvised to serve the requirements of a widely scattered white and native population, beset with the problems of the tropics, eventually merged into that by which the territory was governed by Australia under mandate from the League of Nations. The gradual change from war to post-war conditions and certain subsequent developments have been outlined. Throughout the book, special attention is devoted to the dental services, the importance of whose work became increasingly evident as the war progressed. The work in the hospitals affords an opportunity for dealing with the devoted efforts of the Australian Army Nursing Service. The place of the Pharmacists in the medical service receives attention, and the imperfect utilisation at first of this special department and its somewhat belated recognition are noted. The part of the Voluntary Aid Organisations, notably the Red Cross Society, in assisting and supplementing the work of the military medical services, is closely followed and clearly presented.

In A Guide to the Civic Heraldry of England, Ray Westlake has gathered together a comprehensive collection of seals and coats of arms in use by England's counties, cities and towns. Much local history is expressed in the devices used by these places this fact, together with the opportunity to enjoy beautiful artwork, being the main intention of the book. Heraldry has its own wonderful language, but for the purpose of this work plain descriptions have been used. From the Berkshire town of Abingdon to the County of Yorkshire, almost 500 places are mention, their seals and arms described and supported by more than 570 illustrations. A Guide to the Civic Heraldry of England will be a useful reference tool for those interested in heraldry, local and military history. I add the latter as many of the devices used found their way onto the badges worn by the British Army.We see them all about in stone, metal and wood. There above town hall entrances, on library walls, law courts and on gates to refuge departments. Crematoriums have them, so do park keepers' huts, the sides of buses, dustcarts and offices of weights and measures. Caretakers in council flats have them on their hats. They come in paper, too. Rate demands have them; so do letters from the mayor's parlour which, before 'cut backs' possibly, were embossed on fine paper. From these lions, stags, fierce bulls, wolves with chains around their necks, dogs with collars, beasts, real and mythical, look down on us. To the dexter and sinister, steadfast they perch on heraldic wreaths alongside mottos inscribed on ornate scrolls. In sable, vert, gules and azure: wheat sheaves, scallop shells, fleurs-de-lis, bishops' mitres, open books showing learning, wheels and cogs for industry adorn the shields (whole, divided or quartered) which they guard. Civic coats of arms, some ancient and 'official', some the whim, perhaps, of a past mayor. Their records of adoption long lost and, if ever written down, now hidden among the dusty minute books and archives of local authorities.

This is the official history, compiled by the War Office, of four armed British expeditions, mounted in the Horn of Africa into some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth. The Somali expeditions were launched a century ago in territory which, then as now, is intractable and ungovernable - at least by foreigners. Although described by the War Office as ''Uncivilised and little-known'' - Somaliland was situated in a key position on the western side of the Red Sea, dominating the southern approaches to the Suez Canal and thus sitting astride British communications with India, the Far East and Australasia. All the powers had an interest in Somaliland and three of them - Britain, France and Italy, - had, by the turn of the 19th/20th centuries, established ''protectorates'' - small slices of territory to safeguard their interests there. Periodically the native tribes, known generally to the British as ''Dervishes'', were stirred by their Mullahs to harass these territories, and it was to deter and drive back such hostile demonstrations that the four Somali operations were mounted. These two volumes recount the stories of these punitive expeditions in great detail, and are accompanied by many maps, charts and some fine quality photographs to tell the complete story of an almost forgotten ''small war''.

This is the official history, compiled by the War Office, of four armed British expeditions, mounted in the Horn of Africa into some of the most inhospitable terrain on earth. The Somali expeditions were launched a century ago in territory which, then as now, is intractable and ungovernable - at least by foreigners. Although described by the War Office as ''Uncivilised and little-known'' - Somaliland was situated in a key position on the western side of the Red Sea, dominating the southern approaches to the Suez Canal and thus sitting astride British communications with India, the Far East and Australasia. All the powers had an interest in Somaliland and three of them - Britain, France and Italy, - had, by the turn of the 19th/20th centuries, established ''protectorates'' - small slices of territory to safeguard their interests there. Periodically the native tribes, known generally to the British as ''Dervishes'', were stirred by their Mullahs to harass these territories, and it was to deter and drive back such hostile demonstrations that the four Somali operations were mounted. These two volumes recount the stories of these punitive expeditions in great detail, and are accompanied by many maps, charts and some fine quality photographs to tell the complete story of an almost forgotten ''small war''.

Edward Keble Chatterton (1878-1944) was a sailor and prolific writer who is best known for non-fiction works. His voyages across the English Channel, to the Netherlands, around the Mediterranean and through the French canals led to many articles and books. Joining the R.N.V.R. at the outbreak of the Great War he commanded a motor launch flotilla, leaving the service as a Lieutenant Commander. In 1918 he was appointed to the Naval section of the Official History Committee, where he worked until 1922.Unquestionably one of the most important and vivid nautical authors of the past century using both first hand accounts from the people that were there at the time, and having the opportunity to access to official documents .Chatterton recorded the maritime history of Britain at its most momentous point of change, from sail to steam, from the advent of the submarine to the carrier.Plunging through the ocean waves with guns at the ready, the surface raiders were a disparate assemblage of ships. collected to intercept enemy supplies during the Great War, they plundered merchant vessels; boarding or sinking them for their resources. The Author had the privilege of the Admiralty's permission to examine the appropriate documents in the Admiralty archives. He also obtained information in certain cases from those who took part.