The Schutztruppen, the Expedition Korps, and III. See-Bataillon of the Imperial German Marines were the forces assigned to protect Germany's far-flung Colonial possessions in Africa and China. Uniform students and modelers have found scant published references to the varied and unique uniforms of these forces. This highly illustrated book fills that gap. Color illustrations by Germany's leading 19th and 20th century artists, black and white drawings taken from rare period books, plus over sixty unpublished quality photographs from the album of a III. See-Bataillon Marine stationed at the great German Naval base at Tsingtau, China, cover in detail the unusual uniforms of the Kaiser's Colonial forces. A must for the Imperial German bookself.

Only Texas, of all the states, can boast of a heritage that includes the army and navy of an independent nation. Throughout the ten turbulent years of Texas independence its military was engaged in constant warfare against enemies within and without. Its regulars were backed up by a militia described as "the most formidable, for their numbers, in the world." Contrary to the image projected by Hollywood and most historians, even in Texas, they were smartly uniformed and equipped with the latest in weaponry. What did these long-forgotten uniforms look like? Texas insignia and flags? Writer-artist-historian Bruce Marshall has discovered the answers in archives in Texas and Mexico, in old diaries and letters and sketches by those who wore or saw them. With his internationally-honored art he has recreated the uniforms in twenty-six full color illustrations, supplemented by fourteen photographs - including the only two known of uniformed officers of the Texas army and navy.

This is fourth in mulit-volume series covering United States Navy patches from World War II to the present-each volume contains over 1000 patches in full color. This new volume covers: Activities, Bases, Centers, Commands, Communications, Cruises, Depots, Division, Facilities, Fields, Fleets, Flotillas, Forces, Groups, Medical, Missiles, Schools, Shipyards, Squadrons, Stations, Teams, Units, and Miscellaneous units. (See page 40 for previous volumes).

This new, extensively researched volume (volume two in the series) is a comprehensive guide to the history, development, wear, and use of uniforms and equipment during American military advisors involvement in the Vietnam War. Included are insignia, headgear, camouflage uniforms, modified items, Flak vests, boots, clothing accessories, paper items and personal items from the years 1957-1972, all examined in great detail. Using re-constructed and period photos, the author presents the look and appearance of American Army, Navy, and Marine Corps advisors in Vietnam. ARVN Ranger, Airborne, and ARVN infantry advisors, all have their own chapter, along with Junk Force, RAG Force, and South Vietnamese Naval and Marine Corps advisors.

This three-volume set is unquestionably the best reference on German SS military uniforms ever produced. This spectacular work is a heavily documented record of all major clothing articles of the Waffen-SS. Hundreds of unpublished bw photos were used in production. Original and extremely rare SS uniforms of various types are carefully photographed and presented here.

Detailed history of all aspects of German infantry uniforms in over 200 photos, many in color.

This new book by Ron Willis and Tom Carmichael chronicles in full color the development of Navy wings, including variations in designation, design and makers from World War I to the present. Also included is a listing of 17,000 naval aviators by name and number up to 1942.

Featuring specially commissioned artwork and archive illustrations, this engrossing study describes the US Marine Corps’ early operations and illustrates its evolving uniforms and personal equipment. The US Marine Corps’ uniforms, personal equipment, insignia, and weaponry are all described and illustrated in this book, complemented by a succinct history of the Marines’ military record from their beginnings to the eve of the American Civil War, by which time the US Marine Corps had established itself as a small but vitally important part of the United States’ armed forces. Organized in 1775, the first American Marines distinguished themselves throughout the American Revolutionary War, and even raided mainland Britain before being disbanded in 1783. Reestablished in 1798, the US Marine Corps fought in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, both at sea and on land. The years after 1815 saw the Corps involved in a wide variety of conflicts, from the Seminole Wars to the Mexican–American War; Marines even reached China and Japan. As the prospect of civil war began to threaten the United States, a small battalion of Marines was responsible for the capture of abolitionist John Brown at Harper’s Ferry on October 18, 1859. The diverse operations and evolving appearance of the Marines are captured in this absorbing study from an acknowledged authority on US military costume.

Sailors in Forest Green is a detailed examination of the uniforms and equipment used by Navy personnel attached to the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. Navy hospital corpsmen, Seabees, combat photographers, demolitions experts, and many other Navy specialists served with USMC units from 1941-1945. This subject is often overlooked today. Sailors in Forest Green is the first book of its kind to address this previously unexplored and fascinating topic. It is lavishly illustrated with over 800 previously unpublished archival and contemporary photographs, documents, and dramatic reconstructions. Both U.S. Navy and Marine Corps uniforms are highlighted, including officer and enlisted dress uniforms and insignia, combat and fatigue uniforms, camouflage, field gear and experimental equipment. Additionally, gas masks, medical supplies, and explosives are featured as well. Anyone with an interest in World War II militaria will marvel at this new and exciting breakthrough!

This is fourth in mulit-volume series covering United States Navy patches from World War II to the present-each volume contains over 1000 patches in full color. This new volume covers: Activities, Bases, Centers, Commands, Communications, Cruises, Depots, Division, Facilities, Fields, Fleets, Flotillas, Forces, Groups, Medical, Missiles, Schools, Shipyards, Squadrons, Stations, Teams, Units, and Miscellaneous units. (See page 40 for previous volumes).

Dressed to Kill is a unique and detailed analysis of naval uniform and its historical, social and economic contexts in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This fully updated and expanded second edition examines the significance of male fashion and uniform in the forging of a national, hierarchical and gendered identity. By drawing upon extensive archival research, Amy Miller provides a greater explanation of the political and social changes that impacted not only what the Royal Navy wore, but why. Parliamentary records, newspapers and museum archives give a greater contextualisation of the relationship that naval uniform represented - that of a confluence of politics and economics, fashion and popular culture. Beautifully illustrated throughout, Dressed to Kill 2nd Edition is accompanied by an extensive catalogue of uniforms from the rich collection of the National Maritime Museum and a selection of patterns that examine the construction of the garments.This new edition contains additional research that provides a greater understanding of the political and social changes that impacted not only what the Royal Navy wore, but why they wore it. Parliamentary records, newspapers and museum archives give a greater contextualisation of the relationship that naval uniform represented - that of a confluence of politics and economics, fashion and popular culture.

The Italian Risorgimento was the political process that led to the unification of the Italian peninsula into a single kingdom after three bloody wars fought between Piedmont and Austria. It lasted for more than two decades (1848-1870) and was one of the key moments in the history of Europe. In this book, all the Italian military contingents taking part to the campaigns of 1848-1870 will be taken into consideration and thus the armies of the following states will be covered: Piedmont, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Papal States, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Duchy of Modena, and Duchy of Parma. The analysis will not focus only on the regular troops, but also on the armies of the short-lived "Revolutionary States" and on the many volunteer corps that came from abroad in order to fight for the Italian cause. The whole book will be illustrated with a large amount of color plates, showing the uniforms of iconic military units like Piedmontese Bersaglieri and Papal Zouaves.

This two volume set is a fully illustrated, detailed look at the famous German "stahlhelm" of World War II. Full color photographs - including multiple-view, interiors, and up-close detail - show Army, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Paratroop, and many others. Both volumes have been specifically produced to give the advanced collector the opportunity to expand his or her knowledge, and to compare paint and insignia against their own collections. For the novice or would-be collector, these books are an invaluable reference.

Drawing upon Soviet sources, this book assesses the evolving organization, uniforms, insignia, weaponry and personal equipment of Soviet naval infantry units from 1917 to 1991. Featuring eight plates of specially commissioned artwork alongside carefully chosen archive photographs, this study charts the history and appearance of the Soviet Union's naval infantry, from the October Revolution to the end of the Soviet era. Although Russian naval infantry achieved fame during the October Revolution they were quickly disbanded, only being re-established in 1939. Following the Axis invasion of 1941 some 500,000 Soviet Navy personnel served on land, fighting in the defence of Leningrad, Odessa and Sevastopol and the recapture of the Crimea in 1943-44; Soviet naval troops also participated in the invasion of Manchuria in 1945. During the Cold War era the Soviet Union developed an amphibious assault capability that had a vital strategic role - to capture an aggressor's geographical exits to the oceans and thereby forestall threats to Soviet submarine bases. Naval infantry forces could deploy a wealth of firepower assets, while the use of amphibious ships, hovercraft and helicopters aided their rapid deployment, even amid ice-bound terrain in the Arctic. All of these developments are described and illustrated in absorbing detail in this study.

A complete illustrated study of the varied range of Italian colonial units who served in East and North Africa. Italy only unified as a nation in 1870 and was late, and therefore impatient, in the 'scramble' for Africa. An initial foothold in Eritrea/Somalia, north-east Africa, led to a disastrous defeat in Ethiopia in 1896 at the Battle of Adwa, but Italian Somaliland was later consolidated on the west coast of the Red Sea. During 1911, Italy also invaded Libya, securing the coast, however fighting continued throughout World War I and only ended in the early 1930s. A number of native colonial regiments were raised in both Italian East Africa and Libya (in the latter, even a pioneering paratroop unit), of which most fought sturdily for Italy against the Allies in 1940-43. These units had particularly colourful uniforms and insignia. Another small guard unit also served in the Italian concession at Tientsin, China in 1902-1943. After World War II, a remnant unit served on in Somalia under a UN mandate until 1960. This intriguing volume describes and illustrates the dress and equipment used by these forces and details how they were deployed to maintain a colonial empire for over half a century.

In this new book, Spencer Coil examines various models of uniforms and equipment used by the multiethnic French armed forces in the First World War. A carefully chosen and researched selection of period photographs enables the reader to visualize a climactic era in history, as experienced by the poilus (French soldiers) serving in the trenches and on the battlefields. There are detailed chapters covering French machineguns, medical, artillery, motor corps, infantry, chasseur, armored car and tank units as well as the air service and the cavalry's hussars, dragoons and cuirassiers. Other chapters examine the French foreign legion, Zouaves, and Tirailleurs. A full color section shows heretofore unpublished photos of headdress, uniforms, equipment, and accoutrements used by the French armed forces in the First World War. This work is a must for all serious historians, collectors, wargamers, model builders, and re-enactors.

This long-awaited work is a detailed reference on the officer's headdress of the Imperial German army from 1871-1918. Described and shown in full color are helmets from the following subjects: generals, infantry, cavalry, artillery, technical troops, communication troops, train, semi-military forces, medical and veterinary services, intendance and supply, the beamte, marine infantry and the colonial forces. Informative and detailed descriptions trace the changing models and patterns, as well as the nuts and bolts of assembly. Also discussed are the Imperial German Army's organization, service, and recruiting of the period from all of the Kingdoms, Grand Dukedoms and Princedoms, as well as the Hanseatic Free States. This book is an important source on Imperial headdress for collectors, dealers, historians, auctioneers and restorers.

The notion has persisted far too long that the army of patriots that won Texas independence from Mexico in 1835-1836 was totally without uniforms, clad indifferently for the most part in rustic frontier garb. This was true for many, but by no means all. Surprisingly, there were uniformed Texas units in all of the major battles of the Texas Revolution from the first to the last: the siege of Bexar, the Alamo, Goliad (Coleto), and the final victory at San Jacinto. This new book by Bruce Marshall is a long overdue history of the uniforms of the Texas Revolution and the men who wore them. It will also reveal certain hitherto suppressed material from some who served, including the vast majority of the Texas officers, challenging the generally accepted historical version portraying the Texas commander, General Sam Houston, as a master strategist who, alone, deserved full credit for saving Texas.

In the years after World War I, the defeated and much-reduced German Army developed new clothing and personal equipment that drew upon the lessons learned in the trenches. In place of the wide variety of uniforms and insignia that had been worn by the Imperial German Army, a standardized approach was followed, culminating in the uniform items introduced in the 1930s as the Nazi Party came to shape every aspect of German national life. The outbreak of war in 1939 prompted further adaptations and simplifications of uniforms and insignia, while the increasing use of camouflaged items and the accelerated pace of weapons development led to the appearance of new clothing and personal equipment. Medals and awards increased in number as the war went on, with grades being added for existing awards and new decorations introduced to reflect battlefield feats. Specialists such as mountain troops, tank crews and combat engineers were issued distinctive uniform items and kit, while the ever-expanding variety of fronts on which the German Army fought - from the North African desert to the Russian steppe - prompted the rapid development of clothing and equipment for different climates and conditions. In addition, severe shortages of raw materials and the demands of clothing and equipping an army that numbered in the millions forced the simplification of many items and the increasing use of substitute materials in their manufacture. In this fully illustrated book noted authority Dr Stephen Bull examines the German Army's wide range of uniforms, personal equipment, weapons, medals and awards, and offers a comprehensive guide to the transformation that the German Army soldier underwent in the period from September 1939 to May 1945.

Wee Warriors & Playtime Patriots engages the reader in a fascinating history of children's military-inspired fashions - handmade and commercially made replica uniforms, equipage, and toys dating from 1860-1976. An extensive collection of photographs features children in military dress from countries around the world. These touching images of a never-before-chronicled military collectibles field will mesmerize readers. Also included are dozens of nostalgic catalog pages from Sears Roebuck & Co., and Montgomery Ward touting commercially made children's uniforms that date as far back as 1918. Wee Warriors & Playtime Patriots fills a major gap in the study of nineteenth and twentieth century military clothing styles and is a must, not only for military and patriotic enthusiasts, but for anyone interested in a bit of thought-provoking history.

Camouflage Uniforms of the Soviet Union and Russia is a comprehensive guide to the history, design and use of camouflage field uniforms of the Soviet Union and Russia. This excellent reference contains factual and interesting material covering the earliest days of uniform development to the most recent issues of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, former KGB and Spetsnaz forces. Packed with detailed color photographs, this book fills an important void in the collector reference library that has been vacant far too long. Designed with both the militaria collector and Russophile in mind, this book is an easy to use picture guide to the most sought after collectible in the Soviet and Russian militaria field, and is a must for any serious collector or intelligence analyst interested in the former Soviet Union or Russia.

All of the uniform-specific insignia used by the Waffen-SS in World War II are presented in this concise, all-color book. Included are sleeve and cap eagles in their various versions, collar tabs, sleeve shields, and cuff titles, as well as shoulder boards and straps, and rank insignia. Using nearly 300 color photographs, this book shows the scope in insignia the Waffen-SS achieved by war's end, and how far it deviated from Himmler's earlier principles as a result of the steadily deteriorating war situation. Some of the rarest insignia shown are those from Waffen-SS units using Armenian, Bosnian, Indian, and Georgian troops. Also included are numerous war-era photos that document the wearing of the various insignia shown.

This study explores the organization, history and uniforms of the Soviet Red Army during the 20 years between its victory in the Civil War and the invasion of the USSR by Germany in 1941. The two decades following the Bolshevik victory over the 'Whites' in the Russian Civil War saw widespread and fundamental developments for the Red Army. Nevertheless, these still left it largely unready to face Germany's Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. Having been reduced in size and planning for modernization, the Red Army of the 1920s was employed to ruthlessly crush anti-Bolshevik opposition (real or suspected) in several regions of the USSR, notably Ukraine and Central Asia, and to fight a brief border war against Chinese Manchuria. During the 1930s, Stalin virtually 'beheaded' the army by a needless series of murderous purges of the officer class; despite this, the Red Army was victorious in clashes against Imperial Japan in the Nomonhan region in 1938-39, where General Zhukov earned his spurs. Simultaneously, the Soviet Union sent instructors and pilots to fight for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). The non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany allowed Stalin to take over half of Poland in September 1939; but a few months later his 'Winter War' against Finland demonstrated serious inadequacies in the Red Army's readiness for modern warfare, which would be shockingly confirmed in the first days of Operation Barbarossa. Using rare photos and detailed colour artwork, this study explores the interwar history of the Red Army, describing its campaigns, organization and uniforms, and focusing on the 20 years between its victory in the Civil War and the invasion of the USSR by Germany in 1941.

Drawing upon the latest literary and archaeological research, this is an in-depth study of the Roman Army units based in the Eastern Provinces during the turbulent third century of the Roman Empire. In this book, eminent Roman historian, Dr Raffaele D'Amato, looks at the notoriously under-represented history of the Roman armies during the middle 3rd Century whose records have been obscured by the chaotic civil wars of that period between usurpers to the Imperial authority of Rome. Following on from the previous title, MAA 527, Roman Army Units in the Western Provinces (2): 3rd Century AD, this book considers the evidence for troops in the Eastern half of the Empire specifically around the Balkans, Mesopotamia, the Middle East and North Africa and looks at the weakness of Imperial central authority which inevitably led to local particularism and a wide range of appearance in regional commands. Dr D'Amato uses literary, painted, sculptural and archaeological sources to reconstruct this little-understood period of Roman military history and, with the aid of meticulous coloured artwork, photos and detailed charts, reconstructs the appearance and campaigns of the Roman forces stationed in the East.

An indispensable guide for historians, collectors and military modelers, this book finally resolves the confusion surrounding many of the many World War II Wehrmacht (both Army and Luftwaffe) patterns and garments and establishes a complete and concise system of identification and terminology. A comparative section with post-war fabrications is added as a tool for authentication. More than ten different camouflage patterns are covered, including the super rare carbon overprint and Leibermuster. Authentic zeltbahns, helmet covers, caps, smocks, winter clothing, anti-gas outfits, body aprons, tents and more are shown in over 580 full color, and contemporary black and white photographs (most published here for the first time).