'In the past the German General Staff had taken no interest in the military history of wars in the north and east of Europe. Nobody had ever taken into account the possibility that some day German divisions would have to fight and to winter in northern Karelia and on the Murmansk coast.' (Lieutenant-General Waldemar Erfurth, German Army). Despite this statement, the German Army's first campaign in the far north was a great success: between April and June 1940 German forces totalling less than 20,000 men seized Norway, a state of three million people, for minimal losses. Hitler's Arctic War is a study of the campaign waged by the Germans on the northern periphery of Europe between 1940 and 1945. As Hitler's Arctic War makes clear, the emphasis was on small-unit actions, with soldiers carrying everything they needed - food, ammunition and medical supplies - on their backs. The terrain placed limitations on the use of tanks and heavy artillery, while lack of airfields restricted the employment of aircraft.Hitler's Arctic War also includes a chapter on the campaign fought by Luftwaffe aircraft and Kriegsmarine ships and submarines against the Allied convoys supplying the Soviet Union with aid. However, Wehrmacht resources committed to Norway and Finland were ultimately an unnecessary drain on the German war effort. Hitler's Arctic War is a ground-breaking study of how war was waged in the far north and its effects on German strategy.

When Pope Urban II called European Christianity to stem the expansion of Islamic states into Europe, he set off a train of events that would last many hundreds of years and have far reaching political and economic consequences. Battles of the Crusades introduces 20 key battles from this period of religiously inspired conflict in Europe and the Middle East. Beginning with the battle of Dorylaeum (1097) and finishing with the battle of Varna (1444), examples from every era and campaign are featured. Apart from such well-known encounters as Antioch, Jerusalem and Harran, battles between the Crusader states and their Muslim neighbours include Montgisard and Saladin's destruction of the Crusader army at Hattin. Beyond the Middle East, featured battles include the Christian recapture of Lisbon and the massacre of the Albigensians at Beziers in France. Battles from the Reconquista of Spain and the expansion of the Teutonic Knights make this a rounded account of 500 years of religious conflict. Each entry includes a contextual introduction, a concise description of the action, and an analysis of the aftermath. A specially commissioned colour map illustrating movement of forces brings the subject to life and helps the reader to grasp the development of the battle. With more than 200 colour and black-and-white maps, artworks, and photographs, Battles of the Crusades provides an accessible introduction to key engagements of the Medieval era. Designed for both the general reader and enthusiast, the book is an essential companion for anyone interested in the warfare and tactics of the Middle Ages.