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Soldier Soup (Hardcover)
Sharon Esposito; Illustrated by Gabrielle Esposito
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R390
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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In the early 5th century, Germanic Angles, Saxons and Jutes crossed
the North Sea in increasing numbers and began settling among the
ruins of the former Roman province of Britannia. This led to
centuries of warfare as these 'Anglo-Saxons' carved new,
independent kingdoms at the point of the sword, fighting the native
Britons and each other. From the late eighth century they also had
to face the threat of the Vikings, at first as opportunistic
raiders but increasingly bent on conquest. The last Viking invasion
was defeated by Harold Godwinson at Stamford Bridge but he was
defeated by the Normans in that same fatal year of 1066, ending the
Anglo-Saxon Age. Gabriele Esposito gives an overview of Anglo-Saxon
military history, narrating the great campaigns, such as those of
Alfred the Great of Wessex and Harold Godwinson. He discusses in
detail the composition of Anglo-Saxon forces, their tactics,
weapons and equipment, detailing developments across the period.
The informative, accessible text is supported by dozens of colour
images showing replica Saxon war gear in use.
The Carthaginians were undoubtedly the most formidable enemies of
the ever-expanding Roman Republic, due to their sophisticated and
often well-led military forces. Although the citizens of Carthage
itself, a seafaring, mercantile state by tradition, may not have
had the same military ethos as the Romans, they compensated by
fielding varied multinational armies consisting of subject, allied
and mercenary contingents, many of them recruited from the most
famous warrior peoples of the Mediterranean. These included the
incomparable Numidian light cavalry, the famed slingers of the
Balearic islands, fierce Celts and skilled Spanish swordsmen, not
forgetting the famous war elephants. During the first of the three
conflicts that they fought against the Roman Republic - the famous
Punic Wars - the Carthaginians completely reformed their land
forces along Hellenistic lines and invited an experienced Spartan
officer to command it. During the Second Punic War, they obtained a
series of stunning victories over the Romans under the brilliant
leadership of their own Hannibal Barca, marauding through Italy for
some fifteen years. Gabriele Esposito reconstructs the history,
organization and weapons of the Carthaginian military forces across
the Punic Wars (264-146 BC). The weapons, armour and tactics of
each of the various ethnic components is analyzed and the
accessible text is supported by dozens of excellent colour
photographs, showing replica equipment in use.
This volume covers the infantry units of Napoleon's Imperial Army,
during the crucial years 1800-1815. When the future Emperor assumed
control of France, the infantry of his army was disorganized and
poorly equipped; it lacked discipline and was trained in a quite
old-fashioned way. Napoleon acted very rapidly to resolve the major
problems of his foot troops, by giving them a new structure and by
teaching them new tactics. By 1805, the French infantry was without
a doubt the best in the world in terms of combat capabilities. The
book will cover all the categories of units that were part of
Napoleon's infantry: line regiments, light regiments, foreign corps
and special corps. It is not always realized that the French
infantry of 1800-1815 included large numbers of foreign soldiers
and even an Irish Legion; all these little-known corps are taken
into consideration, together with several special corps like
Corsican light infantry and mountain infantry. Gabriele Esposito
provides a complete guide to the French infantry of Napoleon,
illustrated with rare contemporary uniform plates that have never
been published before.
Gabriele Esposito presents an overview of the military history of
the Germanic peoples of this period and describes in detail the
weapons and tactics they employed on the battlefield. He starts by
showing how, from very early on, the Germanic communities were
heavily influenced by Celtic culture. He then moves on to describe
the major military events, starting with the first major encounter
between the Germanic tribes and the Romans: the invasion by the
Cimbri and Teutones. Julius Caesar's campaigns against German
groups seeking to enter Gaul are described in detail as is the
pivotal Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, which effectively halted
Roman expansion into Germany and for centuries fixed the Rhine as
the border between the Roman and Germanic civilizations. Escalating
pressure of Germanic raids and invasions was a major factor in the
collapse of the Western Roman Empire. The author's analysis
explains how Germanic warriors were able to crush the Roman
military forces on several occasions, gradually transformed the
Roman Army itself from the inside and, after the fall of the
Empire, created new Romano-Germanic Kingdoms across Europe. The
evolution of Germanic weapons, equipment and tactics is examined
and brought to life through dozens of colour photos of replica
equipment in use.
This book provides a complete and detailed analysis of the
organization and equipment of the Macedonian army built by Philip
II and later employed to world-changing effect by his son,
Alexander III (the Great). This work explains how Philip took the
traditional forces of Macedon and reformed them into the most
modern and sophisticated combined-arms force in the Mediterranean
world. Not only the formidable pike phalanx and the hard-charging
Companion cavalry, but also the less famous components, such as
light and cavalry types, are described in detail. The tactics
employed in the great battles that won the largest empire the world
had seen are analysed. With numerous colour photos showing replica
weapons and equipment in use, this is a vivid, detailed and
accessible study of the army that made Alexander great.
The period covered in this book saw the Roman Republic face its
greatest military challenges. In 264 the Romans were pitted against
the might of Carthage in the first of the three Punic Wars, which
would push Rome to the brink but end with the destruction of this
great rival city. In the following two centuries they would clash
repeatedly with the Gauls, this recurrent threat finally overcome
by Caesar's campaigns in Gaul. In this period they defeated the
Hellenistic Successor states, proud heirs to the military legacy of
Alexander the Great, a process completed by the annexation of Egypt
in 30 BC. These wars, and others, made the Romans masters of all
Western Europe and the whole Mediterranean basin, though failure
against the Parthians limited their ambitions in the East. The
Roman armies of this era were also employed against each other in
the vicious civil wars that marked the end of the Republican
period. Gabriele Esposito describes the tactics, organization,
weapons and equipment of the Roman forces involved in these wars.
He shows how the lessons of defeats and victories against such
varied opponents in far-flung theatres, as well as social changes,
forced a process of evolution and reforms that transformed Roman
armies across this turbulent period. As usual, his clear,
accessible text is supported by dozens of colour images of replica
weapons and equipment in use.
Describes how newly modernized Japan waged war against China in its
first overseas campaign, marking its rapid transition into Asia's
leading military power only 30 years after emerging from centuries
of feudalism. After the Meiji restoration of the Japanese imperial
regime in 1868-77, modernization along Western lines of Japan's
industry, communications and land and naval forces advanced with
remarkable speed and, by the 1890s, the rejuvenated nation was
ready to flex its muscles overseas. The obvious opponent was the
huge but medieval Chinese Empire, and the obvious arena for war was
Korea, a nearby Chinese protectorate that Japan had long coveted.
(A secondary campaign would be fought on Formosa/Taiwan, an
autonomous Chinese island protectorate.) In this study, author
Gabriele Esposito describes the bloodthirsty course of the Japanese
campaign in China, using colour illustrations and photos to
showcase the organization, equipment and appearance of the various
Chinese forces (China had no true national army), the Imperial
Japanese Army and Navy, and, for the first time in English, the
Korean and Formosan participants. Japan's victory left it confident
enough to challenge Imperial Russia and, nine years later, it
defeated it at the Battle of Tsushima where two-thirds of the
Russian fleet was destroyed by the Japanese Navy. This victory
confirmed Japan's place as Asia's leading military power, soon to
become a realistic rival to the West.
The French Army of Napoleon could count on a brilliant mounted arm,
consisting of three main types of cavalry: heavy, medium and light.
The first, consisting of carabiniers and cuirassiers, was tasked
with conducting frontal charges; the second, consisting of dragoons
and lancers, could perform a variety of different duties; the
third, consisting of hussars and mounted chasseurs, was tasked with
scouting and skirmishing. The various regiments were all dressed in
flamboyant uniforms and distinctive equipment. Perhaps more than
any other troops they encapsulated the dash and glamour of
Napoleonic warfare. Napoleon started his military career as an
artillery officer and thus always paid great attention to the
quality of his army's artillery, which consisted of both foot and
horse units. Several of Bonaparte's greatest victories were
achieved thanks to the superiority of his artillery, which was with
undoubtedly the best in Europe during the period 1799-1815\. In
addition to cavalry and artillery, the author also covers the minor
technical corps' of Napoleon's army, such as the engineers and
supply train. All are beautifully illustrated by the many colour
plates in this book, and their organization, equipment and tactics
described.
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.
The Crimean War was the first major European war since the end of
the Napoleonic Wars and Britain's only war on that continent in the
century between Waterloo and WW1\. When Russia invaded provinces of
the Ottoman Empire, the British and French, later joined by the
Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, intervened to limit Russian expansion
towards the Black Sea. Each of the armies contained an eclectic mix
of units. The regular European regiments still displayed much of
the bright colour and finery associated with the Napoleonic era
(the British infantry in their scarlet tunics forming the famous
�thin red line' at Balaklava for instance), while each also
contained a mix of exotic units drawn from across their respective
empires. The French fielded Zouaves and Spahis from North and West
Africa, not to mention the legendary Foreign Legion; the Ottomans
had Tunisians and Egyptians alongside Balkan mountaineers and the
infamous Bashi-bazouks; the Russians of course had their Cossacks
and the British fielded little-known German, Swiss and Italian
mercenaries. Gabriele Esposito details the composition,
organization, uniforms and weaponry of each force and illustrates
many of them with early black and white photos (this being the
first major war for which photography was available), as well as
numerous colour artworks.
The legionary soldier of the early Empire period, with his
distinctive segmented armour, is one of the images most closely
associated by popular imagination with ancient Rome. Such soldiers
conquered most of Britain, suffered and avenged the terrible
disaster of the Teutoburg Forest and vanquished the fearsome
Dacians across the Danube, a feat immortalized on Trajan's Column,
as well as fighting many other tribes. In the East they overcame
the Great Jewish Revolt and repeatedly contended with mixed success
against the powerful Parthians. This was the army that enforced the
so-called Pax Romana at the point of a gladius and maintained the
greatest empire the world had yet seen. Of course, such troops were
also employed to bloody effect in the many civil wars such as those
of AD69, the Year of the Four of the Emperors'. Gabriele Esposito
describes the tactics, organization and equipment of the Roman army
at the height of its powers, considered by many to be the most
efficient and powerful fighting force of the ancient world. He
gives an overview of the most significant campaigns and considers
in detail not only the iconic legionaries but also the various
auxiliary units, including cavalry. His clear, accessible text is
supported by dozens of colour photos of replica weapons, armour and
other kit in use.
Before becoming the masters of the Mediterranean world, the Romans
had first to conquer the Italian peninsula in a series of harsh
conflicts against its other varied and warlike residents. The
outcome was no foregone conclusion and it took the Romans half a
millennium to secure the whole of Italy. Gabriele Esposito presents
the armies that fought these wars, in which the Roman military
spirit and their famous legions were forged. He not only follows
the evolution of the Roman forces from the Regal Period to the
outbreak of the Second Punic War but also the forces of their
neighbours, rivals and enemies. The most notable of these, the
Etruscans, Samnites and the Italian Greeks are given particular
attention but others, such as the Celts and Ligures of the North
and the warriors of Sicily and Sardinia, are also considered.
Details of the organization, weapons, equipment and tactics of each
army are described, while dozens of beautiful colour photos of
reenactors show how these warriors looked in the field.
The ascent of the Plantagenets to the English throne in 1154 led to
the beginning of a new historical phase in the British Isles, which
was marked by numerous wars that were fought between the Kingdom of
England and the 'Celtic nations' of Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
During the rule of the Norman kings, the English armies had not
completed the conquest of Wales and had established only some
footholds in Ireland; Scotland was still independent and was ready
to contest the Plantagenets' possession of northern England. As a
result of this situation, the two centuries between the rise of the
new dynasty and the beginning of the Hundred Years' War were
characterized by a series of wars that ravaged feudal England.
Gabriele Esposito covers all these conflicts, following the
campaigns of Richard the Lionheart as well as those of his younger
brother who was defeated on the continent at the large Battle of
Bouvines; the conquest of Wales is analysed in detail, as well as
the First Scottish War of Independence that saw William Wallace
playing a prominent role. The organization and equipment of all the
troop types taken into account is described in full detail and
lavishly illustrated with colour images of reenactors, bringing
these forces to life.
This title explores and illustrates the armies of France, and six
countries allied against Louis XIV, in a wide-ranging Continental
conflict that ushered in more than a century of European warfare.
Formed in 1689, the 'Grand Alliance' or League of Augsburg was a
military coalition of the Holy Roman Empire, the Dutch Republic,
Britain, Spain and the Duchy of Savoy, to resist Louis XIV's rich,
powerful and expansionist France. The first stage of the nine year
conflict that followed also coincided with the so-called 'Glorious
Revolution' in Britain (1688-91), when the throne passed to the
Dutch Protestant leader, William of Orange, the head of a
multi-national Dutch, Danish and English army, which finally
expelled James II's Jacobite and French forces from Ireland. The
long war on the continent was notable for the first widespread use
of regimental uniforms and flintlock muskets with bayonets, plus
the sophisticated use of siege warfare under the great French
engineer, Vauban. The final Treaties of Ryswyck (1697) brought the
war to an end and marked Louis XIV's political zenith, and also the
ascendancy of both the Dutch and British as first-rate global
powers. This fully illustrated title explores the armies which
fought the War of the Grand Alliance, examining their strength,
organization, uniforms and weapons, and explaining their campaigns
and major battles.
In the early 1900s, the decaying Ottoman Turkish Empire had lost
some of its Balkan territories, but still nominally ruled all of
North Africa between British Egypt in the east and French Algeria
in the west. Libya had fertile coastal territory, and was the last
North African (almost, the last African) region not yet conquered
by a European colonialist power. Italy was a young country,
ambitious for colonies, but had been defeated in Ethiopia in the
1890s. The Italian government of Giovanni Giolitti was keen to
overwrite the memory of that failure, and to gain a strategic grip
over the central Mediterranean by seizing Libya, just across the
narrows from Sicily. The Italian expeditionary force that landed in
October 1911 easily defeated the Ottoman division based in the
coastal cities, incurring few losses. However, the Libyan inland
tribes reacted furiously to the Italian conquest, and their
insurgency cost the Italians thousands of casualties, locking them
into the coastal enclaves during a winter stalemate which
diminished Italian public enthusiasm for the war. To retrieve
Italian prestige the government launched a naval campaign in the
Dardanelles and the Dodecanese - the last Turkish held archipelago
in the Aegean - in April-May 1912, and landed troops to capture
Rhodes. The army finally pushed inland in Libya in July- October
(using systematic air reconnaissance, for the first time), and
after brutal fighting the war ended in a treaty that brought Italy
all it wanted, although though the Libyan tribes would not finally
be quelled until after World War I. Containing accurate full-colour
artwork and unrivalled detail, Armies of the Italian-Turkish War
offers a vivid insight into the troops involved in this pivotal
campaign, including the tribal insurgents and the navies of both
sides.
This book describes and illustrates the armies of the embattled
Ottoman Turkish Empire involved in 19th-century wars during the
Empire’s long spiral of decline. During the so called ‘long
19th century’, between the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and
the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the difficulties faced by the
Ottoman Turkish Empire were a recurrent factor in international
geopolitics. Against a background of Russian–Ottoman rivalry,
France and Britain supported the Empire during the Crimean War
(1854–56), but not in the Russo–Turkish War (1877–78).
Portraying the uniforms, arms and appearance of Ottoman troops
during this period, this book traces the history of the Ottoman
Empire throughout this period, when no fewer than ten wars of
regional insurgency and foreign expansion against the Empire were
fought in territories in south-eastern Europe, the Middle East and
North Africa. Using rare photos and illustrations from Turkish,
Balkan and other sources, author, Gabriele Esposito details the
history of the multi-ethnic Ottoman armies periodic attempts to
modernize which enabled them to win some victories at a tactical
level. But the Empire – ‘the sick man of Europe’ – lacked a
coherent strategy or sufficient resources, and failed attempts to
crush regional uprisings and to defend borders, saw the steady loss
of territories. Due to misgovernment and economic failure, unrest
finally boiled over in 1908–09, reducing the sultan’s court to
a largely ceremonial role, and installing a military government by
the ‘Young Turks’ led by the general Enver Pasha. This book is
a vivid description of the organization, operations, uniforms and
equipment of one of the most active and varied armies of the
‘long 19th century’ and paints a detailed picture of the
Ottoman Empire's struggle to maintain control of its territories.
King Philip's War was the result of over 50 years' tension between
the native inhabitants of New England and its colonial settlers as
the two parties competed for land and resources. A coalition of
Native American tribes fought against a force of over 1,000 men
raised by the New England Confederation of Plymouth, Connecticut,
New Haven and Massachusetts Bay, alongside their Indian allies the
Mohegans and Mohawks. The resultant fighting in Rhode Island,
Connecticut, Massachusetts, and later Maine and New Hampshire,
resulted in the destruction of 12 towns, the death of between
600-800 colonists and 3,000 Indians, making it the deadliest war in
the history of American colonization Although war resulted in
victory for the colonists, the scale of death and destruction led
to significant economic hardship. This new study reveals the full
story of this influential conflict as it raged across New England.
Packed with maps, battle scenes, and bird's-eye-views, this is a
comprehensive guide to the war which determined the future of
colonial America.
Although comprised of many distinct tribes and groupings, the Celts
shared a distinctive culture that dominated much of Europe for
centuries. They enjoyed a formidable reputation as fierce and brave
warriors, skilled horsemen and fine metalworkers. In 390 BC an
alliance of Celtic tribes defeated a Roman army at the River Allia
and went on to sack Rome and thenceforth the Romans lived under
their threat. In the early third century BC a Celtic army swept
into Macedonia and Greece, won a major victory at Thermopylai and
ransacked the sacred sanctuary at Delphi. Such was their warlike
prowess that, when not fighting their own wars, they were sought
after as mercenaries by many armies, serving as far afield as
southern Egypt. When the Romans invaded Gaul (France and Belgium)
and the British Isles, Celtic armies resisted them fiercely.
Gabriele Esposito studies this fascinating warrior culture, their
armies, strategy, tactics and equipment (they invented the horned
saddle and chainmail, and British armies were the last in Europe to
use chariots on the battlefield). Dozens of colour photographs of
reenactors help bring these magnificent warriors back to life.
The period covered in this book is one of the most famed and
glorious for the British Army and the infantry were its backbone.
Gabriele Esposito examines how the foot regiments were reformed and
evolved to absorb the lessons of defeat in America and setbacks
elsewhere to become the efficient and dependable bedrock of victory
in the Napoleonic Wars. He details the uniforms, equipment and
weapons of the infantry, along with their organization and tactics.
Chapters are devoted to the Guards, the line regiments of foot, the
Light Infantry and Rifles as well as Highland and Lowland Scots
regiments. The author considers not only those units serving with
Wellington in the Peninsular War and Waterloo Campaign, but all
British infantry units, including those in Canada, the West Indies,
India and elsewhere, not forgetting even the home defence
Fencibles. Foreign units serving with the British army, most
notably the King's German Legion, are also included. The work is
lavishly illustrated with colour artwork.
The Thracians are mentioned as early as in the epic poems by Homer
and were fundamental in the evolution of the Greek military systems
across the ages. They fought in the Persian Wars, were part of
Alexander the Great's army, were used as mercenaries in many
Hellenistic armies and resisted Roman conquest for a long time. In
addition, they used some iconic weapons and had a distincitve
panoply. The Dacians were a mix of different cultures and were
extremely influenced by some steppe peoples like the Sarmatians.
They had a lot in common with the Thracians but had a different
history. They formed one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms
of Antiquity, a sort of super-power that dominated over the
Balkans. Their wars against Trajan and the Roman Army were
absolutely epic, the last campaigns of conquest in the history of
the Western Roman Empire. The book contains a rich collection of
photos specifically made for it by some excellent groups of
reenactors.
While artillery has been described as the queen of the Napoleonic
battlefield, this was an era when cavalry could still play a
decisive role in battle, as well as being vital on campaign. This
volume covers both British cavalry and artillery of the Napoleonic
Wars, as well as supporting units such as engineers. Gabriele
Esposito describes the history, organization and uniforms of the
various units in full detail, following the evolution and combat
history of each. Mounted troops deployed in the various British
colonies as well as foreign cavalry units in British service will
be all covered in specific chapters. The technical corps, most
notably the artillery (both foot and horse) and the engineers, are
given similar treatment. Royal Marines naval infantry and some
other 'auxiliary' corps (like the Yeomanry/militia cavalry or the
Sea Fencibles, all very little known) are also included. The book
is lavishly illustrated with dozens of colour paintings.
This book provides a complete and detailed analysis of the
organization and equipment employed by the armies of the
Hellenistic States. After Alexander the Great's death in 323 BC,
his immense Macedonian empire was divided between his ambitious
generals, who in turn formed their own monarchies across Eastern
Europe, Asia and North Africa. This work will follow the
development of the Hellenistic military forces from the army
bequeathed by Alexander the Great to the complex military machines
that succumbed one by one in the wars against the expanding Romans.
As decades and centuries progressed, Hellenistic warfare became
always more sophisticated: the 'diadochi' (Alexander's successors)
could field armies with thousands of men, chariots, elephants and
siege machines; these came from all the territories of the former
Macedonian Empire. The book will also show how Hellenistic forces
were strongly influenced by Roman models during the last years of
independence of their kingdoms. The states analysed are: Macedon,
Seleucid Empire, Ptolemaic Egypt, Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, Armenia,
Pergamon, Pontus, Cappadocia, Galatia, Bosporan Kingdom, Epirus,
Sicily, Achaean League and Aetolian League.
The restoration of the Meiji Imperial dynasty in 1868, after 250
years of the Tokugawa Shogunate, decisively opened Japan to the
outside world and the monarchy embraced modernization, including
the creation of a new Westernized army. However, this modernization
process was resisted by the traditional Samurai feudal nobility,
leading to a series of battles. The first clash between the two
cultures came swiftly. During the Boshin War of 1868 -69, a French
military adviser, Jules Brunet, changed sides to join the
insurgents. They won several engagements before the final crushing
of the rebel Ezo Republic. After this point, the Imperial Army
continued to modernize along French lines, and social changes began
to impoverish Samurai noblemen, who lost their social and political
role and their associated privileges. During 1876, the powerful
Satsuma Domain, around Kagoshima in south-west Kyushu, became a
focus for discontent. Its leader Saigo Takamori effectively ignored
the central government, and in January 1877, increasing unrest
broke out into open rebellion. The Imperial forces were now much
stronger, and the Navy could land troops and bombard Kagoshima. The
bitter Satsuma siege and attempted capture of Kumamoto Castle
finally failed in April, and the Samurai made a last stand at
Shiroyama on 24 September, choosing to go down fighting. This
marked the final defeat and displacement of the Samurai class. This
fully illustrated title explores the fall of the Samurai in detail,
examining the arms, tactics, key figures of both sides, and
charting the increasing Westernization of the Imperial forces.
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