The North Africa campaign of 1940-43 brought the British Army its first significant land victory, as they defeated the Italians in a number of battles between 1940-41. This overwhelming success was the trigger for the Afrikakorps deployment in North Africa, and the British then suffered a reversal in fortune at the hands of Rommel's elite troops between 1941 and 1942. They rallied in 1942 to 1943, claiming decisive victories at El Alamein and in Tunisia. For the 8th Army there followed another long, costly struggle up the mountainous length of Italy in 1943-45. This second of three titles describes and illustrates in detail the tropical uniforms and equipment issued to 8th and 1st Armies.

In 1916, Britain was finally forced to introduce universal conscription to replace the terrible casualties suffered by the pre-war Regulars, the Territorials and the eager but unprepared volunteers of the 'New Armies'. In 1917 and 1918, the vastly expanded British Expeditionary Force became the most effective of all the combatant armies in France, its improved weapons and tactics forged in the furnaces of the Somme and the Ypres Salient. Shaken but resilient under Germany's last desperate offensive in spring 1918, it swept forward to final victory. This second of three titles charts its changing appearance in colourful detail.

The origins of the Gurkhas date back to 1815, when one of the most skilled and determined opponents that the British soldier had to overcome in battle was the Nepalese warrior. The British were so impressed with the military skills of these fighters that they began recruiting units exclusively from Nepal. From this beginning grew the now famous Gurkha units. This volume examines the development of the Gurkhas through the various wars and confrontations of the 19th century, through the First World War (1914-1918), Second World War (1939-1945), and the various postwar conflicts including Malaya, Borneo and the Falklands.

The British Army currently enjoys, both at home and abroad, the reputation of being one of the best in the world. Composed entirely of volunteers, its morale sustained by its curious and little-understood attitudes towards tradition, the British Army attracts respect and admiration from the military expert and the layman alike. Written and illustrated by a former British Army infantryman with 22 years' experience, this book details the Army's history, organization, uniforms and distinctions. The text is backed by numerous illustrations and photographs.

In 1939 more than 140,000 New Zealanders enlisted to fight overseas during World War II. Of these, 104,000 served in the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. Initially thrown into the doomed campaign to halt the German blitzkrieg on Greece and Crete (1941), the division was rebuilt under the leadership of MajGen Sir Bernard Freyberg, and became the elite corps within Montgomery's Eighth Army in the desert. After playing a vital role in the victory at El Alamein (1942) the 'Kiwis' were the vanguard of the pursuit to Tunisia. In 1943-45 the division was heavily engaged in the Italian mountains, especially at Cassino (1944); it ended the war in Trieste. Meanwhile, a smaller NZ force supported US forces against the Japanese in the Solomons and New Guinea (1942-44). Fully illustrated with specially commissioned colour plates, this is the story of the Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force's vital contribution to Allied victory in World War II.

This book is the first of three concise but fact-packed titles on the British Army of the Great War. The units covered include the BEF, the Regular Army and the Royal Navy and Marine units operating on land. The text and the colourful and varied illustrations cover the organisation, uniforms, insignia, decorations, personal equipment and weapons of these famous troops. Also detailed are the training, communications, leadership, and campaign history of the various units that fought during this turbulent time, from the arrival of the BEF in France in August 1914 to the end of the bloody battle of the Somme in autumn 1916.

Although Britain's greatest commitment of land forces was on the Western Front during World War I (1914-1918), British, Empire and Dominion troops also fought in other theatres of operations - and in some cases continued to fight there after the Armistice had ended hostilities in the West. This last of our series of three titles describes these far-flung campaigns, in Italy, the Balkans, the Middle East, several parts of Africa, Russia, China, and even the North-West Frontier of India. The text is illustrated with contemporary photographs, and with meticulous colour plates of British, African, Indian and Australian troops, in the uniforms and equipment used on battle fronts from the desert sands to the snows of north Russia.

On paper at least the French army in 1939 was the most powerful land army in the world. Sheltered behind the fortifications of the Maginot line was an army which drew its troops from colonies and territories all over the world. It included spahis from algeria, calvary from Morocco, Chasseur Alpin from the high Vosges and some of the world's most modern and powerful tanks. The horrendous losses of the Great War had developed a psychological dependence on fortifications and a lack of flexibility in both tactics and strategy. It's officers were prepared to fight the positional warfare of 1914-18 not the 'Blitzkrieg' of 1940. This book, the first of a five volume set, looks at the uniforms, equipment and organisation of France's military forces during WW2. It details the French army on the eve of war and the troops which fought the "Phoney War", the campaign in Norway and the lightning invasion of France in May-June 1940. Also detailed are the forces of "Greater France" in North Africa, the Middle East and Indochina. Finally, it examines the army and armistice and Vichy France.