Osprey Campaign Series SC (1990-2011 OSPREY) comic books 1995-1997

Volume 38 - 1st printing. " Colenso 1899!" By Ian Knight. In 1899 Great Britain was at the height of its Imperial power. The Queen Empress had been on the throne for more than 50 glittering years, and her domain touched upon every continent. Yet, even at this pinnacle of Imperial pomp and majesty, the British army, guardian of the Empire in countless wars across the globe, was destined to be humiliated by poorly-organised citizen militia consisting of men whom the British professionals despised as back-wood farmers. In one week in December 1899 the farmers of the South African Boer Republics of the Orange Free State and the Transvaal inflicted three serious reverses on British troops. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.

Volume 39 - 1st printing. " Little Big Horn 1876!" By Peter Panzeri. The death of George Armstrong Custer, and over half of his 7th Cavalry Regiment in the valley of the Little Big Horn on 25 June 1876, has become the most celebrated battle of the Indian wars. It was the greatest, and the last, victory of the Native Americans over the United States military. Disobeying orders, Custer followed a trail to a large encampment of Indians and, without determining the numbers he faced split his command into three groups and attacked. In the resulting chaos Custer and more than half the troops under his command were killed. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.

Volume 40 - 1st printing. " Sekigahara 1600!" By Anthony J Bryant. Sekigahara was the most decisive battle in Japanese history. Fought against the ritualised and colourful backdrop of Samurai life, it was the culmination of a long-standing power struggle between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hashiba Hideyoshi, two of the most powerful men in Japan. Armies of the two sides met on the plain of Sekigahara on 21 October 1600, in thick fog and deep mud. By the end of the day 40,000 heads had been taken and Ieyasu was master of Japan. Within three years the Emperor would grant him the title he sought - Shogun. This title describes the campaign leading up to this great battle and examines Sekigahara, including the forces and personalities of the two major sides and that of the turncoat Kobayakawa Hideaki. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.

Volume 41 - 1st printing. " Rorke's Drift 1879!" Written by Ian Knight. Art by Alan Perry. Rorke's Drift sums up some of the best traditions of the British self-image: steadfastness against the odds, victory in adversity and the thin red line. The British stand deserves to go down in history as one of the most heroic actions of all time. The story of a mere 150 British and Imperial soldiers defending an isolated outpost against over 3,000 Zulu warriors summed up the experience of the colonial adventure for the Victorians and remains part of our heritage even today. Ian Knight recounts the course of this famous conflict in which no less than 11 Victoria crosses were won. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.

Volume 42 - 1st printing. " Bagration 1944!" By Steven J Zaloga. On 22 June 1944, three years to the day after Germany's 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, the Red Army launched a massive offensive in Byelorussia. Codenamed 'Operation Bagration', this campaign climaxed five weeks later with the Red Army at the gates of Warsaw. The Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre was routed, a total of 17 Wehrmacht divisions were utterly destroyed, and over 50 other German divisions were shattered. It was the most calamitous defeat of the German armed forces in World War II. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.

Volume 43 - 1st printing. " Fornovo 1495!" Written by David Nicolle. Art by Richard Hook. In the year 1495, Charles VIII was the youthful King of France, the most powerful state in medieval Europe. A dreamer who saw himself as the saviour of Christian Europe, he believed he could roll back the ever-spreading tide of Ottoman Turkish conquest. As a base for his crusade he was determined to seize southern Italy. In a lightning campaign he used France's modern army to sweep through Italy, his mobile field artillery train smashing into dust the tall towers of Italy's medieval castles. The Italian states rallied and at Fornovo their alliance, the League of Venice, fought Charles' army to a standstill. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.

Volume 44 - 1st printing. " Pavia 1525!" Written by Angus Konstam. Art by Graham Turner. The battle of Pavia has been hailed as the first modern battle, marking the rise of hand held weapons as a tool of warfare. In this titanic clash - the most decisive of the Italian Wars, caused by French territorial ambitions in first the Kingdom of Naples and then the Duchy of Milan - the French troops were smashed by the Spanish Imperial Army. King Francis I was captured, and the cream of his nobility slaughtered. France's greatest defeat since Agincourt, the battle dramatically swung the balance of power in Western Europe. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.

Volume 45 - 1st printing. " Majuba 1881!" By Ian Castle. In 1881 the tension between Britain and the Boer farmers of southern Africa that had existed for 75 years boiled over into open conflict. The British entered the war full of confidence, yet in a few short weeks they had suffered three separate reverses before suffering their final humiliating defeat on the isolated summit of Majuba. George Colley's force were swept off their 'unassailable' position and into headlong retreat. It was a defeat that sent shock waves reverberating around the Empire. Ian Castle examines not only the battle at Majuba, but also the previous engagements at Laing's Nek, Schuinshoogte and Bronkhorstspruit. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.

Volume 46 - 1st printing. " Lake Peipus 1242!" Written by Angus Konstam. Art by Angus McBride. The battle of Lake Peipus took place in 1242 between the Teutonic Knights and the Russian city-state of Novgorod, led by its inspirational leader Alexandre Nevskii. The Teutonic Knights were a powerful military order, backed with the crusading zeal of Europe, the blessing of the Pope and the support of the Holy Roman Emperor. This battle, although little-known in the west, was important in the history of the medieval eastern crusades, the Teutonic defeat having a serious effect on future events. David Nicolle's excellent text examines the Crusade against Novgorod and the fierce fighting around the frozen shores of Lake Peipus. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.

Volume 47 - 1st printing. " Yorktown 1781!" Written by Brendan Morrissey. Art by Adam Hook. By 1781 Britain's struggle to contain the rebels in her American colonies had reached an inglorious stalemate. Six years on from the British defeat by the New England militia at Boston, George Washington's rebuilt Continental Army - with support from the French - now systematically began to seek out and destroy British forces even if protected by seemingly impregnable defences. Yorktown would be a salutary lesson to the British Crown about the odds she now faced in holding on to her colonies. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.

Volume 48 - 1st printing. " Salamanca 1812!" Written by Ian Fletcher. Art by Bill Younghusband. Salamanca was the most decisive battle of the entire Peninsular War. Wellington smashed Marmont's French Army and his pursuit of its shattered remnants led to the famous cavalry charge of the King's German Legion at Garcia Hernandez. There would be two more years of sieges and hard fighting before the Iron Duke crossed the Pyrenees into France but from Salamanca the British and their Portuguese and Spanish allies always had the upper hand. Ian Fletcher examines this important battle in detail and also discusses the campaign which led up to it. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.

Volume 49 - 1st printing. " Mons 1914!" Written by David Lomas. Art by Ed Dovey. When the First World War broke out in August 1914 the Imperial German Army mistakenly assumed that the BEF - 'that contemptible little army' - would be easily defeated. They were stopped in their tracks by the numerically inferior British force, whose excellent marksmanship cost the closed packed German ranks dear. Eventually forced to fall back by overwhelming German numbers, the British carried out a masterful fighting retreat across Belgium and northern France. At Mons, nine and a half British battalions held four German divisions at bay for an entire day. This book examines not just the battle of Mons itself but also the ensuing British retreat including the actions at Le Cateau and Villers-Cotterêts. Softcover, 96 pages, PC/PB&W. Cover price $19.95.