Osprey Publishing imprint: 2000 books

The Soviet invasion of its neighbour Afghanistan in December 1979 sparked a bloody nine-year conflict in that country until Soviet forces withdrew in 1988–89, dooming the communist Afghanistan government to defeat at the hands of the Mujahideen, the Afghan popular resistance backed by the USA and...

Designed with little more than a passing nod to the international naval treaties of the inter-war period, the Imperial Japanese Navy's heavy cruisers were fast and heavily armed. Like the other vessels of the Japanese Navy, the heavy cruisers were technologically superior to and far more innovative...

This volume will detail the history, weapons and tactics of the Japanese destroyers built before the war. This includes the famous Fubuki class (called "Special Type†? by the Japanese, which were, when completed in the late 1920's, the most powerful class of destroyers in the world. This design...

The advent of combined arms operations in World War II created the need for specialized armored vehicles. In the case of amphibious attacks, the issue arose of how best to land tanks on a beach. Although a variety of specialized landing craft were developed, the Dieppe raid in 1942 encouraged the...

The M18 76mm Gun Motor Carriage was developed for the US Army's Tank Destroyer Command. It was the only tank destroyer deployed during World War II actually based on their requirements for speed and firepower. This book examines the development of this vehicle, the controversies over the need for...

Although many modellers can master the basic techniques of construction, it is with the painting and finishing of their kits that many begin to struggle. It is this skill that gives the model its distinctive look and feel and separates the good model form the truly great one. This title presents a...

Introduced to the British Army in 1983, Challenger Main Battle Tanks have served operationally in the Balkans and both Gulf Wars, where their firepower, protection and shock action were instrumental to the success of British forces. In addition to the familiar gun tanks, the Challenger family encompasses...

The A6M Rei Shiki Sento Ki (meaning Type Zero fighter) was the result of an order by the Imperial Japanese Navy for a low-wing monoplane with superior speed, range, climbing powers, and manoeuvrability. It famously served as a fighter escort during the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, and...

The IS (Iosef Stalin) heavy tanks were some of the most widely used AFVs produced by the USSR. First entering combat in 1944, the IS-2 went head-to-head with German tanks such as the Panther, Tiger and King Tiger, and post war IS-2s and IS-3s were exported to China, Cuba and North Korea. This book...

The North American P-51 Mustang had a humble genesis as a British request for single engine escort fighters but became, arguably, World War II's most important fighter aircraft. It had incredible endurance, fantastic maneuverability and excellent high-altitude performance, and served throughout World...

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 is regarded as one of the best fighters of World War II. Designed by Kurt Tank, it first saw combat in the summer of 1941 and went on to be produced in several variants. It remains a hugely popular subject for aviation scale-modellers. This book, the first of two to cover the...

When the Romans withdrew from Britain, the north of the country was ruled by the most mysterious of the ancient British races, the Picts. Much of what is known about these “painted” warriors, comes from the remains of the fortifications that they left scattered around Scotland. Although the Picts...

Devastated by the civil wars of the 17th century or by the neglect of their owners, the majority of Scottish baronial castles built between 1250 and 1450 survive as little more than skeletal ruins. These reminders of Scotland's past have captured the imaginations of romantics, artists, writers and...

For beauty, precision and strength, nothing has ever matched the combination of form and function found in the armour of the samurai. For a samurai, the consummate warrior, his suit of armour was so much more than 'just' protective equipment that could save his life in the heat of battle – it was...