A obvious one is Charles the 12ths Swedish Army 1700-21, as well as finishing Peter the Great armies series, and the Danish and Saxon armies of the same area.
Please make one book on the Swedish/Finnish army of the napoleonic wars, possibly making it 1788-1815 to cover the 1788 war with russia and Denmark-Norway, and one about the Danish-Norwegian army 1789/1800-1815. Surely, when the mameluks and obscure units like the eclaireurs can get their own books, this would also be possible. Otherwise, keep up the good work!
Posted by: OJM | February 20, 2008 at 10:12 AM
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For me, the most obvious important military organizatin missing from the Osprey titles is the modern Chinese military (aka the People's Liberation Army). Since the Chinese Civil War, the PLA have been quite active. Besides their involvement in the Korean War and the Vietnam War against the West, they have been involved in several border wars against the Russians, Indians and Vietnam. Additionally, they have been used "internally" in such areas as Tibet, the Taiwan Strait and Tiananmen Square.
Posted by: JoJo Dog | February 20, 2008 at 10:44 AM
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Richard:
Well how about small arms? I know that New Vanguard has covered WW II morters but why hasn't the series followed up with say: rifle gernades? (I'm very curious how the Veillières-Bernier system came about) flamethrowers, the Panzerfaust and its postwar derivatives and the TOW.
Another major oversight is contemporary artillery:
Why hasn't Steve Zagola been commissioned to write about the Kathusya BM-13 or the Soviet D-30? Why no booklet on the Oto-Melara 105 howitzer or the South African G-5?
Trucks: The 2,5 ton truck was as fundamental to WWII as the the jeep; yet no one's written a helpful overview. The Opel Blitz; the GAZ trucks
Another neglected subject is post-independence African militaries (yes I have the superb 3 vol series on Modern African wars but these cover the wars of independence. And the South African special forces booklet). True that's a vast subject so why not start with punctual events like Liberian civil war? then Biafra, the Ethopian-Eriterian war (2000); the ongoing conflict in the Democratic republic of the Congo; the 1960 Congo conflict and the Cote Ivoire?
The South American militaries are neglected as well.You could start with Bolivar, San Martin and the wars of Independence and then move to the contemporary era.
Those are the areas that I see neglected
xavier
Posted by: xavier | February 20, 2008 at 11:50 AM
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Richard:
I agree with JoJodog about the Chinese military. I would also add I'd really love to see an updated booklet on the Russian military since '91, then do the Eastern European militaries from '91-200x and finally update the NATO armies today booklet
xavier
Posted by: xavier | February 20, 2008 at 02:58 PM
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I have to agree with all the suggestions so far. I'd like to briefly add a couple of other missing gaps of important military history.
Maybe it's just me, but the Duke of Alba's march to Brussels always seem to have impacted history much more than its given credit.
I always thought that there should be some focus on the Russian military under Catherine the Great.
Also the expansion of the Portuguese Empire seems to be missing, for example the battle of Diu.
Similarly, the Scramble for Africa should be ripe for at least one book. The Fashoda Incident, the Herero Wars, the Stairs Expedition, and the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition are a few events during the Scramble.
Posted by: JoJo Dog | February 20, 2008 at 05:44 PM
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Personally ive highly enjoyed your Elite series on battle tactics - an expansion of this into niche areas such as the Thirty Years War or Franco Prussian war would be intresting as there are very few historical texts which delve into this area.
Posted by: Oliver Wakefield | February 20, 2008 at 06:39 PM
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Some MAA or Elite volumes on the armies of the Italian wars 1494-1529, would be an excellent addition to the Osprey world. This era very much represents the transition between Medieval and Renaissance warfare. Books on Imperial and French armies of the 30 Years War (maybe a Campaign title on Breitenfeld or Rocroi as well). From the 19th Century, some coverage of the Franco-Austrian War of 1859 and the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 (personally prefer MAA, Elite, or Campaign). From the 20th and 21st Centuries; coverage of the ANZAC forces in WWI, Chaco War of 1932-35, NATO/WP forces of the early to mid Cold War 1948-1979 (Vietnam excluded d/t existing coverage), Forces in Korea 1954 to present, British Para's 1984 to present, US Airborne 1984 to present, UK SAS 84 to present, US Special Forces 84 to present. Lastly, I have to throw in one of my all time favorite aircraft, the Douglas AD-1 Skyraider!
Posted by: Jay S | February 20, 2008 at 07:11 PM
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I agree with the comment re the scandinavian armies; what of the South american armies that fought the Gran Chaco War, or the war of the Triple Alliance. I have never seen anything dealing with them.
Posted by: Mark | February 21, 2008 at 01:16 AM
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Trying to be objective about this, I think the Belgian army in World War One is a glaring omission. Most English-language material on this subject seems to concentrate just on the August 1914 campaign and the Belgian early war "colourful" uniforms. The "Forts on the Meuse" in Osprey's Fortess series is excellent, but what about the rest of WW1? How do other readers/posters feel?
Posted by: Carl | February 21, 2008 at 05:46 AM
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For a long time I miss anything about the Chouans (the Warrior or Elite serie would be perfect) or the war in Vendée as a Campaign book.
A Fortress book about field fortifications of the 17.-18.centuries and the napolenic era would be really helpful, since lot of them still could be found in fields or woods.
Of course Tactics series is excellent; now I just look forward for napoleonic cavalry and artillery tactics too.
And what about someting about military cartography (history, methods etc.)?
Posted by: Jan Sobotka | February 21, 2008 at 09:10 AM
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Here's my idea for following topics which should be covered:
(Or the non-sensical ravings of a lunatic mind!)
Imperial Armies of the Thirty Years War (MAA or Elite)
Continental Light Dragoons of the AWI 1776-83 (MAA/Elite)
The US Army of the Korean War 1950-53 (MAA)
US Light Dragoons 1792-1815: Regulars & Militia (MAA)
The Army of Vlad Dracula (MAA)
American Militia & Volunteers 1811-1815 (MAA)
US Infantryman 1811-1815 (Warrior)
Tudor Infantryman (I) 1509-1547 (Warrior)
Tudor Infantryman (II) 1558-1603 (Warrior)
American Rifleman 1775-1816 (Warrior)
US Army of the Mexican War 1846-48 (MAA)
Wellington's Peninsula Regiments: Heavy Cavalry
(MAA)
American Marine & Naval Forces 1800-1815 (MAA)
American Tanks & Artillery 1917-1920 (New Vanguard)
Union Army Elite Units 1861-65 (Elite)
English Halberdier & Billman 1350-1500 (Warrior)
British Cavalry of the French Revolutionary Wars (MAA)
Union Artilleryman 1861-65 (Warrior)
US Rifle Regiments 1775-1865 (Elite)
Polish Army of the Napoleonic Wars (2-3 parts, MAA)
Napoleon's German Allies (6) Wurttemberg (MAA)
NYPD Emergency Services Unit (MAA)
German Reichswehr 1919-1935 (MAA)
German Hired Troops in America 1776-83 (MAA)
Prussian Landwehr Cavalry 1813-1816 (MAA)
German Armies 1500-1600 (MAA)
French Armies 1500-1600 (MAA)
Individual MAA Volumes on the forces drawn from the states of Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland etc. during the AWI similar to the recent 6-volume miniseries on the Confederate Army of the ACW would be a great idea.
Posted by: Michael Lubrano | February 21, 2008 at 03:22 PM
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I've put together the following list of ideas:
- North Vietnam's Armor 1960-1975
- Austrialia's participation in Korea, Vietnam, etc.
- The Chinese Army in the Korean War
- Dutch and Belgian Armies of 1940
- Norwegian and Danish Armies of 1940
- U.S. Army air Support, 1941 to present
- WWII Armies in Syria and Madagascar
- U.S. Special Forces in Iran 1960-1979
- Russian forces in the First and Second Chechen Wars
- Al Quaida Armies
- Armies of the Cuban Revolution
- The Lord's Resistance Army of Uganda
- German Colonial Armies prior to WWI
- 1980's Libyian and Chadian Armies at War
- Soviet Special Forces Plans for WWIII
- Soviet and Chinese Armies in Cold War Mongolia
- Proxy Wars in the Horn of Africa
- the Gran Chaco War
- the Brandebergers
- Masoud's Northern Alliance
- WWII Axis Saboteurs in Britan and the U.S.
- Romanian and Hungarian Armor of WWII
Posted by: George Buzby | February 21, 2008 at 05:00 PM
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I think some periods of the Mexican history have been missing:
Juarez Army 1862-1867
French Foreign Legion in Maximillian Adventure
Foreign Armies in Maximilian Adventure
Battle of Chapultepec (13 September 1847)
Battle of Puebla (5 May 1862) Campaign books
Aztec Army
Battle of Pensacola (Campaign books)
Battle of Mobile (Campaign books)
Hernan Cortez Expedition (Essential Histories)
Hernan Cortez Army
Battle of Monterrey (20 September 1846)
Mexican Army (US-Mexican War)
Armies of New Spain, Yucatan and Louisiana
Posted by: Luis Flores | February 21, 2008 at 05:06 PM
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I would like to something more recently done on the Crimean War: British Army ( the only is an out of print on Campaign, and a very old British armies of the Crimea), How about French, Turkish, Russian, and include Sardinian.
Also: Armies of Garabaldi? South and Latin America (Chaco War), Belgian Army of WWI. Flight gear & uniforms of the early jet era 1946-1960. African topics are wide open.
Posted by: Bill Cook | February 21, 2008 at 05:08 PM
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Your coverage of the US Civil War is excellent. However you start with the states' militia, and Bull Run. This conflict actually stated in the 1850's with the actions of John Brown. May I suggest a "Campaigns of John Brown." Some text and a plate or two on Bloody Kansas. The rest of the book on his attack on Harpers Ferry. Plates of his troops, city and state militia, and one of the US Marines with Robert E. Lee. This incident was a major turning point of US history that showed both sides, as Brown said, "am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land: will never be purged away, but with Blood. I had as I now think: vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed: it might be done.
A needed volume to round out the ACW collection. Thanks.
Posted by: Bob Beattie | February 21, 2008 at 05:17 PM
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I would like to suggest the 1944-1949 Greek Civil War. Quite an interesting subject, as there is still great dispute about it, here in greece.
Posted by: Stelios | February 21, 2008 at 05:22 PM
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A good series of books on the War of Unification of the 1860, both Italy's and Germany's, especially dealing with uniforms. I have to agree with the title on the Belgian Army. A much forgotten force.
You could also expand the Battle Orders series a lot more especially by exapanding it into the realms of air and naval power.
Ross
Posted by: Ross Mahoney | February 21, 2008 at 05:22 PM
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I really thing that something should be convered on Alexander's successor states.
There is really a dire lack of any material covering the various Hellenistic kingdoms. The only one's that do come to mind are the incredibly hard to find monvert titles!
Wheter this comes in the form of a seroius of books (eg armies of the Ptolemics, Selucids, Minor states) or as a single I dont mind!
Posted by: Chris Lane | February 21, 2008 at 05:40 PM
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A Campaign title dealing with Buena Vista would be wonderful. So would Scott's Mexico City campaign. I'd also like to see a Campaign title on Tanga in 1914.
Posted by: Chris Bonin | February 21, 2008 at 05:41 PM
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