Osprey’s Big Reveal 2024 gets underway with some exciting new Campaign-series offerings, bringing key battles and campaigns to life with 3D ‘bird’s-eye-view’ diagrams, artwork battlescenes, photos and period illustrations, and 2D maps accompanying each concise and authoritative text. Several of these feature new and exciting authorial talents, alongside our returning, highly respected veterans.

In Ancient Warfare, former US Army Ranger Mir Bahmanyar follows on from his well-received treatment of Zama 202 BC with an exploration of the often-overlooked Iberian theatre of the Second Punic War between Rome and Carthage.

The series also returns to the matchlock era, with serving US Army captain and Westpoint instructor Cameron Colby examining the events of the Second Anglo-Powhatan War and Jamestown 1622.

We have a brace of excellent 19th-century offerings, too. Ian Knight looks at a pivotal war in South Africa’s historical narrative, as Boer fought Zulu at Blood River in 1838 during the Great Trek. Timothy J. Orr brings to a close his much-lauded and hugely enjoyable trilogy exploring the Battle of Gettysburg 1863, with volume 3 rounding off the third and final day of battle.

One of Osprey’s most popular authors, Robert Forczyk, shifts focus from the Eastern Front of World War II to present a gripping account of the land actions of the siege of Port Arthur 1904–05 in the Russo-Japanese War. (As a sneak peak, we’ll also be having a look at Mukden 1905 in the not too distant future.)

We continue to offer a range of naval- and land-warfare titles from the popular World War II period, including Mark Stille’s Philippines Naval Campaign 1944–45 and Battle of the Atlantic (1), Tim Moreman’s Second Arakan 1943–44, Ryan Noppen’s Mers-el-Kébir and Dakar 1940, Angus Konstam’s Borneo 1945, and new author Grant T. Harward’s Romania 1944.

And finally, we welcome back decorated Vietnam veteran and Professor Emeritus of Military History at the US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth James H. WIllbanks, as he explores one of the most famous battles of the Vietnam War – Hamburger Hill 1969.

You can read descriptions for all our upcoming titles below.

 

Port Arthur 1904–05: The First Modern Siege
By Robert Forczyk
Illustrated by Steve Noon

A gripping, illustrated narrative of the longest and most brutal land battle of the 1904–05 Russo-Japanese War.

Growing rivalry between Imperial Russia and Imperial Japan over territorial control in China and Korea led to the outbreak of war in February 1904. Japan struck the first blow with a surprise naval attack against the anchored Russian Pacific Fleet at its base in Port Arthur. Once the fleet had been neutralized, the Japanese landed their Second Army on the Liaotung Peninsula in May 1904, in order to besiege Port Arthur. The fighting that followed has become legend in military history.

Respected military historian Robert Forczyk describes the Russian relief operation towards Port Arthur (the Battle of Telissu), and the lengthy siege of the Russian-held town and harbour. The initial Japanese attempts to capture the port by assault are documented in detail, together with the Japanese progress through the heavily fortified lines protecting Port Arthur.

Specially commissioned artworks bring to life in vivid detail the Battle of Nanshan Hill, the Japanese assault on the Wantai Heights, and the bombardments of the Russian forts. Maps and diagrams explore the strategic situation and tactical progress of the fighting in step-by-step detail, and over 60 period photographs reveal the appearance and weaponry of the opposing forces and the terrain around Port Arthur.

 

Philippines Naval Campaign 1944–45: The Battles after Leyte Gulf
By Mark Stille
Illustrated by Adam Tooby

The forgotten story of the major naval operations conducted in the Philippines by the US and Japanese navies after Leyte Gulf up to the US invasion of Luzon in January 1945.

The events that took place in the aftermath of the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944 are often overlooked by military historians. An impressive array of naval operations continued in the Philippines up to January 1945, which included (on the Japanese side) the largest convoys to a contested island during the war, the first kamikaze campaign, and the second largest Imperial Japanese Navy surface operation during the last nine months of the conflict. On the American side, US forces were involved in efforts to cut off Leyte from enemy reinforcement, a massive amphibious invasion off Luzon, and large-scale operations by the Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 38).

Expert naval historian Mark Stille throws new light on this often forgotten phase of the Pacific naval war. Among the actions covered are the battles for Ormoc Bay, the invasion of Mindoro, Japanese kamikaze attacks, and US Third Fleet's rampage through the South China Sea between January 10 and 20, 1945. Superb battlescene artworks bring the war at sea and in the air vividly to life, and maps and diagrams guide readers through a range of actions in clear, step-by-step detail.

 

The Second Punic War in Iberia 219–206 BC: From Hannibal at Saguntum to the Battle of Ilipa
By Mir Bahmanyar
Illustrated by Marco Capparoni

The first dedicated study of the events of the Second Punic War in Iberia, which served as a launch pad for the Carthaginian invasion of Rome after the sacking of Saguntum in 219 BC.

Iberia was one of three crucial theatres of the Second Punic War between Carthage and Rome. Hannibal’s sack of Saguntum in 219 BC triggered a conflict that led to immense material and human losses on both sides. Following Hannibal’s departure for Italy, where he would crush the Roman armies at Trebia, Lake Trasimene, and Cannae, an equally crucial conflict continued in Iberia between his brother Hasdrubal and the Republican Roman armies seeking to regain control of the peninsula. Then, in 208 BC, the famous Roman general Scipio Africanus arrived in theatre to defeat Hasdrubal at Baecula, forcing Hasdrubal’s army from Iberia and on to its eventual annihilation at the Metaurus.

In this work, former US Army Ranger and military historian Mir Bahmanyar brings to life the key personalities and events of this important theatre of the war, and explains why the Roman victory at Baecula led directly to a strategic shift and Carthage’s eventual defeat. It covers Scipio Africanus’ brilliant victory at Ilipa in 206 BC, where he crushed the army of Mago Barca and Hasdrubal Gisco. Illustrated with maps, tactical diagrams, battlescene artworks, and photographs, this work provides a gripping narrative of the large-scale battles fought in Iberia.

 

Jamestown 1622: The Second Anglo-Powhatan War
By Cameron Colby
Illustrated by Marco Capparoni

A fascinating illustrated exploration of the infamous massacre of 1622, and the events of a pivotal conflict in colonial American history.

The English settlers of Jamestown maintained a shaky relationship with the Powhatan confederacy. As Virginians expanded their profitable tobacco fields and imported hundreds of new settlers each year, the Powhatan tribe grew wary of English power. In 1622, Chief Opechancanough shattered the English and Powhatan peace with a surprise attack on the Jamestown settlements. Opechancanough hoped to eliminate the English presence with a decisive blow, but instead began a decade-long war with Virginia.

In this colorful and expertly researched work, Cameron Colby narrates the infamous massacre in which 347 Virginian settlers were killed: one-third of the Virginia Colony died in a single day. The events of the ensuing ten years, which saw constant warfare between the Englishmen and the Powhatan tribes, are brought vividly to life using battlescene artworks and period images. Detailed maps and 3D diagrams illustrate Indian and Colonial tactics in the 1620s, and chart the progress of the war the Virginians honed to steadily destroy the Powhatan tribes of the Chesapeake.

 

Blood River 1838: The Zulu–Boer War and the Great Trek
By Ian Knight
Illustrated by Adam Hook

A myth-shattering study of the first clash between the Zulu kingdom and European interlopers and its dramatic effects on Boer and Zulu alike.

By the 1830s, the Zulu kingdom was consolidating its power as the strongest African polity on the south-eastern coast of the continent. But the kingdom was under growing pressure from British traders and hunters on the coast, and descendants of the early Dutch settlers at the Cape – the Boers – who were chafing at British rule and beginning to trek into the interior to establish new settlements of their own.

In 1837 the vanguard of the Trek movement reached the borders of Zulu territory, causing alarm. When the Boer leader Piet Retief and his followers were massacred in cold blood, war broke out. Although the initial Boer counter-attacks were defeated by the Zulus, in December 1838 a new trekker offensive resulted in a nation-defining clash between Boer and Zulu at the battle of Blood River (Bloed Rivier/Ncome).

In this groundbreaking and carefully balanced new work, Ian Knight sensitively explores what has long been a controversial and partisan topic in South African history, placing the Zulus more squarely in this part of their history. Among the topics covered are the 1836 Boer/Ndebele conflict, the military effectiveness of the opposing forces, the reasons why the British settlers allied themselves with the Boer Trekkers, and why the war was a key turning point in the use of traditional Zulu military techniques. This work also reveals that a Boer victory at Blood River was by no means a foregone conclusion.

 

The Battle of Gettysburg 1863 (3): The Third Day
By Timothy J. Orr
Illustrated by Steve Noon

An authoritative and superbly illustrated exploration of the events of July 3, 1863, incorporating new interpretations that have arisen in the past two decades.

The third day of the Battle of Gettysburg was the most climactic of the three. Among the iconic clashes that took place is General Lee's last assault at Gettysburg, the 12,500-man attack known as “Pickett’s Charge,” in which Lee’s soldiers suffered more than 60 percent losses. Further key moments were the action at Culp’s Hill—arguably where the battle was won or lost—and Lee’s decision to send forward three divisions against the Union center, even when the odds did not appear to favor success.

This third and final volume in Timothy J. Orr's trilogy emphasizes the tactical decisions of Day Three and documents the ensuing combat in easy to follow 2D maps and 3D diagrams. It also includes a brief summary of the strategic and human consequences of the campaign, carrying the story to November 19, 1863, the day of Lincoln’s famed “Gettysburg Address.” Primary accounts from common soldiers infuse this volume, reminding readers that Gettysburg was—first and foremost—a soldier’s battle. The experiences and military materiel of these men are brought to life in stunning detail in Steve Noon's dramatic battlescenes.


Romania 1944: The Turning of Arms against Nazi Germany
By Grant T. Harward

The complex and fascinating story of Romania’s 'turning of arms' against Nazi Germany, and the battle for Romania - an important but overlooked and misunderstood episode of World War II.

The battle for Romania from March to September 1944 is a complex and fascinating story involving German, Romanian, Soviet, American, and British forces. Romania’s defection from the Axis denied Nazi Germany not just resources (especially oil) but also turned the Romanian Army, formerly its most important ally on the Eastern Front, from friend to foe. The fighting witnessed the German Sixth Army being destroyed for a second time (after Stalingrad).

This fascinating and detailed work explores the strategic struggle within German-Romanian relations and the tactical development of the Battle of Romania. The detailed 2d maps and 3D diagrams guide you step-by-step through the Axis defence of Romania in March-May during the first Iasi-Chisinau offensive, the Allied campaign in April-August to assist the Soviets, the Axis collapse in August during the second Iasi-Chisinau offensive, the Romanian defeat of the attempted German counter-coup, and the final Soviet occupation of Romania. Period photographs from the Romanian archives and private collections, many never before seen, and stunning battlescene artworks bring to life the soldiers and materiel of the wide range of forces involved in this rarely explored Eastern Front campaign.

 

Mers-el-Kébir and Dakar 1940: Operations Catapult and Menace and the Vichy French Raids on Gibraltar
By Ryan K. Noppen

A fascinating analysis of the battles of the often overlooked undeclared war between Great Britain and Vichy France from July to September 1940.

Between July and September 1940, an undeclared war between Great Britain and Vichy France was fought in northern and western Africa. Great Britain had realized that if Germany or Italy insisted upon the transfer of battleships, cruisers, and destroyers from the now-neutralized French Navy to the control of their own navies, the naval balance in the Mediterranean would immediately swing in favour of the Axis powers. As a result, British naval and air forces moved to prevent these powerful assets from falling into enemy hands. These operations in turn provoked Vichy French counter-attacks and retaliatory measures, including a sequence of air raids on Gibraltar.

Expert naval historian Ryan Noppen analyzes in detail the Royal Navy Operation Catapult (which targetted the potent French force of four battleships and escorts moored at Mers-el-Kébir in Algeria that had refused to yield to British demands to surrender); the attack upon the new French battleship Richelieu at Dakar in Senegal; and Operation Menace (a British/Free French amphibious attempt to occupy Dakar). Also covered, for the first time, is the lengthy Vichy French aerial campaign against British Gibraltar. Fully illustrated with detailed maps, diagrams, photographs and battlescene artworks that bring to life the British, Free French, and Vichy forces involved in this conflict, it presents a highly engaging treatment of an often forgotten episode early in World War II.

 

Borneo 1945: The Last Major Allied Campaign in the South-West Pacific
By Angus Konstam

A fascinating account of the last major Allied operation in the South-West Pacific, and the largest Australian military operation of World War II.

A week after Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Japanese troops landed near Brunei on the South-East Asian island of Borneo. Within eight weeks, the entire island had been overrun, and its Dutch and British Indian defenders had been ejected. By early April 1942, the entire Dutch East Indies were in Japanese hands, and remained under Japanese occupation for a further three years, as momentous battles were fought elsewhere.

The late-1944 US landings in the Philippines effectively cut oil- and resource-rich Borneo off from Japan. Now considered a worthy strategic prize for the Allies, General Douglas Macarthur, commanding the South-West Pacific Theater, began planning for the recapture of the key island.

This fascinating and beautifully illustrated work explores the planning and execution of Operation Oboe, which was spearheaded by Australian troops but also involved naval and special forces from the United States, Britain and the Netherlands. Detailed maps and diagrams explore the six separate stages, each of which involved amphibious landings. Battlescene artworks and photographs bring to life notable events such as the capture of Tarakan, Labuan, Brunei and Sarawak. Also covered are the fascinating Allied special forces guerrilla campaigns, designed to pin down the Japanese and destroy their ability to move freely around the rugged jungle-clad island, and Australian 7th Infantry Division's landing at Balikapan – which proved to be the turning point of this hard-fought campaign.

 

Second Arakan 1943–44: Shattering the Myth of Japanese Invincibility in Burma
By Tim Moreman

A detailed examination of one of the crucial campaigns of World War II in Burma, in which British and Commonwealth forces achieved their first decisive victory over Japanese arms.

The hard-fought Second Arakan campaign was a second attempt by Allied arms to advance in the coastal Arakan region in western Burma, following a failed first effort in early 1943. The battles fought shattered the myth of Japanese invincibility that had for over two years crippled the Allied cause, and for the first time offered the prospect of successful offensive operations against the Japanese in Burma.

Military historian Tim Moreman guides you through the wide range of actions that made up the Second Arakan campaign, from XV Indian Corps’ initial push down the Burmese coast towards Akyab Island, to the key events of the major Japanese Ha-Go operation launched by Twenty-Eighth Army. These include the Battle of the Admin Box near Sinweyza, where the surrounded 7th Indian Division inflicted a serious defeat on the Japanese 55th Division; the reinforcement of Imphal and Kohima; and the seizure of Razabil, the Tunnels and Point 551 between March and May 1944.

Packed with maps diagrams, battlescene artworks and photographs that guide you through this complex campaign in easy to follow detail, this work provides a must-have illustrated companion to this decisive victory for British and Commonwealth arms over the Imperial Japanese Army.

 

Hamburger Hill 1969: Operation Apache Snow in the A Shau Valley
By James H. WIllbanks

An authoritative exploration of Operation Apache Snow, including the infamous Battle of Hamburger Hill (Ap Bia Mountain), one of the most significant and well-known actions in the Vietnam War.

Operation Apache Snow was the result of a renewed Free World effort in early 1969 to neutralize the North Vietnamese forces in the A Shau, a 45km-long valley located in southwestern Thua Thien Province. This area had long provided an infiltration corridor for Communist forces from the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos to the coastal cities of northern I Corps Tactical Zone. The ensuing battle to take Ap Bia Mountain, which became known as Hamburger Hill, lasted for ten days. Although US and South Vietnamese forces were ultimately successful in taking the hill, the heavy Free World casualties incurred in the bitter fighting caused a furor in Congress, where Senator Edward Kennedy of New York angrily denounced the attack on Ap Bia as “both senseless and irresponsible."

In this work, one of the most respected military historians of the Vietnam War James H. Willbanks documents the planning and execution of Operation Apache Snow. The progress of the operation is carefully presented using maps and diagrams, and the forces and weaponry of both sides are brought to life in photos and colour battlescenes. Willbanks also explores why, despite the Allied success in taking Hamburger Hill, the battle came to symbolize the frustration of winning costly encounters without ever consummating a strategic victory.

 

Battle of the Atlantic (1): The U-Boat Campaign against Britain 1939–41
By Mark Stille

The first in a sequence of books to explore the longest and best-known naval campaign of World War II, focusing on the struggle between Allied naval and air forces and Hitler's U-boats.

When fighting broke out in September 1939, neither the British Royal Navy nor the German Kriegsmarine were prepared for another war in the North Atlantic. Building on their success of having defeated the German U-boats in World War I, the Royal Navy was confident it would succeed in the second U-boat war. This was quickly shown to be an illusion, as neither the scale of forces available nor their tactics were sufficient. The Germans were even less well prepared for a major war at sea having only a small number of U-boats, which were essentially the same as those which had fought the first U-boat war.

This book by respected naval historian Mark Stille examines the struggle between Allied naval and air forces and the German U-boats in the first 15 months of the war. He documents how the U-boats attempted to win a tonnage war against Allied shipping, in which well-trained and bold U-boat commanders enjoying some brilliant successes. He also explores how the lack of U-boats and torpedo problems prevented the Germans from inflicting crippling losses, even though the British found it impossible to protect all shipping, primarily because of lack of convoy escorts. Featuring maps, diagrams, photographs and stunning battlescene artworks, the weapons, personalities, and tactics of the opposing sides are brought vividly to life in a unique and engaging way.

 

Next up in our Big Reveal we'll be taking you through everything you can expect next year in the Combat Aircraft series. Stay tuned for Friday's post!