The German Army 1939-45 (2): North Africa & Balkans

Description

Hitler first considered an invasion of Great Britain in autumn 1940, then scheduled Operation Barbarossa, the conquest of the European part of the Soviet Union, for May 1941. Anxious to emulate Hitler's successes, the Italian dictator Mussolini embarked upon unnecessary military adventures in North Africa and the Balkans, which forced Hitler's intervention, diverting and depleting precious German resources, and a six-week postponement of Barbarossa. In this second of four volumes [Men-at-Arms 311, 316, 326 & 330] on the German Army of the Second World War, Nigel Thomas examines the uniforms and insignia of the forces involved in North Africa and the Balkans. Men-at-Arms 311, 316, 326, 330 and 336 are also available in a single volume special edition titled 'German Army in World War II'.

Nigel Thomas is a graduate in French and German (BA Joint Honours, Manchester University, 1968; PGCE Durham University, 1972; MA German, Newcastle University, 1980), who has amassed a large archive of information on 20th century military uniforms and orders of battle. He has authored and co-authored many Osprey titles such as MAA 282 Axis Forces in Yugoslavia 1941-45 and is currently head of the Modern Languages Centre and Business Language Unit at the University of Northumbria. Stephen Andrew has, in the last few years, established himself as one of the best illustrators of military subjects working today. The detailed, gritty artwork he has produced for Osprey has made him one of our most popular artists. Born in 1961 in Glasgow (where he still lives and works), Stephen is entirely self-taught, and worked as a junior in advertising and design agencies before becoming a freelance illustrator in 1993. Military history is his passion, and since 1997 he has illustrated Osprey titles including MAA 306: Chinese Civil War Armies 1911-49, and the first three parts of a five-part sequence on the World War II German Army.