The Italian Army 1940-45 (3): Italy 1943-45

Description

Immediately after the Allied invasion of Italy in September 1943, Mussolini was deposed and the new Italian government switched sides. The German occupying forces swiftly freed Il Duce and ruthlessly disarmed the Italian Army; and from then until the end of the war in April 1945 Italian troops fought on both sides with the forces of the new Fascist 'Salo Republic', in the Allied 'Co-Belligerent Forces', and in the Partisan movement. This period of bitter struggle saw the appearance of many new units and a wide range of interesting uniforms, described and illustrated in this final part of Philip Jowett's comprehensive three-volume series.

Philip S. Jowett was born in Leeds in 1961, and has been interested in military history for as long as he can remember. Before beginning his Osprey series on the Italian Army of World War II he was the author of the much praised Men-at-Arms 306: Chinese Civil War Armies 1911-49. A rugby league enthusiast and amateur genealogist, he is married and lives in Leeds. Stephen Andrew was born in 1961 in Glasgow where he still lives and works. In the last few years he has established himself as a highly respected illustrator of military subjects. An entirely self-taught artist, he 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 1911-1949, and the five-volume sequence on the World War II German Army.