A detailed, illustrated study of the Ukrainian armed forces, their weapons, dress and equipment from the First to the Second World War and beyond. There can be no region in Europe whose history has been more tortured than Ukraine. During the 20th century Austria, Poland, Russia, Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Romania vied for power over parts of this vast and fragmented area; and its divided peoples rose time and again in vain attempts to win their independence. For the first time in the West, this book gives a succinct summary of all the different armed forces raised among the Ukrainians, and of their uniforms and insignia. These are illustrated in colour and in a selection of extremely rare photographs, dating from the Great War to the aftermath of World War II, when Ukrainian guerrillas continued to defy the Soviet authorities until the mid-1950s.

A detailed, illustrated study of the Ukrainian armed forces, their weapons, dress and equipment from the First to the Second World War and beyond. There can be no region in Europe whose history has been more tortured than Ukraine. During the 20th century Austria, Poland, Russia, Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Romania vied for power over parts of this vast and fragmented area; and its divided peoples rose time and again in vain attempts to win their independence. For the first time in the West, this book gives a succinct summary of all the different armed forces raised among the Ukrainians, and of their uniforms and insignia. These are illustrated in colour and in a selection of extremely rare photographs, dating from the Great War to the aftermath of World War II, when Ukrainian guerrillas continued to defy the Soviet authorities until the mid-1950s.

An important aspect of the Russian Civil War were the several Allied expeditions immediately following World War I in support of the disunited Russian 'White' armies resisting the Bolshevik Revolution. Although they ended in failure, these ventures were long resented, and were the origin of the 70-year-long Soviet suspicion of the Western Allies. British and US expeditionary forces operated in North Russia and Siberia in support of General Yudenich and Admiral Kolchak respectively, and a French and Greek expeditionary force (plus Romanian and Polish elements) operated in Crimea and south-western Ukraine, in support of General Denikin. The situation was further complicated by the presence of strong Imperial German elements still under arms, and by war between various factions in the Ukraine. This Southern theatre of the Allied interventions is far less well known than that of the British and Americans in the North and East. Featuring rare photos and new colour plates, this fascinating new book describes this major Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. Dr Phoebus Athanassiou writes a compelling account of how the French and Greeks alongside White Russians were greatly outnumbered by pro-Bolshevik forces and were relentlessly pushed back by the Ukrainian forces. In just over 4 months, on 28 April 1919, the last of their forces were evacuated by Allied navies from Sevastopol in Crimea.

This book is a detailed analysis of the Soviet Army at the outbreak of World War II, including the Red Army's campaigns against Japan on the Manchurian plains as well as in Finland. It covers the Red Army's first operations during Operation Barbarossa when the Red Army was forced to defend Mother Russia against the German onslaught. It offers a breakdown of all the armed forces including the army, air force, paratroopers, navy and NKVD troops. In particular it covers the evolution of uniforms, equipment and insignia with the introduction of new regulations in 1935 and 1940.

In 1917 Poland was recognised as a state by Russia, but the Bolshevik coup threatened this. The Polish leader Marshal Pilsudski hurried to build an army around Polish World War I veterans, and in 1918 war broke out for Poland's independence, involving the the Poles, the Red and White Russian armies, at least two different Ukrainian forces, and Allied intervention troops. The armies that fought these campaigns were extraordinarily varied in their uniforms and insignia, equipment and weapons, and when peace was signed in 1921, Poland had achieved recognised nationhood for the first time since 1794. Featuring specially commissioned full-colour artwork, this engaging study explains and illustrates the armies that fought in the epic struggle for the rebirth of the independent Polish nation, in the bitter aftermath of World War I.

The Historical Dictionary of the Russian Civil Wars, 1916-1926 covers the history of this period through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has almost 2,000 cross-referenced entries on individuals, political and governmental institutions and political parties, and military formations and concepts, as well as religion, art, film, propaganda, uniforms, and weaponry. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Russian Civil War.

The richly illustrated book is the first part of a series on the history of uniform. This particular installment is an historical treatise on the origins, development and diffusion of the Death's Head badge among military units throughout the Western World, from the 17th century onward. It describes the different occurrences of this potent symbol and tries to shed some light on the reasons and motivations involved in the choice and implementation of so charged an image as the skull and crossbones. It tries to attenuate some of the justified aversion incurred since the Second World War and the use the Nazis made of the emblem, as it delves into the noble and honorable motives usually associated with the struggle against oppression, connected to the Death's Head during the nineteenth century. The sheer number of occurrences documented and illustrated (101) in the book is enough to generate some astonishment and will surely spark the curiosity of the reader. Most people are not aware of the use of skulls by any military unit other than the SS, let alone its employment by such irreproachable regiments as the Queens Royal Lancers. Even those interested in military history will probably not have realized the measure of proliferation the Skull & Bones badge has known nor the significance attached to it. A few of the instances I have discovered in my research will generate some interest as well, as these were not yet widely known or put together in a extensive study. For example, until now, the oldest known use of the emblem was usually attributed to the Prussian Von Ruesch hussars of 1741. I have been able to push back this date by a hundred years with my ‘discovery’ of the Von Menzel Pandurs and especially the Cronberg Cuirassiers of the Thirty Years War. Another point of interest is the depiction of many colorful and sometimes even extravagant uniforms of irregular units or even individual officers. For instance the attire of the (in)famous Baron de Géramb of 1810 stands out, but also the somewhat theatrical outfit of Josef Zienkowics of 1830, is of particular interest to uniformologists and historians of fashion alike. As the image of the skull and bones gains popularity among the numerous adherents of countless subcultural lifestyles, the interest in the subject also grows significantly outside the more usual circles of militaria buffs. Other proposed titles in this series: • The Sense of Uniform, Why are armies in uniform? • The Origins • The Fringe, Cords, ribbons and plumes • Headgear • Fashion, How do uniforms and civilian fashions interact? • Cavalry • Infantry • Guards • Navy and Marines