By Christopher Gravett. Colour Plates by Angus McBride. (London: 1985). GERMAN MEDIEVAL ARMIES: 1300-1500 is the latest Osprey MEN-AT-ARMS series (#166) to cover a medieval subject. Its proven format consists of a text that incorporates the latest in medieval military scholarship, a fine collection of coloured plates by Angus McBride worth the price of the book alone, and a profuse collection of photographs and artistic reproductions that encompass the totality of armor, weapons and other medieval militaria. The author begins with a survey of German organizational development covering all entities that comprised the complexity of the Holy Roman Empire: feudalism and princely levies, towns and town levies including the Hanseatic League, leagues of knights, the Hussites, the Teutonic Knights and mercenaries. He aptly defines the Germanic equivalents of more common European organizational practices and adds other purely German terms that distinguished the Imperial armies and their foes. Of particular interest, there are descriptions of the evolution of the Wagenburg in central Europe and the importance of gunpowder weapons in this theatre of operations. The author completes his historical survey by describing seven late medieval campaigns/battles to illustrate the essence of warfare in this part of Europe. These descriptions include items ranging from the dynastic duel of Muh1dorf in 1322 through a particularly detailed account of the Siege of Prague against the Hussites in 1420 to the disruptive battles of Pillenreuth (1450) and Seckenheim (1462), that witnessed the use of Swiss mercenaries and guaranteed the perpetual division of Germany while her western neighbors centralized strong national states. Taken together with the other dozen titles in this series covering the high medieval period, this book should make a valuable addition to any wargamer's library. More Reviews Falcon Miniatures 25mm Seven Years War Ral Partha Colonial Release Strategem 25mm Maori Wars and 16th C. Africa Gallia 15mm Northwest Frontier Stone Mountain 15mm British Colonials and Natives Frontier Miniatures 15mm Boxer Rebellion Lancashire Game 15mm Boxer Rebellion RSM Ltd. 20mm Colonials Ahketon 20mm Spanish Civil War Zocchihedron 100-sided Dice Dwarven Stonecutter Hard Cover Buildings Funken Napoleonic Painting Guides Wargaming the 13th C. Baltic Crusades Battlefleet Naval Miniature Rules 1890-1918 Imperialism Victorian Era Rules Osprey German Medieval Armies 1300-1500 Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. VII #1 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1986 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com