Osprey Men At Arms

Booklets

reviewed by Tom McMillan and Jim Arnold

188 - Polish Armies 1569-1696 (2);
191 - Henry Vills Army
Elite 15 - The Armada Campaign 1588
Havoverian Army of the Napoleonic Wars

by Tom McMillan

Osprey has produced three more nicely done titles dealing with the Renaissance.

No. 188 deals with some of the more unusual components of the Polish armies - "Germans" and Poles trained in the German manner, Tartars, Cossacks, and private armies of the magnates or the cities. While less charismatic than the Hussars or Pancerni of the previous edition, such troops comprised a major portion of most field armies, and offer good opportunities to add variety. Most gamers who have dealt in anything from Renaissance to Napoleonics to WW II have at one point or another commanded Cossacks, but probably very few know much about who they were.

Consider the following account of Cossack "anarchic democracy": "They broke into two groups... and formed two circles. One consisted of the officers, and the other of the rank and file whom they call chem. After a lengthy discussion the chern... in their traditional sign of consent, threw their caps into the air. Then the mob rushed over to the other circle, that of the officers, and threatened to throw in the river and drown anyone who disagreed with them." The thought of seeing some of our more intransigent members of Congress floating down the Potomac under the watchful eyes of an outraged citizenry suggests we can always learn from the study of other people's customs. Text by Richard Brzesinsky, plates by Angus McBride.

Men-At-Arms 191 deals with English armies of the early 16th Century. Theoretically such an army holds a great deal of interest - a large knightly contingent every bit as ostentatious as the French or the Italians supported by sturdy yeomen of bill and bow fame. Unfortunately, however, this is an army which never really fought, which puts it at a disadvantage in terms of study compared to its Continental rivals or Hundred Years War and War of the Roses predecessors. The only engagements of note were the Battle of the Spurs, in which the French fled before contact, and Flodden, for which Henry, the bulk of his army, and almost all of the chivalry were absent. With little to say in terms of specific organization, or tactics, or battlefield accounts, this edition simply seems to have little to say. For example, less than five pages are devoted to describing the very interesting colour plates, while six pages are devoted to the interminable, and ultimately rather pointless, wanderings of the English in France in the '20s and '30s. Angus McBride's colour plates are, as always, stunning, giving a very fine sense of the look, texture, and variety of 16th Century dress. My favourite is the beautifilly rendered huge, hulking Irish auxiliary, barefoot and armed with only javel ins and a Celtic sword, watch i ng stupidly as two gorgeously attired and armoured infantry captains engage in a spirited argument. Still, even allowing for Osprey's understandable emphasis on English subjects, it seems odd to see a volume on English armies of the Italian Wars period when the series has yet to tackle the far more important contemporary French, Spanish, and Italian forces. Text by Paul Cornish, colour plates by Angus McBride.

E-15 is in the Elite series - roughly 50% larger than the Men-at-Arms series and priced accordingly. On the face of it, at least for the wargamer as opposed to the collector or painter, this volume suffers from a similar problem to the previous one. While gamers might be interested in reenacting the naval engagements, it would bean odd group indeed who would paint up crew and marines in meticulous detail in hopes of a boarding action! In addition, the story of the Armada has been well told in several books recently, including Howarth's The Armada and a couple of newer works celebrating the quadricentennial. Allowing for such reservations, however, this is a very well organized, informative, and generally nicely done effort. The story is well and concisely told, from the strategic, bureaucratic, and logistical problems facing the Spaniards to the military actions themselves and the aftermath. A very complete 5 page O.B. is given including all of the specifications for the hundreds of ships involved. Richard Hook's colour plates are beautifully drawn, more in a fine line draftsman's technique than in the more vibrant and emotional style of McBride, but of similar quality, which is about the best you can say for miIitary historical artists. The variety of Spanish dress in particular will be useful for any Spanish armies of the pike and shot era, though unfortunately only three of the thirteen colour plates are devoted to the Spanish side, less than is given to the London Trained Bands alone. Text by John Tincey, colour plates by Richard Hook. These books are available from Modeler's Mart, 2071 Range Rd., Clearwater, FL 34625 and other stockists.

Havoverian Army of the Napoleonic Wars Booklet
by Jim Arnold

By Peter Hofschroer, Osprey Men-At-Arms. Plates by Bryan Fosten.

The newest Osprey release covers King George III's devoted allies from Hanover. The author's introductory text is very useful since it develops information generally not available to non-German readers. It describes the advanced doctrine of the Hanoverian Army, a doctrine that produced "one of the best trained and mounted" cavalry forces in Europe. It also introduces several officers - Decken, Estoriff - probably only familiar to most from study of Waterloo OBs.

Mr. Hofschroer also notes that the brilliant reformer, Scharnhorst, served as Quartermaster-General during the Wars of the French Revolution. The first 20 pages, and nine color plates are devoted to the Hanoverian Army up to the time the French overran the country in 1803. This information helps explain tile context for the development of the more familiar King's German Legion. The balance of the book deals with the KGL and landwehr units that fought for the Allies from 1813 on. The uniform details on the various Hanoverian militia units should interest many. A particularly useful table relates which militia battalions aggregated to form field battalions. Sections on organization and tactics cover both the earlier army and the KGL.

As noted, nine plates cover early uniforms such as the 1790 infantry and the most handsome 1792 dragoon. The balance illustrate the KGL and best of all (since they are rarer) jaegers, light infantry, and freikorps soldiers from the 1813-1815 period. These illustrations are quite up to Mr. Fosten's high standards.

I find much of value in this book and little to quarrel with. However, at the risk of once again inciting Mr. Hofschroer's ire, I must comment on his statement that "the KGL was regarded as the equivalent of the Guards and crack Line formations of the British Army." My reading of Beamish's history (written in 1832) tells me that this statement is arguably true for the original KGL units. However, as the Peninsular War continued the KGL units had difficulty replenishing their ranks with top notch soldiers. They enlisted former French-allied men (who, given the choice of the prison hulks or the KGL, naturally preferred the latter) and other men of dubious loyalty. Consequently, many KGL units suffered a substantial decline. That qualification aside, I recommend this book as a fine summary source on the Hanoverian Army.

Currently at $8.95, Osprey books are available from Wargames, Modeler's Mart, Falcon Miniatures, and many other sources.

Reviewing Stand

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