THE BENGAL HORSE ARTILLERY 1800-1861 by Major-General B.P.Hughes. (10" x 7 1/2": 184 pages, 4 coloured plates, 20 black and white plates, 14 maps. Arms and Armour Press. 4.25) No one interested in British Colonial warfare can fail to be really thrilled by this magnificent book, every page of which glows with the dash and deeds of this corps d'elite formed within one of the three great armies which the Honourable East India Company maintained in the first half of the 19th century. Called by their Afghan enemies "The Red Men" because of the great scarlet main which hung from their brass-mounted Roman helmets, the Bengal Horse Artillery was trained always to move in battle with their light guns at the gallop. They were in the forefront of every one of the continuous series of battles and sieges which were undertaken in and around India from 1800 to 1862. Published in a limited edition of 1,000 copies, this book is a collectors item that is a joy to possess. A colourful addition to any wargames table, The Bengal Horse Artillery would not be difficult to convert from the Airfix Cuirasier set. FAMOUS REGIMENTS SERIES (published by Leo Cooper Limited, £ 2.10) THE LANCASHIRE FUSILIERS by Cyril Ray. Liberally decorated with plates and drawings, this book tells the exciting story of a Regiment that won six V.C's before breakfast in the landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25th April, 1915. THE ROYAL SCOTS GREYS by Michael Blacklock. Written by their Commanding Officers -- this book is a work of affection and succeeds admirably in getting over the spirit and atmosphere of a crack cavalry regiment from their raising in 1678 through Marlborough's Wars, their charge at Waterloo and again at Balaclava to the Boer War, the Great War and armoured exploits at Salerno and battles of World War II. THE LIFE GUARDS R.J.T.Hills. Colonel Hills spent thirty years in the Life Guards and his book is a fascinating account of one of the best known Regiments in the world. Well illustrated, it is an admirable addition to this very fine series. THE NAVAL WAR AGAINST HITLER by Captain Donald Macintyre. (9" x 6"; 376 pages; 70 illustrations and 23 maps .B.T.Batsford, 3-50) I do not have very much time to fight Naval battles but this book has filled me with a passionate desire to cut down on my activities so as to have a go at the Naval battles of World War II. This book has everything that the Naval wargamer would want to know about that period and, written in a most readable and clear manner, it must surely be the single volume definitive book on naval battles of that period. Thoroughly recommended. WAFFEN-SS by D.S.V.Fosten and R.J.Marrion. (8 1/2" x 6 1/2", 112 pages; 16 colour pages; 80 pictures (many hitherto unpublished) and scores of line drawings showing uniform and equipment details. Almark Publishing Company Limited, £ 2.25). Excellently written by two highly authoritative writers and artists, admirably reproduced by an enthusiastic publisher, this book delves into the deepest depths of this World War II German elite fighting force. If you want to know anything about this infamous outfit (and I suppose there are people who do) then there can be no finer source of information than this book. BRITISH MILITARY MARKINGS 1939-1945 by Peter Hodges 64 pages; (8 1/4 x 5 3/4", 7 colour plates and over 70 other illustrations. Almark Publications Limited, £ 1.25 paper covers). Having served in a regiment of Churchill flame-throwing tanks, Sherman flail tanks and other armoured Engineer vehicles, I am always interested to see if anyone has a record of its rather scattered and diverse activities in North Africa and Italy. I was delighted to find that this book has all its Brigade and Regimental signs and markings. That is typical of what must be about the most authoritative volume on this subject and a book which I fail to see how any World War II wargamer can be without. Apart from the pictured markings, the book contains Orders of Battle for almost every British formation which a gamer would seek to form World War II armies. FIRST BULL RUN 1861 by Peter Davis and H. John 17 maps. Charles Knight and Co., Ltd., 90p). This is the latest volume in Knight's Battles for Wargamers by Brigadier Peter Young, D.S.O., M.C., and it amply fulfils the promising title. When reviewing the two previous volumes in this series I remarked upon the lack of positive information for the wargamer but there can be no complaints whatsoever on that score so far as this book is concerned. Written by two active wargamers it first tells the story of the battle and then gives details of the formations involved, their arms and dress and equipment. Then it discusses rules and finally the re-enactment of the battle as a wargame with particular emphasis on the terrain. I am writing a book for this series on the Battle of Poitiers and I shall be more than delighted if I am able to feel that my finished manuscript contributes as much to our hobby as has this book. MILITARY BADGE COLLECTING by John Gaylor. 8 3/4 x 5 3/4", 150 pages; 51 pages of illustrations. Seeley, Service and Co. £ 3.25) Military badges are probably the most easily obtained of all militaria and even the youngest and most penniless military collector will find it not beyond the scope of his pocket to amass a very fine collection. In his book John Gaylor, who is Secretary of the Military Historical Society, covers every aspect of this branch of militaria, telling of the evolution of the present regimental badges from the numbered regiments of foot up till 1881, including many unusual units. Also he gives much useful advice on the acquisition, the mounting and the storing of badges. The book has photographs of over 600 badges from 1881 to 1970 and must be absolutely invaluable as a guide and a work of reference both to the beginner and to the experienced collector alike. Back to Table of Contents -- Wargamer's Newsletter # 115 To Wargamer's Newsletter List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1971 by Donald Featherstone. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com