Highlighting modern day battles, against the backdrop of a bloody historical conflict.

The opening years of the fifteenth century saw one of the most bitterly contested political and military convulsions in the history of the British Isles, a conflict that is too-often overlooked by military historians. Henry IV, who had overthrown and probably murdered his predecessor Richard II, fought a protracted and bloody campaign against the most powerful nobles in the land. This war is the subject of John Barratt's gripping study. The Percy family, the 'Kings of the North', and their most famous leader Sir Henry Percy - 'Hotspur', whose fiery nature and military prowess were immortalized by Shakespeare - stood out against Henry's rule. And the beleaguered king also had to contend with a range of other unrelenting opponents, among them Owain Glyn Dwr, who led the Welsh revolt against English supremacy. In this graphic account of the first, deeply troubled years of Henry IV's reign, John Barratt concentrates on the warfare, in particular on the set piece pitched battles fought at Homildon Hill, Pilleth and Shrewsbury. His story brings to life the embittered politics and the personal and family enmities that gave rise to armed conflict. And he describes in vivid detail the tactics and fighting methods of the day, which were dominated by the devastating power of the English longbow.

The 2023 Century of the Soldier Conference discusses ‘Novelty and Change’ through diverse papers on overlooked research impacted by the pandemic. The 2023 Century of the Soldier Conference was held at the University of Worcester on the banks of the River Severn in the historic city of Worcester. The theme of the conference was ‘Novelty and Change’ and had a range of papers covering a variety of topics. The conference focused on new research and ideas that in some cases might have been overlooked in the disruption caused by the global coronavirus pandemic.

Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitriy Loza has carefully crafted his World War II experiences with U.S.-provided Sherman tanks into a highly readable memoir. Between the fall of 1943 and August 1945, Loza fought in the Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Austria. He commanded a tank battalion during much of this period and had three Shermans shot out from under him. Loza's unit participated in such well-known combat actions as the Korsun-Shevchenkovskiy Operation, the Jassy-Kishenev Operation, and the battles for Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. Following the German surrender, Loza's unit was sent to Mongolia, where it participated in the arduous trek across the Gobi Desert to attack the Japanese Kwantung Army in Manchuria. This is the first available detailed examination of the Red Army's exploitation of U.S. war matiriel during World War II and one of the first genuine memoirs available from the Russian front. Loza also provides firsthand testimony on tactical command decisions, group objectives and how they were accomplished, and Soviet use of combat equipment and intelligence. Only after the collapse of the USSR and concomitant relaxing of prohibitions against publication of materials related to the Lend-Lease Program there could this account be made available Dmitriy Loza served as an instructor at the Frunze Academy after the war, retiring in 1967 with the rank of colonel. He resides in Moscow. James F. Gebhardt, now a defense contractor at Fort Leavenworth, is a Vietnam veteran. He is the author of Blood on the Shores: Soviet Naval Commandos in World War II.

The English troops serving in Ireland were vital source of experienced and possibly war-winning manpower sought after by both King and Parliament in the Civil War. The "cessation" or truce which King Charles reached with the Irish Confederates in September 1643 enabled him to begin shipping over troops fro Ireland to reinforce the Royalist armies. During the following year the "Irish", as they were frequently if inaccurately known by both sides were an important factor in the war. The Nantwich campaign (December 1643-January 1644), the consolidation of Royalist control in the Welsh Marches during the spring of 1644, the Marston Moor campaign, and the Battle of Montgomery (September 1644) all received major contributions from the troops from Ireland. Other troops from Ireland, mainly from the province of Munster, provided important reinforcements for the Western and Oxford Royalist armies during the 1644 campaigns in western and southern England. The "Irish" were still a significant part of the Royalist army during the Naseby campaign of 1645, and elements remained in action until the end of the war. The book will look at the Irish campaign and its influence on the experience and behaviour of the troops when they reached England. It will examine their equipment, logistical care, and experience following their return. It will look at the performance of some of the troops, such as the "firelocks" who changed sides and became valuable additions to the Parliamentarian forces. Also examined is the controversial topic of "native Irish" troops who were involved, and a number of prominent indiduals who also srved in the war. Full use is made of extensive contemporary primary sources and also later research.

Cavalier Capital, the first detailed account of Oxford's role as "Royalist capital" to appear for almost three-quarters of a century, examines all aspects of Oxford's experience in the English Civil War. As well as the effects on the town and university, special emphasis is placed on the various aspects of the Royalist occupation, including its role as a major manufacturing center of munitions and armory. The King's court and the operation of Royalist government and administration are examined, as are the organization and life of the soldiers of the garrison. Leading personalities are described, as well as the military campaigns which were focused on Oxford during the war. The final siege leading to the fall of Oxford is also described. The book makes full use of both contemporary and modern accounts, and research, and is copiously illustrated with contemporary and modern illustrations.

Between 1642 and 1646 two armies fought for control of Southwest England in one of the decisive confrontations of the English Civil Wars. In this short, turbulent period Royalists loyal to King Charles I clashed with the forces of Parliament in a series of hard-fought campaigns that crisscrossed the West Country landscape. Rearguard actions, sieges, skirmishes, retreats and pitched battles punctuated the course of the conflict, yet no previous book has retold the story of the Southwestern campaigns in detail. John Barratt's account of this bloody and disruptive phase in the West Country's history offers a graphic description of the engagements themselves and takes the reader on a tour of the battlefields.