German Army 1939–45 (2)
Hitler first considered an invasion of Great Britain in autumn 1940, then scheduled Operation Barbarossa, the conquest of the European part of the Soviet Union, for May 1941.
Anxious to emulate Hitler's successes, the Italian dictator Mussolini embarked upon unnecessary military adventures in North Africa and the Balkans, which forced Hitler's intervention, diverting and depleting precious German resources, and a six-week postponement of Barbarossa.
In this second of four volumes (Men-at-Arms 311, 316, 326 & 330) on the German Army of the Second World War, Nigel Thomas examines the uniforms and insignia of the forces involved in North Africa and the Balkans.
Nigel Thomas PhD is an accomplished linguist and military historian, formerly at Northumbria University, now a freelance military author, translator and military uniform consultant. His interests are 20th-century military and civil uniformed organizations, with a special interest in Germany, Central and Eastern Europe.
Stephen Andrew has, in the last few years, established himself as one of the best illustrators of military subjects working today. Born in 1961 in Glasgow (where he still lives and works), Stephen is entirely self-taught, and worked as a junior in advertising and design agencies before becoming a freelance illustrator in 1993. Military history is his passion, and since 1997 he has illustrated Osprey titles including MAA 306: Chinese Civil War Armies 1911-49, and this five-part sequence on the World War II German Army.