{"title":"Books by Nigel Thomas","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781472806871","title":"Hitler’s Russian \u0026 Cossack Allies 1941–45","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSurely nobody who had suffered the ferocity of the Nazi invasion could consider switching sides and joining the Germans? Yet that is exactly what up to 400,000 Soviet citizens did in World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese included not only the ‘legions’ recruited from non-Russian ethnic groups eager for freedom from Stalin’s dictatorship, but also some 100,000 Russians and Cossacks. What began as small local security units of ‘Ostruppen’, enrolled for the ongoing campaigns against Soviet partisans, were later reorganized, given special systems of uniform and insignia, amalgamated into larger formations, and eventually committed to the front line.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book is an essential guide to the appearance, formation and equipment of the myriad Russian and Soviet units that fought for the Germans. Featuring rare photographs and revealing colour illustrations, this is a peerless visual reference to the troops who switched from one ruthless superpower to another and met with a horrific fate when the fighting was over.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301006946677,"sku":"9781472806871","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472806871_a611c52c-bc46-4e03-bbb3-f4be486ff765.jpg?v=1786034300"},{"product_id":"9781472842039","title":"Yugoslav Armies 1941–45","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn March 1941, an anti-German coup in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia prompted Hitler to order an invasion using allied Italian, Hungarian, Bulgarian and Romanian forces. Operation \u003ci\u003eMarita\u003c\/i\u003e was an invasion of Yugoslavia and simultaneously Greece.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAt the same time, the constituent region of Croatia broke away from Yugoslavia and joined the Axis powers. Royal Yugoslav armed forces, despite advancing against the Italians in Albania were forced to surrender after 11 days' fighting and some 1,000 soldiers, airmen and sailors escaped to British-occupied Egypt to form Free Yugoslav units. From there, guerrilla resistance to the Axis occupiers broke out and continued with increasing strength until the end of the war under Mihailovic’s royalist 'Chetniks' and Tito's Communist 'Partisans' (both supported by Britain).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHowever, hostilities between the two movements eventually led to the Chetniks entering into local agreements with Italian occupation forces and Britain switching its support entirely to the Partisans. The advance of the Red Army increased Partisan strength and, during 1944–45, they created what could be described as a lightly equipped conventional army.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFeaturing meticulously-drawn illustrations of different insignia, uniforms and equipment from each faction, this volume describes, in detail, both the political and military implications of the war and how it was fought, setting the scene for the subsequent rise of Tito to power within Yugoslavia.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301017006453,"sku":"9781472842039","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472842039_39de52db-4441-4041-9239-c42accd19c90.jpg?v=1786020766"},{"product_id":"9781472856852","title":"Czechoslovak Armies 1939–45","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFeaturing rare photos, detailed colour illustrations and insignia tables, this study explores the contribution made by Czech and Slovak troops fighting alongside Allied forces during World War II.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFollowing the Anglo-French failure at the Munich Conference in March 1938 to prevent a Nazi take-over of Bohemia-Moravia (modern Czech Republic\/Czechia), many frustrated Czech and Slovak soldiers sided with Allied forces and fought alongside their armies – first in Poland, then in France, and finally from Britain. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Using depictions of relevant uniforms and equipment plus photos of the troops in action, military uniformology expert Nigel Thomas explains how the Czech Army was organized and how it fought alongside Allied forces in the Middle East and at Normandy. He describes the involvement of free Czech agents operating from Britain in Operation \u003ci\u003eAnthropoid,\u003c\/i\u003e the assassination of Nazi governor Reinhard Heydrich in occupied Bohemia-Moravia, and the part Czech soldiers played in mutinies in both Italy and Prague against German occupation which ultimately helped to secure a final Allied victory.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301042336117,"sku":"9781472856852","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472856852_139ab6e9-1fad-4e6c-ade0-4d24eeb46339.jpg?v=1786021069"},{"product_id":"9781472839541","title":"Hitler's Eastern Legions 1942–45","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBetween 1941–45, the Germans recruited around 175,000 men from a number of minorities in the USSR, distinguishing between 'Turkomans' (predominantly Muslims) and 'Caucasians' (predominantly Orthodox Christians).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOf these, many formed rear-area auxiliary units, but at least 55,000 were combat troops. The first recruits formed two battalions in the 444th Security Division raised as early as November 1941; during 1942–­43 seven legions were formed, each of several battalions, eventually totalling some 53 battalions (equivalent to about 6 full divisions). However, with one exception (162nd Turkoman Division), they were not deployed as whole formations; after training in Poland, individual battalions were posted to fill out German regiments in the front lines, at first in Army Group South but later in all three Army Groups fighting on the Eastern Front. Units were also sent to Yugoslavia, Italy and the Western Front.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis fully illustrated history of the Eastern legions details the organization, battle orders, combat history, uniforms and insignia of these unique units, combining contemporary photographs and full-colour illustrations with expert research from military historian Dr Nigel Thomas.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301116916085,"sku":"9781472839541","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472839541_1c926316-ff73-441f-b026-8b578758ea43.jpg?v=1786020725"},{"product_id":"9781472830777","title":"Armies of the Baltic Independence Wars 1918–20","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eImmediately following the end of World War I, amid the collapse of the German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires, bitter fighting broke out in the Baltic region as Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania struggled for their independence, and Red and White Russian armies began their civil war.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere were also German forces still active in what had been the northern end of Germany's Eastern Front. This book offers a concise but detailed introduction to this whole theatre of war, focusing on the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and relevant German and Russian forces, plus Finnish, Danish and Swedish contingents. For each region there is a detailed map as well as meticulous orders-of-battle and insignia charts.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDetailed for the first time in the English language, this fascinating book concisely tells the story of the birth of these Baltic nation states.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301190906229,"sku":"9781472830777","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472830777_9d8af267-8464-4cb8-a52f-7ad3bb25f45b.jpg?v=1786020610"},{"product_id":"9781472863126","title":"The German Navy  1935–45","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn illustrated study of the uniforms and personal equipment worn by the personnel of the Kriegsmarine, the German Navy of the Third Reich, from 1935–45.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFounded in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles, the Kriegsmarine was established in 1935 and reached a peak strength of more than 800,000 personnel in 1944. Its original aim of amassing a surface fleet on parity with Great Britain’s Royal Navy shifted with the outbreak of World War II, after which focus moved to submarine warfare, with the Kriegsmarine’s U-boats exacting a heavy toll on Allied shipping across the globe. Meanwhile, several of its formidable capital ships – notably the \u003ci\u003eGraf Spee\u003c\/i\u003e, Bismarck, \u003ci\u003eTirpitz\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eScharnhorst\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eGneisenau \u003c\/i\u003e– saw widespread action as Nazi Germany strove to defeat the Allies at sea.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this new study, Nigel Thomas examines the evolving organization, uniforms and equipment used by the Kriegsmarine during its ten-year existence, spanning its pre-war beginnings, the invasion of Norway in 1940, and through to the deployment of Kriegsmarine personnel as grounds troops from 1943–45. The different gear worn by its various branches of service is described in detail and illustrated with newly commissioned colour artwork and an array of specially selected photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56301222592885,"sku":"9781472863126","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472863126_7f3daad5-7ba9-419b-95c8-d53024c41524.jpg?v=1786021199"},{"product_id":"9781855326408","title":"The German Army 1939–45 (2)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHitler 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.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnxious 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this second of four volumes (Men-at-Arms 311, 316, 326 \u0026amp; 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56313089818997,"sku":"9781855326408","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781855326408_4f0b2248-2755-4e90-ae82-92de5440d611.jpg?v=1786029861"},{"product_id":"world-war-ii-german-motorized-infantry-panzergrenadiers","title":"World War II German Motorized Infantry \u0026 Panzergrenadiers","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn World War II Germany's doctrine of mobile warfare dominated the battlefield. By trial and error, the Germans were the first to correctly combine the strength in tanks and in mobile infantry and artillery.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis integration of mobile units, equipment and tactics underpinned Germany's successes in the first half of the war. As the war dragged on, the Allies sought to copy German tactics but German armies remained supreme in this type of warfare until their losses had seriously degraded their capabilities. \u003cbr\u003eThis study traces the development of the different types of unit that came together in the Panzergrenadier branch from the inter-war years through World War II.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUsing colour plates to display the changes in uniform, equipment and insignia in all theatres of operations throughout the conflict, this is a complete account of Hitler’s elite armoured infantry.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57484292653429,"sku":"9781472819437","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781472819437.jpg?v=1786266348"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-nigel-thomas.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}