Osprey Publishing have an extensive range of books covering warfare from the ancient world through to modern day. Their texts are well written and adequately cover the subject matter. Each of the books also has between 6 and 10 lavish colour plates depicting the armies or battles. If I'm building an army, these are usually the first books I buy!

Accompanying the the BBc television series of the the same name, this work tells the story of Hitler's attempt to sever Britain's lifeline across the Atlantic. For Winston Churchill it was "the only thing that ever frightened me during the war". The book recounts the tale of the longest, most bitterly fought campaign of World War II. From 1939 until 1942, Hitler's U-Boats - his "grey wolves" - threatened to do what his air force couldn't - starve Britain into submission.

The famous D-day landing of 6th June 1944 marked the beginning of Operation Overlord, the battle for the liberation of Europe. Max Hastings has overturned many traditional legends to write this study. Drawing together the eyewitness accounts of survivors from both sides and sources and documents, this text provides a controversial perspective on the devastating battle for Normandy.

Shortly before the inevitable Allied assault on Fortress Europe in 1944, Field-Marshal Erwin Rommel remarked to an aide "The first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive... For the Allies, as well as for Germany, it will be the longest day". Cornelius Ryan's acclaimed account of 6th June 1944.

This book looks at the Battle of the Somme, which was planned as "The Big Push" that would at last break the long stalemate on the Western Front in World War I. However the 18 divisions that went over the top between Arras and St-Quentin on the morning of 1 July 1916, walked into a battle that has gone down in the annals of human conflict as the slaughterhouse of a generation.