Osprey- Czechoslovak Armies 1939-45

by Nigel Thomas PhD - Illustrated by Johnny Shumate

New from Osprey in their Men At Arms series, is Men At Arms 554 Czechoslovak Armies 1939-45, which covers the uniforms and equipment of Czechoslovak forces not only as they fought under various Allied commands through WWII, but also paramilitary units serving on the home front within Czechoslovakia during the German occupation.

The book is presented in Osprey's usual 48-page A5 format with a combination of text, black-and-white photographs and eight pages of color plates, which are painstakingly described in the last five pages of the book.

The book begins with a short historical account of the formation of Czechoslovakia after gaining independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire after WWI. It describes the establishment, structure and evolution of the armed forces during the interwar years, though to the gradual annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938-39.

The book then describes the Czechoslovak forces that fought with the Allies from 1939 to 1945, and is organized by theater of operation and time period:

• With the French Army in France 1939-40
• With the British Army in the Middle East 1940-43
• With the British Army in the Far East 1941-42
• With the British Army and the Royal Air Force in Britain and Northwest Europe 1940-45
• With the Red Army 1941-45

Each section provides an explanation of the role played by Czechoslovakian personnel in that theater, along with details of weapons, uniforms and equipment used by Czechoslovakian units.

The book also describes the roles played by Czechoslovakian forces on the Home Front within Czechoslovakia during the German occupation. It covers not only the Government Army established by the Germans for internal security, but also resistance organizations and Czechoslovakian members of the SOE.

The text is supplemented by numerous black-and-white photographs depicting uniforms and equipment used by Czechoslovakian personnel in various theaters. Each photograph is accompanied by a comprehensive caption.

In keeping with the usual format of books in this series, there are 24 color illustrations depicting Czechoslovakian servicemen, occupying 8 pages in the center of the book. The last 5 pages provide detailed explanations of each color plate.

The final page contains an index to the contents. There is no table of contents at the front of the book, but that is consistent with the format of the various Osprey series.

In summary, this book provides a useful and convenient reference for modelers who wish to accurately depict Czechoslovakian servicemen in multiple theaters during WWII.

Highly Recommended for Beginner to Advanced builders who wish to accurately depict the weapons, uniforms and equipment of Czechoslovak service personnel during WWII.

Thanks goes out to Osprey Publishing for the review sample.

Reviewed by Neil Stokes

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