Military Model Scene

Title: The Red Army 1922-41
Author: Philip Jowett
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4728-5045-4

Number 546 in the Men-at-Arms series from Osprey, 'From Civil War to Barbarossa'. A 48-page soft-cover book examining the uniforms, equipment and organisation of the Red Army immediately following the end of the Civil War and the early stages of the new Communist state.
After 5 years of civil war, the Red Army was a huge organisation which was then quickly reduced in size. Described as ramshackle it did enforce Bolshevik rule over the vast area of Russia, including Central Asia, including clashes with China in 1929 and an incursion into Afghanistan in the same year. There are descriptions of each element of their uniforms and equipment, including headgear, helmets, field service uniforms, leggings, greatcoats and rank insignia. I for one was unaware of the detail such as the different colours to indicate the branch of service, for armour, artillery, cavalry etc.. Then there was war with Finland, Poland and the state of the Red Army in 1941, on the eve of the German invasion, Operation Barbarossa. The highlight of course for this series are the 8-pages of colour uniform plates that illustrate the variety of uniforms, by illustrator Stephen Walsh. Uniforms that are quite different to the simple khaki jackets & trousers familiar with the later period of WW2.
Ideal for figure modellers and wargamers for painting references, this adds another useful reference to the popular Men-at-Arms book series, with some interesting historical background as well.
Thanks to Osprey for our review copy.

Robin