The Sd.Kfz.251 half-track armored personnel carrier was the primary-armored transport vehicle of the German Wehrmacht. It was developed by the company Hanomag in 1938, based on the artillery tractor Sd.Kfz.11, with serial production starting in the summer of the following year. The Sd.Kfz.251 armored personnel carriers were produced in four main variants—Ausf. A, B, C, and D—and there were 23 different versions for various army needs, differentiated by their armament and equipment. The 251/1 variant was the standard transport vehicle for the German motorized infantry, capable of carrying one squad of soldiers. These combat vehicles were in service with the German Army throughout World War II and were used in all theaters of combat, with a total of 15,252 units produced in various series and modifications. Among other armored personnel carriers produced during World War II, they were second only to the American M3 in terms of quantity.

Being combat-ready for operations is our highest priority. The British Army is ever vigilant, always ready and steadfast in its commitment to the defense of the UK and its citizens. The Army on One Page - British Army website

This book covers the British Army after the Cold War and Operations Telic (Iraq, 2003-2011) and Herrick (Afghanistan, 2001-2014) as it transitioned from large, armored formations designed to fight on the plains of western Europe to the counterinsurgency operations that consumed the western world’s military from 2001 to the mid-2010s. The British Army, like its American counterpart, has been struggling against the peace dividends and counter-insurgency requirements to become smaller and more lethal in heavy warfighting against a peer enemy.

The origin of Pen & Sword Books is closely linked with its sister company, the Barnsley Chronicle; one of the UK's oldest provincial newspapers, established in 1858, and one of the few weeklies still in private ownership. The first books published by the company were in response to public demand following of a series of articles published in the newspaper: Dark Peak Aircraft Wrecks told the story of crash sites in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park, and a further weekly feature on the history of two Kitchener battalions, known as the Barnsley Pals, aroused a thirst for more information. Following on from the success of those books, a number of local history paperbacks were produced along with a series of battlefield guidebooks. Battleground Europe proved immediately successful, and the company made the decision to launch a book publishing arm of the group.