Osprey Publications, the prolific publisher of books related to nearly every aspect of military history imaginable, has in recent years been branching out into more traditional history works. This work is a critical biography of Otto Skorzeny, the man who rescued Mussolini from captivity. The author, Stuart Smith, is a trained historian with a career in business. Using original records and a variety of sources, Stuart has put together a fascinating portrait of a man whose entire career was largely built on one exploit – rescuing Mussolini from captivity in 1943. As his actions in the post-war would indicate, he was also an unrepentant Nazi.

Matthew Moss is a British author and historian specializing in small arms development, military history, and current defense affairs. Matthew has degrees from the Universities of Liverpool and Chester and has contributed to publications in both the United States and the United Kingdom. He runs the website Historical Firearms, a blog that explores the history, development, and use of firearms. He co-founded the Armourer’s Bench (or on Facebook) with Vic Tuff a multi-media exploration of historic small arms. Matthew has contributed to a number of print and online publications including magazines such as Small Arms Review, Popular Mechanics, The Armourer, History of War and Classic Arms & Militaria. This is his first book. He lives in Lancashire, UK.

Croco Models from Latvia specializes in aftermarket detail sets and resin sets, mainly of armored vehicles. They sure know how to find unique and interesting subjects. Visit their webpage and you will see.

Besides aftermarket details and resin kits, they release small generic detail parts, in this case a perforated metal plate, with very small circular plates in a diamond pattern.

The size of the fret is about 2 inches by 1.25 inches and it can be used for detailing many different models, probably armor in 1/35 scale (engine covers), perhaps aircraft in 1/32 and 1/48 (air intakes filters).

You can see how finely and homogenous the perforations are, as you can “see-through” them and still see the mini-ziploc bag behind it. Just think of it as a way to dress up any opening towards the interior of a model where you want to make it look like there is “something there”, like a radiator, a screen or just “something” which is better than bare plastic.

This publication can be purchased in one of three formats. The paperback edition (9781472828842) retails at $24.00. Both the eBook (ePub) (9781472828859) and eBook (PDF) (9781472828866) can be purchased for $19.20.

The author, John F. Winker, has written extensively on the history of Roman, English and American law. He resides in the Columbus, Ohio area and enjoys historical sites in the local area. Peter Dennis is well-known by readers of Osprey publications as his art is included in a large number of Osprey books. Mr. Dennis resides in Nottinghamshire, UK.

This is an excellent, well-written, beautifully illustrated book that provides a comprehensive overview of the WWII conflict at both a global and personal level. The hardcover book includes both color and B&W photos, and color illustrations that give a concise, but thorough, understanding of the strategies and decisions of the combatant nations.

Osprey’s Press release describes The Second World War as telling the stories of the men and women who lived and died during the second world war, from “politicians to factory workers, and from high command to the conscripted man on the front lines”. The experience of war is brought to life through a wealth of contemporary documentation, writings, and historical research while the political, military, and historical significance of the warriors are examined. The Second World War provides readers with a comprehensive, and yet very concise, history of the devastating events.