Customer Reviews

The Boxer Rebellion (Men-at-Arms)

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The color plates of this Osprey title are pretty good and illustrate the finer details of the equipment and uniforms of the various international contingents that fought during the Boxer Rebellion. The text is not bad, either, but space allows it only to give a brief overview of the historical situation. Like most men-at-arms titles pertaining to recent history, this is mostly a visual guide.

For those contemplating staging a new wargame, look no further than this book for the Boxer Rebellion. Although somewhat dated by comparison with the other Osprey MAA books, the text is readable and the illustrations by C Warner are evocative of the period. Recommended

So many of the earlier volumes in this series are either superficially done by authors barely familiar with research or just too sketchy, that is, the subject is too vast for the space available.
This one is just about right. It is the story of the first international expeditionary force in the twentieth century, combining forces which sooner or later would fight each other. The major forces were the U.S., and the British, Japanese, French, and German empires, all first commanded by a British admiral.
The Chinese peasant traditionalist organizations, whose names translated as Boxers, revolted against the Imperial Government and laid siege to the Legation Quarter at Peking near the seat of the government. For political reasons, the Imperial Army was first kept on the sidelines, for the Imperial Dowager Empress disapproved of the foreign concessions that had been imposed on China over the last century. (19th).But when the Allies tried to advance along the railway to Peking to rescue the foreigners there the Imperial Army blocked their way.
The advance was no picnic stroll. Hordes of Boxer and Imperial forces attacked the advancing Allies who in the searing heat and stifling dust of the Asian continental climate were hindered by the necessity of marching along the railroad from Tientsin and repairing it as they went.
All in all, a good overview of the incidents which at the time, inspired multitudes of reports, books, and popular histories.
Later the siege was commemorated in the movie "55 Days at Peking" starring Charlton Heston and the US Marine Corps Legation Guard. Though the British Envoy, a former general officer was really in charge of the defense.

As usual the Osprey Books on Military Uniforms and Equipment are outstanding. The color plates help the modeler paint the uniforms properly for the various units.

The books also provide a brief history of the subject matter. I am working on a scene using the Chinese Boxers and units from the Foreign Ligation Siege outside Peking in 1900. Osprey covered the background of the Boxers and what and why of the rebellion. They also pointed out that the Empress gave approval for the Rebellion and allowed the Chinese Army to support the Boxers.

I have purchased several Osprey books over the years and have never been disappointed. The books cover a huge range of History and are a must for students, modelers, and gamers.