Ukrainian Armies 1914-55 (Men-at-Arms) [Paperback]

Peter Abbott (Author), Oleksiy Rudenko (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Men-at-Arms | Publication Date: September 23, 2004

There can be no region in Europe whose history has been more tortured than Ukraine. During the 20th century Austria, Poland, Russia, Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Romania vied for power over parts of this vast and fragmented area; and its divided peoples rose time and again in vain attempts to win their independence. For the first time in the West, this book gives a succinct summary of all the different armed forces raised among the Ukrainians, and of their uniforms and insignia. These are illustrated in colour and in a selection of extremely rare photographs, dating from World War I (1914-1918) to the aftermath of World War II (1939-1945), when Ukrainian guerrillas continued to defy the Soviet authorities until the mid-1950s.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...beautifully illustrated and the eight color plates show off a variety of WWI uniforms/equipment that are appropriate for armies that fought in the RCW...fills a very necessary spot in my wargaming library... As always, Osprey books form the first line of any 'attack' on a new period of study!" -HMG Reviewing Stand

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 23, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841766682
• ISBN-13: 978-1841766683
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.1 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,391,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting History-Limited By Osprey Scope, December 4, 2006

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ukrainian Armies 1914-55 (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

You have got to love Osprey. No matter how obscure the topic, it seems as though Osprey Publishing has produced a book about it. Today, Ukraine is one of the most important countries in Eastern Europe but for many centuries, the Ukraine was devided up between Russia, Austria-Hungary and Poland. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, the idea of a Ukrainian people and a sovereign nation was re-born in the aspirations of the Ukrainian intelligensia and professional classes. "Ukrainian Armies 1914-1955" chronicles the first fifty years of the military struggle to resurrect the Ukrainian nation. This is an inherently interesting story and this volume is one of the few English language sources that covers this endeavor.

On the positive side, Peter Abbott is a strong writer and he does an excellent job of navigating the intricate story of Ukrainina nationalism. Unfortunately, because this is an Osprey publication, he has to spend a lot of time describing uniforms. The illustrations provided by Rudenko and Admenko are not up to the usual high standards of Osprey.

This book covers some very interesting history. It is just a matter of time before additional books come out in English discussing this period of European history. Until that time, this volume will serve as an excellent introduction.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent short history, March 18, 2005

By 

D. Dobrjanskyj (Bayside, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ukrainian Armies 1914-55 (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

This is an excellent short history of Ukraine's early 20th Century armies. Sometimes (most times) the side that they were on was not always the "right" side. But in the face of Tsarist and then Soviet occupation Ukrainians had difficult choices to make. As an American of Ukrainian ancestry I am proud of every Ukrainian soldier no matter what uniform they wore. In their own way they were fighting to liberate their or their parental homeland. This book gives a good overview of how the struggle began in earnest; it is well written, historically accurate and wonderfully illustrated. Nice job to all the contributors.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Subject Requring More Scholarly Work, May 1, 2009

By 

Jeffrey Swystun (Ottawa & New York) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ukrainian Armies 1914-55 (Men-at-Arms) (Paperback)

Thanks to Osprey for taking on Ukrainian military history which is extremely rich but seldom examined. I greatly appreciated their balanced approach to the ambiguity that has impacted Ukrainian forces from the Russian Revolution and including World War 2. What is incredibily fascinating is the post second world war accounts of the anti-Soviet action taken by Ukrainian irregulars. Hard to imagine battalion size battles up to 1955 which no one heard about at the time. We need a definitive account on that subject.