The Spanish Civil War, 1936-39, was the curtain-raiser to World War II, and the major international event of the 1930s. Featuring specially commissioned full-color artwork, this book depicts the fighting men of the Nationalist forces that strove to take control of Spain alongside their German and Italian allies.

Introduction: historical background/ Chronology of main events, 1931–39/ Franco’s Nationalist armies: organization, orders of battle; uniforms, weapons, equipment/ Regional troops: Galicia, Andalucia, Navarra, etc./ Troops from Africa: Moroccan, African nomadic, Spanish Foreign Legion/ Security troops: Guardia Civil, Cuerpo de Seguridad/ Spanish Falange and other political militias/ Nationalist Air Force/ Nationalist Navy/ Foreign volunteers: German Legion Condor, Italian Volunteer Corps, Irish Brigade, Portuguese volunteers/ Select bibliography/ Plate commentaries/ Index

This book describes well the extraordinary range of troop types and their uniforms, included examples of the complex range of unit cross-postings between formations. There is a helpful, albeit brief, historical overview, then chapters on the Nationalist army (including militias), colonial troops, and foreign volunteers, plus the air force, navy and security forces. The text provides useful information on the state of training and 'combat effectiveness' of the various troops, and plentiful photographs and illustration to assist the modeller/gamer. Company and battalion structures are provided, although the author makes plain that these were often theoretical rather than kept to in the field. The back cover implies that there will be an accompanying volume on the Republican forces: together these will provide a nicely balanced profile of troops, uniforms, styles of fighting, weapons, and so on. (Chris Jarvis, Miniature Wargames, June 2014)

Featuring full-colour artwork, this is the first detailed English-language study of Franco’s German-allied forces in the devastating Spanish Civil War, the ‘rehearsal’ for World War II – an army confronted by volunteers from all over Europe and North America.