Not only was Austerlitz the first campaign Napoleon waged as Emperor of France; but also the first great test for his Grande Armee. The Emperor himself regarded it as his greatest victory and it undoubtedly won him a mastery of Europe that would remain unbroken for almost a decade. This volume chronicles the events that climaxed on the field of Austerlitz in one of the most famous battles of history. Most accounts of the campaign have until now been based almost exclusively on French sources; but following extensive research in the Austrian archives Ian Castle is now able to provide a far more balanced account.The Battle of Austerlitz is; after Waterloo; probably the most famous land battle of the Napoleonic Wars. It was the first campaign which Napoleon waged as Emperor of France and the first great test for his Grande Armee after years of preparation in the 'camps of Boulogne'. At the end of August 1805; even before Nelson's crushing defeat of the combined Franco-Spanish fleet at Trafalgar rendered the invasion of England impossible; Napoleon was issuing orders for his army to march into Germany. Reports had reached him from his spy network that Austria and Russia were preparing to take the field against him. In a masterpiece of strategic manoeuvre he isolated the Austrian army under General Mack around Ulm and forced it to surrender. Nevertheless; the forces confronting Napoleon remained formidable. He pressed on capturing Vienna and then proceeded to lure the Russian and Austrian armies into a carefully prepared trap using his own army as the bait. On 2 December 1805 on a cold; crisp winter's day on the field of Austerlitz the Emperors of Russia; Austria and France would all be present to witness one of the greatest battles of the age.
#2794275 in Books Praeger 1993-03-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.21 x .56 x 6.14l; 1.13 #File Name: 0275944093224 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Naval Special Warfare... Born from MudBy T.A.L. DozerThis book looks at early evolution of Naval Special Warfare within the United States Navy. It is an academic review of the joint army/navy Scouts and Raiders which evolved from the joint army/marine unit called the Observer Group; which is considered the precursor to; with direct linage to the Marine Amphibious Units (i.e. Force Recon; Battalion Recon) and the OSS Martine Unit of WWII. The Army/Navy Scouts and Raiders were the precursor to the Navy Combat Demolition Unit; and the Army Alamo Scouts. This book details some of the early methods of projecting covert and clandestine operations over-the-horizon from the sea; using submarines; surface boats; and surface swimming (dive equipment was still in its infancy at this time). As you read this book you will realize just how much influence the army and to a lesser extent the marines had on the development of the Scouts Raiders program. This is where "Hell Week" was first developed and instituted. Today most associate this to the modern day Basic Underwater Demolitions/SEALs (BUD/S) training; but this concept was born in mud by the army with a lot of other concepts that are still evident today within the SEAL community. Overall this is a very good book and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Special Warfare history.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Naval Special Warfare... Born from MudBy T.A.L. DozerThis book looks at early evolution of Naval Special Warfare within the United States Navy. It is an academic review of the joint army/navy Scouts and Raiders which evolved from the joint army/marine unit called the Observer Group; which is considered the precursor to; with direct linage to the Marine Amphibious Units (i.e. Force Recon; Battalion Recon) and the OSS Martine Unit of WWII. The Army/Navy Scouts and Raiders were the precursor to the Navy Combat Demolition Unit; and the Army Alamo Scouts. This book details some of the early methods of projecting covert and clandestine operations over-the-horizon from the sea; using submarines; surface boats; and surface swimming (dive equipment was still in its infancy at this time). As you read this book you will realize just how much influence the army and to a lesser extent the marines had on the development of the Scouts Raiders program. This is where "Hell Week" was first developed and instituted. Today most associate this to the modern day Basic Underwater Demolitions/SEALs (BUD/S) training; but this concept was born in mud by the army with a lot of other concepts that are still evident today within the SEAL community. Overall this is a very good book and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Special Warfare history.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. It was a great explanation of the early Scouts and RaidersBy CustomerIt was a great explanation of the early Scouts and Raiders; I feel they never got credit for all the did Mr Dwyer finaly got it out. I am so proud of this book.My brother is mentioned and his picture with his group are in this book. His children are buying the book.He was seventeen when his enlisted.
