Napoleon’s Military Machine by Philip J. Haythornthwaite lands on the shelves of my shop, where it will be found in my Military History section.
Tunbridge Wells: Spellmount Limited, 1988, Hardback in dust wrapper.
Contains: Colour plates; Black & white drawings; Maps;
From the cover: That Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the greatest military commanders in history is never in doubt. His rise was meteoric, and his successes awesome; and they were founded almost entirely upon military prowess. But the reasons for his successes are many and complex and did not rely solely on a magnetic personality with a genius for strategy, but on a combination of numerous factors both within and outside Napoleons control.
Napoleons Military Machine presents an analysis of these factors, to show how the ragged armies of the French Revolutionary Wars were transformed within an amazingly short time into what was without question the most efficient and professional military body in Europe at the time. All aspects of Napoleons military and naval forces are covered: their composition, appearance, weaponry and capabilities, how they marched, fought and died to further the aims of their Emperor. All parts of the army are analysed: the cavalry, so often the symbol of French flamboyance; the infantry which provided the backbone of the army; the artillery, in which Napoleon himself learned his trade; the Imperial Guard, his fabled household troops; and the staff and supporting services without which no army could operate. Napoleons tactics are described and his innovations analysed, and in the context of these topics a review of his campaigns is given, from the early battles in Italy to the zenith of Austerlitz and the final act of Waterloo, demonstrating the reasons for his success and, later, the causes of his decline.
In the Military Machine series.
Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper.
Red boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 200 pages. Index. Bibliography. 11″ x 8¾”.
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