Featured battle : Burgos [Failed siege]

Part of The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Date : 18 September 1812 - 21 October 1812

Wellington pushed Clausel's army back passed Madrid, where Wellington left his three best divisions, to Burgos. The French fell back even further but left a strong garrison under General Dubreton to hold the fortress. The siege, conducted at the very end of over extended lines of communication, was under resourced and consequently costly in terms of men lost. With his position becoming more perilous every day, Clausel was reforming, Soult and d'Erlon were approaching Madrid from the south and south east, Wellington had to abandon the siege and work to unite his two forces. On the night of the 21st the wheels of the guns and wagons were muffled with straw and the British withdrew from Burgos.

British Army of the Rhine - The BAOR 1945-1993

Paul Chrystal
Part of the "Cold War 1945-1991" series, this is quite a small book at only 126 pages, to cover such a large subject and I think that's it's biggest issue. It tries to cover too much. There are sections which are interesting and obviously well researched, particularly the chapters on the predecessors and formation of the BAOR, de-nazification & fraternisation and the 'families on the Rhine'. The sources and further reading sections are useful too. However the majority of the period of the BAOR's service is somewhat sparsely covered, and the token section on the RAF and the Royal Navy really should have been left out all together. There is hopefully a much bigger, more comprehensive book somewhere that this is taster for, and I would very much like to read it. The author has a good grasp of the subject and good photographs supplied by his family furnishing welcome detail and authenticity but it has definitely lost something in the edit.
Pen and Sword Military, Barnsley, 2018