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Featured battle : Lambach
Part of The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars
Date : 19 December 1800
The groups of Austrian units retreating from Salzburg were scattered and uncoordinated. The French caught a mixed force under General von Mecséry at Lambach. The infantry was all either killed or captured. The French also took 500 wagons of rations and forage.
Featured image :
Sopwith Camel 2F1 World War 1 fighter
The Sopwith Camel (so called because of the hump in the forward fuselage between the pilot and the propeller) arrived late in the First World War, entering service on the western front on 4th July 1917, to late to prevent the 'happy time' in April that year when the German Jagdstaffel wrought such havoc on allied aircraft. Even with it's late entry to the war, it proved such a successful 'fighting scout' that it downed more enemy aircraft than any other single type during the whole war, and only the German Fokker Dr.1 could match it's manoeuverability. The over-land version, the F1 mounted a pair of synchronised .303in Vickers machine-guns in the hump just over the engine, firing through the propeller. This version, the naval 2F1 mounted a pair of Lewis .303 MG (or often one Lewis and One Vickers) on top of the upper wing, firing above the propeller disc. This particular aircraft was flown by Flight Sub-Lieutenant Stuart D Culley, from a lighter towed by the destroyer HMS Redoubt on 11th August 1918 when he shot down the last German airship (L.53 under Kapitänleutnant Prölss) to fall during the war.
Gallery updated : 2022-04-04 08:33:43
Featured review :
Battle for Paris 1815
Paul L. Dawson
For anyone seeking a full understanding of the end of the Napoleonic era this book is a must read. Paul Dawson’s tour de force of research, into previously rarely access French sources, really has produced the previously untold story of Grouchy’s withdrawal/retreat from Wavre to Paris. One example is when he writes of a French cavalry charge on the 3rd July 1815 ‘This was the last cavalry charge of the Napoleonic wars. It has been, until the details were teased out from the mass of paper work in the French Army Archives, totally forgotten about.’
Dawson makes clear that he is a firm supporter of Grouchy and criticises the ‘received wisdom’ about him by using lots of first hand evidence. It is refreshing to note that the author also makes clear where he has had to change his own mind as he came across new evidence. There are some pertinent insights, given almost as throw aways, into the minutiae of campaigning such as the lack of good horses for aides carrying dispatches.
The narrative flows in an easily readable style and there are some appropriate illustrations.
All the above is most positive however there at two major negatives, one within the book’s scope the other without. First down side is that a reader of this book needs at least two large maps. One of the area retreated through and another of the city of Paris. Without these much of the information does not have much meaning. A troop movement from A to B is only understood if you know where A and B are.
The other negative, not strictly about this book, probably requires another book to address. This would cover the contemporaneous movements of the Allies. Knowing these would allow some fuller judgements to be made on the appropriateness of Grouchy’s movements.
We thoroughly recommend this book with the caveat that the reader provides their own maps.
Frontline Books, 2019
Reviewed : 2019-12-02 10:21:44
