Featured battle : Verona

Part of French War of the Third Coalition

Date : 18 October 1805

As part of Napoleon's strategic plan the army of Italy under the command of Marshall Massena were to occupy and push back the Austrians in northern Italy. Massena was not particularly energetic in this matter but advanced on Verona. His First Division caught the Austrians on a low lying tongue of land surrounded on three sides by the river Adige [Etsch]. The French occupied the opposite banks of the river which dominated the position and brought up their field guns. The Austrians retreated. Massena followed up but without much drive.

The BEF in France 1939-1940

John Grehan & Martin Mace
A most interesting compilation of some of the despatches sent by the senior Army and Naval commanders involved. Here presented is the raw material, the facts, as they were seen at that time by those people without the benefit of hindsight to enable them to make any adjustments to the narrative. The material covers some of the initial deployment of the BEF and its eventual evacuations from around Dunkirk and Cherbourg. Warmly recommended with the reservation that one needs either a very good knowledge of the geography of northern France or a large scale map to hand.
Pen & Sword Military, 2014