The 1809 campaign on the Danube was to break the spell of Napoleon's invincibility. Indeed Wagram - the largest battle in history at the time - was Napoleon's revenge for his earlier defeat on the battlefield - at Aspern-Essling. In gaining this revenge the French commander was not wholly successful. Although the French won the battle as the Austrians eventually quit the field, the victory was an extremely hollow one, as Napoleon was unable to inflict a decisive defeat. Both these epic battles are expertly described by Ian Castle, chronicling the many changes of fortune as each side captured, lost, and then recaptured key positions.The 1809 campaign on the Danube was to break the spell of Napoleon's invincibility. Indeed Wagram - the largest battle in history at the time - was Napoleon's revenge for his first personal defeat on the battlefield - at Aspern - Essling. In gaining this revenge the French commander was not wholly successful. Although the French did indeed win the battle as the Austrians eventually quit the field, the victory was an extremely hollow one. Not only was there no rout or pursuit - the Austrian troops left in good, disciplined order, simply marching off the field - but also it was quite possibly the French who lost more men at the end of the day: approximately 27,500 killed and wounded, with an additional 10,000 missing or taken prisoner. In contrast the Austrians probably lost 23,750 killed and wounded, 7,500 prisoners and about 10,000 missing. Many, however, of the latter returned to their regiments after the battle thus perhaps making the total Austrian loss less than that of the French. Both these two day battles are described by Ian Castle in this volume, with detailed maps and graphics that afford the reader the opportunity to follow the many changes of fortune during the epic battles, as each side captured, lost, then recaptured key positions.

Aspern & Wagram 1809: Mighty Clash Of Empires (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

History

Castle, Ian

Europe

Praeger Pub Text

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.

Austerlitz 1805: The Fate Of Empires (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

Military

In the spring of 1809, the Austrian army, buoyant and full of new-found patriotic fervor, rolled across the frontier with Bavaria. The time had come to exact revenge for the humiliating defeat suffered at Austerlitz. Napoleon was not in the front line when Austria had launched its campaign - and the French and their German allies blundered backwards and forwards across the Bavarian countryside. But, with the appearance of Napoleon, Archduke Charles lost the initiative, and ten days later, harassed by ceaseless rain, the Austrians were streaming back from the Abens river with Napoleon in hot pursuit. This volume covers the various clashes of this significant campaign, drawing upon previously unpublished Austrian primary sources.
In the Spring of 1809, the Austrian army, buoyant and full of new-found patriotic fervour, rolled across the frontier with Bavaria. The time had come to exact revenge for the humiliating defeat suffered four years earlier at Austerlitz. But ten days later, with their earlier determination washed away by the ceaseless rain, they were streaming back from the Abens river with Napoleon in hot pursuit. Napoleon had not been in the front line when Austria had launched its campaign. Under the control of Marshal Berthier the French troops and their German allies had blundered backwards and forwards across the Bavarian countryside. But with the appearance of Napoleon order was created where none had existed before and almost immediately Archduke Charles, commander of the Austrians, lost the initiative. Although defeated at Eggmuhl on 21 April, the Austrian army, remained intact and capable of action.

Eggmuhl 1809: Storm Over Bavaria (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

In the late 1870s the British Imperial administration in the Cape colony in southern Africa began to view the Zulu kingdom as a challenge to their authority. To contain this perceived threat, they engineered a war. The early campaigns went terribly wrong, culminating with the decisive Zulu victory at Isandlwana. However, the Zulus, primarily reliant on their skill with the stabbing spear, had no real defense or retaliation against the massed firepower of professional British soldiers, and ultimately the British won the war. Ian Castle examines the British-Zulu war and its two key battles, Isandlwana and Khambula, with excellent black and white photographs accompanying the clear and detailed text.
In the late 1870s the British Imperial administration in the Cape colony in southern Africa engineered a war with the Zulu kingdom which they viewed as a challenge to their authority. The early campaigns went terribly wrong for the British with the decisive Zulu victory at Isandlwana ending the first phase of the invasion of Zululand. Ultimately however, in spite of this setback, the British won the war: the Zulus, primarily reliant on their skill with the stabbing spear at close-quarters, had no real defence or retaliation against the massed firepower of professional British soldiers firing Martini-Henry rifles. These single-shot breech-loading weapons decimated the Zulus as they tried to advance towards the red-coated British troops. Even at Isandlwana the Zulus lost more than a thousand men, and victory was only really guaranteed them when their opponents began to run out of ammunition. This title examines the British-Zulu war in general and its two key battles, Isandlwana and Khambula in particular. The reasons for the initial British defeat are discussed as are the shortcomings of the Zulu forces that led to their ultimate subjugation at the hands of the British.

Zulu War 1879 (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

Knight, Ian

Africa

In 1881 the tension between Britain and the Boer farmers of southern Africa that had existed for 75 years boiled over into open conflict. The British entered the war full of confidence, yet in a few short weeks they had suffered three separate reverses before suffering their final humiliating defeat on the isolated summit of Majuba. George Colley's force were swept off their unassailable position and into headlong retreat. It was a defeat that sent shock waves reverberating around the Empire. Ian Castle examines not only the battle at Majuba, but also the previous engagements at Laing's Nek, Schuinshoogte and Bronkhorstspruit.In 1881 the tension between Britain and the Boer farmers of southern Africa that had existed for 75 years boiled over into open conflict. The British entered the war full of confidence, yet in a few short weeks they had suffered three separate reverses before suffering their final humiliating defeat on the isolated summit of Majuba. George Colley's force were swept off their 'unassailable' position and into headlong retreat. It was a defeat that sent shock waves reverberating around the Empire. In this masterful examination of the First Boer War Ian Castle looks at the battles of Laing's Nek, Schuinshoogte and the action at Bronkhorstspruit. Majuba is also looked at in particular detail. The commanders of the two sides and the opposing forces themselves are examined, as are their different ways of fighting. The regular British army proved incapable of taking on and beating irregular Boer commandos, who, favouring a defensive strategy, were happy to hold secure positions until such time as the enemy were about to close, at which point they would mount-up and retired to safety: this was, in many ways, the 19th century British army's Vietnam. Ian Castle's account does true justice to the conflict, explaining clearly how the British were comprehensively beaten by a small infant republic with no standing army.

Majuba 1881: The Hill Of Destiny (Praeger Illustrated Military History Series)

The heroic defence of the mission station at Rorke's Drift became the epic action of the Anglo-Zulu war. A small garrison defended this vulnerable border-post for ten hours and in the process won the northern sector at Ntcombe Drift, Hlobane and Khambula. This title also includes the story of the death of the exiled French Prince Imperial in a skirmish, which had the severest repercussions for those involved.

Rorke's Drift: Zulu War (Battleground Europe)

Kinght, Ian

World

Pen and Sword Military

The authors' description of the events on the fateful day – 2 January 1879 – brings to life the shocking defeat of the British Army at the hands of the Zulus. The blunders and omissions that resulted in the loss of so many lives are exposed.

Isandlwana: Zulu War (Battleground South Africa)

Pen_and_Sword

At the beginning of 1916, as the world entered the second full year of global conflict, the cities, towns and villages of Britain continued to lay vulnerable to aerial bombardment. Throughout that period German Zeppelin airships and seaplanes had come and gone at will, their most testing opposition provided by the British weather as the country’s embryonic defenses struggled to come to terms with this first ever assault from the air. Britain’s civilians were now standing on the frontline — the Home Front — like the soldiers who had marched off to war. But early in 1916 responsibility for Britain’s aerial defense passed from the Admiralty to the War Office and, as German air attacks intensified, new ideas and plans made dramatic improvements to Britain’s aerial defense capability.\nWhile this new system could give early warning of approaching raiders, there was a lack of effective weaponry with which to engage them when they arrived. Behind the scenes, however, three individuals, each working independently, were striving for a solution. The results of their work were spectacular; it lifted the mood of the nation and dramatically changed the way this campaign was fought over Britain.\nThe German air campaign against Britain in the First World War was the first sustained strategic aerial bombing campaign in history. Despite this, it has become forgotten against the enormity of the Blitz of the Second World War, although for those caught up in the tragedy of these raids, the impact was every bit as devastating. In Zeppelin Inferno Ian Castle tells the full story of the 1916 raids in unprecedented detail in what is the second book in a trilogy that will reveal the complete story of Britain’s ‘Forgotten Blitz’.

Zeppelin Inferno: The Forgotten Blitz 1916

Frontline Books

This book tells the story of Germany's strategic air offensive against Britain, and how it came to be neutralized. The first Zeppelin attack on London came in May 1915 - and with it came the birth of a new arena of warfare, the 'home front'. German airships attempted to raid London on 26 separate occasions between May 1915 and October 1917, but only reached the capital and bombed successfully on nine occasions. From May 1917 onwards, this theatre of war entered a new phase as German Gotha bombers set out to attack London in the first bomber raid. London's defences were again overhauled to face this new threat, providing the basis for Britain's defence during World War II. This comprehensive volume tells the story of the first aerial campaign in history, as the famed Zeppelins, and then the Gotha and the massive Staaken 'Giant' bombers waged war against the civilian population of London in the first ever 'Blitz'.

The First Blitz: Bombing London in the First World War (General Military)

Osprey_Publishing

In this authoritative and beautifully illustrated new account of Napoleon's greatest victory and the campaign that preceded it, Ian Castle sheds new light on the actions of the commanders and questions the assumptions - and explores the myths - that have shaped our understanding of the event ever since. His account follows every twist and turn of a war that was fought out across central Europe two centuries ago. In particular he reconstructs the course of the action in every sector of the Austerlitz battlefield, using French, Austrian and Russian records, and re-evaluates the place of the battle in the history and mythology of the Napoleonic era.

Austerlitz: Napoleon and the Eagles of Europe

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