kahunna | 14 Jan 2012 8:11 p.m. PST |
A great book on the many little wars Napleon's Empire had to face against rebels/bandits. A great read. mysteriousbill.weebly.com |
DeanMoto | 14 Jan 2012 10:54 p.m. PST |
Sounds like a great source for Sharp Practice scenarios. I may have to pick this book up. Thanks, Dean |
Rassilon | 15 Jan 2012 12:16 a.m. PST |
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Travellera | 15 Jan 2012 2:44 a.m. PST |
I read it. A little bit academic but it contains a wealth of inspiration for potential skirmish scenarios. It is just a pity that there is a lack of miniatures to represent French Gendarmes and peasant guerillas (other than Spanish). I made a short review here: link |
Gazzola | 15 Jan 2012 4:45 a.m. PST |
For anyone interested, Chapter 3 and a contents list can be found on Google books. It can give the reader an idea on how the rest of the book narrates. |
BrigadeGames  | 15 Jan 2012 8:53 a.m. PST |
I really wanted to like this book and looked forward to the information. I expected better. I found it terribly difficult to read. The constant pounding upon the fact about the guerrillas ad-nauseum over and over and lack of additional information hasn't gotten me past the first 25% of the book. (reminds me of Michener or the authors who can take 10 pages to describe a flower or other object.) I bought this as a summer read and have not gone back to it. Someone convince me that it gets better. |
basileus66 | 15 Jan 2012 11:58 p.m. PST |
It doesn't. Actually, the chapter on the Spanish guerrillas is based on secondary sources only; not a bit of original research on that chapter. For inspiration for scenarios of Gendarmes vs Guerrillas got Emmanuel Martin's reprint, La gendarmerie française en Espagne et Portugal; it's outdated (it was published originally in late XIXth Century) but it's rich in anecdotes and small action narratives. |
Gazzola | 16 Jan 2012 6:42 a.m. PST |
basileus66 Are you saying the rest of the book reads differently, even though it was written by the same author? That doesn't sound too good for the author, if his narratives differ for particular chapters? |
basileus66 | 16 Jan 2012 2:36 p.m. PST |
No What I am saying is that I know for certain that the chapter on the Spanish guerrillas is based upon second hand material only. I suspect he does the same in those chapters that do not coincide with his area of expertise -Italy-. Anything in Broer's book that it's not related to small wars in Italy should be taken with utmost caution. The chapter on the Spanish is worthless. |
A Twiningham | 17 Jan 2012 8:21 a.m. PST |
Travellera, Capitan Miniatures are releasing (or have just released?) some 28mm French Gendarmes. I haven't picked any up, but the pictures look very promising. Italy is the area I am most interested in so I guess I'll have to badger the library into getting me a copy. |
GarryWills | 17 Jan 2012 12:47 p.m. PST |
I am reading this now, yes I agree it's academic style makes it a more difficult read and the first few chapters are short on real examples. However I will finish it as it provides a good perspective to complement the histories that focus on the, by comparison, relatively tidy and simple conflicts between nation states. Garry Wills caseshotpublishing.com |