"Reading suggestions on Lutzen and Bautzen?" Topic

Hi,

I'm hoping for reading suggestions on the battles of Lutzen and / or Bautzen. Could anyone please recommend a history of the Liberation with decent detail on these?

FMB

Nafziger did a book on the Spring '13 campaign and the two battles. Super detailed but extremely dry to read.

Plus…they are rare and expensive. Good start is the Osprey book on the subject.

link

… just waiting for the "Osprey haters" to pile on..

Nafziger has an incredible amount of information, but his style of writing takes some getting used to. Great maps and
superbly detailed OOB's.

Nafziger starts at $108 USD on Amazon, pretty good deal actually, I have seen it for much more

The following:

Besides the Nafzigers and Osprey on the battles, which are a must have, try:

Napoleon & Berlin by Michael V. Leggiere – a must have.
Napoleon: The Last Campaigns by James Lawford – a must have.
Napoleon Against Europe by Anthony Brett-James – a nice to ahve lots of diagrams
The Napoleonic Wars by Gunther Rothenberg (a page or two on it)
Charge: Great Cavalry Charges of the Napoleonic Wars by Digby Smith (some cavalry action from some the of the battles during the campaign) – different viewpoint i.e. Cavalry

Campaigns of Napoleon by David Chandler – must have.

Dare I say this, but Mr Hofschrorer has a book on the subject as well. Decent price used on Amazon.

link

My understanding is that the Hofschrorer book linked above is the Osprey in hardcover.

The Osprey is a good enough book, but there is just so much you can do in the limited number of pages they provide.

Tom

Yeah it probably is since it is only 96 pages.

A couple of suggestions…

An oldie but a goodie:

F. Lorraine Petre, Napoleon's Last Campaign in Germany, 1813

For a general overview:

R.F. Delderfield Imperial Sunset: The Fall of Napoleon, 1813-14

Praegers are hard cover Ospreys. Hofschroer wrote the Osprey. Its a good intro guide. I like Petre, I like Nafziger and have them both. Could also look at Wikipedia too…

Petre is out of copyright and can be had for free. It is an excellent and very readable account. link

I would also suggest Kevin Zucker's Special Study on 1813:
link

Terrific gang, thanks. I'll get cracking ;)

I had no idea that the Nafziger books were so expensive.I have the book on Dresden ,and if my old memory is not failing me ,I got it years ago at a convention for ,I think,$25.00.I would love to get my hands on the Bautzen and Lutzen book.

Runicus

I've got Nafziger's Bautzen and Dresden books too. Better take good care of them, they are getting more valuable! I read "Imperial Sunset" when I was just beginning to study the period. It remains one of my nostolgic favorites.

@Twiningham, thanks for the Zucker link, I ordered a copy straightaway.
Cyrille

My pleasure. I have a few of them and I do not think you will be disappointed.

Correction to my post:

Napoleon: The Last Campaigns by James Lawford – a nice to have lots of diagrams.
Napoleon Against Europe by Anthony Brett-James – a must have – this contaibns eye witness accounts, something that Anthony Brett-James does more than anyone else in a single tome.

The Kevin Zucker study folio's are a mine of information. They were designed to be read whilst playing any of his boardgames (which I may add are spot on from an operational and strategic level of Napoleonic warfare).

I have a copy of Nafziger's Leipzig ,now I would like to know whether his Lutzen & Bautzen and Dresden worth 200$ ?

Well – if you want a complete collection the answer is yes. I would purchase both those books for $200 USD without a second thought. ( I have all three and was very lucky to purchase them on three separate occasions for around $35 USD to $65 USD each).

One of the best works :

Osten – Sacken : Militärisch Politische Geschichte des Befreiungskriegs im Jahre 1813, Band II a. Der Frühjahrsfeldzug. Groß – Görschen, Berlin 1904

Band II b, Der Frühjahrsfeldzug. Bautzen, Berlin 1906

very detailed OOBs