"The Potato War: Potatoes of Destiny" Topic

"That's how Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel put it, and in the middle of the Nineteenth Century the Imperial-Royal Austrian Army thoroughly agreed with Hegel's view of historicism. War, in this case, could only be understood through study of the history of warfare. Said study would yield concrete examples from the historical past which then could be successfully imitated in the present.

That mindset led to Austrian victories at places like Aspern in 1809 (modeled on Prince Eugene's victory at Zenta in 1697) and the Second Battle of Custoza in 1866 (based on the First Battle of Custoza in 1848). When presented with a problem that could be explained by historical precedent, Austrian commanders and staff usually performed well. When faced with an innovative opponent – as in most of their encounters with Napoleon – they usually had a much more difficult time understanding the situation and reacting.

That's the essential argument made in my doctoral dissertation, which is based on the connection between the two battles of Custoza. It's based on more than coincidence: Joseph Freiherr Maroicic von Madonna del Monte, an aide to Marshal Josef Graf Radetzky at First Custoza commander of the Austrian VII Corps at Second Custoza, pretty much wrote it down, in the marginalia of his copy of the army's official history of the 1848 battle…"

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Amicalement
Armand

Which side used the potatoes best?

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

As my Gran always used to say, "Be thankful for small Murphys……"