"Napoleon's Military Machine by Chris McNab" Topic

Received this volume yesterday. The subtitle is Operations Manual.

I have found numerous errors in the volume, especially in the artillery section and this book is nowhere near an 'operations manual.'

Some artillery errors include:

-on page 89 showing a French howitzer and labeling the picture a 6-pounder. And further stating the the 6-pounder was unsuccessful in replacing the 4- and 8-pounders.

-a train conductor on page 86 is inaccurately stated to be an officer.

-French artillery companies are inaccurately named batteries, as on page 87.

-on page 95 the 'ready box' of ammunition is stated to have been carried on the limber, when it was actually carried on the field piece and only placed on the limber in action after emplacement.

-Neither Senarmont, Druout, nor Lauriston are mentioned when they commanded large artillery batteries at Friedland, Lutzen, or Wagram.

Further, there are too many reenactor photographs instead of period illustrations and that detracts from the volume.

Some dubious and unreliable sources are listed in the bibliography, such as:

-Bourrienne's ghost written 'memoir.'

-Jomini's Art of War.

-Marmont's memoirs.

-Nosworthy's Battle Tactics.

-Jonathan Riley's Napoleon as a General.'

Thanks the for heads up Kevin. I'll pass on this volume.

I hate when authors use pictures of re-enactors to illustrate books. I too will give this one a miss.

When Gettysburg came out, there were two 'fat' reenactors used by the production team. Not only was that historically inaccurate (I don't see any fat infantrymen, especially in 1862, in either army) it tended to cast doubt on the research for the movie, not that it was surprising.

Not to be confused with
Napoleon's Military Machine by Philip J. Haythornthwaite
I presume

and not to be confused with Andy McNab…I nearly did!

Another vote of thanks for the warning!