For Christmas this year, I bought 3 books that were on the list – "Kongens Klaeder" by Karsten Skjold Petersen (available here: gad.dk/kongens-klaeder ) and 2 books in English – "The Napoleonic Ottoman Army" by C. Flaherty and "Danish and Norwegian Armies in the Napoleonic Wars" by G. Street, both published by Caliver Books – caliverbooks.com .
"Kongens Klaeder" ("The King's Clothes") is a mammoth book – 715 pages – on the Danish and Norwegian uniforms from 1765-1816 (roughly the 7YW to the end of the Napoleonic Wars) written by one of the curators of the Danish Defense Museum. It is THE book on the subject and covers every unit in detail down to buttons and piping. The book is profusely illustrated and is a masterpiece of book making as well. If you are interested in the Napoleonic Danes or Norwegians, this is THE book to get.
Along the same lines, the new book published by Caliver books and written by George Street is probably the best wargaming book in English on the Danish and Norwegian Nap. armies, though he makes the same mistake that most researchers on the Norwegian Nap. army make by commenting that the Norwegian grenadiers wore bearskins, without citing any evidence. Actually, the evidence doesn't exist that the Norwegian grenadiers were ever issued bearskins during the 1808 war with Sweden but might (and I stress 'might') have been issued them after the war. These were withdrawn and the grenadiers were issued shakos in 1810. Other than that minor quibble, this book does what it proclaims to do – it gives the wargamer adequate info to organize and paint the Danish and/or Norwegian armies of the Napoleonic period. However, I would take issue with one statement in which the author states that the Norwegian dragoons were trained to fight on foot and on horseback, that is true; however, records indicate that they were designed to be used as battle cavalry, the fact that they weren't doesn't detract from the fact that their training was primarily on horseback. However, it must be stressed that the terrain in Norway wasn't conducive to cavalry charges.
The book on the Ottomans is the best source wargamers have so far on the regular Ottoman Napoleonic army and Flaherty does an impressive job of gathering info on every branch of the Ottomans during the Napoleonic period (loose term). Profusely illustrated and well worth the money for anyone contemplating getting started on the Ottomans, it is an awesome book.
All in all, the three books are great additions to the growing library of uniform books.
Happy gaming!
paints a Napoleonic caricature.
