""La Revolution Militaire Napoleonienne" by Stephane Beraud?" Topic

I picked up volume 3 in Paris and am totally engrossed. It's a fantastic book that focuses on French organization and tactics. The information is perfect for the war gamer as it speak to formations, infantry and cavalry combat, etc. He also does a great job incorporating various analyses done by French officers and excerpts from memoirs to demonstrate experiences and tactics as experienced by the fighting man.

Has anyone read the first two volumes and can recommend them? I am leaning towards getting them, but I believe they focus on the bigger picture.

Passionant.

Never heard of him before but the book's on my radar now.

heard positively but not seen and so nor bought because I buy rarely something before to have a "paper-book contact" in my hands and eyes
the author had published the first books a long time ago in 2007 and 2015 for another editor

Contents – Volume 3
Première partie : Les acteurs du combat napoléonien
Chapitre I : Du conscrit au grognard : Le contexte de la conscription – Du conscrit au soldat : l'incorporation
– Marches et bivouacs : le quotidien du soldat impérial
Chapitre II : Le combat à poudre noire – Les expériences du combat / Les différentes formes de combat / Les motivations du combattant / La question de la « brutalisation » de la guerre napoléonienne
Chapitre III : Vers la gloire ou la misère. Les blessés, prisonniers ou pensionnés, Les morts et les blessés / Les promus, pensionnés et retraités

Deuxième partie : Les ressorts du combat napoléonien
Chapitre IV : Une infanterie agile – Les origines de l'agilité / Les succès de l'agilité
Chapitre V : Une cavalerie puissante – Une nouvelle organisation de la cavalerie napoléonienne : croissance et indépendance / La cavalerie dans la manœuvre : surprise et poursuite stratégique / La cavalerie dans la bataille : les charges massives
Chapitre VI : Une artillerie mobile – Une artillerie au service de la manœuvre / Vers la coordination des feux
Chapitre VII : Une coordination interarmes systématisée

and here the same for Volumes 1 and 2
link

I suppose it's too much to hope for that there's an English translation edition?

The first two volumes are much better than volume 3 – which is good but not as sensational as volumes 1 and 2, those are in my view the gold standard or state of the art about how Boney conducted his operational art of war, his style of work, and so on in a most clear fashion – those are must reads and I did not encounter any other books which even come close to them.

Those books alone would merit to learn French.

tres interessant!
is there any such equivalent work for the Prussians? or the coalition overall?

in case you are interested in the French Army you should learn French there is such good stuff out there in French, also recently – Brun : La Grande Armée, as well as – Les Mythes de la Grande Armée
Sous la direction de Thierry Lentz, Jean Lopez, as for the Prussians – of what period – ?

Well the whole period, but yes j'apprends le français aussi!

Great recommendation, thanks.

Is "Poche" the French for Kindle? It's a lot cheaper that way but fortunately Amazon UK has it in papperbok.

nothing there for the whole period, a good start would be however the 3 volumes series by the Prussian General staff – Das Preußische Heer der Befreiungskriege, so far I could only alas find volume 2 on the net, in case you read French, all 3 volumes of Beraud would be a very good investment and joy to read.

Das Preußische Heer der Befreiungskriege, Band I:

link

(for Europeans, a US proxy server is needed)

For completeness, the link to volume II:

link

I didn't find volume III.

Is "poche" not just a small ("pocket" sized) version?

The first two volumes have just arrived from separate suppliers, and one is indeed a pocket sized version. A bit irritating as it will make the ookshelf look untidy.

Thanks for all the good advice. I have decided to work my backwards, going from v.III to v.II. 4th C has beat me though – my order of volume II is on the way, but not expected to arrive prior to July 14th. Kind of fitting! Thanks again!

in case also get Les Mythes de la Grande Armée – it is quite decently priced for kindle edition and Béraud did write two chapters in this book a well.

vW, I actually bought both Mythes and Revolution v.III both at the same time at a FNAC in Paris. I read Mythes first and thought it interesting, but not nearly to the same level as Revolution. As a novice war gamer, Revolution helped me think through a lot more of what I should be doing and seeing on my tabletop.

Once I've worked through my French, I'll be coming back to you in the future for comparable reading regarding the Austrian army, since I think you are the resident expert. I've already gone through Napoleon's Great Adversaries, but want something more (I can read German sources).