writes:
Thunder on the Danube - Napoleon's Defeat of the Habsburgs
"A definitive history of Napoleon's last victorious war" -First Empire
Lively accounts of major and minor combat actions from Italy to Holland, Germany to Poland
Analyzes the intersection of political goals and military operations
The Franco-Austrian War of 1809 was Napoleon's last victorious war. Napoleon faced the Archduke Charles, the best of the Habsburg commanders, and a reformed Austrian Army that was arguably the best ever fielded by the Danubian Monarchy. The French ultimately triumphed but the margin of superiority was decreasing and all of Napoleon's skill and
determination was required to achieve a victorious outcome.
Gill tackles the political background to the war, especially the motivations that prompted Austria to launch an offensive against France while Napoleon and many of his veterans were distracted in Spain. Though surprised by the timing of the Austrian attack on the 10th April, the French Emperor completely reversed a dire strategic situation with stunning blows that he called his 'most brilliant and most skillful manoeuvres'. Following a breathless pursuit down the Danube valley, Napoleon occupied the palaces of the Habsburgs for the second time in four years...The Austrians recovered, however, and Napoleon suffered his first unequivocal repulse at the Battle of Aspern-Essling on the shores of the Danube opposite Vienna.
About the Author
John H. Gill is the author of With Eagles to Glory: Napoleon and His German Allies in the 1809 Campaign (Greenhill). Volumes II and III will take the war to its conclusion, including the Battle of Wagram and the neglected struggle at Znaim that led to armistice.
ISBN: 9781844157136
Price: £30.00 GBP
Hardback
512 pages
16pp B&w Illustrations - Plus Maps