Marengo 1800: Napoleon's Day Of Fate (Praeger Illustrated Military History Series)

Covering not only the Battle of Marengo but the whole Second Italian Campaign, devoting pages to the siege of Massena in Genoa, the passage of the Alps, the battle of Montebello and many other aspects, profusely mapped, with detailed orders of battle and short biographical sketches of all the generals involved, and thoroughly written with a text which is both lucid and stirring and does not leave any stone unturned, this book is a "must " to anybody that is interested in the Napoleonic Wars. It is a vivid and passionate account that shows how defeat can be turned into a victory in a matter of half an hour. The Austrians fought with their usual bravery and stubborness, but, finally, Dessaix and Kellerman's dash save the day for Napoleon (for him that was really a "very near run thing"). Another splendid book from Osprey.

Prior to this book I knew next to nothing about this all important battle from Nappy's early days. This battle illustrates the importance of assigning good men to the command of your Army so that they can arrive in the nick of time to save you from defeat.

This author, together with Terry Crowdy, has done a considerable amount of original archive research in both the Kriegsarchiv in Vienna and the S.H.A.T. in Vincennes. Not surprisingly, the new information they have brought to light has shattered the odd cherished myth or two. As such, there are those who have subjected David Hollins to a considerable amount of abuse for the revelations made in this book. Their unfounded and ill-considered comments do not change the facts as established in this work. The falacy of their arguments has been shown on debate on a number of website forae. In all, a well-researched work that is ideal for the purposes it is designed.

A marvellous book that finally uses the Austrian Archives for what must be one of the first balanced accounts in the English Language. This author exposes the biases from the Buonaparte cult of the recent past. The Francophone onesidedness of authors such as Elting and Bowden are laid bare in an account that gives credit where it is due to both sides in a battle that was used as a central myth of the Napoleonic Legend; however hurtful this must be to the fantasists of "La Gloire". The Illustrations by Christa Hook are full of character and the detailed orders of battle should please the most hardened of wargamers. Of course the tight format of the Osprey Campaign series does not allow as full an account as one would wish but I understand that a further fuller volume is going to be available from this author.

On the whole I find it very informative. I like the brief bio's of the General's, through these booklets I am gaining a better understanding of Austrian leadership. The opening moves of the campaign are at just the correct depth for an introduction to the battle. And the battle itself is presented in an orderly fashion. A good amount of time has been spent digging through the Archives of the Austrian army and the official reports from the regiments of the French Army that fought there. There appears very little reference, if any, to the propaganda that Napoleon had published during his reign. It is nice to see something published that does not rely on second and third hand sources for its information. A good amount of time has been spent on the Order of Battle's and are a great point of reference when I can not remember who belonged to whom. The illustrations are what I expect in a volume of this type, informative, entertaining, and move with the prose.One of the complaints that I have heard about this volume is the lack of footnotes. I do not expect them in these volumes, but I wish a better bibliography could be included. I understand the market forces that constrain the space in which material can be presented. Overall, I have found this to be a splendid little book that has furthered my knowledge of this period in an informative and entertaining way. I am glad that I purchased it. I am awaiting your more robust treatment that is due out in the near future.