Prussian Line Infantry 1792-1815

Osprey Men at Arms #152

by Peter Hofschröer, Peter Hofshcroer, Bryan Fosten (Illustrations)

At the beginning of this period, the battalions of the Prussian Line usually fought in a linear formation three ranks deep, overwhelming the enemy with fire before a well-timed bayonet attack. By the end, the preferred formation was eight to 12 ranks deep. The responsibility for conducting the fire-fight was now given to the skirmish elements and the artillery. The formed battalions provided support for the fire line, and conducted the decisive bayonet charge. Whatever the change, the spirit and ability of the infantry remained consistently high throughout this bloody period.

48 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 1984

Reviews

[Mastersonmcvoidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A standard Osprey Men at Arms book, covering the Prussian Line Infantry of the Napoleonic period with the Prussian Light Infantry being covered in a separate volume.

The work contains a list of infantry regiments and a brief history of the Prussian infantry in the Napoleonic Wars, offering some interesting insight on the quality of the infantry, its tactics and organisation. Besides this, parts of the book are devoted to Scharnhorst and the Prussian Auxiliary Corps that fought in the 1812 Invasion of Russia.

Most of the book is focused on uniforms and has plenty of illustrations. It details the uniforms well enough, but it does not focus enough on the tactical and organisational history of the Prussian army for my tastes.

A decent reference work on Prussian uniforms and regiments, as well as a nice little guide to the organisation of the regular line infantry. I would've liked the work way more if it gave more attention to organisation and statistics of the Prussian infantry instead of uniforms.

Final Rating: 5/10

[Sergey Kryzhanovsky · Rating 2 out of 5]

Краткое описание темы. 2/3 страниц посвящены перечислению полков и их обмундированию. О боевых действиях и обучении почти ничего не сказано. Если и читать, то лишь для получения самого общего представления о том, что было. Книга даже в качестве справочника не подойдёт, т.к. из-за малого количества страниц львиная доля информации просто не вошла.

Странное нечто.

[Tom Axworthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A contribution to the excellent Men at Arms series.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Hofschroer's Prussian Line Infantry 1792-1815 is a summary of the organization, accoutrements, uniform and history of the Prussian Line Infantry during the Napoleonic Wars.

Hofschroer has specialized in the period and brought us an impressive and greatly appreciated series of English language books and articles on the Prussian Army of the Napoleonic period. Prior to him, there really was not much available in English on this major member of the Allies.

If you are interested in the Prussian Army of the period, this is a very good starting point.