1815 The Waterloo Campaign: Wellington, His German Allies and the Battles of Ligny and Quatre Bras

by Peter Hofschröer

Previously unpublished eyewitness accounts and battle reports German, British, and Dutch archive material published for the first time Controversial reassessment of the whole campaign Here is a unique reassessment of the Hundred Days and a powerful analysis of the epic confrontation at Waterloo. The first of two volumes, this study is a thoroughly researched examination of the opening moves of the campaign from a new perspective based on evidence never before presented to an English-speaking audience. Hofschrer arrives at far-reaching conclusions about the controversial theory that the Duke of Wellington deceived his Prussian alliesand all subsequent historians of the campaign. By presenting events from the perspective of the Germans, the author undermines the traditional view of the campaign as one fought out by the French and the British and reveals the crucial role of troops from Prussia and the German states.

Genres: History

398 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Olethros · Rating 4 out of 5]

-¿La victoria alemana en la campaña de Waterloo?-.

Género. Historia.

Lo que nos cuenta. Bordeando por momentos el ensayo (desde su perspectiva más interpretativa) es un análisis de la campaña napoleónica durante el Imperio de los Cien Días y de las decisiones que tomaron los diferentes protagonistas, pero haciendo especial hincapié en las intrincadas relaciones entre Wellington y Blücher. Fusión de dos obras originales del autor publicadas con un año de diferencia, independientes pero íntimamente relacionadas.

¿Quiere saber más del libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...

[James Mace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, though I was expecting more. It did give a bit of insight into the often-neglected battles of Ligny and Quatre Bras, which were overshadowed by Waterloo two days later. It did feel like the author was going out of his way to blame Wellington for the mishaps that happened, almost going as far as to take the Prussian view that they lost at Ligny because Wellington did not arrive. Nevermind that he had over 1/3 of Napoleon's army tied up at Quatre Bras. Anyway, not a bad read if you're looking for some added insight, but I was expecting more detail and less of a playing of the blame game for the disaster at Ligny.

[Jur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hofschroer is a different beast to the English writers on the Battle of Waterloo. He includes German, but also English and even a few Dutch sources. Since the book is mostly a revision of English dominated historiography of the campaign, Hofschroer is critical of Wellington's conduct of the campaign and his dealings with the Prussians. The constant focus on Wellington's double dealing gets tiresome, even if it's clear that the Hof is on to something.

There are very useful chapters on the diplomatic struggle over the minor German contingents between the allied armies and the Saxon mutiny.

The research is very good, and I think for anyone not digging into the primary sources this book is more valuable than almost anything published by Anglo-Saxon authors.