1815: The Waterloo Campaign The German Victory

by Peter Hofschröer

25 illustrations, 25 maps 6 x 9 Demonstrates the decisive German contribution to victory at Waterloo Unpublished German eyewitness accounts and regimental reports Covers the battles of Waterloo, Wavre and the taking of Paris Peter Hofschrer, in this second volume of his masterly study of 1815, challenges the accepted version of events at the battle of Waterloo. He demonstrtaes convincingly that Allied victory was due not to steadfast British infantry repelling the French, but to the timely arrival of Prussian troops who stole victory from Napoleon and sealed the fate of the last Grande Arme. Drawing on previously unpublished accounts, Hofschrer gives not only the Prussian perspective of their march to Waterloo and decisive attack on Napoleons flank, but also details of the actions fought by some of the 25,000 Germans in Wellingtons British armymore than a third of the Dukes force. A gripping narrative of astonishing detail captures such key episodes of Waterloo as La Haye Sainte, Papelotte, Hougoumont and the Prussian struggle with the Imperial Guard for Plancenoit. In addition, Hofschrer examines the battle at Wavre, the Allied offensive into France, the taking of Paris and the sieges across northern France. 1815: The Waterloo CampaignThe German Victory is a definitive work on an epic confrontation by one of todays leading military writers.

Genres: History

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1999

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.

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

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough book covering German participation in the 1815 Waterloo Campaign. It covers the period from immediately after the Battle of Ligny through the surrender of Napoleon's Government. In many ways it provides a breath of fresh air after the largely English centric accounts that one finds in English Language.

Using many German documents, Hofschroer provides the German narrative of the Campaign. He also notes that the majority of troops on the allied side at Waterloo were German speaking, including the significant contingents of KGL, Hanoverians and Brunswickers who fought for Wellington.

I read with interest the detailed information he provided on the Prussian attacks against Napolean's right flank during the battle. He certainly makes a solid case for a more significant impact than usually described in English accounts. The pursuit of the French and the siege and capture of their fortresses was presented in similar great detail. Although this portion of the book did not capture my interest as much.

All in all, a very important and highly recommended read for students of the Waterloo Campaign.

[Geoff]

Very good, but I didn't find it too surprising or controversial. It has been clear from everyone's account that the German attack from the east flank was crucial and that the allied army under Wellington was packed with Germans. A great contribution to making this point clearer but I didn't find that it detracted from wellingtons generalship.