With Eagles to Glory: Napoleon and his German Allies in the 1809 Campaign

by John H. Gill

Overview

When Napoleon's Grand Armee went to war against the might of the Habsburg empire in 1809, its forces included more than 100,000 allied German troops. From his earliest imperial campaigns, these troops provided played a key role as Napoleon swept from victory to victory and in 1809 their fighting abilities were crucial to the campaign. With Napoleon's French troops depleted and debilitated after the long struggle in the Spanish War, the German troops for the first time played a major combat role in the centre of the battle line.Aiming at a union of German states under French protection to replace the decrepit Holy Roman Empire, Napoleon sought to expand French influence in central Germany at the expense of the Austrian and Prussian monarchies, ensuring Frances own security. The campaign Napoleon waged in 1809 was his career watershed. He suffered his first reverse at Aspern. Victory was achieved at Wagram was not the knock-out blow he had envisaged.In this epic work, John Gill presents an unprecedented and comprehensive study of this year of glory for the German soldiers fighting for Napoleon, When combat opened they were in the thick of the action, fighting within French divisions and often without any French support at all. They demonstrated tremendous skill, courage and loyalty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784383107
Publisher:	Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal, Limited
Publication date:	05/20/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	528
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

John H. Gill is the author of the acclaimed 1809: Thunder on the Danube trilogy, He is an Associate Professor of the faculty of the Near East - South Asia Center, part of the National Defense University in Washington DC. A former US Army South Asia Foreign Area Officer, he retired as a colonel in 2005 after more than 27 years of active service.

Table of Contents

List of Maps 6

List of Tables 8

Foreword to the First Edition 10

Preface to the First Edition 12

Preface to the Second Edition 16

Part I The Campaign in the Danube Valley 19

1 Introduction: Clash of Empires 21

2 Bravoure, Baviere 64

3 All The King's Men 127

4 You Have Saved My Honour and Life 178

5 The Indefatigable Hessians 217

6 Old Army, New War 248

Part II The War in the Tyrol and Other Theatres 319

7 The Alps Aflame 321

8 A Reputation for Bravery 385

9 The Merry Monarch's Men 411

10 The Peripheral Princes 465

11 Conclusions: Soldiers of the Empire 482

Appendix: Comparative Military Ranks 488

Campaign Participation Matrix 489

Chronology 490

Glossary 493

Bibliography 499

Acknowledgements 519

Addendum to the Second Edition 521

Index 525