Leipzig 1813: The Battle of the Nations

by Peter Hofschröer

Book Overview

The battle of Leipzig was, in terms of the number of combatants involved, the largest engagement of the entire Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). It was the only battle of the wars in which all Allied armies (including even the Swedes) fielded troops against Napoleon. Peter Hofschroer looks at the run-up to this crucial encounter as well as the battle itself. A wealth of background information is chronicled, including the strategies of both sides and detailed...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1855323540
• ISBN13: 9781855323544
• Release Date: September 1993
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (UK)
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.3" x 9.8"

Customer Reviews

Excellent survey of Napoleon's Real Waterloo

This book starts off by giving an excellent perspective, in a few pages, of the what the diplomatic and military picture in Europe was just before this battle. Hence the necessary perspective for the battle is provided. The book then goes on to discuss the many aspects of the armies involved including their leadership (both at the highest level and the quality of lower ranking officers), political and command structure strengths and problems (for Napoleon, for example, the lack of subordinate quality field marshals, considering the size of the battle, probably led to the loss of this battle), troops, and logistical problems and strenghts and weaknesses in various arms (i.e., Napoleon's lack of cavalry in terms of both quality and quantity caused seriuos intelligence problems that played important role in his defeat). The book also illustrates well how troops from each national army looked and different aspects/geography of battle, along with maps. The one weakness of the book (and hence 4 instead of 5 stars) is that it is a little difficult to follow the battle because the author makes too extensive a use of the various field marshals movements and actions without mentioning which side they were on. Not much of an oversight but one, unless the reader is very knowledgeable regarding these commanders, that is enough to cause some confusion. This problem is such a shame considering how easily it could have been rectified.

Good Book

Not much of a review really but a good read with good ilistrations.

savage battle at leipzig

It is one of the best books of the series. It is well described of the battles leading up to leipzig and the leipzig battle its self. Many good battle pictures along with the 2d and 3d battle maps. I highly recremend it for you napoleonic fans or theose who want this book fore their collection.

Good narrative of complex battle

The author does a nice job of breaking down the intricies of Leipzig and the smaller battles that lead up to it into clear and understandable points. As mentioned by another reviewer, there is an outstanding order of battle which is very helpful given the number of leaders on hand for this conflict.Interesting points brought to light by Mr. Hofschroer are the conflicting agendas of the Allied Nations and the challenges that posed in formulating an effective strategy. Also detailed were the resource limitations and political pressures facing Napolean, that contributed to his defeat at Leipzig. My only complaints are that there isn't the a biography section on the commanders that is prevalent in many of the Osprey books. This is more a limitation of the publisher's format than a fault of the author. In addition, the maps are not up to the usual standards of this series.This author also wrote a book on the battle of Lutzen & Bautzen which occurred in the spring campaign, prior to this confilct. For greater appreciation of the Leipzig text, I would recommend reading the other before hand (although this is not necessary)

The Campaign in Saxony

This volume is an excellent overview of the decisive campaign in Germany that untimately decided the fate of Napoleon's Empire. Written by an acknowledged authority on the Prussian and German armies of the period, it gives an authoritative viewpoint of the events and battles leading up to the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars, the three day slugfest at Leipzig.The narrative flows very well and is easy to follow, and it is packed with information, even though it had to follow the somewhat strict regimen of the Osprey guidelines. Profusely illustrated as are all Ospreys, the pictures are very well chosen, and the color plates are a mixture of artwork by Richard Knotel, Bellange, K.H. Rahl, Rabe, J.A Klein, and Krause. Only one appears to be by the staff artists at Osprey, which is a change.There are very good descriptions of the armies of the main belligerents in the campaign, including the Swedes. The orders of battle are exhaustive and accurate, and are useful for both historians and wargamers. Errors are few. The two most noticeable concern the Grande Armee. First, the author states that at the Battle of Kulm 'Vandamme's Corps had been wiped out.' Actually, the I Corps, Vandamme's, lost almost half at Kulm, the rest broke out of the allied trap and escaped. They were reorganized and placed under the command of General Mouton, Count of Lobau. They were later captured with St. Cyr when Dresden capitulated. Second, the author mentions that the garrisons Napoleon left in Danzig and the lower Elbe 'were largely veterans of the 1812 campaign with experienced officers.' The fact of the matter is, that most of the troops in these garrisons only became veterans as they endured the fighting during their respective sieges in this campaign.These slight errors, however, do not detract from the overall impact of this volume. This is a carefully researched and well-written book that stands on its own, and can be used as a reference for the campaign with confidence.I highly recommend this book on Leipzig. It is a valuable additionn to any Napoleonic library, and is listed in the Recommended Reading List of the newest edition of A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars by Esposito and Elting, which is a superb recommendation in itself.