The Austro-Prussian War: Austria's War with Prussia and Italy in 1866

by Geoffrey Wawro

Book Overview

This is a history of the Austro-Prussian-Italian War of 1866, which paved the way for German and Italian unification. It is based upon extensive new research in the state and military archives of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521629519
• ISBN13: 9780521629515
• Release Date: September 1997
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 330 Pages
• Weight: 1.03 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

How to lose a war

This is a superb book on a little known (in the US) conflict. Wawro goes into the major reasons why the war happened, and why Austria lost so badly. From Benedek (who disliked reading) to the illiterate conscripts whose main tactic was the bayonet charge, trying to fight well-drilled Prussians with breech loading rifles, Wawro presents a highly readable book. There is one oddity, where he says Benedek uses Jomini's theories, but most of the theories came out after Benedek had given up reading. That flaw is more than made up for by the excellent research and presentation. For people learning about the founding of modern Germany, this is an essential volume.

A gem

Taking a little-known topic like the Austro-Prussian (and Italian) War could have been just a futile academic exercise. Wawro turns this little book into a real treasure. Within just the first few pages he does a succinct and brilliant job of analyzing Clausewitz and Jomini and explaining the rise of Prussia to dominate Germany and Europe. The cover art doesn't do the book justice, but I'll be looking forward to Wawro's future work.

An Interesting Revisionist Account

The Austro-Prussian War, by history professor Dr. Geoffrey Wawro, is a well-written and interesting revisionist account of that oft-neglected conflict in 1866. Dr. Wawro has assembled an impressive amount of existing and new source material that sheds an entirely new light on the brief war of 1866 that brought Prussia to the brink of German unification and presaged a new era of professionalization in war. Wawro's account is particularly strong in its use of Austrian and Italian sources; the Italian role in the war is usually reduced to a few paragraphs but in these pages it is covered in great detail. However, readers should be aware that Dr. Wawro's account is revisionist in intent and tone, which the author does not always make clear. Dr. Wawro's central hypothesis is that both Austria and Prussia were fairly evenly matched opponents but that, "Austria did lose in 1866 for many reasons, but chiefly because...Ludwig Benedek, Austria's supreme commander on the Prussian front, revealed himself to be a supremely incompetent general." While the author also cites the technical superiority of the Prussian needle gun and the poor combat performance of many ethnic minority units in the Austrian army, the main cause the author ascribes for Austrian defeat is the poor generalship of Benedek. The "inferior generalship" hypothesis is a difficult one to prove, particularly given notable lapses in Prussian generalship, but by and large the author succeeds. Overall, the Austro-Prussian War belongs on any bookshelf of anyone seriously interested in the evolution of 19th Century warfare. The Austro-Prussian War consists of 11 chapters, beginning with strategy and tactics in 1866 and origins of the war. Two more chapters cover opposing war plans and Italian involvement in the conflict. The fifth chapter covers the Battle of Custoza and the rout of the Italian Mincio Army. The next three chapters cover the covering force battles that preceded the decisive battle of Königgrätz, and then the next two chapters cover the battle itself. A final chapter covers the aftermath of the battle, which does an excellent job discussing the results and implications of the war. The author has included many sketch maps in the book, which while useful, are rather crude and incomplete. None of the maps have scales or depict railroad lines, or even depict tactical movements. I found it necessary to consult another source on the war that had better maps, to follow the author's narrative. There are also a number of photographs, mostly of Austrian generals (note, other than one photo of Moltke, there are no photos or illustrations from the Prussian side). The author includes excellent footnotes and a detailed bibliography, but no appendices. An appendix listing rival orders of battle and casualties in the war would have been useful. For military professionals, the author's discussion of the development of Austrian "fire tactics" and the needle gun will be an interest

The War of 1866: Prussian and Italy vs. Austria

Vivid descriptions of the battles in this war enliven this historical work and make it very enjoyable reading. In addition, the author provides insightful information on the weapons and tactics of the period. This is especially true for the Austrian army and Wawro fully explains why the Austrians were so successful against the Italians while failing so miserably against the Prussians. The battle scenes are detailed and quite lively and unlike many other military works provide detail without confusion. So often when writing about the maneuvers of divisions, authors frequently become so mired in detail that the reader is easily lost and has considerable difficulty determing what was going on where without undue effort. Here the maps ably assist understanding. Although the maps do not provide a scale, an unfortunate reality for most current historical works, this problem can be overcome by referring to more detailed auto maps. As for referencing the written material to the maps I found no difficulty. However, for the military simulation enthusiast you will not find beautifully outlined and detailed orders of battle for each side. What you will find is adequate infomation in the text to simulate each battle as long as you know what the composition of say a Prussian division or an Austrian brigade. More detailed information is available from other sources. I only hope that this is not the last work by Wawro for after reading this book I would glady purchase any of his works.

Excerpts from professional reviews:

"Geoffrey Wawro's meticulous analyses of battle make The Austro-Prussian War an important book; his pungent judgements make it a lively one." (TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT, March 1997) "This is a very good book [on the war], perhaps the best that has appeared in any language." (THE JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY, July 1997) "Wawro's treatment of the Austro-Prussian conflict shows how battles in this emerging Age of Firepower were actually fought, as opposed to how they were subsequently reconstructed by staff officers and general staff historians. He never allows his readers to forget the importance of the final 300 yards between the combatants." (INTERNATIONAL HISTORY REVIEW, November 1997). "Austria's war with Prussia and Italy in 1866 was arguably the most important six weeks in modern European history ... Unique in its treatment of the war's Italian campaign, usually neglected in other accounts, this work remorselessly catalogs Austria's errors ... It is an outstanding work, illustrating once again that operational military history can make important and enjoyable contributions to understanding the past." (CHOICE, January 1997) A selection of the HISTORY BOOK CLUB