Berezina 1812: Napoleon's Hollow Victory

Napoleon's Grande Armee's escape from the pursuing Russian armies during the Battle of the Berezina is vividly depicted in this book,using contemporary sources and an extensive order of battle. Despite the core of the army escaping, tens of thousands died in the battle or were captured.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 96 pages
Publication date: 22 December 2022
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Much has been written about the Battle of the Berezina and the 1812 Russian campaign in general, during which the cold winter devastated the Grande Armée. Historians often praise Napoleon for his actions at the Berezina and attribute his success to a brilliant strategic mind, laying a trap that deceived the Russians and resulted in a remarkable feat in the history of warfare. Drawing on contemporary sources (letters, diaries, memoirs), and featuring an extensive order of battle, this book recreates in hourly detail one of the great escapes in military history, a story often told with embellishments that require a more critical examination. Although the core of Napoleon's army escaped, tens of thousands were killed in the battle, trampled in the rush for the bridge, drowned in the icy waters of the Berezina, or captured. Written by an acknowledged expert on the period, and using a broad range of sources from all sides, this title brings to life in stunning visual detail, using maps, battle-scene artworks, and period illustrations, the events of late November 1812, as Napoleon's retreating, desperate Grand Armée extricated itself from the clutches of the Russian armies under Kutuzov, Wittgenstein, and Chichagov in an epic feat of heroism and masterful tactics.

Much has been written about the Battle of the Berezina and the 1812 Russian campaign in general, during which the cold winter devastated the Grande Armée. Historians often praise Napoleon for his actions at the Berezina and attribute his success to a brilliant strategic mind, laying a trap that deceived the Russians and resulted in a remarkable feat in the history of warfare. Drawing on contemporary sources (letters, diaries, memoirs), and featuring an extensive order of battle, this book recreates in hourly detail one of the great escapes in military history, a story often told with embellishments that require a more critical examination. Although the core of Napoleon's army escaped, tens of thousands were killed in the battle, trampled in the rush for the bridge, drowned in the icy waters of the Berezina, or captured. Written by an acknowledged expert on the period, and using a broad range of sources from all sides, this title brings to life in stunning visual detail, using maps, battle-scene artworks, and period illustrations, the events of late November 1812, as Napoleon's retreating, desperate Grand Armée extricated itself from the clutches of the Russian armies under Kutuzov, Wittgenstein, and Chichagov in an epic feat of heroism and masterful tactics.

Weight: 308g
Dimension: 247 x 185 x 7 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472850188