1809: Thunder on the Danube - Napoleon's Defeat of the Habsburgs, Vol. 1: Abensberg [Hardcover]

John H. Gill (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 184415713X | ISBN-13: 978-1844157136 | Publication Date: July 2008

The Franco-Austrian War of 1809 was Napoleon's last victorious war. Napoleon faced the Archduke Charles, the best of the Habsburg commanders, and a reformed Austrian Army that was arguably the best ever fielded by the Danubian Monarchy. The French ultimately triumphed but the margin of superiority was decreasing and all of Napoleon's skill and determination was required to achieve a victorious outcome.Gill tackles the political background to the war, especially the motivations that prompted Austria to launch an offensive against France while Napoleon and many of his veterans were distracted in Spain. Though surprised by the timing of the Austrian attack on April 10th, the French Emperor completely reversed a dire strategic situation with stunning blows that he called his 'most brilliant and most skillful maneuvers'. Following a breathless pursuit down the Danube valley, Napoleon occupied the palaces of the Habsburgs for the second time in four years. The Austrians recovered, however, and Napoleon suffered his first unequivocal repulse at the Battle of Aspern-Essling on the shores of the Danube opposite Vienna.He would win many battles in his future campaigns, but never again would one of Europe's great powers lie broken at his feet. In this respect 1809 represents a high point of the First Empire as well as a watershed, for Napoleon's armies were declining in quality and he was beginning to display the corrosive flaws that contributed to his downfall five years later. returncharacterreturncharacter returncharacterreturncharacter REVIEWS returncharacterreturncharacter"...gives a detailed account of the decisions, movements, maneuvers, and individuals involved... does well on the military aspects of the story...I look forward to seeing the next two volumes." Air, Power, History Winter 2009"...moves fluently from the strategic, through the operational and into the tactical modes and back, providing a rich and enthralling narrative and analysis..."Military Illustrated UK, 09/2010

Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Frontline Books (July 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184415713X
• ISBN-13: 978-1844157136
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #731,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Book but . . ., March 19, 2008

By 

Christopher J. Anders (AL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1809: Thunder on the Danube - Napoleon's Defeat of the Habsburgs, Vol. 1: Abensberg (Hardcover)

This is great book with a lot of very useful information that I personnally have not seen in print in America before. A word of caution though to all we are looking to buy this book . . . this is ONLY Volume I of a series. This book covers only the Bavarian phase of the 1809 campaign on the Danube. I have not seen this tidbit of information in print anywhere including the Pen and Sword website nor have I found any information on the release of subsequent books in the series (or how many there will be for that matter). It is still a great book as are all of John Gill's books.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the Geld, August 19, 2008

By 

Warren Bajan "military historian" (Vermont, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 1809: Thunder on the Danube - Napoleon's Defeat of the Habsburgs, Vol. 1: Abensberg (Hardcover)

This has become my primary reference for the Eggmuhl campaign. It has a good section on the backround to the war and the battles through 22 April are well described. The battle and campaign maps are good. Gill's narrative is more objective in tone than his also excellent With Eagles to Glory. His research is comprehensive, and his oobs (some 50 pages worth with three sets) may be the best I've seen.

I hope the next two volumes arrive in time for the 200th anniversary.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The book for serious historians and wargamers alike, July 20, 2010

By 

Andy Nunez, Editor of Against the Odds Magazi... (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1809: Thunder on the Danube - Napoleon's Defeat of the Habsburgs, Vol. 1: Abensberg (Hardcover)

I sought this book eagerly after acquiring Volume III. I was not disappointed. John Gill is a master of detail, yet he is never boring. The facts and figures all swirl around a highly readable narrative and we follow the path both sides took that ultimately ended at Wagram. Excellent maps for gamers and historians to follow, the treasure for wargamers and game designers is the huge trove of Order of Battle information found in each volume. This series is so expanded that it makes a great companion piece to the long out of print Armies on the Danube by Scott Bowden. Gill goes beyond Bowden to give accurate analyses of the plans and battles while bringing the various characters to life for the reader. If you ever wondered what happened in general histories from Austerlitz to the retreat from Moscow, John Gill brings it all with this masterpiece of historical research. My next mission is to find Volume II somewhere. It may be a long and arduous hunt, but dear reader, it will be worth it. I am hoping there will be more books from John Gill to follow.