Austrian Grenadiers and Infantry 1788-1816 (Warrior) [Paperback]

David Hollins (Author), Jeffrey Burn (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Warrior | Publication Date: September 25, 1998

Aside from the Peninsula and Napoleon's 1807 campaign, Austrian troops played some part in every major campaign of the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). Unable to mobilize its population fully for both political and economic reasons, Austria recruited from territories as diverse as modern Belgium, the Czech Republic, central Romania and northern Italy. These soldiers fought on terrains as diverse as the Po valley and the Swiss mountains. This book traces the life and experiences of both the ordinary infantry and the veteran elite of the Grenadier battalions, covering everything from basic training and equipment, to the tactics and horror of the battlefield.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Insights into the real lives of history's fighting men, packed with full colour illustrations, highly detailed cutaways, exploded artwork of weaponry and armour, and action-packed battle scenes.

About the Author

David Hollins was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1962. After graduating from University College London, he trained as a maritime solicitor and began his career in commercial shipping. He is a frequent contributor to specialist Napoleonic magazines and has written a number of books related to the Imperial Army and Archduke Charles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (September 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855327422
• ISBN-13: 978-1855327429
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,951,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting book, February 4, 2006

By 

Mikhail Barkovskiy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Austrian Grenadiers and Infantry 1788-1816 (Warrior) (Paperback)

Good reference for those interested in armies of Napoleonic wars. Text does not include any information on uniforms, arms and equipment, since few volumes from the "Warrior" series cover this subject. (For this I would recommend companion volume from Osprey "MAA" series, but this very volume had been published in 80s and does not cover the Austrian regular infantry in full, unfortunately). I was a bit surprised to find on page 6th the Author's "discovery" that the ethnic Russians had served within the Austrian Army. This is, of course, a mistake, since "Ruthenes" (Galicians) are modern Ukrainians, not Russians

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative, Authoritive, Well-Documented, July 19, 2000

By 

Kevin F. Kiley - See all my reviews

This review is from: Austrian Grenadiers and Infantry 1788-1816 (Warrior) (Paperback)

The author has done an immense amount of research on the Austrian Army of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic period, most of it archival. Here, within the constraints of the Osprey series, he has written an excellent volume that illustrates, both pictorially and in writing, a subject that is both interesting and vital to the collective understanding of the period.

The Austrian army was full of good troops and units. Generally, it was in the leadership category, especially the senior leadership, that hampered its operations. If led by generals of the caliber of the Archduke Charles, it could and did perform more than adequately, Charles defeating Napoleon in 1809 at Essling, the Emperor's first battlefield loss; if not, it was usually beaten. Interestingly, the Austrian Army's best performance of the period was probably when allied to the French in Russia. It was commanded and led by Prince Schwarzenberg, one of the better Austrian generals, and repeately defeated the Russians in 1812.

Here, though, is a highly detailed, informative volume that I would highly recommend to everyone who is interested in the period.

It should be noted that the author and I generally do not agree on several Napoleonic issues, and have clashed over differing opinions on the author's book on Marengo. This review is not influenced in any way by that difference of opinion.

This volume, however, is everything the other is not. This excellent tome is peppered with first hand accounts of Austrian performance and its bibliography is first rate and extrememly helpful. I would go as far as saying that this volume sets a new standard for the Osprey Warrior Series, and is favorable comparable to the excellent volumes in the series by Rene Chartrand, whom I believe has produced the best Osprey books so far.

This book is informative, interesting, well-written and very well-documented. If you have any interest in the period, it should be in your collection, whether or not the Austrian Army is your area of concern or interest. Without at least a working knowledge of the Austrian Army (properly the Kaiserlich-Konigliche Armee-the Imperial and Royal Army), you may come up short in your reading and understanding. The Archduke Charles was probably the best of the Allied generals, and the Austrians fought the French longer than any other European power, except the English, and provided more troops to the Coalitions.