Customer Reviews

Austrian Grenadiers and Infantry 1788-1816 (Warrior)

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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

I was very disappointed with this particular publication, the Grenadiers have been mostly overlooked which for me was hugely disappointing. Anyone looking for information on the Austrian Elite's would be well served by looking at alternative sources of information. Nice colourful plates throughout but on actual substance I found it disappointing.

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.