Customer Reviews

Eagles Over the Alps

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Two years ago I had the pleasure of walking the battlefields of Novi, Devil's Bridge, Moutatal, and Trebbia with Mr. Duffy and now that I've read his book it is almost as good as being there again.

The book may have all the scholarly trappings, but it is highly readable and weaves an incredible story of battle against man and the elements. It is well illustrated with original art work, mumerous photographs of battlefields, mountain passes, and other points of significance, plus it contains a large number of excellent maps.

It is, to my knowledge (which is sigificant in this area) the only book on Suvorov written in English in the last 100 years. It covers an obscure period of the French Revolutionary wars and the battle of one of Russia's greatest Generals. If you are interested in warfare in the late 18th Century this is the work for you.

George F. Nafziger

Duffy obviously knows his subject well (5 stars), but his efforts are substantially compromised by what can only be described as poor editorial efforts at the publisher, which results in numerous typos that diminishes the value of Duffy's work. The dust jacket even contains typographical errors, including a misspelling of another title offered by the publisher. Readers should not be made to suffer this way.

First the bad news - the typos in this book were atrocious. For the price you are asked to pay the publishers should have been able to pay a proofreader to go through the book and correct the glaring errors. An excellent work was given the appearance of something rushed into print to make a buck.

Having said that, Eagles Over The Alps is still worth having, both for the military historian, and for the wargamer. The fascinating history of the Italian and Swiss campaigns of one of the period's premier generals is well treated. Napoleon deservedly overshadows all other military men of his time, but Suvorov is arguably the better of the two generals in 1799, and this book helps to bring his career out of the shadows. Especially helpful for the wargamer are the line maps and orders of battle with detailed unit strengths. This book contains information that will be difficult to find anywhere else, and presents it in a lively style that is constantly engaging. Even with its flaws, this is still a good book.

Notwithstanding the editorial lapses mentioned by other reviewers, this in an important book on Marshal Suvorov's Italian and Swiss campaigns. Late September 2008 I had the opportunity to follow in his footsteps over all of the Swiss passes he crossed with his army. Despite its weight, I carried "Eagles over the Alps" with me in my packsack and did not regret it.
The superb maps, the text with detailed descriptions of the military operations and troop strengths on both sides...superb! It brought history truly alive for me during my encounter with the rugged geography Suvorov's army had to deal with. As an aside, following Suvorov's army through the Alps is an adventure in itself and takes about 8 days from Taverne, weather permitting. I highly recommend both the book and the trip to any Suvorovian.

This superb new operational study covers the campaigns in Northern Italy & Switzerland of the combined Russian / Austrian army under the command the famed Russian General, Aleksandr V. Suvorov. His first campaigns in Northern Italy were a brilliant series of victories over the French Revolutionary armies under such Generals as Scherer, Moreau, Macdonald, Joubert & others. He was then ordered to take his army into the Swiss Alps, where he suffered a serious defeat at Zurich by the French under Massena. The text is accompanied by numerous contemporary illustrations & portraits, newly drawn battle situation maps, numerous photos of sites as they look today, and a number of new battle drawings by Bill Youngblood.

1999, hard bound in dust jacket, 9 x 11 1/2, prof. illustrated with photos, illustrations, drawings, portraits, maps, numerous orders of battle, bibliography, index.

I have been interested in Field-Marshal Suvorov for years. The writing is wonderful and insightful but the publisher Emperor's Press should review their policies. This is not the first title that seems to have been rushed to press without basic editing. My background on the topic is not as extensive as Mr. Nafziger, but I would suggest he read Art of victory; the life and achievements of Field-Marshal Suvorov, 1729-1800 By Philip Longworth, published 1965.

Nicely written very detailed account of this important
campaign
Shows that the austrian and russian armies of this period could fight and win against the french if given the right leadership
An antidote to all those pro-french tomes - a great read

I didn't know General Suvorov until I bought this book. What a fascinating person he was. Suvorov never lost a single battle, this is admirable. I like the maps, and the objectivity of the author. The graphics are OK. In my opinion this book is one of the most interesting, and covers subjects almost unknown for English speaking readers. Good job.