Customer Reviews

Napoleon's Line Infantry (Men at Arms Series, 141)

5 star:		(3)
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This book is definitely my favorite out of all the Men-at-Arms series for Napoleon, filled with 48 enjoyable pages. 8 pages (27 troops total) of it are beautiful colored pictures of Napoloen's troops. Along with that, every page has pictures ( not colored ) and diagrams. If I could give it more then 5 stars I would.

This book is an all-round great source on the infantry regiments of Napoleon's conquering armies. The text is clear and concise, and tackles a number of different topics with satisfying depth. These include organization, battle tactics, weaponry, and a very detailed section on uniforms that takes up practically half the book. Another very useful section is a list of all the infantry regiments, and the major battles that each one served in.

As the previous reviewer stated, the color plates are simply excellent; the uniforms and weapons of the troops, as well as the soldiers themselves, are all attractively presented and well-colored. As with most Osprey men-at-arms books, this would be a worthy purchase for a history teacher, wargamer or painter studying this era, or anyone with an interest in Napoleon's Army.

This volume focuses on the military aspects of Napoleon's line infantry from roughly 1792 through 1815. It provides full details of the French military units of battale, and gives a full and chronological account of the standars & insignias, uniforms of the military rank and file along with their officers, as well as looking at the list of the units, their weapons and equipment as well as a breakdown of units by regiment and line - all in an easy to follow style that keeps the reader both engaged and educated in equal portions.

Philip Haythornthwaite has furnished his readers with a wealth of information on this topic that applies to all manner of people with an interest, be they: historians, modelers, war-gamers or someone just looking to learn more on the subject matter.

This 40 page volume book contains eight color plates displaying twenty seven uniforms of the troops of that time; beautiful illustrations with rich, robust colour. Added to this are about a dozen black and white illustrations from the time, and black and white photographs of surviving buckles, hats, shako plates and various other kit that are preserved today.

The material is well researched, and well written, making it easy to follow so much information easily and enjoyably. Whether you are looking for information to aide you in painting your miniature models, assist you in assembling your recreation uniform, or just reading it for the enjoyment, this book can and will satisfy all areas of interest.