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PRUSSIA'S GLORY: Rossbach and Leuthen

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I just finished "Prussia's Glory", and I found it to be very informative and entertaining. One often reads accounts of the Rossbach campaign, but I have never seen anything with such detail. Mr. Duffy gives us an insightful (and at times amusing) look at the Reichsarmee, a force that seems to have been assembled with the positive intention of being routed. Also included is a description of the combat of Breslau; I am not aware of any work that contains so detailed an account of this battle. Of course, the Leuthen campaign is examined in fairly good detail.

In my opinion, this is Mr. Duffy's best work yet. Having read his previous works on the Austrian, Prussian and Russian armies, what surprised me was Mr. Duffy's ability as a storyteller. Like his other works, Duffy has meticulously researched and documented this book, to such an extent that one gets the feeling he actually enjoys the often tedious task of research. Here the research really pays off buy providing detail to what is all too often a campaign that is taken for granted. I certainly hope that the forthcoming "By Force Of Arms" is as good as this book.

My only criticism would be the large number of typos that the book contains. I certainly hope that later editions of the book are checked more thoroughly. I would also suggest that the publishers bring out more works on campaigns and personalities of the 18th century. The Old Dessaur and the various campaigns in Italy would seem to be ripe areas of study.

This relatively short book is a well written account of Frederick's greatest and most important successes. It includes battle accounts as complete as perhaps we can ever hope for, and it is aided by excellent topographical maps and panoramic photos. The sorry state of the Reichesarmee is detailed, which explains much of Frederick's success at Rossbach. Although there are typographical errors, the book is a valuable addition to any military history buff's library.

Christopher Duffy is without doubt the top expert of Frederick's campaings and this book is the best one can find about the battles of Rossbach and Leuthen. The maps are excellent, the text holds the reader's interest and the description of the personalities involved are unforgettable. A small minus of the book is the great number of annoying typographical errors.

Having read and enjoyed Duffy's The Military Life of Frederick the Great, I leapt at the chance to read Prussia's Glory: Rossbach and Leuthen, and I was not disappointed. Duffy paints as full a picture as possible of the situation going into autumn of 1757, and draws from a rich variety of sources to describe not just the movements and makeup of the armies but also well rounded biographical portraits of the major players. And Duffy is masterful in his use of first-hand accounts: no major development in either battle is left without input from some eyewitness or another.

The most interesting surprise for me in this book was the account of the Austrian hussar general Hadik's raid on Berlin. In most accounts of Rossbach-Leuthen we are told, "Oh by the way, there was a raid on Berlin that distracted Frederick's attention." Duffy, though, gives a full biographical sketch of Hadik, and a detailed telling of Hadik's preparation, planning and the approach to Berlin and escape thereafter. As an avid reader of the American Civil War it was reminiscent somewhat of Jackson's valley campaign of 1862.

The book may only be about two hundred pages, but that is deceptive because the dimensions of the book provide for many more words per page than a standard sized book. The maps are plentiful and of good quality and there are many photos of what the battlegrounds look like today. Included toward the end is an interesting section on the history of the battlefields and monuments in the centuries since the Seven Years War.

Duffy certainly deserves five stars for this excellent account of Frederick's most celebrated victories. Unfortunately, and as every reviewer has pointed out, Prussia's Glory is full of typographical errors. These are as irritating to stumble across as they are easy to fix. Maybe some day we will see an updated edition that someone has actually proofread prior to publication.