ePub Jena 1806: Napoleon destroys Prussia (Campaign) by David Chandler in History

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Chandler is the best author on the subject of NapoleonBy SecretagentmanEducational and informative. Dr. Chandler is the best author on the subject of Napoleon.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. All of these Campaign Series books are excellent. Good overview of the battleBy Scott LAll of these Campaign Series books are excellent. Good overview of the battle; the combatants; and the period of history.Just got a second one of these to study...2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Accessible analysis of the campaignBy Steven PetersonThis is another in the Osprey "Campaign" series. As with others in the series; the book is brief and filled with illustrations; maps; the order of battle (the structure of the two armies with commanders' names associated with units described; e.g.; corps and divisions); and so on.This is the tale of Napoleon's war against the Prussians; led by their king. Frederick-William III (at least in a titular or nominal sense). Napoleon moved quickly with his army to take on the Prussians at Jena and Auerstadt. The dysfunction of the Prussian command structure is told well (including the role of Frederick-Williams' strong willed wife).There were actually two battles--one at Jena; with Napoleon leading the bulk of his forces against one element in the Prussian army. The second was fought at Auerstadt; with Davout's corps taking on a large part of the Prusssian army. In both cases; French forces triumphed. The book does a nice job illustrating the dynamics of the battle; with a series of maps that show how combat emerged and evolved. In the process; one gets a good sense of how the well trained French forces could make maneuvers and change formations quickly and efficiently. One substory is the poor performance by Marshal Bernadotte. He did not go to the aid of Davout when the latter asked for help. And his full corps got to Jena too late to have an impact.The story continues after the decisive defeat of the Prussians at Jena and Auerstadt. Napoleon dogged them on their retreat (and Bernadotte performed much better here); essentially wrecking the Prussian army. In the process; future events were foreshadowed; including General Blucher's anger toward Napoleon [made good at Waterloo] and Bernadotte's rise to become King of Sweden.Overall; a very strong addition to the "Campaign" series.