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French Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792-1815 (Elite)

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French Napoleonic Infantry Tactics 1792-1815 (Elite)
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By: Paddy Griffith
(8 customer reviews)
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EDITORIAL REVIEW

For over 20 years France was the dominating, controlling and conquering power of the western world, a result not only of Napoleon's inspired leadership, but of the efforts of almost an entire generation of Frenchmen under arms. The French Revolution heralded both social change and a seismic shift in how armies were organized, trained and deployed.

This book provides an analysis of the preparation of French troops from manual regulations to the training ground, studying the changing quality of command and control within the army, which initially ensured that the French infantry were virtually unstoppable. Paddy Griffith not only explores the role of the French infantry at the apex of their powers and their actions in key battles, but also provides a detailed explanation of their eventual decline leading to defeat at Waterloo, providing a critical overview of French Napoleonic infantry tactics.

PRODUCT DETAILS

Publisher: Osprey Publishing Limited
Pub. Date: 20th November 2007
Catalog: Book
Media: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 64
Ean: 9781846032783
Isbn: 1846032784

ABOUT THIS BOOK

USER REVIEWS

Probably not one of my best purchases
~ Written on Jul 3, 2008. 4 out of 7 users found this review helpful.

I have been purchasing many Ospreys over the years and keep forgetting that I end up reselling most of them.

With the usual plates disconnected from the text that makes their understanding difficult - hello editor? - this little book is a lot of work to get into. Text is confusing and put together without really knowing where it is going. If you keep reading on, you will eventually get some info about the evolution of presumably the French infantry tactics in a sort of uninteresting / anecdote-less way.

It has a few nice drawings, in particular a depiction of the big squares at the battle of the Pyramids which actually was interesting, but a few good pages don't make a mandatory purchase.

Basically this book will stay on my shelves as a sad piece of no interest. Not really pleased with the purchase.

Good primer
~ Written on Jun 26, 2008. 1 out of 5 users found this review helpful.

This is good for the beginner in learning the tactics of the era. I would recommend this book for the historian or the gamer of the era.

Reasonable High-Leve Overview of French Infantry Tactics
~ Written on Feb 12, 2008. 4 out of 7 users found this review helpful.

This book serves as a reasonably good primer for those not familiar with Napoleonic Infantry tactics. It is very well written. The background information is quite good. However, the rest is principally a rehash to anyone somewhat familiar with the period. The book starts with a very nice buildup, but is a flop in the end. I was impressed with the work Mr. Griffith had done in assembling something of a database relative to French attacks. It's too bad he could not have done more with it, which suggested to me that it was a somewhat cursory endeavor.

Not Recommended
~ Written on Feb 3, 2008. 14 out of 24 users found this review helpful.

This is to counterbalance the overly positive reviews so far. To start with the positive, this book has nice illustrations, although the colored inserts show little in terms of variation in the terrain, which hints that they do not necessarily correspond to the actual terrain of the battle they refer to. In any case, the most negative aspect is related to the narrative. The author seems to have written this in between jobs, or games at the wargame society he belongs to. The arguments are not solidely made, and the explanations are confused and contradictions abound (is the idea of tirailleurs a fantasy or not?). Add to to that random, unnecessary jibes at Napoleon, as well as questionable choice of terms (e.g. platoon instead of compagny), which makes the read even less fluent, and you get a pamphlet that cannot be recommended.

A Fine Introduction
~ Written on Jan 28, 2008. 3 out of 10 users found this review helpful.

A very helpful guide to the French tactics of the time. The illustrations demonstrate the various perceptions one can have respecting column and line, the ongoing controversy amongst scholars of the period. Griffith is one of the first to emphasize the "counter-attack" style of the British. In pointing out the vast majority of French attacks in column over line, he could have integrated Kleber's "swarm" to demonstrate what, according to Gates and Oman, Taupin and Vandermaeson proved in their initial attacks at Saurauren I, namely proper use of tirailleurs in combination succeeds in shock and awe. It would have provided a nice balance between the Colin school and the actual studied practice of the French in action, without succumbing to the vagueness of a Beatson. Despite the missed opportunity, a fine introduction to the subject.

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