Featured battle : Vaprio and Cassano

Part of The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars

Date : 27 April 1799 - 28 April 1799

The mainly Austrian force was commanded by the Russian Count Suvorov. The French were attempting to hold the line of the river Adda. Bagration had difficulty trying to break out of the bridgehead at Lecco but a second bridgehead was established at Trezzo. Four divisions of Austrians under Melas were able to break through the bridge at Cassano. After initial strong resistance Moreau ordered a general retreat to the line of the river Ticino. Serrurier's demi-division was lost in this retreat see Battle of Verderio.

Hitler's Ardennes Offensive

Danny S Parker Ed.
This second book from the same stable [see 'Battle of the Bulge, a German view' reviewed earlier] follows on to deal with the period of attack and its ultimate failure. I felt a privileged and fascinating insight into the Battle of the Bulge. I particularly valued the detail about the attempts to take Bastogne. I have come to realise that the seemingly exaggerated American accounts of the 'glorious defence' are neither exaggerations nor understatements. The book suffers from the same fault as its predecessor in being short on maps, the reader needs a fairly large scale map to fully understand the detail of the manoeuvres. Reading with a map really rewards the effort.
Our view is that this a very good piece of work by the editor and is thoroughly recommended to all who who wish to gain greater insights into the Second World War in Europe.

Frontline Books. Pen & Sword Books Ltd., 2016