Wellington's Belgian Allies 1815
Book Review
by Paul Chamberlain
 |
By Ronald Pawly, illustrated by Patrice Courcelle
Here is another superb work in the Osprey Napoleonic Men-At-Arms range, and is a valuable addition to any library on the Waterloo campaign. One third of Wellington's Army at Waterloo consisted of Dutch and Belgian troops, yet their part in the battle has always been overshadowed by their British counterparts. This new research covers the Belgian troops of the Army of the Netherlands from the first units raised in early 1814 to the regiments as they fought at that great battle. Wellington's Belgian Allies examines the raising and organisation of the Belgian troops and the varying political influences on their formation. The Belgian regiments underwent numerous reorganisations over an eighteen-month period, and this study presents a very brief overview of that story. Within the confines of an Osprey book, it is impossible to deal with such a subject in detail, and it is obvious that there is scope for a broader study. One fact that does come out of this study is that many of the officers and NCOs of the Netherlands Army had fought in the French Armies prior to 1814, and many of them were Peninsular veterans. This meant that the Belgian forces were led by experienced soldiers who were able to control their units in battle. Most British accounts emphasise the point that many British troops were Peninsular veterans, but omit to apply the same criterion to their allies. There are short accounts of some of these veteran Belgian officers. The text describes the part played by the Belgians at Quatre Bras and Waterloo. Indeed, it was the initiative of General De Constant-Rebecque, chief of staff of the Netherlands Army that ensured Wellington's army concentrated at Quatre Bras, and thus the Netherlands troops played a pivotal role in the campaign. They fought hard and well, throughout each engagement gave a creditable performance alongside their British and German comrades, playing a major part in the repulse of the Imperial Guard during the closing stages of Waterloo. The excellent colour plates show much of the uniform and equipment used by the Belgian infantry, cavalry and artillery, from the Legion Belge raised by the Austrians in 1814 to the troops during the Waterloo campaign. The author explains the difficulties encountered in raising and equipping these regiments, and the sources of their equipment. This is a very useful book on the Belgian troops of the Waterloo campaign, and should be a welcome addition to any library on the Waterloo Campaign. Under Review Book Reviews
The Waterloo Companion Memoirs of Napoleon's Egyptian Expedition, 1798-1801 A Desperate Business - Wellington, the British Army and the Waterloo Campaign Wellington's Belgian Allies 1815 Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #65 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com |