by John H. Gill
Greenhill Books, 534pp

I only wish that I was able to get this review done before Christmas, and told you to cancel your request for Auntie Mavis to get you Madonna's "Sex", in favour of this book. Having been wargaming for more years than I (or my overdraft) care to remember, there are now very few "must have and can't live without" books coming out of publishers, but this is one.

The author, a US army officer who has walked over most of the battlefields he describes, has taken as his objective a history of the various German formations which fought as French Allies in the Austrian war of 1809, and succeeds admirably. He starts of with a good over-view of the whole campaign, from the Austrian invasion of Bavaria through to Wagram and the armistice after Znaim. The bulk of the book however is taken up with chapters on individual contingents, following them through the war.

These individual chapters include an overview of the particular army's organisation, a summary of the more significant uniform details (eg coat colour, facings, etc.), a detailed campaign and battle history of each contingent, and an objective look at each army's strengths and weaknesses, the latter being particularly useful for gamers. As an example, when he describes the Bavarian General Wrede, he says "His high estimation of himself ... trammelled co-operation with Vandamme...and led to friction with Lefebvre" (pp89-90); a die roll of 6 to obey orders perhaps. As the campaign develops, Gill gives useful Orbats, but the real delight is the sheer number of maps and details of actions both large and small, which can be translated onto the table top either as one-on-one evening games or all day, multi-player games. Certainly, planning for a refight of Ur-fahr-Linz is currently taking place, chez Partridge.

There are individual chapters on the Bavarians, Wurtembergers, Badeners, Hessians, Saxons and Westphalians, as well as composite ones on the smaller contingents such as Berg and Nassau. Because he has used German and Austrian sources, including regimental histories, we are able to find out how and where particular regiments fought on both sides, all of which is grist to the mill in our hobby. Since the book is particularly about the Germans, details of French units and organisations are almost scrupulously avoided, except where they impinge on otherwise German battles. There are copious end notes, often as informative as the main text, and an extensive bibliography, in which (step forward, Jean Lochet) is cited "Empires, Eagles and Lions", which, if I may digress, is a Napoleonic reference source criminally under utilised in this country.

As well as the sheer amount of information contained in it, I was more than glad to see that it had been written in good, flowing, and understandable English, unlike another, thick American authored book published in the last few years. History means story, and 1, for one, would be grateful if editors could ensure that they remember that a good grasp of grammar and syntax is almost preferable to the level of information provided.

All in all, "With Eagles to Glory" is an excellent source, and should be included alongside Bowden and Tarbox's "Armies on the Danube" and Arnold's "Crisis on the Danube" in any 1809 library. I don't know if it is the author's intention to produce any other like volumes, but I, personally, would look forward to a book on the German contingents in the 1813-14 campaigns.