Osprey Men-at-Arms

Napoleonic Prussian Cavalry (2)
1807-1815

review by Jim Arnold

Hard on the heels of a very good Osprey Men-at-Arms book devoted to early Prussian cavalry comes the second volume. Written by the same author, Peter Hofschroer, and illustrated by Bryan Fosten, this volume is concerned with the formidable mounted force that rose from the debacle of 1806.

For the second time in recent Osprey releases, the color prints illustrate 'useful' as opposed to exotic uniforms. We see cuirassiers, dragoons, hussars, and some uniforms from the national regiments. My only gripe with the uniform coverage is the lack of attention focused on the landwehr, volunteer, and freikorps.

The text is disappointing, particularly after the very informative first volume. The writing is weak and the historical coverage is very biased. While it is well and good to proudly describe the great contributions and sacrifices made by the Prussian Army, it is rather petty to denigrate their opponents the French. For example, "Davout and his generals fled into the infantry squares for protection; their foot soldiers, however, stood their ground." Officers, including Wellington, frequently sheltered inside squares. They didn't 'flee', a word that implies panic. This is a relatively subtle example of a pervasive bias.

Another complaint, in a book where text is at a premium; six pages are devoted to a shallow biography of Blucher. I would much rather have read about cavalry combats or tactics in a book entitled "Prussian Cavalry".

The best section of the book examines a major cavalry battle that took place the day before the Battle of Leipzig began. Even here, one must be aware of the biases. The author accurately contrasts Prussian flexibility with French rigidity. He fails to mention that the French cavalry had perished in Russia. The mounted arm in 1813 largely consisted of poorly trained recruits mounted on even poorer horse flesh. The cuirassiers, for example, couldn't work up to more than a trot. The combat's outcome, a handsome Allied success, must be viewed in this light. Prussian Cavalry (2) costs $7.95.

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