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Books Related to The Prussian Army Digby Smith - ISBN: 0764319906
A little misleading? - Rated
Whilst, without doubt, a very good book, I felt a little cheated. The coverage of the army is extremely well done, with comprehensive listings of regiments by arm of service. There are uniform notes and descriptions of colours, individual service histories, and a reasonable selection of good (if not particularly novel)illustrations. Tactics are briefly discussed, and a selection of sample orders of battle from the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars are included.
However, the emphasis is is overwhelmingly on the "Frederickian" army (which in essence survived until the disaster of Jena-Auerstadt), and its Napoleonic successor. I can't help feeling that I was somewhat hoodwinked by the title (whatever the intention of the author). I expected the late 17th and early 18th century army to receive a similar level of attention, but was disappointed to find litle more beyond their service histories; uniform details for the period prior to the break with European (that is to say effectively French) military fashions, are dismissed in a single sentence, for example.
A good reference work - particularly for forces of the period between the end of the Seven Years War and the collapse of the First Coalition - but the rather dull format, and somewhat uneven treatment of the period as a whole take it to 4 stars.
What an astonishing book! - Rated
This book is astonishing both as a narrative history and as a reference work. What Digby Smith doesn't know about the Prussian Army of this period probably isn't worth knowing. And the book is lavishly illustrated. It's a real work of art and doubtless also a labour of love on his part. And well worth the price. It is primarily a work for the serious student and researcher of the subject.
The author was a British Army officer who served with the Rhine Army over an extended period. He is fluent in German and studied at the German Command and Staff College; his knowledge of German and Germany is that good! His sources, both British and German, are impeccable. This will be a classic for a long time to come.
