Book overview in 1870 bismarck ordered the prussian army to invade france, inciting one of the most dramatic conflicts in european history. Alarmed by bismarcks territorial ambitions and the prussian armys crushing defeats of denmark in 1864 and austria in 1866, french emperor napoleon iii vowed to bring prussia to heel. Howards the francoprussian war details the conflict of 187071 wherein prussia defeated france in the last of the three wars of german unification spanning the time from 18641871. The campaign of sedan and francoprussian war 18701871 volume 2. German tactics emphasised encirclement battles like cannae and using artillery. The german invasion of france, 18701871 is an exceptional example of the writing of history. The francoprussian war or franco german war german.
We currently offer four rule sets for miniatures gaming. Did the civil war affect european military culture. The german conquest of france in 18701871, by geoffrey wawro, is a book detailing the history of the francoprussian war. What were the small uniton the ground tactics of battles in the late 19th century for example. The francoprussian war of 187071 violently changed the co. The old style close order tactics with soldiers formed into a two rank deep line of battle, shoulder to shoulder, had given way to. At the highest levels, the franco prussian war imposed a conservative, militaristic character to german nationalism, which played an important role in the outbreak of world war i.
The franco prussian war remains one of the least understood yet most important wars in history. Greg wawros book on the franco prussian war gives an excellent overview of this. One of the major reasons this devolution of command responsibilities to lower ranks was the fact that prussia had led the world in the introduction of universal education years before anyone else, and. What were the military tactics employed in the franco. Wawros principal conclusions both deal with the relationship of the war to the first world war. Includes details on structure of german imperial army, german order of battle, and details on selected great war battles. Clementss eagle and dove 1889, which returns the focus to the principal area of fighting in northeast france. The francoprussian war of 187071 violently changed the course of european history. The book is chock full of detailed notes from both german and french sources, and although my lack. Frenchgerman war, often referred to in france as the war of 1870 19 july 1870 10 may 1871, was a conflict between the second french empire and the german states of the north german confederation led by the kingdom of prussia. Both sides used singleshot boltaction rifles, but the french went to war in uniforms that were effectively updates of those their grandfathers had worn. The francoprussian war is an historical simulation of the conflict between the french empire and the kingdom of prussia, with its german allies.
Dr stephen badsey is a senior lecturer in the department of war studies at the royal military academy sandhurst. List of books and articles about francoprussian war. Osprey and outpost wargames service publish books for both the imperial and republican phases of the war. If the book has any problems it may be the lack of translation of french and german in the text and in the footnotes.
Tmp good books on francoprussian war for the first. The game covers only the period of the defeat of the french imperial armies, from august 1 through september 2, 1870. What were the small uniton the ground tactics of battles. The book demonstrates the importance of the franco prussian war to our modern world and will make readers feel. However, i cant imagine this war behind fought like the civil war where you have lines. Using contemporary materials including drill regulations, instructions, staff and regimental histories and afteraction reports, this book provides a compelling history of. Franco german war, also called francoprussian war, july 19, 1870may 10, 1871, war in which a coalition of german states led by prussia defeated france. The german objective is to defeat france, thereby unifying the various german states into a. Shermans tactics go back at least as far as the thirty years war. But you may want to start with the francoprussian war 18701871. Digging into many european and american archives for the first time, geoffrey wawros francoprussian war describes the war that followed in thrilling detail.
France fielded 190 reffye mitrailleuse during the franco prussian war 187072 but the tactical use of these machine guns had not been worked out, and they were rarely used effectively. The war marked the end of french hegemony in continental europe and resulted in the creation of a unified germany. The mitrailleuse was a precursor to the modern machine gun,developed from the american gatling. Prussian napoleonic tactics 17921815 osprey publishing. It transformed not only the statessystem of the continent but the whole climate of european moral and political thought. The wargamers guide to the francoprussian war 1870 71. Conrad began writing articles in the late 1870s, with a piece on the recentlyconcluded franco prussian war and another on proper diets for men and officers. Francoprussian war infantry formations following on from a query on the miniatures page, i have included some illustrations of typical prussian infantry formations in the franco prussian war. This was part of his wider political strategy of uniting prussia with the southern german states, excluding austria.
First published in 1961 and now with a new introduction, the francoprussian war is acknowledged as the definitive history of one of the most dramatic and decisive conflicts in the history of europe. Written by an expert on the prussian army of the napoleonic era, this is a fascinating insight into the 18thcentury evolution of the prussian forces into the war winning troops of the final battles against napoleon. Why were infantry still fighting in lines in the civil war. The francoprussian war of 18701 violently changed the course of european history.
And five years after appomattox, the franco prussian war was won by men moving in loose order formation and carrying breechloading needle guns, nothing the american war really taught. The rules were designed specifically for largescale battles of several divisions to several corps on each side, ideally with 6. Images and profiles of germanys military and political leadership during world war one. Then in 1882, he began writing on tactics, producing a stream of articles and books until 1908. Francoprussian war simple english wikipedia, the free. The francoprussian war was a war between france and prussia. Francoprussian war project gutenberg selfpublishing. Francoprussian war is a simulation of the francoprussian war of 187071. Alarmed by bismarcks territorial ambitions and the. The franco prussian war of 18701871 violently changed the course of european history. There also various uniform guides available for the conflict. Many americans point to their own civil war as a precursor to world war i, where weapons technology surpassed tactics to doom. He wanted to unite germans by making them fight together against a common enemy.
In conclusion the franco prussian war by michael howard is a good book for anyone interested in history or politics. On the whole, infantry tactics were not all that different from those employed towards the end of the us civil war. Michael howards book, the francoprussian war is good. For wargamers who tend to restrict their reading to wargaming magazines, blogs, and rules, and who have not run across these books, i. Francoprussian war or francogerman war, 187071, conflict between france and prussia that signaled the rise of german military power and imperialism. One player assumes the role of the german high command, the other the french. There are two books in this category, the first the franco prussian war, the german invasion of france 1870 71 by sir michael howard and the second cleverly named the franco prussian war, the german conquest of france in 1870 71 by dr geoffrey wawro. The franco prussian war is in the transitional period between linear warfare and the kind of firepowerbased, railwayenabled warfare we would recognise from the start of the first world war. What did warfare look like during the francoprussian war. Something ive always been curious about is how battlefield tactics changed or didnt change postnapoleonic wars and following the development of guns like the needle gun. Could someone recommend a book on the 1870 francoprussian. Afficianados of the franco prussian war may well have read these books already.
The austroprussian war 1866, sample of dissertations. Geoffrey wawro gives a good general description of the prussian tactical development in his book the austro prussian war and continues in his later work the franco prussian war. How obsolete or backwards was the usas military, its tactics in relation to. What are some books about the napoleonic wars and the events leading to the. The brief, seldomsung but crucial francoprussian war gets its due in this superb. The austroprussian war cambridge, 1996 and warfare and society in europe, 17921914 routledge. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
His clear straightforward prose and mastery of the subject matter are obvious. The francoprussian war 18701871 badsey this book investigates the course of the fighting, and its aftermath in the french provinces of alsace and lorraine. In many ways, this is the most informative of the childrens books about the war. This broad adoption of fire tactics was a major contributing factor to the prussian success in 1866 and 1870. Franco prussian war, war in 18701871 lost by france to the german states under the leadership of prussia. The franco prussian war led to the unification of most of germany with the exclusion of austria, and because of napoleons abdication, the papal states were absorbed into the kingdom of italy thus leading to both a german unification and an italian unification. Prussian war from opening shots to tiie battte of sedan by mike lohnson although an inreasing number of books are coming forward regarding the ampaigns and battles of the franco prussian war, and there are now some excellent sets of rules coverins.
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