The Battle of Austerlitz: Napoleon's Greatest Victory

by Trevor N. Dupuy

December 2, 1805.

At dawn, Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grande Armée was assembled near the tiny village of Austerlitz, some 60 miles from Vienna.

Although he was outnumbered by the Russian and Austrian allies of the Third Coalition, the French Emperor forced them to do battle on his own terms.

Leading his enemies to believe that his right flank was weak, Napoleon provoked them to attack with part of their troops.

This division of forces weakened the allies, and Napoleon smashed through the center. The enemy retreated in confusion across ice-covered swamps.

French cannon balls shattered the ice; hundreds of frantic men and horses were drowned. The panicked survivors threw down their arms and surrendered. One-third of the allied army had been destroyed.

‘The Battle of Austerlitz: Napoleon’s Greatest Victory’ is a dramatic account of one of the most perfectly conceived and executed battles in history illuminates Napoleon’s finest hour. The decisive victory wrecked the Holy Roman Empire which had dominated Europe for more than 1,000 years. And the social changes begun by the French Revolution — the rise of a middle class and the concept of equal rights for all — were extended over most of Europe.

Genres: History, France

62 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Trevor Nevitt Dupuy attended West Point, graduating in the class of 1938. During World War II he commanded a U.S. Army artillery battalion, a Chinese artillery group, and an artillery detachment from the British 36th Infantry Division. He was always proud of the fact that he had more combat time in Burma than any other American, and received decorations for service or valour from the U.S., British, and Chinese governments. After the war Dupuy served in the United States Department of Defense Operations Division[1] from 1945 to 1947, and as military assistant to the Under Secretary of the Army from 1947 to 1948. He was a member of the original Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) staff in Paris under Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and Matthew Ridgway from 1950 to 1952.

It is as a military historian and a theorist that Trevor Dupuy would make a lasting mark on the world. He is perhaps best known for his massive book The Encyclopedia Of Military History (co-written, like many of his books, with his father R. Ernest Dupuy). Starting from the beginning of history and going up the present day the book tries to cover all the major (and minor) military conflicts in world history. Usually each entry (arranged chronologically and by region) gives little more than the names of the commanders and (often) very rough estimates for the size of the forces involved in the campaigns. Dupuy was not afraid of expressing an opinion and he classified some of his subjects as Great Captains (such as Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar, Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, Frederick II of Prussia and Napoleon). Like most Western reference works it spends far more time dealing with wars in Europe and the United States than the rest of the world, but it does at least try to cover the entire world. The Encyclopedia Of Military History has been revised (and updated) several times, most recently in 1993. It can be found in the reference section of most American libraries.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good primer for the campaign. Could have done with some maps…

[Richard Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Summary of the Campaign

This is a short, concise review of the Battle and Campaign of Austerlitz. A map or two would have been very helpful and I suggest getting out a map of the campaign as you read this.

[Msm · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to understand n well written book...