The Franco-Prussian War 1870-71, Volume 1: The Campaign of Sedan, Helmuth von Moltke and the Overthrow of the Second Empire

The Franco-Prussian War #1

by Quintin Barry

In the first part of this comprehensive all-new two-volume military history of the Franco-Prussian War, Quintin Barry presents a detailed account of the war against the French Imperial Army waged by the armies of the German Confederation, directed by that supreme military mind, Helmuth von Moltke.

The author places Moltke and his strategic planning in the context of the European balance of power following the ending of the Austria Prussian War of 1866, before exploring the initial mobilization and deployment of the armies in 1870. All of the battles of this opening round of the war are described in detail, including Weissenburg, Worth, Spicheren, Borny-Colombey, Mars la Tour, Gravelotte, Beaumont and, of course, Sedan.

The book ends as the Second Empire of Napoleon III lies defeated, crushed by the German armies directed by von Moltke.

The author has made full use of an extensive number of German and French language sources. His detailed text is accompanied by a number of black and white illustrations and newly drawn battle maps. Orders of battle are also provided.

Genres: History, European History, Military History

342 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Quintin Barry is a solicitor and a retired Employment Judge. He has also held a variety of offices in both the public and private sector, including the NHS and local radio. He is presently Secretary General of an international group of law firms. Following a lifelong interest in history & naval history, he is the author of a number of books on military history.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. While informative, I couldn't get over all the inconsistencies of the grammar and punctuation. One minute Barry is like, "I'll use the UK dating system," then two paragraphs later he's like, "screw that, USA dating system reigns supreme." And don't even get me started on the utter lack of regularity when quoting. Will Barry put a full-stop/comma before or after the quotation marks? Will he capitalise after? Will he use double or single quotation marks? I gotta say, it kept me guessing. But when I want to learn about the F-P War this other grammar war gets a little distracting. Either way, Barry is clearly a man who has done his research and offers a largely neutral perspective. Onto volume 2.

[Miguel Ángel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesante obra que describe una de las peores guerras de Europa, contada por alguien que estuvo in situ y sin perder la objetividad.