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Osprey Campaign #230
Nile 1798: Nelson’s First Great Victory
On the night of August 1, 1798, a British fleet under the command of Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson met a French fleet under the command of Admiral François-Paul Brueys D'Aigalliers. By morning the British had won a near-complete victory: only two of the 13 French ships-of-the-line escaped and the rest were either captured or destroyed. It was the first major independent victory of Nelson's career but more importantly it crippled the French effort in Africa by denying them access to the suplies and support from the sea. This book uses the latest research, new maps and specially commissioned artwork to tell the story of one of the great sea battles of the Napoleonic era.
96 pages, Paperback
First published March 22, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 9, 2019
As the title suggests this books examines the Battle of the Nile in 1798 and talks about Nelson's first great victory.
The book starts off with giving some background info on the British and French commanders. For the British Nelson and captains of individual ships are covered while for the French only Brueys and Villeneuve are covered in detail in the first chapter with some comments on some captains later.
What follows are the conditions of the fleets, the Order of Battle and the opposing plans and strategies of the British and the French respectively.
The book then proceeds to cover the prelude to the campaign and Nelson's chase of the French fleet as it was making its way towards Alexandria.
The battle itself is well covered with plenty of detail and maps and 3D models for easier understanding of the events.
Finally a tactical analysis and the aftermath follow, examining how the British won and what were the consequences of the battle. This is followed by the Battlefield Today which talks about the present site of the battle.
As per usual with Gregory Fremont-Barnes the book is quite comprehensive and readable, moving quickly and covering a fair amount of detail despite the small number of pages. Yet it overpraises Nelson and the Royal Navy a bit more than it should.
Not too many good, detailed books have been written on the Battle of Nile, both in English and even less in French. As such the battle has often been integrated as a chapter or area within books covering Napoleon's Egyptian Expedition as a whole. Luckily this book, although short, covers the battle very well in considerable detail.
Final Rating: 8/10
The book starts off with giving some background info on the British and French commanders. For the British Nelson and captains of individual ships are covered while for the French only Brueys and Villeneuve are covered in detail in the first chapter with some comments on some captains later.
What follows are the conditions of the fleets, the Order of Battle and the opposing plans and strategies of the British and the French respectively.
The book then proceeds to cover the prelude to the campaign and Nelson's chase of the French fleet as it was making its way towards Alexandria.
The battle itself is well covered with plenty of detail and maps and 3D models for easier understanding of the events.
Finally a tactical analysis and the aftermath follow, examining how the British won and what were the consequences of the battle. This is followed by the Battlefield Today which talks about the present site of the battle.
As per usual with Gregory Fremont-Barnes the book is quite comprehensive and readable, moving quickly and covering a fair amount of detail despite the small number of pages. Yet it overpraises Nelson and the Royal Navy a bit more than it should.
Not too many good, detailed books have been written on the Battle of Nile, both in English and even less in French. As such the battle has often been integrated as a chapter or area within books covering Napoleon's Egyptian Expedition as a whole. Luckily this book, although short, covers the battle very well in considerable detail.
Final Rating: 8/10
April 15, 2013
Am 1. August des Jahres 1798 gegen 22.00 Uhr explodierte das Flaggschiff der französischen Flotte l´Orient unter dem Beschuss von Nelsons Linienschiffen in der Bucht von Aboukir. Damit hatten die Franzosen ihre maritime Vorherrschaft im Mittelmeer innerhalb eines Augenblicks eingebüßt.
Detailliert beschreibt Fremont-Barnes die Ereignisse, die mit dem Auslaufen der französischen Flotte aus Toulon beginnen und mit der vollständigen Vernichtung der französischen Flotte enden. Im Zentrum der Betrachtungen stehen die Schlacht selbst, die Bewegungen der einzelnen Schiffe, die Entscheidungen der Admirale und Kommandanten, die taktischen Manöver und ihre Folgen. Zuvor allerdings stellt der Autor die Kontrahenten vor, also die Admirale und Kapitäne, die Schiffe und die Bewaffnung, den Trainingsstand und die jeweiligen taktischen Doktrinen.
Alles in allem eine interessante Lektüre über ein Ereignis, das wie nur wenige wohl tatsächlich den Verlauf der Geschichte beeinflusst haben dürfte. Dass der Held von Aboukir, Vizeadmiral Nelson nach „getaner Arbeit“ auf seinem Rückweg in Italien bei den Hamiltons vorbeischaute und dabei seine Affäre mit der Frau des Botschafters begann, ist hingegen nur eine Anekdote ohne historische Relevanz.
Zur vollständigen Rezension auf GeschiMag: https://geschimagazin.wordpress.com/2...
Detailliert beschreibt Fremont-Barnes die Ereignisse, die mit dem Auslaufen der französischen Flotte aus Toulon beginnen und mit der vollständigen Vernichtung der französischen Flotte enden. Im Zentrum der Betrachtungen stehen die Schlacht selbst, die Bewegungen der einzelnen Schiffe, die Entscheidungen der Admirale und Kommandanten, die taktischen Manöver und ihre Folgen. Zuvor allerdings stellt der Autor die Kontrahenten vor, also die Admirale und Kapitäne, die Schiffe und die Bewaffnung, den Trainingsstand und die jeweiligen taktischen Doktrinen.
Alles in allem eine interessante Lektüre über ein Ereignis, das wie nur wenige wohl tatsächlich den Verlauf der Geschichte beeinflusst haben dürfte. Dass der Held von Aboukir, Vizeadmiral Nelson nach „getaner Arbeit“ auf seinem Rückweg in Italien bei den Hamiltons vorbeischaute und dabei seine Affäre mit der Frau des Botschafters begann, ist hingegen nur eine Anekdote ohne historische Relevanz.
Zur vollständigen Rezension auf GeschiMag: https://geschimagazin.wordpress.com/2...
March 23, 2011
Nice addition to the Osprey "Campaign" series. This slender volume explores the battle between Britain and France in Egypt. This represents Nelson's first great victory (the subtitle of the book).
The book proceeds by, first, describing the opposing naval commanders, the forces themselves (including the order of battle), the opposing plans, the battle itself, and--finally--the aftermath. Bonaparte's flight from Egypt at the conclusion of the battle doomed his army.
Finally, "the battlefield today."
All in all, a nice introduction to this great British victory--and Nelson's first great triumph on the seas.
The book proceeds by, first, describing the opposing naval commanders, the forces themselves (including the order of battle), the opposing plans, the battle itself, and--finally--the aftermath. Bonaparte's flight from Egypt at the conclusion of the battle doomed his army.
Finally, "the battlefield today."
All in all, a nice introduction to this great British victory--and Nelson's first great triumph on the seas.
December 31, 2015
Another superb addition to the Campaign series from Osprey, filled with maps and 3D renderings of the battle. This book is a definate must have for any Nelsonian naval buff.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews