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In Reply to: Re: Patrick and Victor - re M&C posted by Victor Khomenko on May 25, 2004 at 07:27:08:
A local commander?, well Nappy always underestimated him too, a 'sepoy General', even after his best Marshal's failed in Spain.Wellington. French trained.
Consistently succesful, often against huge odds, survived defeats with army intact.
Realised early on the power of agressive defence, in the context of the military 'technos' of the times. Careful with his men.
Valued rifles.
Fully understood logistics and tactics, proper commissariat, paid his bills. This was probably critical in sustaining support in the Peninsula, esp. the 'guerilla'.
Use of ground, both strategically and tactically, excellent. Would not let his armies be battered while in defence, same understanding of the power of artillery. But a rather different response.
Lower than typical losses from disease, wounds, or lack of food.
Drained Frances strength over the years of the Peninsula campaign. AND, other European armies learned from these campaigns.
Beat Napoleon, with 'an infamous army', first time up.
I would recommend that you read the biography of W by that English aristocrat lady, 2 or more parts, I think.
Napoleon. Also French trained.NOT always successful!
A clever opportunist aginst 'hide-bound' / '18c war of maneouvre' European armies, that also had not the elan his did, until the end.
Truly excellent at dividing, moving separately and yet combining at the 'schwerpunkt'. BUT, nearly undid them many times, and it got him in the end.
Battles were battering processes.
Clear and deep understanding of how to use the best artillery park in the world, not thanks to him though, but maybe over-emphasised artillery, thus affecting his adherence to column tactics?
Dismissed rifles, and relied on the "swarm" of voltigeurs and chasseurs.
Underemphasised musketry, even in the Guard light infantry units few could load and fire as quickly as British.
Ground? Good but not consistently so, either strategically or tactically. Brilliant sometimes, witlessly stupid at others. .....
Strikingly willing to take on well prepared enemy defences despite horrendous casualties. Borodino and Waterloo are only 2 good examples. ......Extraordinarily careless of his soldier's lives, consistently and horrendously so, from the outset in Italy onwards.
Relied on forage and capture to sustain his armies with food and everything else, horses, powder, shot, oxen. Perhaps understandable and even unavoidable, but very cruel to the resident pop'n.
Bad habit of leaving his men in the lurch! Doesn't wash with me, maybe 'cos I'm not much into saluting. Running home to a well used pussy while his men died in Egypt.
I actually think that Russia kicked the shit out of Nappy, not the other way around, just as it did the Wehrmacht.
[JBTW Do remember that it was the volunteer Australian infantry division (9th) who first dissed the Wehrmacht myth in WWII. At Tobruk in 1941, and at Alamein (both I and II)in 1942. Not meaning to diss Leclerc and the Foreign Legion Patrick, but Bir Hacheim was LATER, did your country no end of good though! A mix of volunteers and conscripts from Australia also put an end to the 'invincible Japanese* jungle fighters' myth, at Milne Bay in New Guinea, well before the USMC at Guadalcanal.]
* In conventional open warfare? Zhukov had done it to the Nips at Kalkin Gol, earlier still.
Timbo in Oz
The Skyptical Mensurer and Audio Scrounger
Peace
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- Nappy V. Wellington. - Timbo in Oz 19:25:56 05/25/04 (0)
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