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  Waterloo:  Napoleon's Last Army Featuring the Art of Keith Rocco Research and Text by Paul L. Dawson Published by Lombardy Studios  Cu...

Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Army Featuring the Art of Keith Rocco Research and Text by Paul L. Dawson Published by Lombardy Studios Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Army   Featuring the Art of Keith Rocco   Research and Text by Paul L. Dawson   Published by Lombardy Studios

For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!

Waterloo campaign




 Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Army


Featuring the Art of Keith Rocco


Research and Text by Paul L. Dawson


Published by


Lombardy Studios






 Cuirassiers, Hussars, and Dragoons oh my! That is not even mentioning the Chasseurs and Lancers. Of course, we also have to add in all of the different types of infantry and artillery. 



Naturally, the pictures in the book do not have the watermark. It is just so they are not passed about the internet. This picture is  Artillerie a Pied de La Garde



 This is a big coffee table sized book. However, unlike most books that size that are long on pictures and not very deep, this book is extremely informative while also being canyon depth. When you hold the book in your hand it has real heft to it. Then after you look at the picture on the cover you realize you might just have a treasure in your hand. Once you open it there is no more doubt. This is the definitive book on the dress and equipment of all the units of the L'Armée du Nord that Napoleon commanded in the 1815 campaign.



93e Regiment de Ligne Tambours



 This is what Lombardy Studios has to say about the book:

"64 original paintings portraying many of the French Army units at Waterloo
Over a decade of research and artistic rendering by Keith Rocco went into producing the paintings in this book
150+ photographs of historical artifacts from the holdings of three museums and seven private collections
Foreword by David Markham, President, International Napoleonic Society"



7e Dragons 1815 Chef dEscadron Marligne



 "176 oversize-format 9 3/8” by 13 1/2” large pages
128 pages featuring 64 Keith Rocco soldier paintings – 32 Imperial Guard and 32 Line units
Full color throughout
Fine high-grade, art quality paper
Facing pages feature descriptive text relating to the subject of the painting along with captioned photos of rare artifacts depicted within the artwork
An added plus: 28 more pages dedicated solely to beautifully photographed and captioned artifact photos
Illustrated Uniform Glossary in French and English
Index of units and officers that are portrayed in the book’s paintings
4 large horizontal battle paintings on 2-page chapter title spreads, including:
Plancenoit – Guard Infantry & Artillery chapter. A NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED PAINTING OF THE IMPERIAL GUARD FIGHTING IN THE CEMETERY! The artist created this painting especially for this book.
Empress Dragoons – Guard Cavalry chapter.
The Great Gate of Hougoumont – Line Infantry & Artillery chapter.
Quatre Bras – Line Cavalry chapter."



Shako Plate and Cockade of a Grenadier in the 27th Line Infantry


 This is an absolutely amazing magnum opus for both Mr. Rocco and Mr. Dawson. Speaking of Mr. Dawson (historian, researcher, and author), he has put over two decades worth of time into this book. So, if you are keeping score this book has over thirty years of research put into it. Very few books can boast that claim.


Coat of the 25th Line Infantry Regiment Voltigeur Company


 Every page is a blaze of color and information. This book is a miniatures wargamer's treasure trove. Actually, I take that back. This is a treasure for anyone who has the slightest interest in the last French Army that Napoleon commanded. 

 This little tidbit of history is on page twelve:

"At Waterloo, the 3rd and 4th Regiments of the Foot Grenadiers attacked the Allied line in a final, futile attempt by Napoleon to break the British before the Prussians could tip the balance against the French"

 In 1815, the 1st and 2nd Regiments of Foot Grenadiers were the 'Old Guard'. The 3rd and 4th Regiments were the 'Middle Guard'.



Line Lancers Helmet

 The pictures that I have included are only a tiny amount of what you will find in its pages. To be honest, I am usually not impressed by books that have this many paintings and pictures. My tastes turn more to the books that are heavy on type and maps. So, even I was surprised how much this book enraptured me. Of course, for each Rocco illustration there is also a full page of information about the formation shown.

 I must admit that I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Cuirassiers. I have watched all cavalry charges on film innumerable times. However, if the charge includes those armored fellows, I am rapt to the screen. Oh, the 'Big Boots' or 'Gods' of the Imperial Guard are incredibly impressive but give me a Cuirassier charge any day. The pictures that Mr. Rocco has done of my favorite horsemen have left me in awe of his ability.


I had to add this picture of Mr. Dawson in the uniform of 'The Gods'


 I would definitely say run, walk, or crawl (or use your mouse) and head toward Lombardy Studios to pick up your own copy. You will not be sorry. Thank you, Mr. Lombardy, for allowing me to review this garden of Napoleonic delights. Now, please excuse me. I have to watch some War and Peace.

Robert

Lombardy Studios:

Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Army Featuring the Art of Keith Rocco and Research and Text by Paul L. Dawson:

P.S. for you board wargamers the work is proceeding well on Mr. Lombardy's new Stalingrad game.

 Napoleon Returns 1815 by Worthington Publishing  The Waterloo Campaign, Gettysburg, and the Bulge are the trifecta of wargaming. If we grog...

Napoleon Returns 1815 by Worthington Publishing Napoleon Returns 1815 by Worthington Publishing

For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!

Waterloo campaign





 Napoleon Returns 1815


by


Worthington Publishing






 The Waterloo Campaign, Gettysburg, and the Bulge are the trifecta of wargaming. If we grognards only had games on these three campaigns/battles, we would have enough to fill our shelves and play for a very long time. Of the three campaigns, in my mind Waterloo is the one that is the most of a toss-up. There are so many 'what-ifs' to the campaign. Napoleon who always, up to then, was conscious of time ( Napoleon's quote "I may lose a battle but I will never lose a minute), was an incredibly large part of making war successfully. He seemed to completely forget it in the Waterloo Campaign. He and his army were definitely affected by the 'slows' during the campaign. You can ascribe this to ill health, or any number of other things. At Ligny, the French had a chance to crush Blucher. After Ligny, the next day the French Army sauntered after the Prussian Army instead of herding it like cattle. The rainstorm the night before Waterloo, and Grouchy not 'marching to the guns' are more examples of 'what-ifs'. Enough of the history. Let's see what Worthington Publishing has put in the box:


Mounted Map 

18 French, British, and Prussian Corps Cubes

25 Small Yellow Wooden Markers

1 Six-Sided Die

2 Full Color Player Aid Sheets

2 Full Color RuleBooks

68 Battle Cards

5 French Objective Cards




 The map is meant to look like an old parchment map. It succeeds at this very well. It is a mounted map, and looks and feels to be able to live through as many games as you want to play on it. Movement on it is from point-to-point. Infantry Corps normally move one point, and Cavalry normally move two. The Corps wooden cubes that I received were uniform in size, except for the French Cavalry block, which was slightly larger. Friendly gamers playing the game would have no problem with this. If you are playing with someone who uses this to deduce where that block is, get yourself another gaming partner. They would also mark their cards. The Player Aid sheets are of strong stock, and slightly laminated. One side shows the setup for the pieces on the map. The other side gives the Sequence of Play etc. The back of the Combat Cards show a weary dejected Napoleon who is obviously suffering from piles. The front of the cards show a small painting from the different parts of the campaign. The Rulebook is eight pages long. It is made of paper with a bit of lamination on it, like a well done magazine. It is in full color and has examples of play included. All in all, the components are first rate.  




  The game is based on each corps' Cohesion Points. These can be deducted for Combat Losses, Extra Movement by Infantry (Forced March), and Retreat. So Cohesion in this game represents morale, combat losses, and fatigue of each of the Corps. Combat in the game is totally reliant on the Combat Cards. Each corps is worth 'X' amount of combat cards. Here is what it says in the Rulebook about Army Commanders and Corps:


"Below the army commander is a list of the corps in the

army. Each corps is listed by the corps name and its

leader name. Shown for each corps is the number of

combat cards that corps adds to combat if present, which

may be reduced based on its current cohesion point

number. Each corps has a tactical rating that determines

its ability to reinforce combat at an adjacent location and

its ability to counterattack during combat if no army

commander is present and if its Tactical Rating is used."



"Each corps has a set amount of cohesion points showing

how many cohesion reductions that corps can take in

movement, combat, and retreat before it is eliminated

from game play. Track cohesion by placing one of the

yellow cubes at the highest cohesion level for that corps

to begin the game. When a corps takes cohesion point

reductions, move the yellow cube the appropriate

number of spaces down the corps cohesion point track.

If a corps reaches cohesion point below 1, it is eliminated

and remove the corps unit from the game board. Shown

at the approximate halfway point on the cohesion track

for each corps is a mark that shows when the corps

reaches this level, any combat that it participates in, will

draw that reduced number of combat cards."




 Is the game a detailed simulation of Napoleonic warfare? Of course not. It is a game, very delightful and easy to play, but hard to master game. Does it give the player tons of choices on an operational level? You bet. You can play a few full games of it on gaming night. The components are simple, yet well done. The game mechanics can be described the same way. Thank you, Worthington Publishing for allowing me to review this game. My normal hex and counter obsession would have never let me really look at the game. 


Robert

Worthington Publishing:

Worthington (worthingtonpublishing.com)

Napoleon Returns 1815:

Napoleon Returns 1815 — Worthington (worthingtonpublishing.com)

Marshal Ney at Quatre Bras by Paul L. Dawson     Within the first chapter of this book, the author shows us the...

Marshal Ney at Quatre Bras by Paul L. Dawson Marshal Ney at Quatre Bras by Paul L. Dawson

For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!

Waterloo campaign



by








  
 Within the first chapter of this book, the author shows us the two most important reasons for the failure of the 1815 Belgian campaign. First, the French Army had some royalist officers and men who defected to the Allies. The amount of these defections are usually glossed over in other books on the campaign. Second, without Berthier as Napoleon's chief of staff, the Imperial headquarters seems to have been run in a very sloppy manner. Officers did not know where all their troops were, and many messages between the different staffs seem to have been missed. While not a competent field general, Berthier deserves to be listed as one of the best chiefs of staff ever. His not returning to serve under Napoleon in 1815 is probably one of the key reasons for the failure of the campaign. As far as the desertions, the author states that four Carabiner officers deserted on the field of Waterloo.

 The author does a very good job of detailing the performance of Marshal Ney from the 15th to the 18th of June 1815. He shows that Ney was handicapped by a lack of staff when he was appointed to the command of the left wing of the French Army by Napoleon on June 15th. Mr. Dawson shows how unnaturally timid Ney was on both the 15th and 16th of June. He goes on to show how nearly maniacal Ney became on the field of Waterloo. Unfortunately, we have only the written orders from the campaign, but the accompanying verbal orders have been argued about for more than two hundred years. In the author's eyes, among others, Ney lost the campaign by ordering d'Erlon's 1st corps away from the edge of the Ligny battlefield to help Ney at Quatre Bras. Of course, some of the blame also rests on d'Erlon for following Ney's order and not Napoleon's.

 The book shows the battle of Quatre Bras in all of its details and changes of fortune from French to Allied throughout the battle. The charge of Kellermann's Cuirassiers is explained by the author to be not as suicidal as is sometimes written about. The book comes with a one page colored map of the battle, and seven pages of colored photos of the different places on the battlefield today.

 The author shows that Ney unequivocally was sent, and received, a message from Napoleon that made it plain that Napoleon intended Ney to be part of a 'manoevre sur les derrieres' (move onto the rear) of the Prussian Army at Ligny. Ney's capture of Quatre Bras was supposed to be a movement to forestall Wellington being able to move to help the Prussians. As the book shows, Ney was hardly the best Marshal for Napoleon to have picked to have a ? command. His track record in 1813 should have precluded him in this command, but Napoleon had only so many Marshals to choose from.

 Whilst Ney was nicknamed by Napoleon 'the bravest of the brave' (look at his exploits leading the rearguard from Russia), he was not the smartest of the smart. If Davout or Soult had been in charge of the left wing, they probably would have captured Quatre Bras, and d'Erlon would have helped crush the Prussians at Ligny, thus making the Prussian Army unable to intervene on the field of Waterloo. Ney was the only marshal charged with treason after the second fall of Napoleon. This brave man was sentenced to death, and shot by firing squad.

 Ney's supposed comments at his execution were " Soldiers when I give the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you. I protest against my condemnation. I have fought a hundred battles for France, and not one against her ...soldiers,fire!"


Robert

Book: Marshal Ney at Quatre Bras
Author: Paul L. Dawson
Publisher: Frontline Books
Distributor: Casemate Publishers
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