Waterloo 1815 - Mont St Jean and Wavre
Background
As described on the Osprey Publishing website, “Waterloo is one of the defining campaigns of European history. The name conjures up images of the terrible scale and grandeur of the Napoleonic Wars and the incredible combined effort that finally ended Napoleon's aspirations of power in Europe. Drawn from unpublished first-hand accounts, and using detailed illustrations, this comprehensive volume is the ideal resource for studying the intense fighting at the battles of Waterloo and Wavre, the final, decisive engagements of the Waterloo campaign. Those two battles are at the heart of this study, which explores the action at Mont St Jean where Wellington managed to hold the French at bay until the arrival of the Prussians under Blücher saw the Allies secure a hard-fought victory at the dramatic climax of the ‘Hundred days'”.
Contents
- Origins of the campaign
- Chronology
- Opposing commanders
- Opposing forces
- Opposing plans
- The Battle of Waterloo
- The Battle of Wavre
- Aftermath
- The battlefields today
- Further reading
- Index
Bottom Line Up Front
I really enjoy Osprey’s Campaign Series of books. They provide a concise, well-researched account of the referenced campaign with numerous photos, drawings, and especially important, maps!
What You Will Find
John Franklin is a professional military historian, based in Switzerland who specializes in the Napoleonic period, and the Waterloo campaign in particular. In 88 pages of text, maps, and period paintings, he presents a concise history of the two concluding battles of the 1815 Waterloo Campaign. The introduction covers the results of the earlier battles of Quatre Bras and Ligny, both covered in Osprey’s titles, “Waterloo 1815 (1)” and “Waterloo 1815 (2)”, respectively. A chronology provides an hour-by-hour review of the major events of 17/18 June 1815. Under Opposing Forces, the author discusses the senior commanders of both sides, composition of the opposing forces and orders of battle for the French, British and Prussian armies.
The crux of the book is two separate chapters covering the separate, but related battles conducted at Mont St. Jean and at Wavre. I believe maps are essential for books on military history. Osprey does not disappoint. Gerry Embleton, the illustrator for this volume has produced eight easy to decipher, full-color maps, seven covering the major phases of the action at Mont St. Jean. He supplements the maps with outstanding illustrations of the tactical action on the battlefields.
There is a brief description of the battlefield as you would find it today and you will also find an extensive bibliography to guide further study.
Conclusion
Why would a model builder want to purchase a book covering an ancient campaign? This subject is probably of direct model-related interest to figure modelers; however, many modelers are also students of history. This particular volume may not interest many members of IPMS/USA, but it is an indication of the excellent narratives Osprey Publishing publishes in their 'Campaigns' series.
I highly recommend this book for figure modelers and history buffs of the Napoleonic period. Additionally, I recommend the Campaign Series of books for modelers in general.
I would like to thank Osprey Publishing. LTD for this review copy of Waterloo 1815 (1).

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