Russia against Napoleon by Dominic Lieven
March 6, 2017 - The Chairman in Book Reviews
Russia Against Napoleon by Dominic Lieven
Published by Allen Lane and Penguin Books
ISBN: 978-0-141-98460-5
This book was put in my Christmas stocking by my wife and she seldom selects books on Military History as he is fed up with books everywhere in this house. I recently finished the book and I must say I have seldom found a book so fascinating.
A few years ago I went to Russia and whilst in Moscow went off to visit the battlefield of Borodino. It was an interesting walk along the Russian front and it gave me an appetite into reading more about Russian history.
Most of the publication coverage during 1815 was on the campaign around Waterloo: this was understandable but I believe you need to understand the Russian and other Allied campaigns s in Eastern Europe to grasp the brilliance of Napoleon and yet also his weaknesses.
One of the most extraordinary facts is that despite the awful attrition of the 1812 campaign Napoleon conducted very successful campaigns against the combined armies of Russia, Austria and Prussia in 1813 until Leipzig.
The book also places Waterloo in perspective of a wider European struggle. Dominic Lieven writes well and although you may struggle with the large number of Russian generals and their names I can guarantee you would enjoy the read.
