When Frederick II (later known as Frederick the Great) came to the throne in 1740, he had three advantages for which he owed thanks to his father: a modern, well-organised state; full coffers; and a properly trained and equipped army. Under a leader as renowned as Seydlitz, the Prussian cavalry achieved the nearest to a state of perfection that it was ever going to. So great was its reputation in the Seven Years' War that Napoleon made a special point of warning his men at the beginning of the 1806 campaign to beware of the Prussian cavalry.

After Prussia's dismemberment a drastic re-organisation of the entire army was necessary, and the cavalry underwent this process with the rest. At the time of the mobilisation in 1813, the somewhat reduced mounted arm was supplemented by voluntary and militia formations; and once peace was established after the First Abdication, a further re-organisation was begun. The fateful campaign of 1815 was fought with the Prussian cavalry still in the throes of this re-organisation. Packed with diagrams, illustrations and eight full page colour plates by Bryan Fosten, this book by Peter Hofschröer details the history, organisation, equipment and uniforms of the Prussian cavalry which fought in the Napoleonic wars.

The armies of the Napoleonic Wars fought in a series of devastating campaigns that disturbed the peace of Europe for twelve years, yet the composition, organization and fighting efficiency of these forces receive too little attention. Each force tends to be examined in isolation or in the context of an individual battle or campaign or as the instrument of a famous commander. Rarely have these armies been studied together in a single volume as they are in this authoritative and fascinating reassessment edited by Gregory Fremont-Barnes.Leading experts on the Napoleonic Wars have been specially commissioned to produce chapters on each of the armed forces that took part in this momentous era in European history. The result is a vivid comparative portrait of ten of the most significant armies of the period, and of military service and warfare in the early nineteenth century. The book will be essential reading and reference for all students of the Napoleonic era.Covers the armies of Austria, Britain, the Confederation of the Rhine, the Duchy of Warsaw, France, the Kingdom of Italy, Portugal, Prussia, Russia and Spain.

During the Napoleonic Wars the supreme battlefield shock weapon was the heavy cavalry – the French cuirassiers, and their British, Austrian, Prussian and Russian counterparts. Big men mounted on big horses, the heavy cavalry were armed with swords nearly a metre long, used for slashing or thrusting at their opponents; many wore steel armour, a practice revived by Napoleon. They were tasked with smashing a hole in the enemy's line of battle, with exploiting a weakness, or with turning a flank. Their classic manoeuvre was the charge; arrayed in close-order lines or columns, the heavy cavalry would begin their attack at the walk, building up to a gallop for the final 50 metres before impact. Illustrated with diagrams, relevant paintings and prints and specially prepared colour plates, this is the first volume of a two-part study of the cavalry tactics of the armies of Napoleon and those of his allies and opponents. Written by a leading authority on the period, it draws upon drill manuals and later writings to offer a vivid assessment of how heavy cavalry actually fought on the Napoleonic battlefield.

While Napoleon prepared his army, on the coast of France, for an invasion of England that would never come, Russia and Austria prepared to move against his rear. Napoleon turned on the allies and crushed them in one of history's greatest campaigns. The following year, he met the legendary army of Frederick the Great and annihilated it completely. The year after it was Russia's turn again, and though the northern winter was the major foe, it could not save the Tsar. The world, and warfare, would never be the same again. The Empires of Russia, Austria, Prussia and Britain were not weak. How had Napoleon done this? Why were his methods, and his army, different?

Irregular, semi-regular and reserve formations comprised a substantial part of the armed forces at the disposal of the Prussian Army throughout the Napoleonic Wars, particularly during the campaigns of the Wars of Liberation, 1813-15. The scale of the uprising of 1813 required the mobilization of all available forces and the utilization of all available equipment, and meant that the Prussian Army of the Wars of Liberation was very much a patchwork affair. This book examines and illustrates the reservists (or Kruemper), the Freikorps and foreign units, and the militia who fought in the Prussian Army.

Osprey Men-at-Arms: A Celebration is a very special volume detailing some of the wonderful artwork that has graced Osprey's renowned Men-at-Arms series over the last forty years. Beautifully presented in luxurious cloth, embossed and foil blocked, with head and tails bands and a ribbon bookmark, the collection contains the most treasured illustrations from the vast archives of this respected series and is a classic, collectable item for all military history enthusiasts.

Frederick the Great was an acknowledged master of war. Admired and studied by Napoleon, he commanded the Prussian army at sixteen major battles and numerous sieges and other actions, often leading from the front. Under Frederick the Prussian Army became arguably the most feared and efficient in Europe, often defeating numerically superior forces. Gabriele Esposito details the organization, uniforms and equipment of the various branches of service that made up the Prussian Army. Starting with the infantry, whose incredible discipline and excellent training made them the backbone of Frederick's forces he details the famous Guards and the line regiments but also the light infantry jagers and even little-known garrison and auxiliary units. Equal attention is given to the cavalry: Guards, cuirassiers, dragoons, lancers and hussars. There is also a chapter devoted to the 'technical corps' of artillery, pioneers and the like, and there are chapters on the mercenary 'freikorps' and Frederick's German allies. The whole is lavishly illustrated with beautiful color plates.

On 1 September 1939, when Germany attacked Poland, the Wehrmacht numbered 3,180,000 men. It eventually expanded to 9,500,000, and on 8-9 May 1945, the date of its unconditional surrender on the Western and Eastern Fronts, it still numbered 7,800,000. The Blitzkrieg period, from 1 September 1939 to 25 June 1940, was 10 months of almost total triumph for the Wehrmacht, as it defeated every country, except Great Britain, that took the field against it. In this first of five volumes examining the German Army of World War II (1939-1945), Nigel Thomas examines the uniforms and insignia of Hitler's Blitzkrieg forces, including an overview of the Blitzkrieg campaign itself.

Written by experts for use by nonexperts, this monumental work probes Germany's "Genius for War" and the unmistakable pattern of tactical and operational innovation and excellence evident throughout the nation's military history. Despite having the best military forces in the world, some of the most advanced weapons available, and unparalleled tactical proficiency, Germany still lost both World Wars. This landmark, four-volume encyclopedia explores how and why that happened, at the same time examining Germany as a military power from the start of the Thirty Years' War in 1618 to the present day. Coverage includes the Federal Republic of Germany, its predecessor states, and the kingdoms and principalities that combined to form Imperial Germany in 1871. The Seven Years' War is discussed, as are the Napoleonic Wars, the Wars of German Unification (including the Franco-Prussian War), World War I, World War II, and the Cold War. In all, more than 1,000 entries illuminate battles, organizations, leaders, armies, weapons, and other aspects of war and military life. The most comprehensive overview of German military history ever to appear in English, this work will enable students and others interested in military history to better understand the sociopolitical history of Germany, the complex role conflict has played in the nation throughout its history, and why Germany continues to be an important player on the European continent.