KEYNOTE ? Detailed illustrated history of Napoleon's most glorious strategic victory The Battle of Austerlitz is considered by many as the most brilliant of all of Napoleon's victories. It took place less than a month after the surrender of General Mack's Austrian Army at Ulm, and the Emperor had reconnoitered the field a few days before the battle, judging well where his enemies would place their troops; he predicted with great accuracy their plans. The battle itself, on the 2nd of December 1805 displayed the height of Napoleon's military professionalism. It clearly shows how a plan, brilliantly simple in its offensive-defensive form, executed to perfection with the right manoeuvre at the right moment can bring victory to the bold. Although he found himself numerically inferior, Napoleon tempted his enemies into attacking him while he held a strong defensive position, and then, when his opponents had made the grave mistake of abandoning the high ground at the centre of the battlefield, Napoleon took his chance and counterattacked, dividing his enemies in two while still maintaining an adequate number of reserves to be able to influence the final outcome of the battle and then pursue his defeated enemies. The victorious outcome for France forced the Austrians to sue for peace and sign the Treaty of Pressburg on 26th December 1805, effectively bringing the Third Coalition to an end and taking Austria out of the Napoleonic Wars until 1809. This book details the events of this momentous battle, with numerous supporting photographs and artwork of the soldiers involved, their uniforms and their weaponry. ILLUSTRATIONS Full Colour
