Napoleon v Rusku 2 - Zkáza Velké armády – Kovařík Jiří (2012)

This second and final volume about Napoleon’s 1812 campaign in Russia follows events after the Battle of Borodino, including the Russian retreat to Moscow, the city’s evacuation and fire, and the situation that led Napoleon to march south in pursuit of Kutuzov at the beginning of October. It describes how the offensive turned into a retreat after the battles of Tarutino and Maloyaroslavets, as the French faced not only the Russians but also General Winter and Hunger. The tragedy of the retreat unfolds through the bloody fighting near Vyazma, clashes at Smolensk, several days of battle at Krasny, and manoeuvres and fighting on distant flanks that eventually culminated in the several-day Battle of the Berezina. Although Napoleon won there, he then departed for Paris, while the remnants of his army retreated through Vilno and Kovno and ceased to exist as a fighting force. The richly detailed narrative is accompanied by thematic sections explaining who was who, what the three opposing armies looked like, which weapons they used, their tactics, and soldiers’ lives in the field. The contents are in Czech.