Waterloo - Poslední bitva - 2. díl bitvy u Waterloo a Wavre – Kovařík Jiří (2012)

Waterloo, subtitled The Last Battle, is the second and final volume of the work on Napoleon's last campaign, which lasted just four days and ended in his defeat. The renowned Napoleonic historian and author of nonfiction engagingly analyzes the military conditions, forces, possibilities, and plans of both sides. Literally step by step, hour by hour, and sometimes even minute by minute, he recounts the events of Sunday, June 18, 1815, on Napoleon's main battlefield at Waterloo and east of it, where Marshal Grouchy fought near the town of Wavre. He separates myths from reality, even as he dismantles the legends and lies deliberately constructed by Napoleon, discusses misconceptions, and ultimately arrives at answers to the questions of why Napoleon lost this battle. The text, rich in events, is accompanied in this volume by blocks that reveal not only who was who but also what all three opposing armies looked like, what they fought with, what types of weapons they had, what tactics they employed, and what life was like for soldiers in the field. The first volume, subtitled Towards Brussels, was dedicated to analyzing the forces that faced each other at the turn of spring and summer 1815, and the first three days of the campaign with the battles of Ligny and Quatre Bras.