Napoleonovi jezdci – Kovařík Jiří (2015)

Legendary men, famous attacks, types of weapons, methods of combat, and life in war and peace. The clinking of harnesses, steam from nostrils, the creaking of saddles, drowned out by the whistling of drawn sabers or poleaxes, the start and the growing rumble of hooves as horses transition from a trot to a gallop. The signals of trumpets, flowing manes and standards, blades thrust forward over horse necks, the swing of an arm for a strike, the clash of steel on steel during the first wave of collision, neighing and roaring—this is what our imagination of a cavalry battle, shaped by films and novels, looks like. Is it true? This book seeks to answer that. You will find the fates of legendary cavalry commanders of Napoleon's army and the clashes they experienced. You will also encounter explanations of the role of cavalry, the complexity of this weapon, its structure, organization, methods of deployment, maneuvering, tactics, and the nature of combat. A colorful palette of topics is spiced up with excerpts from memories or letters of those who experienced it all, and brought to life with plenty of visual material.