Napoleons Polish Lancers of the Imperial Guard by Ronald Pawly

Napoleons Polish Lancers of the Imperial Guard by Ronald Pawly

Napoleon's Polish Lancers of the Guard were unique in their appearance and in their loyalty. This book reveals their varied and colorful uniforms as well as their long and loyal service for the Bonaparte cause during the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). The Poles were the only foreign contingent never to defect from Napoleon's cause, staying faithful to the end - a squadron even accompanied Napoleon into exile on Elba, and the Guard reformed in 1815 to charge at Waterloo. In 1808, when Napoleon was smashing his way through the Spanish armies to get at British forces in the Peninsular, the Poles astounded observers with their extreme acts of courage and military daring. In one memorable instance the Poles captured a defended mountain pass at Somosierra, overrunning four batteries of cannons in the process. It was they who introduced the use of the lance to the French army, adding a new tactical dimension to the use of the cavalry on the battlefield and demonstrated its deadly effects in all of Napoleon's most famous victories - particularly Wagram in 1809. Brave and ruthless in equal measures, this is a fascinating insight into the fighting lives of the legendary Polish Lancers.

Ronald Pawly was born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1956. He is a respected member of several international societies for Napoleonic studies, and an expert on 19th century military portraiture. He is the author of the monumental The Red Lancers: Anatomy of a Napoleonic Regiment (Crowood Press, 1998), and of a study of Napoleonic veterans' tombs in Belgium.

Patrice Courcelle has been a professional illustrator for some 20 years. Entirely self-taught, he has illustrated many books and magazine articles for Continental publishers, and his work hangs in a number of public and private collections. His dramatic and lucid style has won him widespread admiration in the field of military illustration. Patrice lives a few miles from the battlefield of Waterloo.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781846032561
ISBN 10	1846032563
Title	Napoleons Polish Lancers of the Imperial Guard
Author	Ronald Pawly
Series	Men-At-Arms
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Year published	2007-08-01
Number of pages	48
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.