An Osprey Campaign book by Ian Fletcher
The Osprey Campaign series books are a ‘concise & authoritative accounts of the great conflicts of history’. They were first published in 1990, and have number 403 for pre-order on the Osprey website so it is fair to say that they have been a success.
From the book:
The storming of Badajoz was an epic action which involved Wellington’s infantry in some of the most savage hand-to-hand fighting of the whole Peninsular War (1812). At appalling cost in a nightmare assault during the night of the 6 April 1812, Wellington’s soldiers hacked their way over the bodies of their dead and wounded and through the huge medieval walls of the town. These were held with great tenacity, skill and courage by a resolute French and German garrison. Having stormed the town the battle-crazed army went berserk and the horrors of the sacking which followed, as much as the sublime courage of the attackers, have passed into legend.
Whilst at Woehammer we are primarily an Age of Sigmar blog, we like to cover other aspects of the hobby. And I like historical wargaming having armies from Macedonia, Anglo-Saxons and an unpainted Celt/Ancient British army… all the 25mm squares! With Peter starting to look at Silver Bayonet (also by Osprey) it was the push I needed to read my Campaign book on Badajoz.
In 1812, Napoleon is running unchallenged through much of Europe but Arthur Wellesley and his Portuguese allies are taking the fight to his marshals in Spain. With significant indirect support from Spanish armies & guerillas tying down large numbers of French troops Wellesley aims to take the two fortresses guarding the route from Portugal to Spain.
Ian Fletcher has written other Osprey books based in the Peninsular War and is an expert in the field. His explanations are clear, concise and the maps and pictures makes the sieges and troop movements easy to understand and the flow of the sieges easy to follow. He also puts the surrounding events clearly and introduces the main protagonists.
There is some repeating of information with some stories and deaths repeated in the main text a few times (in various sections) and in explanations of photos, but it is a minor quibble and the book as a whole is a great read if you are interested in sieges in the Napoleonic Wars, the Peninsular War or just one of the bloodiest sieges undertaken by British troops in their history.
As an extra bonus there is a small section on how to wargame the sieges with some interesting options (other campaign books do this as well). All involve an organiser or game master, but they are all interesting and reminded me that not all games have to be competitive.
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— Declan & Eeyore
