Dettingen 1743

Dettingen 1743

by Michael McNally and Seán Ó’Brógáin
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date: 28/10/2022

Share This eBook:

  $26.99

The death of the Emperor Charles VI in 1741 was the catalyst for a conflict ostensibly about the female inheritance of the Hapsburg patrimony but, in reality, about the succession to the Imperial Throne. The great European powers were divided between those, such as Britain, who supported the Pragmatic Sanction and the rights of the Archduchess Maria-Theresia, daughter of Charles VI, and those who challenged it, including Bavaria which were supported by France.


The conflict quickly escalated into what is now known as the War of the Austrian Succession, and a series of turbulent political events brought the crisis to a head on the road to Hanau, near Dettingen. There, the French moved to put into place a complex manoeuvre which had the potential to end the war at a single stroke. A column of French troops would cross the Main near Dettingen and block the road to Hanau, their orders being to simply hold their ground and bar the route of the Allied British and Hanovarian advance. A second column would cross the Main behind the enemy and then follow their line of march northwards. The bulk of the army would use a combination of bridges and pontoon-bridges to cross the Main and engage the enemy from the flank as they were strung out on the line of march. However, the plan relied heavily on the blocking force, and command of this crucial sector fell to an inexperienced nobleman Louis-Auguste, Duc de Grammont, who chose to attack rather than hold his position. Consequently, the manoeuvre failed and the French broke, fleeing for the Main and safety, with the Gardes Francaises famously swimming the river.


Supported by specially commissioned artwork including maps and battleplates, this title explores the battle in depth, detailing its build-up, events, and aftermath, as well as analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the commanders, armies, and tactics of both sides.

ISBN:
9781472836816
9781472836816
Category:
Land forces & warfare
Format:
Epub (Kobo), Epub (Adobe)
Publication Date:
28-10-2022
Language:
English
Publisher:
Bloomsbury Publishing
Michael McNally

Michael McNally was born in London in 1964. An expert on 17th- and 18th-century warfare, his previous titles for Osprey include works on the Cromwellian campaigns in Ireland 1649–52, the battles of the Boyne 1690 and Fontenoy 1745.

A highly versatile author, he also has a passionate interest in more modern subjects, as demonstrated by his publications on the naval battles of Coronel and the Falklands in 1914, and a Fortress series study of Colditz. Michael is married with three children and lives in Germany, where he works for a major reinsurance company.

This item is delivered digitally

Reviews

Be the first to review Dettingen 1743.