The Battle for the Swiepwald

The battle of Königgrätz was the largest battle ever fought in western Europe until 1914 and its political consequences were no less epic - the demise of Austria as a European Great Power, the loss of her historic pre-eminence among the German nations, and the final, incontestable rise of Prussia. Whether Austria could have prevailed at Königgrätz on 3 July 1866 and salvaged her Great Power status is debatable, what is not, is the part the struggle for the Swiepwald played in her ultimate defeat. The insubordination of two Austrian Corps Commanders, and the decision to engage in their epic struggle for control of the Swiepwald forest, would leave 12,000 men dead or wounded within its shattered environs, and the Austrian right flank wide open to the Crown Prince of Prussia’s advancing Second Army. This meticulous translation of Heidrich’s brilliant monograph takes us through the fighting, hour by hour and foot by bloody foot, in a narrative unsurpassed for detail or accuracy.

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"Highly recommended for wargamers interested in recreating the Austro-Prussian War in general and the Battle of Koniggratz in particular." Miniature Wargames Magazine

"The book is an absolute mine of information, and the translation provides the reader with a significant amount of indispensable facts thus allowing for a better understanding of events....There are plenty of books on Koniggratz from the Prussian perspective; far fewer from that of the Austrians. Details of all the units and personal involved can be found throughout the text and the final chapter outlining the organised the Prussian and Austrian armies is contextually very helpful. This book goes a long way to resetting the balance between Prussian and Austrian accounts, and in short is simply tremendous and is a must for anyone with an interest (or obsession in my case) in the Austro-Prussian War." Colin Ashton, Carryings On Up The Dale Blog