Austrian Campaign II - The Armies of 1809 (Orders of Battle)

Having started a new war with Napoleon’s empire by invading Bavaria on 10th April 1809, Austria had enjoyed a few limited tactical successes and was encouraged by the initially poor performance on the part of Franco-Bavarian forces opposed to them. Napoleon himself had not been present at the outset of hostilities but when he arrived with the army on 17th April, he reacted with his customary speed and ruthless efficiency.The main focus of the early fighting in Bavaria took place along the Danube valley as determined Austrian troops moved to take key towns. After a series of skirmishes, Landshut had been captured but Bavarian and French forces were starting to regain lost ground against a surprisingly resilient and well trained enemy. French III Corps was particularly active as elements acted independently as they resisted Austrian attempts to encircle them.On 20th April Napoleon at the head of his Bavarian and Württemberger allies, gained a notable victory at Abensberg, 28 kilometres south west of the major fortified town of Ratisbon Regensburg. The following day another victory was gained by the emperor at Landshut when the town was retaken by storm. The Austrians under the Archduke Louis fell back from their positions while Napoleon moved onto his next objective at Eggmühl and the Austrian corps stationed there after recently capturing Ratisbon. Another victory was achieved and the strategic advantage had swung towards the French – something they would hold onto for the rest of the war.By 13th May, Napoleon had captured Vienna but nine days later he was severely checked at Aspern-Essling when he attempted a river crossing. Regrouping and reinforcing on the isle of Lobau, Napoleon was able to win the decisive battle of Wagram on 5/6th July. Austria was by now a spent force and after resisting for another six days, signed an armistice that would lead to the end of the war. A temporary peace saw Austria become an ally of France and an unwilling participant in the coming Russian campaign. She would however, take the opportunity to join the growing ranks of Napoleon’s enemies when his empire was weakened in 1813.This twenty-second volume in the Orders of Battle series covers the Franco-German and Austrian forces at the battles of Abensberg and Eggmühl. As with previous volumes in the series, an outline of the armies and a brief synopsis of the battles are included along with a detailed representation of the corps, regiments, squadrons and artillery batteries present at each action. Use has been made of numerous available orders of battle to ensure accuracy by cross referencing and drawing the best elements of each to produce the most complete record. Extensive research has also been made of the uniforms worn and the flag standards carried by the individual regiments to give an accurate visual interpretation of the way each unit would have appeared on the battlefield. A scale of 1:10 has been used to help visualise a precise image of the actual size of each unit. Finally, the text describing the units, their strength and commanders completes what is hoped to be the most informative record available. Read more