Michael Embree – författare

This book chronicles the final conflict over the now almost forgotten "Schleswig-Holstein Question", once a pivotal issue for the great powers of Europe. The campaign of Schleswig and Jutland was also the first of Otto von Bismarck's Wars of German Unification, which together created a united German Empire under Prussian leadership.The detailed story of this, the last of the "Cabinet Wars", is told here for the first time in English, compiled from numerous published and unpublished sources, including many contemporary and first hand accounts, as well as official reports. This is an invaluable resource for any student of the mid 19th Century.Key topics include: the historical background to the conflict, the political crisis of 1863, the intervention of the "German Parliament" and the build-up to war Full descriptions are provided of all military and naval forces involved.The book includes comprehensive orders of battle for the various stages of the war, informative maps, many adapted from early sources, numerous illustrations and photographs .-

In the spring of 1848, revolution threatened to sweep away the old order throughout Europe. In the Austrian-occupied north of Italy, newly nurtured nationalism, further fueled by economic issues, prompted open revolt in Lombardy and Venetia. The Austrian army in Italy, commanded by 82-year-old Field Marshal Radetzky, soon saw itself under further threat from the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, that of Naples, and the Papal States, as well as thousands of volunteers, all determined to rid Italy of the occupier. Seemingly under attack from all sides, the Austrian Army was forced to concentrate in the famous 'Quadrilateral', formed by the fortress cities of Peschiera, Mantua, Legnago, and Verona, losing deserters by the thousand, to prepare for the war to follow, a war that would continue into the following year. This volume narrates the remarkable tale of how one old general quite possibly saved an empire. With iron will, the great personal affection of his men, and some luck, Radetzky maintained his army, and finally defeated his opponents. Such was the impact of the 1848 campaign, that Johann Strauss the Elder wrote the 'Radetzky March', in the Field Marshal's honor! The comprehensive story of the revolts and the subsequent military campaigns is recounted here, taken from many and varied sources, including a considerable number of contemporary and first-hand accounts, as well official reports from all sides. Radetzky's Marches is profusely illustrated, and is accompanied by maps, charts, diagrams and extensive orders-of-battle.

In the spring of 1866, the so-called German Confederation, then a loose organization of autonomous states, was thrown into crisis by a rift between the two largest members, the Austrian Empire, and The Kingdom of Prussia. Since the founding of the Confederation, in 1815, it had been tacitly accepted that Austria was the overseeing authority. Now, however, a more belligerent Prussia sought a leading role. Under a new and ambitious Chancellor, the ruthless Prince Otto von Bismarck, Prussia would no longer accept a secondary role. This vital question of leadership naturally affected all member states, and none could ignore it. Matters, however, had moved beyond discussion, and, in June, hostilities began, with the Prussian invasion of the Kingdom of Hanover, and the Electorate of Hesse-Cassel. This volume chronicles the conflict over the unification of Germany, which actually occurred on German soil. The campaign in southern and western Germany ensured that political control of German affairs would be firmly in Prussian hands, controlled by Bismarck, in much the same way that the great battles between Prussia and Austria in the east would exclude Austria from German affairs altogether. The detailed story of this, the war of unification within Germany itself, is narrated here, compiled from numerous published and unpublished sources, including many contemporary and first-hand accounts, as well as official reports. The importance of the campaign, far too often ignored, is told here. This is an invaluable resource for any student of European military history of the mid-19th Century. Key topics include the historical background to the conflict, the political crisis of 1866 in the "German Parliament" and the build-up to war, full descriptions of all military forces involved, the various phases of the campaign. The book includes comprehensive orders of battle, informative maps, numerous illustrations (some in color) and photographs, many informative charts and diagrams. The author also presents a detailed analysis of contemporary and later sources. This is the latest title in Helion's ground-breaking series of 19th Century studies, and will appear in hardback as a strictly limited edition printing of 750 copies, each individually numbered and signed by the author on a decorative title page.EPUB3: Reflowable