BOOK REVIEW:

Well, kind of. This gem has been out since 2008 and has been well received so I doubt I could add very much really. It is well researched, highly detailed and pretty readable, though bearing in mind what I have been ploughing through over the last few years in the pursuit of academic excellence perhaps I'm not the best judge. Well I enjoyed it!

What does it offer the wargamer? Loads. Full orders of battle, usable maps and hods of scenario ideas. I am usually drawn to the big stuff and the main focus in this volume is Eggmuhl, with Abensberg and the storming of Regensburg also covered. There are also a number of medium sized encounters - Teugn-Hausen for example- and the very tempting river crossing at Lanshut which pitches the Austrians against a Bavarian force fighting a delaying action (may be refighting this soon).

Unusually the encounters that really caught my imagination here were the small unit skirmishes between French light troops and the Hapsburg jaegers, grenzers and hussars. Perhaps it is my recent purchase of Osprey's Chosen men that has stimulated my thinking on these lines?



I rather fancy seeing a clash of these colourful troops in 54mm though I would have to change the army lists to closer reflect what was actually going on in those Bavarian farms and villages and restrict forces to one or two troop types. To be fair I haven't read the rules very thoroughly or given them a go but it seems to me that these type of skirmish games seem to be about getting a sort of pick and mix of small but diverse units onto the table rather than an accurate depiction of skirmish warfare. None the less I will certainly be giving these a go and will report back on the results.