The Black Brunswickers

Description

In 1809 the dispossessed Friedrich Wilhelm of Brunswick, consumed by his desire for revenge against Napoleon, entered into an agreement with the Austrians to raise a new corps of infantry and cavalry. As a physical expression of this vengeance he decided to clothe his new troops all in black and adopted as his badge the skull and crossbones, resulting in his corps' christening as Die Schwarze Schar (the Black Horde). This book details the pivotal role that the Black Brunswickers played in major battles of the Napoleonic Wars, including Quatre Bras and Waterloo, and outlines the organization, uniforms and equipment of these formidable troops.

Otto von Pivka (the nom de plume of Digby Smith) wrote his first title for Osprey Publishing in 1972 (The Black Brunswickers, in the Men-at-Arms series). He is a prolific author, who has contributed many titles to the Men-at-Arms series on the armies and forces of the Napoleonic Wars. A former major in the British Army, he is now retired, but continues to write books on this key period. Michael Roffe is a talented painter of military subjects who has illustrated many titles for Osprey over the years. His artistic talents span a variety of historical periods; he has illustrated titles relating to the Boer War, the English Civil War, the Napoleonic Wars and the American War for Independence.