Hemmann, Thomas/Klöffler, Martin Der vergessene Befreiungskrieg. Belagerte Festungen zwischen Memel und Rhein in den Jahren 1813-1814

This book fills a gap in the literature on the wars of liberation (1813-1814). The introduction provides essential aspects and basics on fortress warfare: Engineer and engineer troops, siege corps, fortress construction, artillery and small arms, war bridges, siege procedures and internal conditions in the enclosed places. In the main section, the fierce battle for all the fortresses defended by the French and their allies between Nyemen and the Rhine is described in detail.

The account also includes some particularly embattled sections such as the coasts, the Elbe line and the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. The unprecedented suffering of the civilian population, but also of the soldiers involved, is reflected here. The connection to the major operations is illuminated in overviews of the individual war theatres in the Duchy of Warsaw, in Germany, in Denmark and on the Rhine border of France. Finally, the centuries-old controversy is clarified as to whether the occupation of the numerous fortresses did Napoleon more good or harm. The comprehensive photographic material, some of it published for the first time, shows all the essential aspects of the enclosures described, as well as the basic siege techniques.