Barry, Quintin The Franco-Prussian War 1870-71. Volume 2: After Sedan. Helmuth von Moltke and the Defeat of the Government of National Defence

Volume 58 of the series From Musket to Maxim 1815-1914. In this concluding volume of his study, Quintin Barry continues the history of the Franco-Prussian War, from the collapse of Napoleon III's empire to the proclamation of the German Empire in Versailles and the subsequent uneasy peace. After Sedan, Helmuth von Moltke faced a new and uncertain struggle. The war against the self-proclaimed Government of National Defence was no longer a conventional campaign between professional armies, but a test of patience against hastily assembled troops, popular resistance and the political passions of a nation in turmoil. Barry traces the German advance on Paris and the long siege that followed, alongside simultaneous operations throughout France in Strasbourg, Metz, Orléans, Amiens, on the Loire, in Belfort and in the north. Drawing extensively on contemporary German and French sources, he reconstructs the most important battlesCoulmiers, Beaune-la-Rolande, Loigny-Poupry, Le Mans, and St. Quentinand shows how Moltke's command structure adapted to the new challenges of logistics, winter campaigns, and dispersed warfare. The narrative captures both the strategic and human dimensions: Gambetta's desperate mobilisation efforts, the rise of the Francs-Tireurs, and the tensions within the German High Command as the war dragged on into 1871. The climax is the fall of Paris, the armistice and the emergence of a united Germany - the moment when modern European history was reshaped. Illustrated with detailed maps, period engravings and comprehensive battle orders, this volume is an indispensable companion to Volume 1 and completes one of the most thorough English-language studies of the war that ended one empire and created another.