THE REPUBLIC FIGHTS BACK: The Franco-German War 1870-1871: Volume 2 - Uniforms, Organisation and Weapons of the Armies of the Republican Phase of the War

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The Franco-German War of 1870-71 saw the demise of one empire, that of Napoleon III and the birth of another, a new German empire under the rule of the king of Prussia and his first minister Bismarck. After the debacle of the French surrender at Sedan vast new armies were raised, both in France and Germany.

The French Republican government, under the tireless enthusiasm of Leon Gambetta, tried to mobilize the whole male population to participate in some form or other; was he successful? This book explains how they were organized, dressed, armed, and supplied with the essentials of war. Technical innovations changed the way armies behaved in the field, railways speeded up movement, the telegraph delivered orders in a fraction of the time and new weapons altered tactics used on the battlefield. Includes 20 color plates, 100 b/w illustrations, and five b/w maps.