Napoleon And The Battle Of Austerlitz

Front 1

Military Strategy at the Battle of Austerlitz

Back 1

- Won strategic battles prior to Austerlitz
- Disguised his troop numbers and movements
- Used new military strategies

Front 2

Won strategic battles prior to Austerlitz

Back 2

o prior to Austerlitz, Napoleon force-marched his army into Bavaria to conquer the center of the Austrian army. Thus, he had splintered the Austrian army and was in a better position to win at Austerlitz.(http://www.wtj.com/articles/napsum1/)

Front 3

Disguised his troop numbers and movements

Back 3

o Marched to Austerlitz with 200,000 troops divided into seven companies to hide his numbers. And so, the army that the Austrians faced appeared to have significantly fewer numbers. When the Austrians attacked what they thought was the weakest flank on Napoleon's battle front, they were thwarted by reinforcements that showed up to outnumber the Austrians. Also, on his way to the battle, he shut down newspapers, sent out false bulletins, posted dummy troops in strategic places to disguise his attack. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Austerlitz)

Front 4

Used new strategies to catch his enemy off guard

Back 4

Napoleon used a fast-marching army, which surprised the Austrian army who was used to traditional, slower warfare. His de-centralized army of smaller divisions was able to more effectively outposition the lumbering Austrian army, which used one, centralized front.
(for source, see later discussion of divisions)

Front 5

Artillery Skills Demonstrated at Austerlitz

Back 5

- Napoleon's background as a gunner
- Dividing army into smaller units
- The final flight

Front 6

Napoleon's Background as an Artillery Gunner

Back 6

Because he had begun as a gunner, Napoleon was able to understand troop and artillery movements more effectively. This also helped his popularity among the soldiers, who thought of their commander as one of them.

(http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_artillery_napoleonic.html

(http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_artillery_napoleonic.html

Front 7

Dividing army into smaller units

Back 7

He created smaller divisions which allowed him to strike faster; during Austerlitz, was able to use divisions to reinforce flanks quickly. Divisions also were not dependent on supply lines during battle, but instead developed a style of “living off the land” to self-subsist; this allowed them to de-centralize command at Austerlitz.

(Napoleon and the Grande Armée: Military Innovations Leading to a Revolution in 19th Century Military Affairs” By David J. Gibson, www.napoleon-series.org)

Front 8

The Final Flight

Back 8

o While Austrian soldiers retreated south toward Vienna along the Satschen ponds, Napoleon ordered his artillery to fire on the frozen ponds, drowning many of the soldiers.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Austerlitz)

Front 9

Above all, Napoleon was a politician who used his skills as a rhetorician to muster his troops behind him, just as he did as a statesman for the rest of France

Back 9

He delivered famous speeches before and after the battle to his troops, proclaiming his care for them and the people of France and asking for their help in maintaining his empire.

http://www.napoleon.org/en/reading_room/articles/files/napo_proclamation_afterausterlitz.asp

Front 10

How did the Battle of Austerlitz aid Napoleon's quest for power?

Back 10

- His tactics and strategy became legendary, cementing his status as a larger-than-life figure and changing the way armies fought
- Politically, it was the final blow in defeating the Austrian army, his nemesis for many years
- He was able to use it as proof to his people of his political promises

Front 11

Bibliography

Back 11

http://www.wtj.com/articles/napsum1/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Austerlitz

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_artillery_napoleonic.html

www.napoleon-series.org


http://www.napoleon.org/en/reading_room/articles/files/napo_proclamation_afterausterlitz.asp

Cool virtual battlefield with anotations:
http://www.napoleon-series.org/military/virtual/austerlitz/c_austerlitz.html