The Longest Afternoon

The 400 Men Who Decided the Battle of Waterloo

De: Brendan Simms

Narrado por: Michael Page

In 1815 deposed emperor Napoleon returned to France and threatened the already devastated and exhausted continent with yet another war. Near the small Belgian municipality of Waterloo, two large, hastily mobilized armies faced each other to decide the future of Europe--Napoleon's forces on one side and the Duke of Wellington's on the other.

With so much at stake, neither commander could have predicted that the battle would be decided by the Second Light Battalion, King's German Legion, which was given the deceptively simple task of defending the Haye Sainte farmhouse, a crucial crossroads on the way to Brussels.

In The Longest Afternoon, Brendan Simms recounts how these 400-odd riflemen beat back wave after wave of French infantry until they were finally forced to withdraw but only after holding up Napoleon for so long that he lost the overall contest. Their actions alone decided the most influential battle in European history.

©2015 Brendon Simms (P)2015 Tantor

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Simms takes advantage of abundant letters and memoirs to deliver an engrossing, often gruesome nuts-and-bolts description of that afternoon." ( Kirkus)

The Longest Afternoon - yes another Waterloo Book

Story: I like this book since it explores a niche part of the battlefield of Waterloo. Thus, it has ability to concentrate on something not explored in detail before this book. It appears the author has done good research on this mission and we are rewarded.

Reader: Good.

Production: Good.

Key story from Waterloo that is finally being told.

Well written, short and to the point. This book sheds light on an often overlooked, albeit key story, from Waterloo. The KGL are unsung heroes from this battle, and this book sheds light on their contribution. The book also explains the fact that most of the combatants on the allied side of the battle spoke German, a point that is overlooked by cursory histories chalking Waterloo up as a “British Victory.”

The Germans Won Waterloo

This book puts a great case for why a handful of Germans (The Kings German Legion - KGL) held up the mass of the French Army at Waterloo. A truly remarkable story over shadowed by the story of Hougomont.
Well worth the short read or listen to and added to this story is the Prussian arriving to save the Alias who where just about at the end of their tether.
Great story, good narration and excellent writing by Brendan Simms. If you are making a study of The Battle of Waterloo, then this is a must.