I don't know why it took so long to reach the newspaper, but the Daily Telegraph has an obituary for David Chandler, former head of the War Studies department at Sandhurst and author of dozens of books on military history.
One of my wife's cousins attended Sandhurst and was a huge fan of Chandler's books and lectures: I was introduced to his work on a visit to the Royal Military Academy shortly before Chandler's retirement. Unfortunately, I did not have the privilege of meeting Mr. Chandler.
As the obituary author said:
Posted by Nicholas at November 9, 2004 02:48 PMDavid Chandler [was] the author of a comprehensive account of Napoleon's battles which is unlikely to be improved upon, despite a legion of rivals.
The Campaigns of Napoleon (1967), which runs to more than 1,000 pages, is good, clear narrative history that satisfies experts and ordinary readers alike. Chandler not only demonstrates the origins of Napoleon's "grand tactics"; he also shows how the Emperor created his forces and employed his genius for improvisation with breathtaking success, until delusions about what was achievable took him into the realm of the impossible and led to final defeat at Waterloo.
The book has been translated into several languages, though not French. Even so, General de Gaulle wrote to Chandler in French declaring that he had surpassed every other writer about the Emperor's military career. General Norman Schwarzkopf, the American commander in the Iraq war of 1991, was influenced by Chandler; and many high-ranking British officers have been his pupils. Two years ago President Putin added his praise, though, Chandler noted with amusement, the book had brought him no roubles since it had been pirated in Russia.
Visitors since 17 August, 2004