A History of Europe, Key Battles

Podcast Review

Wihelm Camphausen, The Battle of Dybbøl

Readers who like the Tactical Notebook will love the way that Carl Rylett selects the subjects for each episode of A History of Europe, Key Battles. Rather than retelling familiar tales of famous events, he brings to life personalities, crises, and encounters that, while important in all sorts of ways, have probably escaped the attention of his readers. Thus, he devotes as much air time to the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 and the Burgundian wars of the late Middle Ages as he does to the campaigns of Napoleon I.

A History of Europe, Key Battles rarely provides blow-by-blow descriptions of tactical engagements. Instead, the Schwerpunkt of the series lies with the events leading up to the battles in question and the results that follow. In other words, A History of Europe, Key Battles deals more with the context of battles than battles per se.

A History of Europe, Key Battles will soon end its decade-long career. Thus, readers who think that they might be interested in any (or all) the two hundred or so episodes of the series will want to download them at some point in the near future. (Readers who wish to avoid the irritating commercials appended to the more recent episodes will find that supporting the series on Patreon is an excellent investment.)