Bøker av Rene Chartrand

Covers the full scope of the French East India Company's military prowess and colonial influence, from its global trade dominance to its strategic triumphs in India and Africa.From the early seventeenth century a multitude of French East or West India companies holding overseas trade monopolies and privileges were active in various parts of the world, especially in Africa and Asia. From 1719, they were united into a single vast Compagnie des Indes (Company of the Indies) known to the anglophone world as the French East India Company. In reality it was far more than that, for its trade privileges also covered Africa, other places in Asia from Arabia to China, and North America. Besides a multitude of usually modestly fortified trade lodges and factories, these companies were the actual government representing the Kingdom of France over substantial parts of Africa, India and the Indian Ocean islands as well as Louisiana in America from 1716 to 1731. The profits were expected to cover government operations. The companies had the power to make war where they operated, and thus, private-sector military conflicts often occurred. They, therefore, maintained their own private armies and navies that were totally independent from those of the King of France. These private troops were usually very modest until the formation of the Compagnie des Indes in 1719. Thereafter, as the French company expanded and became involved in the politics of the crumbling Mughal Empire in India, especially during the rule of the imperial visionary Dupleix, the fairly modest number of European soldiers was greatly expanded by enlisting many thousands of Indian soldiers who were given European training, weapons and sometimes uniforms. It was at the 1746 Battle of Aydar that Compagnie des Indes' French soldiers and sepoys utterly defeated a far larger Indian princely army so that dominance of a European nation in India was assured. After a hard fight, though, that nation would be Great Britain thanks to the good and effective support of its government compared to the French disinterest in overseas matters by the late 1750s. Pondicherry fell in 1761, as Senegal in Africa had three years earlier. The Compagnie des Indes, however, went on for another decade until it closed its books in 1770.The monopoly companies had quite a variety of troops posted in many places. The port of Lorient in France was, from the later seventeenth century, the European troops' depot and training center. Some served as marines on the company ships, others in a multitude of forts and trading lodges on three continents. Their recruitment and command are described. In India, their tactical role multiplied and led to the creation of units of gunners, horse grenadiers, dragoons, hussars, and grenadiers, all with very distinct uniforms. There were sepoy, topas and caffre units as well as auxiliary allied princely armies in India, and trained auxiliary soldiers in Africa. The few royal army soldiers sent to India in the late 1750s are also considered. All Indian, African and metropolitan army troops are covered and described in this fully illustrated study.

Volume II of the history of the Canadian Armed forces prior to World War I with complete units histories, uniforms, flags and equipment in color.

A new and updated vision of the War of Spanish Succession largely won by the Sun King's armies.

Volume 2 concerns the wars, military politics and geo-strategy from 1672 to 1688 as well as analysis of French and foreign line infantry units.

Volume 1 deals with the Sun King's early years, from his birth in 1638, the resounding victory of Rocroi when he was five and a child king, the unstable years of the Fronde civil wars, his seizure of absolute power in 1661, the initial foreign military adventures culminating with the French army's blitzkriegs of 1667-1668.

"Forts of the War of 1812".

In the American Revolutionary War, there were at times as many American volunteers in the field fighting for King George as against him. After the final British defeat the survivors and their families withdrew, many into Canada. This book gives information on unit identities, commanders, strengths, combat record, tactics, uniforms, and equipment.

Canada's 600,000 troops - of whom more than 66,000 died and nearly 150,000 were wounded - represented an extraordinary contribution to the British Empire's struggle. This book describes the Canadian Corps in WWI and illustrates the uniforms and equipment of the four Canadian divisions which earned an elite reputation on the Western Front.

Canada was the first Commonwealth ally to come to Britain's aid in 1940. This is an illustrated study of their uniforms, weapons and equipment, with many battlefield photographs, and eight colour plates by famous Canadian military illustrator Ron Volstad.

Faced by superior French forces, Wellington yet again out-thought and out-manoeuvred his opponents at Fuentes de Onoro. This book features the full story of the construction of the lines of Torres Vedras, the most massive undertakings of military engineering in the whole of the Napoleonic wars.

After Spain declared war on Britain on 21 June 1779, Gibraltar was besieged by land and sea for four years. The centrepiece of the siege was the dramatic assault by supposedly invincible battering ships and the author reveals how these floating phenomena were countered by British engineering ingenuity and sheer resolve. In this detailed account of the siege, Rene Chartrand examines the Franco-Spanish and British forces as well as the personalities and plans that would contribute to a vital British victory at a time when British fortunes elsewhere in the world were on the wane.

An account of the Battle of Vimeiro in 1808. The battle was part of a string of victories over the French for the future Duke of Wellington. It liberated Portugal from French occupation and secured the vital base from which to prosecute the war in Spain.

Wellington was faced by 80,000 men of the Army of Portugal under Marshal Massena. At Bussaco on 27 September the British/Portuguese force offered battle. This title shows how Bussaco was both a stinging defeat for the French army and a demonstration of the quality of the Portuguese army.

Louis XIV''s army was in many ways the first modern army. After assuming power in 1661, Louis abolished the post of Colonel Général of Infantry so he could exercise direct control over the armed forces in his realm. The king demanded order, discipline and absolute loyalty from his army, and he introduced a military draft in 1688 - the first step towards what we know as conscription in modern armies. This book chronicles the development of Louis XIV''s army during his 54-year reign, including the units, uniforms and weapons of the elite Maison du Roi. Numerous illustrations portray the uniforms, colours and standards of his troops in vivid detail.

A discussion of the famous commanders of the American War of Independence, including the story behind such controversial figures as Benedict Arnold. American, British, French and Spanish leaders are all covered in detail, and there are anecdotes and quotations to bring these figures to life.

This volume is the first of two covering the organistion, uniforms and weapons of the Portuguese Army in Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. Based on Portuguese as well as British documents, this study comprises a source on the material culture of these forces between 1806 and 1815.

This work describes the dramatic and colourful history of the provincial units which were raised in the 13 original American colonies. Units covered include the Virginia Regiment (in which George Washington served), and the "Ranger Companies" of forest guerrillas.

This book covers the army that fought the Texans at the Alamo and San Jacinto, and was poised to fight the US in the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. It was far from negligible and on the eve of the latter war a correspondent from the London Times judged it superior to the US Army.

This volume is the second half of the story of French artillery during the revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. It covers the howitzers, mortars and large siege and garrison guns, placing a special emphasis on their role, technical significance and operational use.

This book examines the first military encounters of the Seven Years' War. When the French built forts along the Ohio River valley to support their claims to the area, a clash with the British became inevitable, and when in 1753 they refused to evacuate the region, British thoughts turned to eviction.