Following the success of our Danube Valley tour, here is another Holt's opportunity to widen your understanding of military history, to study some very interesting battles and to trace the history and development of tactics in the 'horse and musket' era.

From our base in Leipzig, we shall study aspects of the Thirty Years War (1618-1648), the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and the Napoleonic Wars (1805-1815). In particular we shall look at the extraordinary contribution to the art of war of three of the 'Great Captains' of history – Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, Frederick the Great of Prussia and the Emperor Napoleon of France.

Gustavus introduces the notion of tight battlefield discipline and drilled troops into the anarchic campaigns of the Thirty Years War and shatters the Imperialist armies at Breitenfeld before leading his army to Lutzen where he is killed at the moment of victory. Frederick II of Prussia inherits a formidable army from his father and turns it into one of the most feared military instruments in history. His defeat of French and German forces at Rossbach was one of the most complete battlefield victories ever known; his fight against Austria at Torgau shows just how brutal and bloody these battles could be. Enter the genius of Napoleon and his stunningly successful Grand Army, which faces the heirs of Frederick and destroys them in the twin battles of Jena-Auerstadt.

We shall have time to explore a little of Leipzig city and the surrounding area, as a taster for the 2013 bicentenary tour of the 1813 campaigns. Your guide, John Lee, has conducted many Napoleonic tours (in eight different countries so far) and is an expert on the battlefield tactics of this period.

ITINERARY
Day 1 (Monday): Fly London Heathrow to Berlin. Drive south to Leipzig and check into our hotel for a 4 night stay.
Day 2: The Thirty Years War: the battles of Breitenfeld 1631 and Lutzen 1632 were fought during the ongoing religious struggle between Catholic and Protestant forces.
Day 3: The Seven Years War: a global conflict fought in Europe because of hostility between Prussia and Austria – and globally by their allies, Britain and France. We look at the battle of Rossbach 1757, one of Frederick the Great's masterpieces and Torgau 1760 a costly Prussian victory with combined losses of more than 30,000.
Day 4: The Napoleonic Wars: examines three of the battles of the 4th Coalition - Saalfeld, Jena and Auerstadt 1806.
Day 5: A visit to the fine Leipzig City Museum, situated in the Old City Hall facing the main market square. Drive north to Berlin for our return flight to London Heathrow.