| Taken from the movie "Austerlitz" (1960), courtesy of Compagnie Internationale de Productions Cinématographiques (CIPRA) With threats emerging from the Russia and Austria, Napoleon abandoned his ambitions to invade England during the summer of 1805, and turned to deal with these new adversaries. Moving with speed and efficiency, 200000 French troops departed their camps near Boulogne and began crossing the Rhine along a 160-mile front on September 25. Responding to the threat, Austrian General Karl Mack concentrated his army at the fortress of Ulm in Bavaria. Conducting a brilliant campaign of maneuver, Napoleon swung north and descended on the Austrian rear. After winning a series of battles, Napoleon captured Mack and 23000 men at Ulm on October 20. Though the victory was dampened by Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's triumph at Trafalgar the next day, the Ulm Campaign effectively opened the way to Vienna which fell to French forces in November. To the northeast, a Russian field army under General Mikhail Illarionovich Golenischev-Kutusov had gathered and absorbed many of the remaining Austrian units. Moving towards the enemy, Napoleon sought to bring them to battle before his lines of communication were severed or Prussia entered the conflict. On December 1, the Russian and Austrian leadership met to decide their next move. While Tsar Alexander I wished to attack the French, Austrian Emperor Francis II and Kutuzov preferred to take a more defensive approach. Under ... |
