1812: Napoleon's Russian Campaign

Invading Russia doesn't seem to be a good idea. I know of three major campaigns, all ending in disaster: Charles XII of Sweden (against Peter the Great), Napoleon, and Hitler. Charles XII and Hitler were mediocre generals at best, but Napoleon--how could he blunder so grotesquely in strategy and tactics? Riehn's book does an excellent job of explaining it. The lack of maps, as the other reviewer noted, is definitely a problem in following the details of logistics and battles. My paperback edition has one map, but it's lousy. However, Riehn makes up for this with a strong narrative that makes the whole campaign come alive.

My father found a great book years ago--"Retreat from Moscow", by Bourgogne (?) long out of print. It's the memoirs of a French officer who miraculously survived the retreat. If you can find it, read it!