When Napoleon's Grand Armée went to war against the Habsburg Empire in 1809, its forces included more than 100,000 allied German troops. With French troops depleted and debilitated after the long struggle in Spain, the Germans for the first time played a major combat role. Aiming at a union of German states under French protection to replace the decrepit Holy Roman Empire, Napoleon achieved a costly victory at Wagram. Focusing on 1809 in particular, John Gill depicts Napoleon at the apex of his power, and pays tribute to German soldiers who demonstrated tremendous skill, courage, and loyalty.