More than a thousand history buffs gathered in the Czech Republic yesterday for a re-enactment of the Battle of Austerlitz, in which Napoleon crushed the Austrian and Russian armies in 1805.
“We have soldiers from 12 countries of the world, including Austria, France, Russia, but also Belgium, Italy and Poland,” organiser Miroslav Jandora told AFP.
On December 2, 1805, Napoleon’s army took its rivals by surprise after feigning reluctance to fight the two armies near Austerlitz, modern day Slavkov, a town some 200km (125 miles) southeast of Prague.
The 71,000 soldiers of Napoleon’s “Grande Armee” defeated the 91,000 troops of the combined Russian and Austrian armies in less than six hours.
Considered Napoleon’s finest tactical masterpiece, the “Battle of the Three Emperors” left 28,000 dead.
“Every year we re-enact a part of the battle. This year we are doing the fight for the Prace Heights, the crucial part of the battle,” said Jandora.
American actor Mark Schneider, playing the role of the French emperor yesterday, hailed the 1805 battle as “Napoleon’s greatest victory”.
“There is no doubt the French army will emerge victorious at the end of the day,” he told AFP on horseback before leading his troops to victory.