Field Marshal Radetzky, 81, made a difference in the First War of Independence, saving the Austrians from disaster and turning the war’s outcome in favor of the Empire. He was neither a genius nor a great strategist, but a skilled craftsman who knew what was necessary and what was superfluous in war. Exercises were his obsession, with simulated battles and combat. A man with a stern but not haughty appearance, he inspired confidence in his officers.
