"infamous army" by Georgette Heyer (she pretty much invented the bodice-ripper genre which Barbara Cartland drove a long way afterward) was on the reading list at cranwell college. Best description of the battle of waterloo ever, alongside the romance. The lead characters include Harry Smith and his Wife, who are the stars of "the spanish bride" which is about the campaign in Spain, when not about smooching and teenage love affairs. She became Lady Smith.. of Ladysmith (south Africa) fame. Nothing like doing "the crown" before fictionalised fact was on netflix
Sometimes, the reading list is quite varied.
They could have chosen the first 2 chapters of Stendhal's "charterhouse of parma" if you want a vibe from down at the platoon level (for much the same reasons as Heyer's book was chosen for an overall view at Wellington's level)
Cranwell College is the Royal Air Force college (for those like me who didn't know).
But, while Georgette Heyer invented the Regency romance, hers are not "bodice-rippers". They're far better than that.
"An Infamous Army" is kind of a strange book. It's half a romance, and half a war story, and it doesn't quite work as either one, but it works well as itself.
Sometimes, the reading list is quite varied.
They could have chosen the first 2 chapters of Stendhal's "charterhouse of parma" if you want a vibe from down at the platoon level (for much the same reasons as Heyer's book was chosen for an overall view at Wellington's level)