Could the original Napoleon have won the Franco-Prussian War?

Could the original Napoleon have won the Franco-Prussian War?

  • Yes

    Votes: 23 57.5%
  • No

    Votes: 17 42.5%

  • Total voters
    40
Had the original Napoleon been in command, instead of his nephew Napoleon III, could he have won the Franco-Prussian War?

Imagine the strategic situation is exactly the same, army sizes, weapons, etc as OTL Franco-Prussian War. Would the original Napoleon have been able to defeat Moltke and the Prussians?

Basically I just want Napoleon put in the place of Napoleon III at the start of the war.


EDIT: Based on your responses perhaps more what i'm going for is French generals, of the 1870's period, who are as good as Napoleon and his Marshals.
 
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Well, seeing as he'd be a bit over a hundred, I'd say it wouldn't go very well.

Unless you want to go ASB, and have him magically transported there.

At which point, you've got a military genius--whose knowledge is half-a-century out of date.

So also not very well.
 
Unless you want to go ASB, and have him magically transported there.

At which point, you've got a military genius--whose knowledge is half-a-century out of date.

So also not very well.

I was going for this, but didn't want to put it in the ASB section. I just kind of wanted a discussion of whether the original Napoleon could handle Moltke, if they were both around at the same time.
 
All things considered, no. That is if the fundamental disparities regarding mobilization and quality of training apply that were to bedevil the French in the F-P War.
Also, Nap was blessed with having numerous talented subordinates. Can you think of particularly competent French generals in the OTL war? Or are you ISOTing Napoleon's generals , as well?
 
No. Napoleon I was used to much older technology and tactics. However, a French general as smart as Napoleon I probably could have won the Franco-Prussian War.
 
A general as smart as Napoleon, blessed with talented and loyal subordinates? Sure.

But then you've got a whole different French military.
 
I seem to recall reading in Aronson's The Fall of the Third Napoléon that when Napoléon III wanted to update the French military after the Prussian manner, some bright spark in government remarked: "Do you want to turn France into a barracks?" and the minister answered: "Be careful you do not turn it into a cemetery."

Maybe if Napoleon III had had somebody politically on his side like Talleyrand or one of them as well as the marechaux?
 
Perhaps it should be presented as Napoleon and his Marshalate Vs Moltke and his General Staff?

If Nap I in his prime was leading the French forces with his marshals, was cognizant of later 19th C tactics and military tech, had a decent mobilization plan and adequate training of his forces, and Played to his strengths of mobile warfare and timely concentration of forces and not allow his major armies getting bottled up in fortresses, he'd have a reasonable chance of defeating the Prussians.

In short, doing everything Nap III didn't do and not doing anything Nap III did.
 
Had the original Napoleon been in command, instead of his nephew Napoleon III, could he have won the Franco-Prussian War?

Imagine the strategic situation is exactly the same, army sizes, weapons, etc as OTL Franco-Prussian War. Would the original Napoleon have been able to defeat Moltke and the Prussians?

Basically I just want Napoleon put in the place of Napoleon III at the start of the war.


EDIT: Based on your responses perhaps more what i'm going for is French generals, of the 1870's period, who are as good as Napoleon and his Marshals.

If the French are as period appropriate prepared for war in the Franco-Prussian war as they were in the Napoleonic wars? I would say they have a pretty good shot.
 
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