Cecil Scott Forester is best known for this brilliant Hornblower naval adventure
series of stories, and perhaps his best
know novel is The African Queen, famously made into a film. Death to the French is one of the few land based stories penned by C.S. Forester and at just over one hundred and fifty pages long it’s barely a novel, yet has all the essential ingredients. A central character, anecdotal and descriptive passages, and an overwhelming theme of one lone soldier’s struggle to get back behind his own lines and survive.
When Rifleman Dodd of the famous ninety fifth rifle regiment becomes separated from his patrol during a skirmish, he not only has to stay alive and avoid capture, but he resolves to inflict as much damage and confusion amongst the French lines as he can. The story is set during the great peninsular battles of Napoleon’s campaign in Portugal. The year is 1810 and the British
forces are under the command of The Duke of Wellington, who would later go on to defeat Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815.
The British forces have been forced back to Lisbon, from where they shall have to make their last stand. It is during this retreat when Dodd and his companions are engaged in a rear guard action that he becomes cut off. Keeping his cover, moving at night and struggling to avoid starvation, he eventually meets up with a disorganised band of rebels, who soon gain his trust and friendship, though the language barrier is always present.
Death to the French is a hard, uncompromising and bleak look at war. No quarter is given or expected by the enemies, and men are driven mad by hunger, thirst and lack of sleep and shelter.
Dodd remains steadfast throughout, and in a
series of well described engagements and manoeuvres, he proves that one man’s resolve can overcome even the greatest odds.