On 18 June 1815 the armies Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington, each of approximately equal strength, faced one another in southern Belgium to fight one of the most decisive battles in history, while elements of a third, Prussian, army sought to reach the field in time to turn the tide in favour of the Allies. On the outcome of Waterloo hung the fate of Napoleon's renewed bid to impose French rule over Europe. To understand what happened and why - read Battle Story.-Exquisite paintings and drawings place you in the centre of the action-Detailed maps explore how the fight unfolded at Hougoumont and La Haye Sainte-Biographies of the key commanders, both on and off the field, reveal how the personalities of Waterloo and Napoleon influenced the outcome of this great battle-Orders of battle show the composition of the opposing forces' armies-Packed with fact boxes, this short introduction is the perfect way to explore this crucial campaignGREGORY FREMONT-BARNES holds a doctorate in Modern History from Oxford University and serves as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of War Studies at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. Amongst his numerous publications, he is the author of The Peninsular War, 1807-14, The Fall of the French Empire, 1813-15, Nile 1798 and Trafalgar 1805, as well as editor of Armies of the Napoleonic Wars and the three-volume Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.