The Battle of Austerlitz

The french captured large amounts of equipment which had been abandoned along the roadside, but didn't find the enemy. Later in his life, napoleon would say of usterlitz, i fought 30 battles like this one, but never won where victory was so pronounced and destiny so finely balanced. No one could have predicted just how eagerly the coalition leadership would swallow the deception. It is easier to convince the enemy of a deception when the truth seems impossible. The french had also enjoyed an intelligence advantage for the entire campaign. Any other army in the world really would have been weak and depleted after two months of constant operations deep in enemy territory.