Great Battles in History Series: The Battle of Waterloo

Speaker: Roy Heidicker

In 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte returned from exile to regain his empire. This military genius and his Napoleonic wars had already cost Europe millions of lives and untold devastation. The task of stopping Napoleon fell to England’s Duke of Wellington and Prussia’s Marshal Blucher. On June 18, 1815, three armies would fight for the future of Europe at the battle of Waterloo. Prior to this campaign Napoleon and Wellington had never opposed each other in battle. But Wellington had been fighting against French tactics for years. Napoleon had never fought against Wellington’s tactics. The great battle of Waterloo was a massive demonstration of infantry, cavalry, artillery, and combined tactics. By days’ end, Waterloo would take its place as one of the most important and fascinating battles in all of military history.

Dr. Roy “Doc” Heidicker served as the Historian of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base for almost fifteen years. He received his B.A. (History and Naval Science) from Marquette University and his M.A. and Ph.D. (Military History and Film) from Southern California. Doc served as an artillery officer in the Marine Corps. With his wife Judine, he is the owner of Classic Aviation and War Art. Doc is a frequent lecturer and briefer at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and in the local community. He helped organize a series of lectures for the 150th anniversary of the Civil War for the Foundation of Wayne Community College. His last lecture series commemorated the 75th anniversary of World War II. Doc is currently presenting the Great Battles in History lecture series.