It's the morning of May the 10th, 1796,

where in the old walled town of Loddy in northern Italy.

This ancient settlement nestles against the south bank of the River Ada,

the sleepy waterway meanders through the fertile plains of Lombardy.

The land around is a patchwork of fields, green, gently wooded, quite beautiful.

To the north, through the spring haze, you can glimpse a purple freeze of mountains, the Alps.

Spanning the Ada is a narrow wooden bridge, 200 yards long, built on rickety wooden piles.

It's the only crossing point for miles around.

From Napoleon's army, the river is the last strategic barrier to the most important city in the region, Milan.

Get to the other side, and the road is wide open.

With the mantra that attack is the best form of defence,

Napoleon's army has been relentless in pursuit of its Austrian foe.

Over the past two months since he took charge,

Napoleon has been rolling the enemy back at a furious rate.

But, at Loddy, the Austrians are making a stand.

On the opposite bank they have three battalions of infantry dug in,

plus a contingent of neopolitan cavalry, not to mention plenty of cannon,

all guns trained on the bridge.

Crossing it will be a suicide mission.

Such is the belief now in Napoleon, a man with seemingly superhuman qualities

that his men can't volunteer fast enough.

After a string of victories, their new general has imbued his army with a feeling of invincibility.

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