Battle at Hundheim
| date | July 23, 1866 |
|---|---|
| place | Hundheim , Grand Duchy of Baden |
| output | Victory of Prussia and its allies |
| consequences | Withdrawal of the 8th Army Corps of the Federal Forces on the Tauber Line |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 1,300 soldiers | 4,500 soldiers |
| losses | |
|
5 dead; 15 wounded |
13 dead; 56 wounded; 23 missing people |
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
.svg){kind=small}
Main Campaign in 1866
The battle near Hundheim took place during the German War as part of the Main Campaign on July 23, 1866 between the Prussian Alliance and the German Federal Army .
prehistory
After his invasion of Frankfurt , the commander of the Prussian Main Army Vogel von Falckenstein was recalled and replaced by Edwin von Manteuffel . In addition, the army was reinforced to 60,000 men. After crossing the Odenwald , there were battles with Baden, Hessian and Württemberg units of the VIII Corps of the Federal Army on the Tauber until July 24th .
The 8th Federal Corps, consisting of four divisions under the command of Alexander von Hessen-Darmstadt, was divided into the following locations on the day of the battle:
- ( Württemberg ) division near Tauberbischofsheim under Lieutenant General Oskar von Hardegg with the Hegelmaier Brigade advanced to Külsheim-Wolferstetten
- ( Baden ) division on the right wing near Hundheim under Lieutenant General Prince Wilhelm von Baden
- (Grand Ducal Hessian) division near Hardheim and Schweinberg under Lieutenant General von Perglas
- (Austrian- Nassau ) division on the left wing near Külsheim under Field Marshal Lieutenant Erwin von Neipperg
The VII Army Corps of the Federal Army was formed by the Bavarian Army . This corps under Prince Karl of Bavaria was in the Würzburg area . Karl von Bayern was also the commander-in-chief of the federal troops in southern Germany (= West German Army) and the aim was to lead the two federal corps into battle together against the Prussian Army.
The Prussian Main Army consisted of three divisions under Edwin von Manteuffel
- 13th Infantry Division under Lieutenant General August Karl von Goeben - advance on Amorbach
- combined division under Major General Gustav Friedrich von Beyer - advance on Miltenberg
- combined division under Major General Eduard Moritz von Flies - advance on Nassig and Hundheim
Associations involved
In this local battle on July 23, 1866 (about three weeks after the decisive battle of Königgrätz ) near Hundheim, the infantry regiment Saxe-Coburg-Gotha met the combined Prussian division Flies under the command of Colonel Hermann von Fabeck , the Baden division under the command of Prince Wilhelm of Baden .
The Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha infantry regiment had two infantry battalions. The brigade received support from a squadron of the Magdeburg Dragoon Regiment No. 6 and two artillery pieces, so that around 1300 men were deployed.
The 1st Infantry Brigade of the Baden Division was deployed with five battalions and two artillery departments - around 4,500 men.
Ordre de Bataille of the participating associations in a contemporary representation:
2nd (bad.) Division in the VIII Federal Army Corps 1866
Combined Division Flies in the Prussian Main Army 1866
Starting position
On the evening of July 22nd, Prince Wilhelm had set up outposts at Freudenberg and Eichenbühl and occupied Hundheim. On July 23, the 1st Baden Brigade under Major General Baron von La Roche entered Hundheim. The 2nd Brigade under Colonel Freiherr von Neubronn was on standby south of it near Steinbach . Smaller departments stood at Wertheim to keep the connection to the VII Army Corps.
The combined Prussian division under Major General Eduard Moritz von Flies stood at Laudenbach on July 22nd and advanced via Miltenberg on the 23rd . The aim was to advance to Nassig and secure the road in the Main Valley while the right wing was to occupy Hundheim.
Course of the battle near Hundheim
After La Roche received news that the Prussians were advancing via Miltenberg, he sent two companies and two guns into the forest near the Tiefentaler Hof (on the road to Neunkirchen ) and half a company to Sonderriet . After 4 p.m., La Roche advanced with the 5th Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Battalion of the Grenadier Regiment, as well as an artillery division, to investigate Nassig. At the level of Sonderriet, La Roche noticed the Prussians advancing on Neunkirchen and turned back to Hundheim. Flies let his main power march on to Nassig via Sonderriet. Colonel Fabeck and the two battalions of the Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha infantry regiment were to occupy two guns and one squadron of the Magdeburg Dragoon Regiment No. 6 Hundheim.
In the forest east of the Tiefentaler Hof there was an initial exchange of fire between the Magdeburg cavalry and Baden infantry. The Coburg infantry now turned against the Birkhof. A lively firefight broke out in the Hintere Stauden forest area . With the help of their guns, the Coburgs were able to push back the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Baden Regiment in the direction of Ernsthof. The Magdeburg cavalry now wanted to pursue the Baden infantry. In the meantime, however, the 1st Battalion of the 5th Regiment was on the battlefield and more units of the 1st Brigade came from Hundheim. Fabeck withdrew cavalry and artillery to the starting positions and also collected his infantry at the Tiefentaler Hof, where he limited himself to defending his position. The people of Baden fired at these positions for a while with their artillery, but did not start a counterattack.
consequences
Prince Alexander did not send the Baden division the desired reinforcement, as he was also expecting larger Prussian units from the direction of Walldürn . The Baden division was ordered back to Külsheim that night and went to Werbach the following day . The entire VIII Army Corps withdrew behind the Tauber line.
Small monuments
Memorial for the fallen soldiers of Baden at the "monument settlement" near Hundheim
Memorial in Hundheim cemetery
Memorial in Hundheim cemetery
Soldier grave in Hundheim cemetery
Soldier grave in Hundheim cemetery
Gravesite of three soldiers from Baden in the Sonderrieter cemetery
literature
- War History Department of the Great General Staff Ed .: The campaign of 1866 in Germany , Ernst Siegfried Mittler and Son, Berlin 1867, pp. 637–642 in the Google book search
- Austria's fighting in 1866. From the K. and K. General Staff. Bureau for War History, Volume 5, Vienna 1869, pp. 129–132 online in the Google book search
- Theodor Fontane : The German War of 1866 . Volume 2: The Campaign in West and Central Germany. Berlin 1871, pp. 203-207 online in the Google book search
- Karl August Schneider : The share of the Baden field division in the war of 1866 in Germany. From a member of the Baden field division. , Geiger, 1867 online
- Joseph Gabriel Zöller: After 30 years !: the battles near Hundheim, Tauberbischofsheim & Werbach on July 23 and 24, 1866; with a historical review; with a view of Tauberbischofsheim and the monuments at Tauberbischofsheim and Werbach , 1896
- Meinhold Lurz: "The grateful fatherland for the brave". The memorials for the members of the Baden army who died in the fighting near Hundheim and Werbach in 1866. In: Yearbook 1984 of the Historical Association for Württembergisch Franconia, pp. 153–178
- Adolf Legde: History of the 2nd Badischer Dragoon Regiment No. 21 , Berlin 1893, pp. 34–36 Digitalized in the Internet Archive
Web links
References and comments
- ↑ already on 22 July 1866 Prussia and Austria had a truce agreed to a truce to negotiate, which was then completed on July 26,
Coordinates: 49 ° 41 ′ 40 ″ N , 9 ° 26 ′ 51 ″ E