Battle of Goito
Battle of Goito
| date | May 30, 1848 |
|---|---|
| place | Goito , Italy |
| output | Italian victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 11,200 infantrymen, 950 cavalrymen, 33 guns |
14,700 infantrymen, 2,400 cavalrymen, 43 guns |
| losses | |
|
23 officers, 594 men (including 22 officers and 376 men dead or wounded and 1 officer and 218 men missing) |
14 officers, 348 men dead, wounded and missing |
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The Battle of Goito was fought on May 30, 1848 between Italian forces under the leadership of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont and associations of the Austrian Empire . The battle , successful for the Piedmontese and their allies , marked the end of the first phase of the first Italian War of Independence .
background
Popular revolts against the restoration of absolutism broke out across Europe in 1848 . But in Italy and other areas dominated by Austria, it was above all a question of national self-determination. In Milan the popular uprising (March 18-22, 1848) assumed such serious proportions that the Austrian troops under Radetzky had to withdraw from the city and from Lombardy to the fortress quadrangle Mantua - Peschiera del Garda - Verona - Legnago in order to Waiting for reinforcements from Austria.
The independent Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont was thereupon asked from many sides in Italy to take the lead in the unification movement and to use the moment to end Austrian rule in northern Italy. On March 23, 1848, King Karl Albert of Savoy declared war on the Danube Monarchy . The Piedmontese army joined 7,000 men from Tuscany to 10,000 soldiers from the Papal States provided 16,000 from the Kingdom of Naples . These additional forces reached the theater of war with some delay, which is why the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont initially took action against the army of the Austrian Empire .
Preliminary battles in the fortress square
On April 8, 1848, the Piedmontese troops encountered the Austrian positions at the strategically important bridge of Goito at the Mincio , an outflow of Lake Garda , which also represented the western section of the Austrian fortress quadrangle between Peschiera and Mantua . Piedmontese Bersaglieri took both the place and a river crossing after a first battle with the Austrian Brigade Wohlgemuth near Goito. Shortly thereafter, they won two more battles in Valeggio (April 9) and Monzambano (April 10) further north, also on the Mincio. Thereupon they penetrated the fortress square and on April 30th they achieved a first major success on the plateau of Rivoli near Pastrengo against the division of the FML Wocher, which belonged to the Imperial I. Corps .
Another strong attack by the Piedmontese on May 6th near Santa Lucia against the Imperial Ride exhibition west of Verona was repulsed by Radetzky. On May 25, the Austrian III. Corps (14 battalions, 11 squadrons and 53 artillery pieces) under FML Thurn and Valsassina arrived in the fortress area in front of Verona and strengthened Radetzky's main force to 45,000 men, which gave the opportunity for effective counter-attacks.
On May 27th, Radetzky's southern flank march began in three columns from Verona to Tombetta. Only the Weigelsberg division with 4,000 men remained in the fortress as an emergency garrison. The bulk of the Austrian I. Corps (15,200 men) under FML Count Wratislaw marched in the meantime via Tomba and Trevenzuolo to Castebelforte. On May 28, Radetzky's army reached Mantua fortress and united with General Gorzkowski . In nearby Curtatone and Montanara, the southern wing of the Austrians encountered bitter resistance from 5,000 students and lecturers from the universities of Pisa and Siena on May 29, 1848 . These battles gave Karl Albert enough time in the northern section to prepare against Radetzky's encircling attack against the Piedmontese army corps near Goito .
The battle of Goito
On May 30, Karl Albert awaited the Austrian attack on Somenzari Hill. Lieutenant General Eusebio Bava , commanding officer of the Sardinian 1st Corps, had already strengthened himself here to 23,000 men and 54 cannons, another nine battalions were formed in Volta as reserves .
Radetzky's middle group - the FML Division Fürst Schwarzenberg - initially attacked the left Piedmontese wing near Goito at 3:30 p.m., but shortly afterwards initiated an encirclement of the unfavorably positioned right wing. The Brigade Benedek reached Goito via Rivalta as vanguard, followed by the I. Reserve Corps under FML Wocher. On the right wing, the II. Corps under FML d´Aspre (13,400 men) was approaching Ceresara via Castelucchio. The Wohlgemuth brigade was instructed to advance to the left of the Benedek brigade, and the Strassoldo brigade was deployed against the right flank of the enemy at Gobbi. Under pressure from the Austrian I. Corps (FML Wratislaw), a Piedmontese brigade initially withdrew. An immediate Piedmontese counterattack, however, quickly forced the troops, overtired by the approach, on the defensive. On the Austrian side, only the Benedek, Wohlgemuth and Strassoldo brigades had been in combat until then. Around 6 p.m., the Piedmontese Crown Prince Viktor Emanuel attacked the center and the left wing of the Austrians with two fresh brigades. In the main battle, around 18,000 Sardinians (1st Division under General d'Arvillers and the Reserve Division under the Duke of Savoy) faced only 12,000 men in the 1st Corps. If the Austrian Reserve Corps (FML Wocher) had not stood idly in Rivalta and continued on the road to Santa Maria, it would have been able to support the beleaguered left wing of the 1st Corps. After the Austrians could no longer advance in the strong enemy artillery fire, Radetzky broke off the battle completely, withdrew his troops hastily to Rivalta and Sacca and began the retreat on Verona. The battle lasted a total of four hours and resulted in relatively low casualties on both sides. However, it prevented Radetzky from decisively defeating the Piedmontese and their allies and from liberating the besieged fortress of Peschiera. Peschiera was finally captured by the Piedmontese before the end of the month, the 1,200-strong crew under FML Rath had to give up because of hunger and delivered 125 guns to the enemy.
This success, which was great by Italian standards, against the more militarily experienced Austrians, who were generally very well led by Radetzky, led to exuberant celebrations on the Italian side. Karl Albert was spontaneously declared "King of Italy".
The turn
Shortly afterwards the tide turned. In France and Austria, the conservative forces regained the upper hand, and the Pope withdrew the papal corps from northern Italy. The King of Naples, threatened by constant revolts, also ordered his troops back. The indecisive Karl Albert let a month and a half pass idly and with it the Austrians enough time to strengthen themselves.
Finally, Radetzky's troops were able to defeat the Piedmontese on July 25 at the Battle of Custozza and on July 26 and 27 at the Battle of Volta . Milan was reoccupied and the enemy was forced to an armistice on August 8, 1848, through which Austria was able to restore her rule in northern Italy.
literature
- Hermann Kunz: The campaigns of Field Marshal Radetzky in Northern Italy in 1848 and 1849 . Published by Arwed Strauch, Leipzig undated [1890].
Individual evidence
- ↑ According to Kunz, Feldzüge , p. 51, these are those members of both armies who actually took part in the battle.
- ↑ a b c Kunz, Feldzüge , p. 51.