Battle of Shubrakit
| date | July 13, 1798 |
|---|---|
| place | Shubrakit |
| output | French victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| approx. 4,000 riders approx. 10,000 foot troops |
approx. 23,000 |
| losses | |
|
approx. 1,000 |
Several dead, around 20 wounded |
The Battle of Shubrakit (also Shubra Kit or Shubra Khit ) on July 13, 1798 was the first armed conflict with the Ottoman Empire during Napoleon's Egyptian expedition .
prehistory
After taking Alexandria in early July 1798, Napoleon planned to march along the Nile to the capital Cairo. For this purpose, he planned that several French divisions would unite in El Rahmaniya, which is located directly on the low water of the Nile, which took place from July 9th to 11th, 1798. Napoleon was likely informed through spies that Murad Bey was gathering troops in Shubrakit. By a dispute with the Mamluks on July 10th, Napoleon was informed about the undisciplined combat strategy and decided to move to Shubrakit. Napoleon, for his part, issued a strict order to maintain discipline for the battle.
course
Land battle
As reported, Napoleon encountered a disorganized troop of soldiers with different equipment at Shubrakit, south of El Rahmaniya. It consisted mostly of slaves and "peasants" who were armed with clubs. The right wing of the French army was secured from the Nile. The center had its back to the river and the left wing was behind the village of Shubrakit.
Within reach of the village, he had his divisions (Commanders Desaix , Reynier , Bon , Dugua and Vialin) set up karees, which were six rows deep, supported in the center by cavalry and had a cannon positioned on every corner. The Mamluks attack was uncoordinated and consisted of repetitive attacks. Bey Murad let the riders run against the squares and cannons of the French for 4 hours until the great losses forced him to withdraw.
River battle
The Mamluks' guns and cannon boats were cleverly placed in a bend in the river Nile. In the course of the battle, the cannons of Bey Murad's ships in a bend in the river destroyed the lead ship of the French. Thereupon 7 gunboats appeared from Cairo and attacked the remaining French ships. The French commander Jean-Baptiste Perée ordered the ships to drop anchor and use the ship's guns. The outcome of the battle on the Nile was probably uncertain for a while. Perrée himself was extremely unsure of ending the fight victorious.
After the flagship of Halil Kürdüs sank in an explosion and the commander of the Nile Fleet Kürdüs died, the tide turned. Perrée managed to inform Napoleon of his threatening situation through messengers. The Commander-in-Chief then pushed his left flank towards the Nile and ahead south towards the emirs and their slave soldiers. When Ibrahim Bey saw the French army approaching from the Nile, he lifted the anchor on his ship and retreated towards Cairo. The Egyptian ships that did not flee were boarded by the French.
consequences
The victory enabled Napoleon to continue his way along the Nile towards Cairo. Ibrahim Bey's ships, which had withdrawn during the battle, took up position at Embabe and on the right bank of the Nile in the port of Bulag. The Mamluks lost a large part of their heavy military equipment when they withdrew.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c d Daniel Zander: Machine gun against Assegai: The European conquest and subjugation of Africa, 1798-1914 . TWENTYSIX, 2018, ISBN 978-3-7407-4413-7 , p. 16 ( google.de [accessed on March 26, 2020]).
- ^ J. Christopher Herold: Bonaparte in Egypt . Fireship Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-934757-76-5 , pp. 90 ( google.de [accessed on March 26, 2020]).
- ^ J. Christopher Herold: Bonaparte in Egypt . Fireship Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-934757-76-5 , pp. 96 + 97 ( google.de [accessed on March 26, 2020]).
- ^ J. Christopher Herold: Bonaparte in Egypt . Fireship Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-934757-76-5 , pp. 97 ( google.de [accessed on March 26, 2020]).
- ↑ a b J. Christopher Herold: Bonaparte in Egypt . Fireship Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-934757-76-5 , pp. 99 ( google.de [accessed on March 26, 2020]).