2nd Army (German War)

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The Prussian 2nd Army was a short-term formed army unit in the German War of 1866. It operated from the Glatz area to Bohemia and on July 3 intervened decisively in the decisive battle at Königgrätz against the Austrian Northern Army.

structure

The Commander-in-Chief was Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia , Major General Leonhard von Blumenthal served as Chief of Staff and Colonel von Stosch as Chief Quartermaster . Artillery commander was Lieutenant General von Jacobi .

I. Army Corps

Commanding General : Lieutenant General Adolf von Bonin
Chief of Staff: Lieutenant Colonel von Borries

1st Division (Lieutenant General Georg Friedrich von Großmann )

1st Brigade: Major General Alexander von Pape

2nd Brigade: Major General Albert von Barnekow

2nd Division (Lieutenant General Friedrich von Clausewitz )

3rd Brigade: Major General August Malotki von Trzebiatowski

  • Infantry Regiment No. 4
  • Infantry Regiment No. 44

4th Brigade: Major General Baron Gustav von Buddenbrock

  • Infantry Regiment No. 5
  • Infantry Regiment No. 45
  • Leibhusar Regiment No. 1
  • East Prussian Jäger Battalion No. 1

2nd Cavalry Brigade: Colonel Adalbert von Bredow

  • East Prussian Cuirassier Regiment No. 3
  • East Prussian Uhlan Regiment No. 8
  • Lithuanian Uhlan Regiment No. 12

V. Army Corps

Commanding General: General Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz
Chief of Staff: Colonel Ludwig von Wittich

9th Division (Major General Julius Ludwig von Loewenfeld )

17th Brigade: Major General Karl Rudolf von Ollech

  • Westphalian Fusilier Regiment No. 37, Colonel von Below
  • 3rd Posen Infantry Regiment No. 58, Colonel Bruno von François

18th Brigade: Major General Adolf von Horn

  • King Grenadier Regiment (2nd West Prussian) No. 7, Colonel von Voigts-Rhetz

10th Division (Major General Hugo Ewald von Kirchbach )

19th Brigade: Major General Otto von Tiedemann

20th Brigade: Major General Theodor Rudolf August Wittich

  • 2nd Lower Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 47, Colonel von Massow
  • 6th Brandenburg Infantry Regiment No. 52, Colonel Karl von Blumenthal

Combined Cavalry Brigade Major General Karl Georg Heinrich von Wnuck

  • West Prussian Uhlan Regiment No. 1, Colonel von Tresckow
  • 1st Silesian Dragoon Regiment No. 4, Major von Mayer
  • Lower Silesian Field Artillery Regiment No. 5, Lieutenant Colonel Elten
  • 5th Hunter Battalion
  • 2nd Silesian Dragoon Regiment No. 8, Lieutenant Colonel von Wichmann

VI. Army Corps

Commanding General: General Louis von Mutius
Chief of Staff: Colonel Oskar von Sperling

11th Division (Lieutenant General Adolf von Zastrow )

21st Brigade: Major General Louis von Hanenfeldt

  • 1st Silesian Grenadier Regiment No. 10, Colonel Baron von Falkenstein
  • 3rd Lower Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 50, Colonel von Natzmer

22nd Brigade: Major General Otto von Hoffmann

  • 4th Lower Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 51, Colonel Paris
  • Silesian Fusilier Regiment No. 38, Colonel von Witzleben
  • 2nd Silesian Dragoon Regiment No. 8, Lieutenant Colonel von Wichmann
  • 2nd foot section of the Silesian Field Artillery Regiment No. 6, Major Bröcker
  • Silesian Pioneer Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Dieterich

12th Division (Lieutenant General Ferdinand von Prondzynski )

1st Combined Brigade: Major General Karl von Cranach

2nd Combined Brigade: Major General von Knobelsdorff

  • 3rd Upper Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 62, Colonel von Malachowski
  • 4th Upper Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 63, Lieutenant Colonel von Eckartsberg
  • 2nd Silesian Hussar Regiment No. 6, Colonel von Trotha
  • Silesian Cuirassier Regiment No. 1, Colonel von Barby
  • Silesian Uhlan Regiment No. 2, Colonel August von Baumgarth
  • Silesian Jäger Battalion No. 6, Lieutenant Colonel Graf zu Dohna
  • 1st Foot Department Silesian Field Artillery Regiment, Major Forst
  • Cavalry: 1st Silesian Hussar Regiment No. 4, Lieutenant Colonel von Buddenbrock
  • Reserve artillery: 5 batteries under Colonel Otto von Scherbening

Guard Corps

Commanding General: Prince August von Württemberg
Chief of Staff: Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Franz von Dannenberg

1st Guard Division (Lieutenant General Wilhelm Hiller von Gärtringen )

1st Guard Infantry Brigade: Colonel Hugo von Obernitz

2nd Guard Infantry Brigade: Major General Konstantin von Alvensleben

2nd Guard Division (Lieutenant General Heinrich von Plonski )

3rd Guard Infantry Brigade: Major General Rudolph Otto von Budritzki

4th Guard Infantry Brigade: Major General Leopold von Loën

  • Emperor Franz Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 2 Colonel Gustav von Fabeck
  • 4th Queen of the Guard Grenadier Regiment, Colonel Otto von Strubberg
  • Guard Rifle Battalion Major von Besser
  • 3rd Guard Uhlan Regiment, Colonel Mirus
  • four guard batteries under Major von der Goltz

Heavy Guard Cavalry Brigade

Course of war

Border crossing

The Prussian 2nd Army advanced in three army columns, partly from the County of Glatz , via Braunau, as well as on Landeshuter Straße to Liebau. As the vanguard of the 2nd Army, the V Corps crossed the Metau, the border river between the County of Glatz and Bohemia, on the evening of June 26, 1866 . On the route from Nachod to Trautenau , the Prussian I. Army Corps and the Guard Corps in Bohemia, the VI. Army Corps was still in reserve in the Glatzer area and followed belatedly. At Schlaney , the advance guard of the 9th Division crossed the Silesian border. The VI. Corps was on June 26, 1866 as a reserve in the Glatz area behind the V Army Corps and finally followed over the border. The Beloves border crossing was insufficiently secured by the Austrians and quickly abandoned. The onward march of the V Corps took place over the narrow passes of the Mettau to Nachod, the Crown Prince went from Braunau to the headquarters of the V Corps.

Battle of Trautenau and Nachod

Approach of the Prussian 2nd Army to the Elbe

The Prussian Corps Bonin was repulsed on June 27, 1866 in the Battle of Trautenau by the Austrian X. Army Corps under FML Ludwig von Gablenz . The 1st Corps had to go back to Goldenöls, then the Prussian Guard Corps, advancing over Eypel, took over the vanguard and defeated parts of the Austrian IV Corps at Soor and Burkersdorf. General von Bonin's troops lost their role as the vanguard of the Prussian 2nd Army and were replaced by the Prussian Guard Corps under Prince August von Württemberg . On June 27, the left wing of the Crown Prince's army, the V Corps of General Steinmetz, the Austrian VI. Corps thrown under FML ramming at Nachod. The timely intervention of the 10th Division under Lieutenant General von Kirchbach secured the Prussian victory, the important height of Wysokov was conquered by the Prussians. FML Gablenz withdrew his X. Corps, which had been exhausted near Trautenau, to Thrush and asked FZM Benedek for reinforcements. The Austrians tried to direct the advance of the Prussian Guard by concentrated artillery fire from the north and east on Staudenz and hold it there. He wanted to give units of the approaching IV Corps under FML Tassilo Festetics the opportunity to flank the guard from the south. On June 28, the battle between Soor and Burkersdorf followed. The Prussian 1st Guard Division under the leadership of Lieutenant General Hiller von Gärtringen successfully pushed back the Austrian defenders at Staudenz. At the same time, further north, the 2nd Guards Division under General von Plonski was able to cut off the Austrian Brigade Grivicic from the rest of the X. Corps and almost completely wipe it out in the battle near Burkersdorf .

Battle of Skalitz, advance to the Elbe

On the morning of June 28th, General von Mutius, whose bulk reached Alt-Hayde in the course of the day, received the order with his VI. Corps to advance quickly via Nachod in order to strengthen the army's left flank. Meanwhile, the Prussian V Corps defeated the Austrian VIII Corps under Archduke Leopold in the battle of Skalitz . After the unsuccessful attacks by the Austrians, the 10th Division had managed to break into the opposing center, while the 9th Division had taken the heights in front of the Aupa. As the V Corps marched on to Gradlitz on June 29, the battle at Schweinskull followed . During the advance of the V Corps, an artillery duel with Austrian batteries developed as they approached Pig Skulls. Only in order to delay the Prussian advance did parts of the Austrian IV Corps fight under FML Festetics . The attacks of the Prussians broke into the village of Schweinschädel, the rapid fire of their breech loaders brought the Austrians who defended a walled dairy for a long time, considerable losses. The persecution continued on Gradlitz. Ordered on July 2nd to observe Josephsstadt, the V Corps lost its leadership role to the VI. Corps and could therefore no longer intervene at Königgrätz on July 3 . Following Moltke's orders, the Guard Corps had defeated the enemy at Burkersdorf and Alt-Rognitz and in the following days established contact with the I Army Corps and the V Army Corps. The 2nd Army began crossing the Elbe on July 1st, but broke it off when the march security had to determine the enemy had withdrawn. The army remained on the Canaletto after almost to the street Miletin- the First Corps Gitschin advanced and with the vanguard of the Guard Corps, the Elbe near Königinhof had passed. General Moltke expected the unification of the entire Prussian 2nd Army on the Elbe at Königinhof, which was occupied by the 1st Guard Division.

Decision at Königgrätz

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia was asked to proceed with at least one army corps against the right flank of Benedek and to support the attack of the 1st Army in the decisive battle at Königgrätz . The 1st Guard Division then intervened decisively in the fighting as the vanguard of the 2nd Army from noon on July 3rd; it directed its thrust partly against Benatek and partly against Horenowes. Advancing over Maslowed into the center of the Austrian position, Chlum was stormed. During the defense of this place against attacks by Austrian reserves, the commander of the 1st Guard Division, General Hiller von Gärtringen, fell after being hit by shrapnel. The VI attacking the east wing. Corps crossed the Trotina near Racitz and occupied Nedelischt and Lochenitz, so by 3 p.m. the northern Austrian main line of defense between Chlum and Lochenitz was in Prussian hands. The left wing of the 2nd Army approached the right wing of the Elbarmee and forced the Austrians lying in between to retreat. By late afternoon the position of the Austrian Northern Army had become untenable. The intervention of the 11th Division under General von Zastrow against the right flank of the Austrians forced FZM von Benedek to retreat. The Prussian artillery opened heavy fire on the retreating Austrian troops from the line Stresetitz- Langenhof-Rosberitz. The 1st Corps was given precedence in the arrangements for the pursuit of the Austrians, so that General von Clausewitz and the 2nd Division were to advance on the road from Tobitschau to Prerau . On July 17th, the Prussian cavalry division was to cover the march of the V Corps as far as Kremsier . The further advance led the 10th Division to the Hungarian border. The Guard and VI. Corps in pursuit of the Austrians reached the Brno area by July 18 .

literature

  • Theodor Fontane : The German War of 1866 . (Complete edition in 2 volumes :) Volume 1: The campaign in Bohemia and Moravia (reprint from 1871/2009), ISBN 3-936030-65-0 .
  • Geoffrey Wawro: The Austro-Prussian War. Austria's was with Prussia and Italy in 1866. Cambridge Univ. Press 1996, ISBN 978-0-521-62951-5 .
  • Carl von Winterfeld: History of the Prussian campaigns of 1866. Döring, Potsdam 1867 ( digitized version )
  • Helmuth von Moltke: Wars and victories , Vier Falken Verlag, Berlin 1938
  • Austria's Battles in 1866 Volume II., Edited from field files by the General Staff Bureau, Gerold's Sohn, Vienna 1868

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The German War in 1866. According to the sources available to date by Herwarth von Bittenfeld, Elbing 1867, p. 390.