Bohemian Army (Wars of Liberation)

The Bohemian Army was the main Allied army in the Sixth Coalition War of the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon from 1813 to 1815.

Lineup

With the Reichenbacher Convention of June 1813, Austria and Great Britain joined the coalition agreed between Russia , Prussia and Sweden . In addition to the restoration of territorial rulers, they agreed to set up a joint armed force, to which Russia and Austria undertook to provide 150,000 men each and Prussia 80,000.

In the conference of Trachenberg Castle on July 12, 1813, the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III. and the Russian Tsar Alexander I. a plan for a common strategy against the Napoleonic army , which the former French Marshal Bernadotte (since 1810 Crown Prince Karl of Sweden ) and the Austrian Chief of Staff Marshal Radetzky had worked out.

In addition to the Northern Army under Crown Prince Karl of Sweden and the Silesian Army under the supreme command of General von Blücher , the main army was composed of contingents from the Austrian , Russian and Prussian armies under the supreme command of Prince Karl Philipp zu Schwarzenberg .

The Austrian contingent consisted of the I. Corps under Field Marshal von Colloredo-Mansfeld , the II Corps under General von Merveldt , the III. Corps under Count General Gyulay , the IV. Corps under General von Klenau and a reserve infantry corps under General von Hessen-Homburg and the cuirassier corps of Field Marshal von Nostiz .

The Russian contingent was formed by a partial army under General Field Marshal de Tolly and General von Wittgenstein , to which the I Corps under General Gorchakov and the II Corps under General von Württemberg were subordinate. The second sub-army led Grand Duke Konstantin with the 3rd Grenadier Corps under General Rajewski , the Guard Corps under General Jermolow and the reserve cavalry under Lieutenant General Prince Golitzyn .

The Prussian contingent under the supreme command of Lieutenant General von Kleist consisted of the II Corps under his command and the cavalry corps of Generals von Röder and von Thielmann as well as von Braun's reserve artillery.

The main army raised a total of 225,000 men.

Skirmishes

Shortly after the armistice of June 1813 had expired, the Bohemian Army was attacked and defeated by Napoleonic troops near Dresden on August 27 , while the Silesian Army commanded by Blücher successfully held its own near Kulm and Dennewitz. Even after that, Schwarzenberg suffered a defeat at Liebertwolkwitz and got into further distress before Leipzig. Only a counterattack by General Eugen von Württemberg , who was in Russian service , finally ushered in the decisive turning point in the battle, which, despite Schwarzenberg's wrong decisions, became the Allies' success.

The Czech Army participated in the following battles, skirmishes and sieges:

Autumn campaign 1813

Dresden - Kulm - Altenburg - Liebertwolkwitz - Leipzig - Gdansk

Winter campaign 1814

Épinal - Colombey - Mormant - Montereau - Bar-sur-Aube - Craonne - Arcis-sur-Aube - Fère-Champenoise - Paris