Siege of Danzig (1813)
Spring campaign 1813
Lüneburg - Möckern - Halle - Großgörschen - Gersdorf - Bautzen - Reichenbach - Nettelnburg - Haynau - Luckau
Autumn campaign 1813
Großbeeren - Katzbach - Dresden - Hagelberg - Kulm - Dennewitz - Göhrde - Altenburg - Wittenberg - Wartenburg - Liebertwolkwitz - Leipzig - Torgau - Hanau - Hochheim - Danzig
Winter campaign 1814
Épinal - Colombey - Brienne - La Rothière - Champaubert - Montmirail - Château-Thierry - Vauchamps - Mormant - Montereau - Bar-sur-Aube - Soissons - Craonne - Laon - Reims - Arcis-sur-Aube - Fère-Champenoise - Saint -Dizier - Claye - Villeparisis - Paris
Summer campaign of 1815
Quatre-Bras - Ligny - Waterloo - Wavre - Paris
The siege of Gdańsk in 1813 was a military combat operation that took place as part of the Wars of Liberation and took place in the Republic of Gdańsk , held by French and Polish troops . The siege began on January 22nd, 1813 by Russian and Prussian troops and lasted until November 26th, 1813, when the fighting was stopped on both sides in the evening and the besieged were forced to surrender .
history
The siege of Danzig in 1813 took place as part of the Wars of Liberation , after the French Grande Armée under the command of Napoléon Bonaparte overran large parts of Central Europe and brought them under their control, including the Prussian city of Danzig. At the time of their siege, the city was occupied by French and allied Polish troops. General Rapp had been appointed governor of Danzig. The siege was carried out by allied Russian, Prussian and other troops.
With the siege of Danzig in 1807 , the city fell into the hands of French and Polish occupiers. After the Battle of Preussisch Eylau in 1807, about 125 kilometers east of Danzig, which did not result in a military decision, Napoleon had wanted to wait for the Eylau fortress to fall before continuing to advance . In order to make the already conquered city of Danzig as insurmountable as possible, he had ordered the fortifications to be strengthened, and eight million francs had been made available for this . By 1812, however, the military situation had changed and the planned fortification work had not yet been completed.
Before the siege began, around 33,000 soldiers are said to have fled into the fortress, which is said to have been occupied by 4,000 men. Of the troops in the fortress, only eight to 12,000 men are said to have been fully fit for battle.
Although the French had already left the bridgehead at Dirschau , about 30 kilometers south-southeast of Danzig, on January 13th, General Rapp's troops continued to settle in the area to maintain their position on the Vistula and to deliver supplies to to secure the city and to enable the union with two battalions advancing from Szczecin . But on January 22nd, the Russian troops under General Platov , who followed the fleeing French on foot, captured some villages in the area, including Oliva , completely cutting off the connection between the fortress and the French army.
After General Wittgenstein arrived at the fortress of Danzig, he instructed General Loewis to name it. On January 22nd, he assumed command of 9,000 infantry , 3,400 cavalry and 1,400 artillery . Initially, the besiegers are said to have had only twelve six-pounders available, but no siege gun.
A reserve battalion was set up in Zuckau , 18 kilometers west of Danzig. The headquarters could also have been here.
The fighting continued until November. When fully deployed, the besieged are said to have fired around 2,100 shots a day. In the fall, however, their firepower sank drastically, and on November 26th General Rapp was forced to give up the defense of the fortress of Danzig. On the evening of the following day, the fighting was temporarily suspended on both sides, and a ceasefire agreement was signed on November 29.
reception
The reconquest and liberation of Danzig in 1813, which was primarily due to the Russian army, was overshadowed by the public perception of the Battle of Leipzig , which was fought a month earlier and which was decisive in the Wars of Liberation, and was therefore less frequently the subject of historical analysis in the following period.
literature
- in order of appearance
- v. M. ***: The Siege and Defense of Danzig, 1813 (From the French). In: Eugen Labaume , Detailed description of the campaign in Russia in 1812 , Volume 2, Hartleben, Pesth 1815, pp. 245–282.
- Georg Wilhelm von Düring : Diary about the siege of Danzig in 1813 . Enslin, Berlin 1817 ( e-copy ).
- Johann Karl Plümicke : Outlined history of the Russian-Prussian blockade and siege of Danzig in the year 1813. In addition to the defense of the square. After the main moments of this siege and with a planned, precisely instructive presentation of all the siege work. With expert knowledge from reliable sources and with corrections from the official daily reports collected at the Duke's office. From an eyewitness. Maurer, Berlin 1817 ( e-copy ).
- Ludwig Wohlgemuth : The siege of Danzig in 1813 (With the plan of Danzig.) . In: Austrian military magazine . 3rd volume, Vienna 1825, pp. 151-214. and pp. 221-235.
- Carl Friccius : History of the fortifications and sieges of Danzig. With special consideration for the East Prussian Landwehr, which stood in front of Danzig in the years 1813–1814. Veit, Berlin 1954 ( e-copy ).