Sieges of Schweidnitz during the Seven Years' War
The fortress of Schweidnitz was during the Seven Years' War besieged several times. Due to its position, it has always been an important supply base for the Prussian troops in Silesia . The supplies could be brought in from the Baltic Sea via the river and then on to the war zones in Bohemia. For the imperial troops of the Austrian Habsburgs , the fortress secured their supply routes to the Electorate of Saxony .
Siege by the Austrians from the end of October 1757 to November 12, 1757
After the victory in the Battle of Kolin , the Austrians advanced against the fortress. The commanding officer on the Austrian side was General Franz Leopold von Nádasdy . After a six-week siege, Colonel Amandei († January 27, 1796) opened the trenches at the end of October 1757 . On November 11th the storm took place on the outer works of the fortress. It was about two star entrenchments and a bezel , which should secure the connection. Three columns attacked. The first under Major Baron Smith attacked a redoubt and was repulsed. The major was wounded and Colonel Amandei took command of the second attack. This was successful and the works were captured. On the morning of November 12, 1757, the fortress surrendered under its commandant von Seers .
Siege by the Prussians from March 15 to April 18, 1758
Schweidnitz was now one of the Austrian fortresses in Silesia . Its commander was General Franz Ludwig von Thürheim , who commanded an 8,000-strong garrison. Since the beginning of the war he tried to repair this fortress and to supply the city with supplies.
After the Prussians occupied Breslau , it was clear that Schweidnitz would be the next target. The siege army had been ready since March 15, but first one had to wait for favorable weather. So were only on April 1, 1758 Tranchée opened.
On the Prussian side, the engineer Colonel Balbi directed the work. At nightfall, they crept 400 paces to the Gallows Fort (Fort No. 1). A unit of cavalry was stationed behind a hill near Sabischdorf to secure the connections and prevent failures. Batteries began to be built on the night of April 2nd, but the Austrians were well prepared and were able to take out the Prussian positions again and again. The Prussians did not want to shoot back at first because it was clear that success would only be possible with concentrated fire. On April 5, a few twelve-pounders had been brought in and the connections to the fort began to be fired at and the enemy artillery was taken out.
On April 6, the king did not want to wait any longer, as it was clear that the positions would not be ready. So he ordered all the guns into the unfinished positions to take out the enemy artillery. On April 8, the fortress was fired from five batteries. This held down the enemy fire and the expansion could proceed again. From April 10th to 15th the work went on under Colonel Balbi. Early in the morning on April 15th, it was decided to storm the fort with ladders. On April 16, at night, the troops under Major General Diericke gathered in the trenches. At 1 o'clock the concentrated bombardment of the Gallows Fort and the Jaueringer Front began. At the same time the storm troops advanced, three grenadier regiments marched ahead. A small storm detachment followed each cover. The ramparts of the gallows fort were quickly overcome, the crew - three officers and 153 commons - were taken prisoner.
After losing his main fort, General Thierheim was ready to negotiate and surrender to the Prussian Lieutenant General Tresckow . The capitulation was signed on April 18, 1758. 5000 Austrians capable of weapons were taken prisoner. The losses of the Prussians were small with ten dead and 48 wounded.
Colonel von Zastrow , who was given a garrison of four battalions, became the new in command of the fortress .
Siege by the Austrians from September 30th to October 1st, 1761
The Austrian General Laudon had enclosed Schweidnitz. On September 30th, the troops under General Amandei - who had already commanded the successful storm of 1757 - gathered near the village of Kunzendorf to storm the fortress in four columns. The storm began on October 1st at 2 a.m. Despite strong resistance, the outer works were overrun and the walls of the fortress were climbed. The commander Zastrow had to surrender. The victors captured 3,776 men and over 1,000 wounded. They also captured 211 cannons and large supplies of food and ammunition.
Siege by the Prussians from August 7th to October 9th, 1762
For the reconquest, General von Tauentzien was supported with 21 battalions and 25 squadrons by Colonel von Dieskau as commander of the artillery and Major Le Fevre as commander of the mine corps. The Prussians began to enclose the fortress on June 21st and bring in supplies. The siege began on August 7, 1762. The Austrian garrison consisted of about 12,000 men.
The main target of the Prussians' attack was the Jaueringer Fort (also Stiegitzer Fort). On August 13, a blockhouse in front of the fort exploded. The Austrians recognized the danger and tried to disrupt the excavation work and destroy the batteries by failing on the night of 15 to 16 with 1500 men , but this did not succeed. On August 16, a relief army was defeated in the battle of Reichenbach . A Prussian attack on the fort on the 19th also failed. For this, the Austrians reinforced their artillery there, so that the Prussians had to withdraw. Another unsuccessful assault on the fort took place on August 22nd. Then a mine warfare against the fortress was decided. It took until August 31st for the mine chamber to be ready. The constant bombardment made it harder and harder to move forward. On September 1, the mine exploded, creating a funnel 94 feet long and 26 feet deep that was quickly occupied. The expansion began immediately in order to protect against fire from the fort. But on September 5th they had to withdraw again. But the Austrians ran into problems, so the powder was rationed from September 7th. But constant rain made the trenches full of water and some of the soldiers had to go to their positions uncovered, which resulted in great losses. On September 10th, another blockhouse exploded, but it could not be used because a short time later an Austrian mine drove back the besiegers. Therefore, the Prussians had to restart their mine. On September 16, the Prussian mine exploded, creating a second funnel 60 by 15 feet. A connection to the first funnel was established by evening and the position was secured under heavy fire from the Jaueringer Fort. On September 21, the king decided to have the second fort under increased fire in order to divert the attention of the Austrians. At the same time the unsuccessful Major le Fevre was replaced. The king also moved his headquarters from Peterwalde to Bogendorf in order to be closer to the siege. Over the next few days, mines were detonated again and again in order to work closer to the fortress. On October 8, a powder chamber exploded in Jaueringer Fort. 200 men from the companies of Moltke and Saxe-Gotha were killed . On the same day another mine exploded and badly damaged the fort.
The Austrian General von Guasto surrendered on October 9 after this mine war . 9,000 men were taken prisoner with him; 80 officers and 2,947 men were killed.
literature
- GR Schilling: Historical anthology for Germany's sons and daughters , 1835, Volume 1, p. 174, digitized
- Streffleur's military magazine , Volume 4, p. 329ff, digitized
- Louis von Malinowsky, Robert von Bonin : History of the Brandenburg-Prussian Artillery , Volume 3, S. 315ff, digitized
- History of the Seven Years' War , Volume II, p. 174f, digitized
- The Siege Of The Schweidnitz Fortress In Silesia By The Königl. Prussian troops under the orders of Lieutenant General Von Tauenzien , Berlin State Library - Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Germany, digitized
- Johann Ludewig Hogrewe : detailed narration, including floor plans of the siege of the Schweidnitz fortress by the royal prussians. Troops from August 7th to October 9th 1762 , 1774