Evacuation at Kolkanpää

Evacuation at Kolkanpää

Part of: Great Northern War

date	October 18-27, 1708
place	Kolkanpää , Ingermanland
output	russian victory

Parties to the conflict
Sweden	Russia
Commander
Georg Lybecker	Fyodor Matveyevich Apraxin
Troop strength
about 1000 men	approx. 3000–3500 men
losses
600–800 dead, wounded and prisoners (Swedish data)	58 dead and 220 wounded (Russian information)

The evacuation in Kolkanpää found between 18 and 27 October (Greg.) In 1708 near Kolkanpää on the Soikinsky Peninsula on the Gulf of Finland during the Ingermanlandfeldzuges of Georg Lybecker in the Great Northern War instead.

prehistory

Course of the campaign in Ingermanland 1708

After the successful passage of Lybecker's Finnish army over the Neva in August 1708, the attempt to siege Saint Petersburg failed due to the lack of siege artillery and the lack of supplies for the army. The Swedish fleet failed when attempting to support the operation from the sea because of the strong Russian defense on the island of Kotlin . The Livonian army had previously been thrown back to Reval by Apraxin's units in the battle near Wesenberg . Lybecker's army found itself again isolated in a hostile area that was almost uninhabited, consequently could not guarantee supply of the troops and was surrounded by superior Russian units . Lybecker's army turned to Koporje after crossing west . There they defeated a Russian unit in front of the Koporje fortress. The further advance to the west in the direction of Narva was blocked. So the Swedish troops moved north to the Gulf of Finland and waited for the evacuation by the Swedish fleet under Admiral Cornelius Anckarstjerna . However, the loading was dragged out by bad weather and storms.

Attack on the Swedish rearguard

When Apraxin learned of the evacuation, he marched with five battalions of infantry , one battalion of grenadiers and 200 dragoons and some irregular troops, a total of about 3-3500 men in the direction of Kolkanpää. The irregular units went ahead to scout. At that time, the Swedes only had five battalions on land, the rest were already on the ships. The Swedish units, led by Henrik Mattias von Seulenberg , were composed primarily of former Saxon soldiers who had previously been captured by Swedish prisoners. Lybecker had all of the cavalry horses shot. The Swedes had fortified their camp for protection. The Russians initially submitted an offer to surrender, but the Swedes rejected it. The Russian infantry then attacked the entrenchment head-on, the dragoons attacked on the flanks . The Russian grenadiers bypassed the hill from the sea and attacked the surprised Swedes in the back and were able to capture or kill all the remaining Swedes. The Swedish fleet used its artillery against the Russians, but this fire was ineffective.

consequences

As a result, according to Russian information, 900 Swedes were killed and 209 Swedes captured. Other figures assume 600 to 800 Swedes killed, wounded or captured in the battle. The Russian units lost 58 dead and 220 wounded. The end of the Swedish threat in the north allowed the Russian high command to withdraw additional units from Ingermanland and send them to the main Russian army in Ukraine to fight against Charles's army. By killing all the horses of the Finnish cavalry, Lybecker only had infantry after disembarking in Finland . During the Russian attacks on Finland from 1713, these forces were lacking in defense against the Russian invasion.

literature

• Johann Friedrich Hartknoch: Contributions to the History of Peter the Great, Volume One, 1774

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Christer Kuvaja. Krigen kring Östersjön, del 4: Karolinska krigare 1660–1721. Schildts Förlags Ab, Helsingfors, 2008. p. 186