Battle at Gerchsheim
Artillery battle near Gerchsheim
| date | July 25, 1866 |
|---|---|
| place | Gerchsheim , Grand Duchy of Baden |
| output | Victory of Prussia and its allies |
| consequences | Withdrawal of the 8th Army Corps of the Federal Forces on the Tauber Line |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
|
|
| Troop strength | |
| 16,000 soldiers | 26,000 soldiers |
| losses | |
|
8 dead; 51 wounded; 1 missing person |
13 dead; 89 wounded; 151 missing people |
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Main Campaign in 1866
The battle near Gerchsheim was an artillery battle during the German War as part of the Main Campaign on July 25, 1866 between the Prussian Alliance and the German Federal Army .
prehistory
After his invasion of Frankfurt , the commander of the Prussian Main Army Vogel von Falckenstein was recalled and replaced by Edwin von Manteuffel . The army was also increased to 60,000 men. After crossing the Odenwald , there were battles with Baden, Hessian and Württemberg units of the 8th Corps of the Federal Army in the area around the Tauber until July 25th .
The eighth Federal Corps, consisting of four divisions under the command of Alexander von Hessen-Darmstadt, was divided into the following places on the day of the battle:
- 1st (Württemberg) division as reserve between Großrinderfeld and Gerchsheim under Lieutenant General Oskar von Hardegg
- 2nd ( Baden ) Division on the right wing near Steinbach under Lieutenant General Prince Wilhelm von Baden
- 3rd (Grand Ducal Hessian) division in the center near Brunntal under Lieutenant General von Perglas
- 4th (Austrian- Nassau ) division on the left wing near Großrinderfeld under Field Marshal Lieutenant Erwin von Neipperg
The front was directed to the west and this battle line-up was based on the assumption that the Bavarian Army Corps would extend this line to the north, as had been agreed on July 19 in Tauberbischofsheim between the VII and VIII Army Corps.
The VII Army Corps of the Federal Army was formed by the Bavarian Army . This corps under Prince Karl of Bavaria was in the Würzburg area . Karl von Bayern was also the commander-in-chief of the federal troops in southern Germany (= West German Army) and the aim was to lead the two federal corps into battle together against the Prussian Army.
The Prussian Main Army consisted of three divisions under Edwin von Manteuffel who were in the following positions on July 25th at 10 a.m.
- 13th Infantry Division under Lieutenant General August Karl von Goeben - near Bischofsheim
- 25th Infantry Brigade ( Ferdinand von Kummer )
- 26th Infantry Brigade ( Karl von Wrangel )
- combined division under Major General Gustav Friedrich von Beyer - near Werbach
- combined division under Major General Eduard Moritz von Flies - at Urphar
Associations involved
During this local battle on July 25, 1866 (about three weeks after the decisive battle of Königgrätz ) near Gerchsheim, the 13th Infantry Division (Goeben) and the VIII Federal Army Corps under the command of Prince Alexander von Hessen-Darmstadt .
Ordre de Bataille of the participating associations in a contemporary representation:
1st (Württ.) Division in the VIII Federal Army Corps 1866
2nd (bad.) Division in the VIII Federal Army Corps 1866
3rd (Hess.) Division in the VIII Federal Army Corps 1866
4th (combined) division in the VIII Federal Army Corps, 1866
Reserve cavalry and reserve artillery in the VIII Federal Army Corps, 1866
13th Infantry Division (Goeben) 1866
Starting position
The combined Prussian division Flies was to advance from Urphar to Dertingen on July 25th and explore in the direction of Remlingen, since the position of the Bavarian corps was unclear. The combined Prussian division Beyer should take positions at Neubrunn and the Prussian division Goeben should advance over Großrinderfeld.
The VIII. Army Corps expected to join forces with the Bavarian Corps to take the offensive against the Prussian Main Army. After the VIII. Corps received the message around 11 o'clock that the Bavarian troops in the north had withdrawn to Uettingen , Prince Alexander saw his right flank threatened and withdrew his corps onto the Gerchsheim - Altertheim line.
At 2 p.m. the divisions of the corps had taken up their new positions:
- 2nd ( Baden ) Division on the right wing near Oberaltertheim under Lieutenant General Prince Wilhelm von Baden
- 4th (Austrian-Nassau) division on the heights northwest of Gerchsheim under Field Marshal Lieutenant Erwin von Neipperg
- 3rd (Grand Ducal Hessian) division behind Gerchsheim in the 2nd meeting under Lieutenant General von Perglas
- 1st (Württemberg) division behind Gerchsheim in the 2nd meeting under Lieutenant General Oskar von Hardegg
At around 1 p.m. Prince Alexander had received news from Prince Karl that two Bavarian divisions were advancing in the north and that the VIII. Corps was supposed to be advancing back onto the Tauber line. The news and orders came too late for Prince Alexander that his divisions were already moving backwards.
The Goeben division began the advance on the road to Würzburg at 1 p.m. , with the 25th Infantry Brigade under Major General von Kummer forming the avant-garde, followed by the Oldenburg-Hanseatic Brigade Weltzien and the Reserve Brigade under Major General von Tresckow. The 26th Infantry Brigade under Major General von Wrangel covered the right flank during the march.
Course of battle
Before leaving the Hachtelwald (halfway between Großrinderfeld and Gerchsheim), the Kummer Brigade noticed the units of the VIII Corps set up near Gerchsheim. Goeben had the brigade deployed in the forest and at the same time had the Wrangel von Ilmspan brigade advance into the left flank of the VIII Corps. The 13th and 53rd Infantry Regiments of the Kummer Brigade occupied the edge of the forest and the Prussians brought up two gun batteries. Two Austrian and one Nassau batteries immediately took the Prussian guns under fire from a distance of more than two kilometers, with the Prussians not only suffering losses, but also several guns severely damaged. After two Württemberg batteries from the VIII Corps intervened in the battle, the Prussians had to withdraw their batteries behind the forest after 45 minutes. The artillery now fired at the infantry positions on the edge of the forest and then proceeded to attack with the Nassau brigade. Once again the Prussian needle gun proved to be an advantage and the Nassau brigade broke off their attack 400 meters from the edge of the forest. The artillery of the VIII. Corps continued firing at the edge of the forest, but Prince Alexander was unable to lead his Württemberg and Hessian divisions to another attack - the Württemberg had already withdrawn as far as Kist . At around 7 p.m., Wrangel's Brigade intervened from Schönfeld . His battery Coester fired at the artillery of the VIII. Corps and parts of the 15th Infantry Regiment got into a firefight with Hessian troops. The artillery of Prince Alexander shot itself at the new enemy, whereupon Goeben had the batteries retreated behind the forest and the battery of the Oldenburg Brigade advance again and opened artillery fire on the enemy batteries from the edge of the forest. In addition, the Kummer and Weltzien Brigades advanced and the VIII Corps did not hold out, but withdrew to Irtenberg .
In the meantime, Prince Alexander had received news of the Bavarian defeat at Helmstadt , and retreating parts of the Bavarian army began to block the retreat routes of the VIII Corps, which were also endangered by the Wrangel Brigade. The Hessian division and the 2nd brigade of the Württemberger were supposed to cover the withdrawal of the VIII. This retreat was orderly at the beginning, but it degenerated into chaos in the forest, which, however, was not noticed by the Prussians and therefore not exploited.
At the forester's lodge Irtenberg there was another infantry battle between units of the Wrangel Brigade and a Hessian, Württemberg and Baden battalion, which were commanded by the commander of the 2nd Württemberg Brigade, Major General von Fischer. The darkness falling at 9 p.m. saved the VIII. Corps from a major disaster and ended the battle.
The Goeben division moved into camp for the night near Gerchsheim, the VIII. Corps near Kist , with the reserve troops already withdrawn to Höchberg and Reichenberg near Würzburg.
consequences
On July 26th, the VIII. Corps withdrew to Würzburg in a desolate state and Prince Karl of Bavaria had to abandon his plan for a joint offensive of both federal corps on July 26th. While the Bavarians were gathering on the Waldbüttelbrunn plateau , the VIII. Corps took up positions on the Nikolausberg in front of Würzburg, in order to cover a Bavarian retreat across the Main. While the Bavarians were still fighting the battles at Uettingen and Roßbrunn in order to prevent - in vain - a Prussian occupation of Würzburg, Austria concluded the preliminary truce of Nikolsburg separately with Prussia on July 26th - without its allies - whereby its consent had to be given in advance Territorial claims gave the Prussia would enforce in the individual negotiations with the southern German Central Powers.
Small monuments
There is a memorial to the fallen Württemberg warriors at the Gerchsheimer Friedhof. The monument consists of a conical column (pyramid). On the upper part is a cross, in front of it a lantern. The memorial text is on the lower part, two palm branches are located below. The inscription reads: In honor of the 12 Württemberg warriors who died on July 25, 1866 .
There is another memorial stone on the L 578 in the direction of Großrinderfeld. This reminds of two fallen Prussian soldiers in the battle near Gerchsheim.
A grave with a memorial cross was erected in the Tauberbischofsheimer Friedhof for a Nassau NCO who was wounded in Gerchsheim and later died in Tauberbischofsheim.
Gerchsheim cemetery, Württemberg soldiers' graves and memorial
Soldier grave for two Prussian soldiers
Soldier grave for a Nassau non-commissioned officer
literature
- War History Department of the Great General Staff (Ed.): The campaign of 1866 in Germany. Ernst Siegfried Mittler and Son, Berlin 1867, pp. 669–674 in the Google book search
- Austria's fighting in 1866. From the K. and K. General Staff. Bureau for War History, Volume 5, Vienna 1869, pp. 154–160 online in the Google book search
- Wilhelm von Baden: To assess the behavior of the Baden field division in the campaign of 1866: according to authentic sources. Darmstadt and Leipzig 1866, pp. 27–35 online in the Google book search
- Alexander von Hessen-Darmstadt : Campaign journal of the Commander-in-Chief of the 8th German Federal Army Corps in the campaign of 1866 in West Germany. Eduard Zernin, Darmstadt & Leipzig 1867 online in the Google book search
- Theodor Fontane : The German War of 1866. Volume 2: The campaign in West and Central Germany. Berlin 1871, pp. 224–227 online in the Google book search
Web links
References and comments
- ↑ s. Fontane p. 224
- ↑ The 25th Brigade was followed by the Oldenburg-Hanseatic Brigade ( Ludwig von Weltzien ) , which joined the Main Army in Frankfurt and was assigned to the 13th Division . However, it should have no meaning in this battle.
- ↑ already on 22 July 1860 Prussia and Austria had a truce agreed to a truce to negotiate, which was then completed on July 26,
- ↑ s. Fontane p. 225
- ↑ Geographic information system of the Main-Tauber district: data sheet for the small monument No. 31 in Gerchsheim (PDF). Online at gistbb.de. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
Coordinates: 49 ° 41 ′ 11 ″ N , 9 ° 47 ′ 2 ″ E