Maas Army (Franco-German War)

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The German Maas Army was a major German unit in the Franco-Prussian War , which, in addition to Prussian , mainly Saxon units , took part in the siege of Paris from September 1870 .

Outline on August 19, 1870

Supreme Commander Crown Prince Albert of Saxony
General Ludwig von Schlotheim, Chief of the General Staff

After the Battle of Gravelotte , a new army organization took place among the Germans on August 19: the German 2nd Army had to surrender three corps and its cavalry to form a new 4th Army. The supreme command of the new army, henceforth referred to as the Maas Army , was taken over by Crown Prince Albert of Saxony , and the Prussian General Ludwig von Schlotheim was added as Chief of Staff . The Maas Army counted 83 battalions (70,028 infantry ), 116 squadrons (16,247 horsemen ) and 288 guns .

Guard Corps under Lieutenant General Prince August von Württemberg

IV Army Corps under Infantry General Gustav von Alvensleben

Saxon XII. Army Corps under Prince Georg of Saxony

History of the campaigns

The march on Sedan

The French Châlons army , which had gathered under Marshal Mac-Mahon at Châlons , began marching to Reims on August 23, 1870, with the intention of reaching the Rhine Army, which was enclosed at Metz , via Montmédy along the Belgian border . The German 3rd Army under the Prussian Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and the Maas Army under the Saxon Crown Prince marched concentrically towards Châlons, as they suspected the enemy was still ahead of them in the direction of Paris. The fortifications of Verdun , which they reached on 23 August, were on the route of the Meuse Army . After an unsuccessful attack, the city had to be bypassed, but the fortification was initiated. By August 24, the German army had received reinforcements of 150,000 men. Another obstacle was the fortress of Toul . After other associations took over the observation of the fortresses, the Meuse Army was able to continue its advance via Sainte-Menehould and Vitry-le-François . As a precaution, the 2nd Corps was removed from the siege ring around Metz in order to support the Maas Army if necessary. After it became clear that reinforcements were not needed, they returned to Metz.

From August 26th, both the 3rd Army and the Maas Army began to swing to the right with the aim of intercepting the Châlons Army, which was marching towards Sedan . The Maas Army advanced on Buzancy and Beaumont, while on their left the 3rd Army advanced on Grand-Pré and against Vouziers. The advance on Damvillers and the securing of the Meuse crossings at Dun were ordered for August 27 ; the advance took place largely without contact with the enemy. When the German troops had reached the Meuse at Stenay , the French had to move further north to reach the fortress Metz via Carignan. The left French wing reached the Meuse at Mouzon without a fight.

On August 29, there was a battle between the French 5th Corps and the 24th Saxon Division near Nouart. Since it was only a matter of determining the strength of the enemy that day, the French withdrew in the afternoon in a southerly direction. On August 30, the two German armies were slowly closing the gap between them. The French were attacked by the Prussian IV Corps, the left wing of the Maas Army, and the I. Bavarian Corps , the right wing of the 3rd Army. The Prussian Guard Corps advanced as far as Beaumont ; Fierce fighting developed, which lasted until nightfall and as a result of which the French troops were pushed back into the valley of the Meuse. The French were unable to organize themselves for defense in the battle of Beaumont and were driven back.

On September 1, 1870, the decisive battle of Sedan took place . While the fighting in Bazeilles was still raging in the 3rd Army after the Meuse crossing, the XII. Corps after initial difficulties the places Daigny and Moncelle in the Givonne gorge. Parts of various French corps that were in the process of being disbanded had fled from the north and south into the little wood of Garenne north of the village, where they were almost completely smashed in the crossfire of German artillery. The storming of Fond de Givonne brought the French lines to collapse, and the troops withdrew into the old fortress of Sedan, under constant artillery fire. With the capitulation of the hopelessly encircled French army on September 2, part of the German operational plan was completed.

Enclosure and siege of Paris

After the victory at Sedan, the 3rd Army advanced on Paris , which was also followed by the Maas Army. This operation was delayed because the Maas Army had to regroup, and it was not until August 23 that both armies left together. On September 16, the troops of the Saxon Crown Prince stood at Nanteuil , the 5th Cavalry Division had reached Beaumont and the 6th Cavalry Division Saint-Denis . The Meuse Army reached the approach to the northern apron of the city with the XII. Army Corps under Claye, with the Guard Corps Mitry and the IV Army Corps Dammartin, the cavalry that went ahead crossed the Oise at Pontoise . On September 19, 1870, Paris was completely surrounded and the siege began, the Meuse Army moved into the section on the northern bank of the Seine. Their siege front extended to the right across the Argenteuil peninsula and reached the final connection with the 3rd Army on September 21.

The Kaiser Alexander Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 1 on October 30, 1870 near Le Bourget, painting by Carl Röchling

The French general Carrey de Bellemare commanded the defense in the northern section at Saint-Denis. On October 29, 1870, without having received an order, he attacked the Prussian guard at Le Bourget and took the place. General Rudolph von Budritzki's 2nd Guard Division had little interest in regaining their positions in the village. Nevertheless, Crown Prince Albert ordered the place to be taken. In the battle of Le Bourget , the Prussian troops succeeded in recapturing it and taking around 1,200 French prisoners. After learning of the French surrender in Metz, the morale of the Parisian population began to decline. On January 19, 1871, around 90,000 French initiated a final attempt to break through at Buzenval , which was rejected by the German 3rd Army. Another attack was planned for January 20th. The retreating French therefore only retreated as far as Fort Mont Valérien and gathered there for another attack. However, this did not take place, probably also because it had become known at the time that the second Loire Army had been defeated and the strategic goal of unification could no longer be achieved. On January 26, the German bombardment of Paris was stopped, on January 28, 1871 the armistice was signed, which came into force for Paris on the 29th.

literature

  • Justus Scheibert : The war between France and Germany 1870–1871 - based on the large general staff publishing house by W. Paulis successor (H. Jerosch), Berlin 1895
  • The Franco-German War 1870–71. Edited by the War History Department of the Great General Staff, ES Mittler u. Son, Berlin 1872

Single references

  1. ↑ Justus Scheibert: The War between France and Germany 1870–1871 , Paulis Successor, Berlin 1895, p. 103