Main campaign
Route of the Prussian Main Army (north-west) and the II Reserve Corps (north-east), July 1866
| date | July 1st to 27th, 1866 |
|---|---|
| place | Hesse, Baden, Bavaria |
| output | Victory of Prussia |
| consequences | The southern German states conclude military alliances with Prussia, which initiated the small German solution (German Empire without Austria) |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 3 divisions: 50,000 men, including 41,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry, 121 guns |
VII. Corps (Bavaria): 4 divisions and corps reserve: 52,000 men, 144 guns VIII. Corps : 4 divisions (Württemberg, Baden, Ght. Hessen, Austria / Nassau / Kurhessen): 48,000 men, 136 guns |
| losses | |
|
411 dead; 2498 wounded; 153 missing persons |
VII Corps: 339 dead; 2,114 wounded; 1604 Missing |
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Main Campaign in 1866
Under the term Main Campaign , the operations of the Prussian Main Army in the German War of 1866 between July 1 and 27, 1866 are summarized. The Prussian Main Army was opposed by the VII and VIII Corps of the German Federal Army , in which the troops of Austria's southern German allies fought.
Major associations involved
The Prussian Main Army
After the Prussian troops (General Command VII Army Corps ) under the command of Eduard Vogel von Falckenstein surrounded the army of the Kingdom of Hanover after the battle of Langensalza and forced their surrender on June 29, 1866, these Prussian associations were renamed Main Army grouped together. It was supposed to defeat Austria's southern German allies.
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 reinforced. Smaller associations of the German states allied with Prussia, the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg , the Principality of Lippe and the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen were also integrated into it; the units of the Free Hanseatic cities of Hamburg and Lübeck came too late for combat operations.
The Prussian Main Army consisted of three divisions
- 13th Infantry Division under Lieutenant General August Karl von Goeben
- combined division under Major General Gustav Friedrich von Beyer
- combined division, initially under Edwin von Manteuffel, later under Major General Eduard Moritz von Flies
Ordre de Bataille of the Prussian Main Army in a contemporary representation:
13th Inf. Div. in the Prussian Main Army in 1866
Old.-Hans. Brig Weltzien in the 13th Inf. Div. of the Prussian Main Army 1866
Combined Div. Beyer in the Prussian Main Army in 1866
Combined Div. Flies in the Prussian Main Army 1866
The VII and VIII Army Corps of the German Confederation
The VII Army Corps of the Federal Army was formed by the Bavarian Army and was under the command of Prince Karl of Bavaria . 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 Main Army. However, this did not succeed.
The VIII. Corps of the Federal Army consisted of four divisions in 1866 under the command of Lieutenant Field Marshal Prince Alexander von Hessen-Darmstadt
- 1st ( Württemberg ) division under Lieutenant General Oskar von Hardegg
- 2nd ( Baden ) Division under Lieutenant General Prince Wilhelm von Baden
- 3rd (Grand Ducal Hessian) Division under Lieutenant General Karl Pergler von Perglas
- 4th (Austrian- Nassau ) division under Field Marshal Lieutenant Erwin von Neipperg
Ordre de Bataille of the VIII Federal Army Corps 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
prehistory
Although Prince Karl of Bavaria was formally commander in chief of the federal troops , the de facto command over the individual troop contingents lay with the respective individual states. Alexander von Hessen-Darmstadt also received orders from the Bundestag in Frankfurt. From the beginning, the German federal states could not agree on a uniform strategy and common action, so that the VII. (Bavarian) Corps pursued a different strategy than the VIII. Corps, which in turn was divided into two camps, namely the two Württemberg and Baden divisions on the one hand, which only sought to secure their own national borders, and on the other hand the Hesse-Darmstadt and the Austrian-Nassau-Hessian divisions. The main part of the Hessian army , with the exception of smaller units, had already withdrawn to the Mainz fortress at the beginning of the war and did not take any active part in combat operations. This disagreement on the part of the German Confederation made it possible for the Prussian Main Army to attack the separately operating parts of the Federal Army one after the other and beat them individually.
The problem for the southern German states was that the war after the Battle of Königgrätz (July 3, 1866) had already been decided militarily before their troops had any contact with the enemy. This means that the southern German states were only able to influence the loss figures, but not the outcome of the war. The southern German armies operated correspondingly cautiously, and they were more concerned with saving their military honor in retreat skirmishes than engaging in a serious battle on a larger scale.
course
Prince Karl had planned that the two federal corps should unite at Hersfeld and then move north and support the Hanoverians against the Prussians. The Bavarians therefore advanced to Thuringia , the VIII. Corps from the Rhine-Main area towards Fulda . The surrender of the Hanoverians after the battle of Langensalza made this plan invalid. A new plan to unite at Fulda was thwarted by the rapid advance of the Prussians over the Rhön . The VIII Federal Corps withdrew towards Frankfurt. The Bavarians evacuated Thuringia after losing battles near Dermbach (July 4th) and wanted to stop the Prussians at the Franconian Saale .
After the battles won by the Prussians on July 10th in the Saale Valley ( Kissingen , Waldaschach , Hammelburg ), the Bavarians withdrew towards Würzburg . The Prussians now turned to the right and defeated the VIII Federal Corps on the 13th and 14th. July near Frohnhofen and Aschaffenburg . This cleared the way to Frankfurt, which the Prussians occupied without a fight. The VIII. Bundeskorps had previously evacuated the city and moved over the Odenwald to the southeast to regroup with the Bavarian troops standing near Würzburg for a counter-attack. The Prussian Main Army tried to prevent the federal troops from uniting. The Prussians therefore advanced via the Taubertal, with battles at Hundheim on July 23 and Tauberbischofsheim on July 24. The advanced Bavarian Army withdrew again towards Würzburg, but occupied mountains and ridges near Neubrunn , Helmstadt and Mädelhofen . The skirmishes with the advancing Prussians on July 25th were all lost. The later Bavarian King Ludwig III. was wounded east of Helmstadt.
Shortly before 4 a.m. on the morning of July 26th, the Bavarian troops opened the last battle of the German War near Uettingen and Roßbrunn . The last cavalry battle took place at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. at the Hettstadter Höfe, whereby the mutual cavalry attacks, in which the 6th Chevauleger regiment from Bamberg and the 1st and 2nd cuirassier regiment participated on the Bavarian side , were more glorious involved dragoons and hussars , as influencing the outcome of the war:
- “The cavalry battle at the Hettstädter Höfe should be judged from this point of view. Ours (Prussians), although they were defeated, did not dishonor them; but the Bavarians were happy about the successful attack ” Quote from Der deutsche Krieg 1866. by Theodor Fontane .
On this day, 236 Bavarian and Prussian soldiers are said to have died on Uettinger Grund and around 1700 were wounded.
After a brief shelling of Marienberg Fortress on July 26th by the Prussians, an armistice was concluded. That was the end of the actual Main Campaign.
Excursus: The operations of the Prussian II Reserve Corps in Bavaria
| date | July 23, 1866 to August 1, 1866 |
|---|---|
| place | Northeast Bavaria |
| output | Victory of Prussia |
| consequences | With the partial occupation of Bavaria, Prussia creates a better starting point for the peace negotiations |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
| Commander | |
|
|
|
| Troop strength | |
|
II. Reserve Army Corps 25,000 men |
Eastern Corps of the Bavarian Army - approx. 8,000 men |
| losses | |
|
15 wounded |
6 dead, 2 wounded and 250 missing / captured |
On July 3, 1866, the Prussian king had ordered the creation of a II Reserve Corps, which gathered in Leipzig in mid-July and consisted of two combined divisions. The first division comprised troops from the Kingdom of Prussia and the Duchy of Saxony-Anhalt , the second from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and the Duchies of Braunschweig and Saxony-Altenburg . The approximately 25,000-strong corps was under the command of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Friedrich Franz II. On July 20, the corps began its advance southward via Werdau and Zwickau to Altenburg . The units advanced via Werden and Plauen to the Bavarian court , which was captured on July 23 without any significant fighting. This invasion of Bavaria also caused the withdrawal of the Bavarian Army Corps from the Tauber line to Würzburg, which prevented the 7th and 8th Federal Corps from merging .
On July 24th, Münchberg , Oberkotzau , Volkmannsgrün and Kulmbach were occupied again almost without a fight. On July 27th - one day after the battle near Uettingen and Roßbrunn - the entire 1st Division was assembled in the Münchberg area. While a local ceasefire was agreed in the Würzburg area, the troops on both sides were unclear as to whether this should also apply in the Hof-Bayreuth area. Prussia and Bavaria endeavored to occupy as large parts of Bavaria as possible before agreeing a general armistice in order to improve the starting position for peace negotiations. On July 28th, Berneck and Bayreuth were taken by the Prussians, while Prince Karl and General von Manteuffel were negotiating an armistice. On July 29th there was another battle southeast of Bayreuth, near Seybothenreuth , with the IVth Battalion of the Bavarian Infantry Body Regiment under Major Joseph von Joner-Tettenweiß and Captain Maximilian von Parseval being blown up. There were six deaths on the Bavarian side. On the Prussian side, the units from Mecklenburg-Schwerin that had not been involved in the course of the war so far were successfully deployed here. On July 30th the advance of the Mecklenburgers on Erlangen and Nuremberg began, which were taken on July 31st without a fight. The Prussian flag on the old Hohenzollernburg was symbolic. After the peace treaty was signed, the last Prussian associations and their allies left Bavaria on September 10, 1866.
Reasons for defeat
The reasons for the defeat are likely to be found in the uniform leadership structure of the troops victorious under Prussian command or in the disagreement and the completely inadequate reconnaissance of the VII and VIII Federal Corps, but less so in the alleged technical superiority of the Prussian needle gun .
The Prussians calculated an average hit rate of only 0.9% of all shots fired by Prussian soldiers for the Main Campaign.
In the battle of Kissingen, the Prussian fire discipline had already shown itself to be superior to the Bavarian: Bavarian battalions had fired their pocket ammunition with their muzzle-loaders amounting to 80 cartridges in a very short time, while the most heavily stressed Prussian battalion did not even use half of the 60 cartridges of pocket ammunition consumed per man.
Decades later, the Bavarian and Württemberg officers' corps still remembered the “Baden Treason”, that is, the lack of support for Bavarian troops by the Baden contingent , which in 1866 had provoked journalistic criticism. The Bavarian 3rd Infantry Division under the command of Prince Luitpold, who later became Prince Regent, had fired its ammunition and asked the Baden troops for help under the command of Wilhelm von Baden. The Baden commander refused. Also, "as is known, the Baden artillery did not fire on the 25th to support the 3rd Bavarian Infantry Division near Helmstadt."
As early as 1869, the Bavarian War Minister Siegmund von Pranckh said when Baden asked for information on the Werder M / 1869 rifle and pointed out the harmony and solidarity as well as the uniform ammunition supply in the corps: “I cannot suppress the comment (...) like it sounds almost ironic, from Baden, whose Army Divisions Commando, as is well known, on July 25, 1866 of the initially established Bavarian. 3. Inf. Division has refused any assistance requested , to the advantages of equal armament, etc. this enabled ammunition exchange to be remembered! "
The Bavarian Army blamed the state parliament's austerity and disarmament policy for the defeat. Hardly any infantryman had fired more than three shots before. Due to the budget cuts always passed by parliament, the war ministry was unable to carry out maneuvers above the brigade level . Apart from Prince Karl and Prince Karl Theodor von Thurn und Taxis , no Bavarian general had ever commanded a division . Finally, the defeat in the Main Campaign led to the reorganization of the Bavarian Army in 1868 by Siegmund von Pranckh.
The Commander-in-Chief of the VIII Federal Corps, Prince Alexander von Hessen-Darmstadt, gave a personal testimony when he wrote: “ I was aware of the deficiencies in the German Federal War Constitution; I had to assume, however, that the states which had decided to defend their rightful rights with arms at hand would also be prepared to make the necessary sacrifices. And I was wrong about that; none of the loyal states, with the sole exception of the Grand Duchy of Hesse, stood armed. When Prussia had already achieved its war aims and it was therefore too late , the West German Federal Army finally succeeded in making the necessary formation. ... The 8th Corps had not been united for 26 years; the generals hardly knew each other, and none of them, with the exception of the Austrian, had taken part in a serious campaign . "
Luitpold von Bayern, who later became Prince Regent, summed up laconically: " Breeding, training and intelligent management are what are missing ."
literature
- Theodor Fontane, Ludwig Burger: The German War of 1866. With illustrations by Ludwig Burger, Volume II: The campaign in West and Central Germany. Appendix: The monuments. Royal Secret Upper Hofbuchdruckerei (R. v. Decker), Berlin 1871.
- Carl Bleibtreu : Langensalza and the Main Campaign. Krabbe, Stuttgart without a year [1906] (reprint from Verlag Rockstuhl, Bad Langensalza 2001, ISBN 3-934748-73-2 ).
- Heinz Helmert, Hans-Jürgen Usczeck: Prussian-German Wars from 1864 to 1871. Military course. 6th revised edition, Military Publishing House of the German Democratic Republic, Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-327-00222-3 .
- Walter Rosenwald : The Herzoglich-Nassauische Brigade in the campaign 1866. Taking into account field troops from Kurhessen, Hessen-Darmstadt, Baden, Württemberg and Austria (= Guntram Müller-Schellenberg, Peter Wacker (Ed.): Das Herzoglich-Nassauische Militär 1806–1866 . Volume 3). Schellenberg, Taunusstein 1983, ISBN 978-3-922027-98-0 .
- Roland Seubert: Friday, July 13th, 1866 when Prussia and Hesse shot at each other near Frohnhofen. ISBN 978-3-00-052810-1 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ 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, p. 39 (status on July 24, 1866) online in the Google book search
- ↑ Austria's battles in 1866. From the K. and K. General Staff. Bureau for War History, Volume 5: Vienna 1869; P. 32–173 compiled from the respective loss tables
- ^ Part of the Royal Bavarian Army in the war of 1866 , edited by the Quartermaster General Staff, Munich 1868, Appendix III, pp. XVIII / XIX online in the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek
- ↑ s. Alexander of Hesse
- ↑ the Prussian General Staff summarizes its description under the chapter heading The Campaign in West Germany ; s. The campaign of 1866 in Germany. War History Department of the Great General Staff, Berlin 1867, table of contents online in the Google book search
- ^ Pergler from Perglas. In: Gothaisches Genealogisches Taschenbuch der Freiherrlichen houses. 60th year 1910, part 2, p. 557 in the Internet Archive
- ↑ Dieter Storz: The campaign. In: Dieter Storz, Daniel Hohrath (Ed.): North versus South. The German War 1866 (= catalogs of the Bavarian Army Museum. Volume 13). Bavarian Army Museum, Ingolstadt 2016, ISBN 978-3-00-053589-5 . Pp. 57–69 ( available online )
- ↑ see the official representations of the war opponents - The campaign of 1866 in Germany. War History Department of the Great General Staff, Berlin 1867, pp. 696–698. Google digitized version and participation of the royal Bavarian army in the war of 1866. edited by Generalquartiermeister-Stabe, Munich 1868, pp. 209–223. Google digitized version
- ↑ s. Fontane, p. 263 digitized
- ↑ see Fontane, pp. 273–278. Digitized
- ↑ in particular the 1st Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel Kurt von Lützow
- ↑ Preuss. General Staff, p. 727
- ↑ Werner Eckhardt, Otto Morawietz: The hand weapons of the Brandenburg-Prussian-German army 1640-1945. 2nd edition, Hamburg 1973, p. 123.
- ^ Dieter Storz: German military rifles. From the Werder rifle to the 71/84 model. (Catalogs of the Bavarian Army Museum Ingolstadt 8) Vienna 2011, ISBN 978-3-902526-43-4 , p. 67.
- ↑ Interesting revelations in the records about the betrayal of Baden to the German federal troops in the just ended Prussian-German war. Stuttgart 1866.
- ^ Karl Theodor von Bayern: Explanations of the Supreme Commander of the Southwest German Federal Army on the campaign journal published in the book trade by His Grand Ducal Highness Prince Alexander of Hesse, Commander in Chief of the 8th German Federal Army Corps in the campaign of 1866. Munich 1867, p. 11, online at the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek digital
- ^ Dieter Storz : German military rifles. From the Werder rifle to the 71/84 model. (Catalogs of the Bavarian Army Museum Ingolstadt 8), Vienna 2011, ISBN 978-3-902526-43-4 , pp. 40–41.
- ↑ 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, pp. 40–41, online in the Google book search
- ^ Hans Rall: The political development from 1848 to the founding of the empire in 1871. in: Max Spindler (Hrsg.): Handbuch der Bayerischen Geschichte. Volume IV, 1st part, 2nd edition, Munich 1979, p. 259, note 3.