Cranberry War

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Map of the battle at the bridge of Kvistrum

The cranberry war ( Danish / Norwegian : Tyttebærkrigen) was the invasion of Sweden by Norwegian troops in late summer and autumn 1788.

history

prehistory

After the Swedish King Gustav III. Having attacked Russia at the end of June 1788 and sparked another Russo-Swedish war , Denmark gave up its neutrality and intervened in the war in accordance with its obligations under the Treaty of Tsarskoye Selo . With that, Norway was drawn into the war. Because Denmark and Norway were linked as Denmark-Norway in personal union.

The battle at the bridge of Kvistrum

The Danish-Norwegian plan was to fall in the rear from the west, Sweden, which had used most of its troops in the east to fight Russia. On September 24, 1788, the Norwegians moved from the Norwegian border into the Swedish province of Bohuslän under the command of Prince Karl von Hessen . On September 29th, the Norwegians won a battle near the bridge of Kvistrum (in today's Munkedal ). They made 800 prisoners without suffering any significant losses themselves. The fight lasted only 45 minutes and ended with the Swedish surrender. Five soldiers fell on either side. 61 Swedes and 16 Norwegians were wounded. In the days that followed, the Norwegians occupied the small towns of Uddevalla and Vänersborg .

The name "Cranberry War"

Far more victims than the few skirmishes resulted in disease and starvation on the Norwegian side in the following weeks: an estimated 1,500 Norwegian soldiers died. Because the Norwegian supplies were poorly organized. In their desperation, the starving soldiers searched for wild berries, etc. a. Cranberries to survive. Hence the war got its name.

armistice

On October 9, 1788, Denmark-Norway and Sweden signed an armistice . On November 12, 1788, the Norwegian troops withdrew across the border into their country.

consequences

Frederik von Haxthausen also took part in this campaign as an officer. As a result of the disastrous supply of the troops, which had been the cause of a deadly epidemic among soldiers, he traveled abroad in 1793 to study the organization of supplies. For this he visited the Prussian, Austrian and other armies.

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ SA Sørensen: Haxthausen, Frederik . In: Carl Frederik Bricka (Ed.): Dansk biografisk Lexikon. Tillige omfattende Norge for Tidsrummet 1537-1814. 1st edition. tape 7 : I. Hansen – Holmsted . Gyldendalske Boghandels Forlag, Copenhagen 1893, p. 177-179 (Danish, runeberg.org ).