Battle of the Walserfeld

Battle of the Walserfeld

Part of: Second Coalition War

date	December 14, 1800
place	Walserfeld in Salzburg
output	French victory

Parties to the conflict
France	Austria Bavaria
Commander
Jean-Victor Moreau General en chef Jean Paul Dessolles Chef de l'état	Johann of Austria High command Josef von Lauer Feldzeugmeister Franz von Weyrother Chief of Staff
Troop strength
71,500	65,400
losses
10,000 dead and wounded	12,000 dead and wounded

The Battle of the Walserfeld (also Battle of Salzburg ) was a battle in the Second Coalition War (First Napoleonic War) from December 12th to 14th, 1800. In this battle, the main army under Archduke Johann was able to defeat part of the French Army of the Rhine (deceased I. Corps Lecourbe ) in the Wals - Siezenheim - Saalachspitz area achieved a complete victory, but had to break off the battle and retreat to the east due to the threat posed by the French troops from the north.

Due to the successful crossing of the Salzach further north near Laufen by the mass of French troops under Jean-Victor Moreau , the Austrian army was threatened with encirclement in the Salzburg area. This forced a further retreat in the direction of Vienna in order to save the now heavily decimated Austrian troops. After the battle on the Walserfeld between Viehhausen and Kleßheim Castle, the Austrian troops managed to withdraw in an orderly manner and thus escape the encirclement. On December 25th, the Steyr armistice ended the French advance near Melk .

Including reserves , the main imperial army comprised around 65,400 soldiers on December 12, 1800 and the French Rhine army around 71,500 soldiers . The losses within three days of fighting are given on the French side with over 10,000 men, on the Austrian side with over 12,000 men. The monument to the battle of the Walserfeld today commemorates this armed conflict .

literature

• Kurt A. Mitterer: Salzburg anno 1800 - The forgotten battle on the Walser fields . Salzburg 1999. ISBN 3-901185-18-6 .
• Kurt A. Mitterer: Anno 1800: Battle at the gates of Salzburg. A forgotten major military event , in: Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Salzburger Landeskunde, Vol. 140, Salzburg 2000.
• Kurt A. Mitterer: Warlike December in Wals 200 years ago , in: The historical Landwehrschützen Wals. 1800 - 2000, Wals-Siezenheim 2000.
• Kurt A. Mitterer: Fateful year 1800. The forgotten battle that changed Salzburg , in: Der Gardist, annual journal of the Citizens Guard of the City of Salzburg, 20th year 2000, Salzburg 2000.
• Kurt A. Mitterer: Warlike December in our homeland in 1800 , in: Festschrift for the 25th anniversary of the pillory shooters Thundorf-Straß, Thundorf-Straß 2003.
• Kurt A. Mitterer: The city of Salzburg and its environs in Napoleonic times , in: The Citizens Guard of the City of Salzburg, in: Communications from the Society for Salzburg Regional Studies, 21st supplementary volume, Salzburg 2005.
• Kurt A. Mitterer: The Lieferinger Franzosenhügel - the battle of Salzburg in 1800 , in: The Lieferinger Kultur-Wanderweg - on 52 stations through the eventful history of a Salzburg district, ed. from the Association for the Salzburg-Liefering District Museum, Salzburg 2006.
• Hans Roth: Strokes of fate of the city and its suburbs , in: Heinz Dopsch, Hans Roth (eds.): Laufen and Oberndorf, 1250 years of history, economy and culture on both banks of the Salzach, Laufen, Oberndorf 1998, pp. 169–179.
• Max Wieser: Schloß Staufeneck , contributions to the history of the former Salzburg high princely pleg and district court, Piding 1978.

Web links

• Salzburg Wiki: Battle of the Walserfeld
• Historic Landwehr riflemen Wals about the battle