Battle of Haslach-Jungingen
| date | October 11, 1805 |
|---|---|
| place | Jungingen (Ulm) , today's Germany |
| output | French victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 5,000 men | 35,000 men |
| losses | |
|
1,100 dead and injured |
1,100 dead and |
Cape Finisterre - Wertingen - Günzburg - Haslach-Jungingen - Elchingen - Ulm - Trafalgar - Caldiero - Ried - Lambach - Bodenbühl - Steyr - Amstetten - Mariazell - St. Pölten - Cape Ortegal - Dürnstein - Schöngrabern - Wischau (Vyškov) - Austerlitz
The Battle of Haslach-Jungingen , also known as the Battle of Albeck , took place on October 11, 1805 north of the Danube near Ulm . The battle was the attempt of the Austrian troops in Ulm under Field Marshal Lieutenant Karl Mack von Leiberich to break out of the French encirclement of the city. It ended with a victory for the French troops under Pierre Dupont .
prehistory
During the campaign on the Danube, the French moved southeast to encircle the Austrians. An Austrian garrison was stationed near Ulm, which the French military leadership assumed was only responsible for covering the flank of a larger army, but not a large army itself. Through this maneuver, the French had encircled most of the Austrian troops in the region without knowing exactly where most of these troops were. Field Marshal Murat was given command of the VI. Corps in the north and the 5th Cavalry Command in the south. It was his job to head west and take Ulm. Murat ordered Field Marshal Michel Ney , with the VI. Corps to advance south. Ney did so despite doubts and left a division under Pierre Dupont in the north, supported by Tilly's cavalry .
Course of the battle
The battle broke out when von Leiberich and Archduke Ferdinand tried to drive the French, who had surrounded them near Ulm, from their positions. On the afternoon of October 11th, Dupont's squad suddenly faced around 35,000 Austrians. Dupont feared that if he withdrew he would be pursued by the Austrians and that his troops would be worn out. Therefore, he attacked the numerically clearly superior Austrians. He hoped to give the impression that he was commanding a far larger army.
The French were able to conduct some aggressive maneuvers against the Austrians, the strongest at Ulm-Jungingen. There, a French troop occupied and fortified a church and carried out skirmish attacks to weaken Austrian counter-attacks. Von Leiberich could not take advantage of his cavalry superiority, as dense forests covered the flank of Dupont's position. After all, he assumed that the troops with whom he was currently in combat were part of a scouting party and not an isolated group. That is why he did not use all of his troops against the attackers. This serious mistake by Leiberichs made it possible for Dupont to hold off the Austrians until sunset. Then he withdrew to Brenz with his now exhausted troops, 6000 captured enemies and two captured cannons . In addition, the Austrians had 1,100 dead and injured. Field Marshal Lieutenant von Leiberich, who was slightly wounded during the battle, withdrew with his troops to Ulm.
Effects
Von Leiberich had a good opportunity to break out of the siege. But his weak leadership and Dupont's aggressive behavior prevented the Austrians from fleeing. For several days only Dupont and a couple of cavalry wings held the northern position of the French, while von Leiberich was undecided whether to proceed further. After the battle, an argument broke out between Ney and Murat over who was responsible for the danger Dupont was brought into. Napoleon eventually backed Ney. On October 14th the battle of Elchingen broke out , in which von Leiberich tried again to break through the French positions.
literature
- Scott Bowden: Napoleon and Austerlitz. Chicago: Emperor's, 1997
- David Chandler: The Campaigns of Napoleon. Macmillan, 1979
- Raymond Horricks: Marshal Ney: The Romance and the Real. London: Archway, 1988
- Digby Smith: The Napoleonic Wars Data Book. Greenhill, 1998