Battle of Liegnitz (1634)
date | May 13, 1634 |
---|---|
place | Liegnitz (Silesia) |
output | Victory of the Saxons |
consequences | The way to Bohemia is clear |
Parties to the conflict | |
---|---|
Commander | |
losses | |
1000 men, dead or wounded |
4,000 dead, 1,400 prisoners; plus 40 flags, 9 cannons |
The Battle of Liegnitz took place on May 13, 1634 as part of the Thirty Years' War .
On the night of May 13, the Electoral Saxon army under General von Arnim set out to face the imperial army under Colloredo . He had set up his army near Liegnitz .
As soon as the imperial ones noticed the advance guard of the Saxons, their cavalry moved out to attack the Saxons, but since the Saxon avant-garde immediately followed, they withdrew again, and an artillery duel relaxed. This made it possible for von Arnim to set up his troops in battle order. The cannons caused some losses, and so von Arnim decided to attack with 300 men of cavalry and infantry. While the cavalry attacked, the infantry advanced and a bloody firefight developed.
Due to the attacks of the Supreme Porte from the side and General von Vitzthum in the center, the imperial front was shaken and began to flee in the direction of Liegnitz. A counterattack by the entire imperial cavalry on the right wing was able to repel the Saxons except for the second meeting. Von Armin was able to gain enough time by attacking the imperial cavalry on the flank to regroup his troops and attack again.
After three hours of fighting, the Imperial troops left the battlefield.
literature
- EO Schmidt, Germany's battlefields: reports on the battles that took place on German soil since 1620 - 1813 , digitized
- Carl Du Jarrys de la Roche, The Thirty Years' War from a Military Point of View, Volume II, pp. 390ff, digitized