Battle of Podol
| date | June 27, 1866 |
|---|---|
| place | Podol , Bohemia |
| output | Victory of the Prussians |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| unknown | 3000 |
| losses | |
|
130 dead and wounded |
1,015 soldiers, 33 officers |
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German War and
3rd Italian War of Independence (both 1866)
Custozza - Hühnerwasser - Podol - Nachod - Trautenau - Langensalza - Skalitz - Münchengrätz - Gitschin - Queen's Court - Pig Skull - Königgrätz - Dermbach - Kissingen - Main Campaign - Frohnhofen - Aschaffenburg - Lissa - Bezzecca - Blumenau - Hundheim - Tauberbischofsheim - Werbach - Helmstadt - Gerchsheim - Gerchs - Helmstadt Uettingen / Roßbrunn
Podol was the scene of a battle of the German War between Prussia and Austrians on June 26th and 27th, 1866 . Heavy fighting broke out around the Jizera crossing at Podol, in which the Austrians were defeated and suffered extraordinary losses from the needle gun .
prehistory
After the Prussian 1st Army under General Prince Friedrich Karl had reached the Bohemian border with around 97,000 men from Görlitz through the evacuated Saxony , it moved on June 23 parallel to the Elbarmee via Seidenberg and Zittau in long army columns without encountering resistance , in Bohemia. On June 26th and 27th, the 1st Army forced the crossing over the Jizera at Turnau and Podol against the troops of the Austrian 1st Corps with about 33,000 men under Eduard Clam-Gallas . The Austrian Northern Army constantly withdrew from the approaching Prussian 1st Army. The Commander-in-Chief, Feldzeugmeister , Ludwig von Benedek , was looking for a suitable defensive position to stop the enemy approach.
Course of the battle
The command of the Austrian I. Corps to the west was in the hands of the General of the Cavalry Clam-Gallas, who was unable to stop the approach of the Prussian soldiers. The main troops of Clam-Gallas knew neither where the Prussians were nor where they would cross the river and withdrew far into the hinterland of the river. The Jizera Line seemed to offer itself as a line of defense, especially the place Podol, since the stone bridge was strong enough for the military units. Only two understaffed companies were set up to protect Podol.
The advancing Prussian 8th Division under Lieutenant General von Horn attacked Podol on the afternoon of June 26th with their advance guard, the 15th Brigade under General Julius von Bose . Colonel Bergou, chief of staff of the Austrian "Iron Brigade" (so called because of its successes in the war with Denmark ) quickly moved some of his troops to Podol; in the meantime, however, the Prussian infantry had found a shallow ford near the town and began to cross the river. When the Austrian brigade (under Major General Poschacher ) arrived, the Prussian 15th Brigade had already taken Podol almost completely.
In the following firefight, the Prussian infantry suffered losses from the Austrian Lorenz rifles , which had a greater range. When the Prussians withdrew a little, the Austrian commanders formed columns from their ranks: the Austrian attack columns were the densest formation of its kind in Europe. The attack of the columns failed, however, because of the Prussian Dreyse needle guns , with which the Austrians were mowed down in rows.
Conclusion and consequences
More Austrian infantry units arrived until late at night. Further counter-attacks were planned; but the darkness and the power of the needle guns kept the Austrian staff from attacking the Prussian bridgehead. Finally they continued their retreat southward.
The next day the 1st Army was able to unite with the Elbarmee, which for its part had triumphed at Hühnerwasser . This was followed on June 28th by the Battle of Münchengrätz .
literature
- 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