Trachenberg plan

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The Trachenberg Plan , also called the Trachenberg War Plan , describes the strategic planning of the coalition troops in the liberation war of 1813 for the German campaign .

prehistory

After Napoleon's army suffered a serious defeat in the war against Russia in 1812 , the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III allied in March 1813 . and the Russian Tsar Alexander I and called for a war of liberation. A little later Sweden went over to the Allies' camp under Crown Prince Karl Johann .

Although he had essentially only newly recruited and poorly trained troops, Napoleon succeeded in defeating the coalition troops in several battles in the first half of 1813. a. at Lützen and Bautzen to defeat. At the beginning of June, the defeats on the side of the allies, the great respect for Napoleon's military talent and the unclear attitude of the other German states and, with Napoleon, led to an urgently needed consolidation phase leading to the Pläswitz armistice, which lasted until August 1813 . The Austrian diplomacy tried in the ceasefire to broker a peace in Europe. After Napoleon did not accept peace offers, Austria joined the Russian-Prussian-Swedish alliance. In order to develop an effective common strategy for the coalition troops, a conference took place on July 12, 1813 at the Prussian Trachenberg Castle . King Friedrich Wilhelm III. von Prussia, Tsar Alexander I of Russia and Crown Prince Karl Johann agreed on the Trachenberg Plan. It was essentially based on the Swedish Crown Prince Karl Johann, the former French Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, and the Austrian Chief of Staff Radetzky .

Army formation

The plan provided for the formation of three armies. Out of consideration for Austria, which had joined the Allies, the main army was to operate from Bohemia . Through the allies, this army was expanded to the necessary strength. In the end it comprised 250,000 men. The commander was Karl Philipp zu Schwarzenberg . Radetzky was the chief of staff. The army also included Franz I , Friedrich Wilhelm III. and Alexander I.

A northern army was under the command of Crown Prince Karl Johann. It consisted of the Swedish troops and two Prussian corps under Generals Bülow and Tauentzien . There was also a Russian corps under Ferdinand von Wintzingerode . In total this army came to 127,000 men.

The Silesian Army under the command of Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher with his chief of staff August Neidhardt von Gneisenau was about 104,000 strong after the surrender of troops to the other armies. It consisted of a Prussian corps under Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg and three Russian corps.

The plan

The plan was to evade Napoléon's main army and initially attack the smaller contingents. As soon as one of the three armies were attacked by the opposing main force, it should withdraw. In contrast, the other two armies should advance and attack the enemy. The plan was defensive in that the allies did not want to lead the main strike until the Russian reserve forces could intervene. The aim was to defeat Napoleon with a superior force.

consequences

Napoleon's attempt to counter the plan by destroying individual armies failed. The Northern Army held its own in the battle of Großbeeren . The main army won the battle of Kulm . The Silesian Army won at Katzbach . Marshal Michel Ney's attempt to advance on Berlin failed in the Battle of Dennewitz . Ultimately, this led to the encirclement of Napoléon near Leipzig and the victory of the Allies in the Battle of Leipzig .

literature

  • August Fournier: Napoleon I. Vol. 3: The rising of the nations and Napoleon's end. Vienna / Leipzig, 1922. pp. 199f.
  • Kurt Anton Mitterer: The role of Austria in the campaign in 1813