Franco-Prussian War (1870) Glory & Defeat - Week by Week

[lordroel]

Franco-Prussian War (1870) Glory & Defeat - Week by Week

Franco-Prussian War Wikipedia article

Welcome To Glory & Defeat - Why We Should Remember The Franco-Prussian War



The Ems Dispatch - The Outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War I GLORY & Defeat Week 1

French and Prussian animosity have been swelling in the background since the German Wars of Unification started in the 1860s. The French Duc de Gramont hopes that a victory over Prussia could restore French prestige while Prussian Chancellor Bismarck needs a reason to fulfill his dream of German unification from above. When the crisis about the Spanish throne escalates with the Ems Dispatch, the die is cast and the Franco-Prussian War begins.



Franco-Prussian War - First Fighting and Casualties I GLORY & DEFEAT Week 2

With the official declaration of war from France, Prussia mobilizes and calls in the defensive alliances with the other German states within the North German Confederation but also with Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden. And while the bigger armies still assemble, the first skirmishes happen near the French border.

[lordroel]

French and German Armies in 1870 - Dreyse and Chassepot Rifle Overview I GLORY & DEFEAT Week 3

While the French and different German Armies are gathering we are taking the time this week to take a look at military organization and warfare in 1870. As a special guest we also have Cap And Ball on the show who introduces the famous Chassepot and Dreyse rifles which will be important in this conflict.

[lordroel]

Opening Battles of the Franco-Prussian War: Saarbrücken, Wissembourg, Wörth I GLORY & DEFEAT Week 4

Early August 1870 saw the first series of opening battles of the Franco-Prussian War. The Battle of Saarbrücken was the only battle of the entire war fought on German soil, the following Battle of Wissembourg, the Battle of Wörth and the Battle of Spicheren happened right after and gave a glimpse of the carnage to come.



Battle of Wissembourg (August 4th 1870)

Upon learning from captured Prussian soldiers and a local area police chief that the Prussian Crown Prince's Third Army was just 30 miles (48 km) north from Saarbrücken near the Rhine river town Wissembourg, General Le Bœuf and Napoleon III decided to retreat to defensive positions. General Frossard, without instructions, hastily withdrew his elements of the Army of the Rhine in Saarbrücken back across the river to Spicheren and Forbach.

Map: Battle of Wissembourg



Marshal MacMahon, now closest to Wissembourg, spread his four divisions 20 miles (32 km) to react to any Prussian-Bavarian invasion. This organization was due to a lack of supplies, forcing each division to seek out food and forage from the countryside and from the representatives of the army supply arm that was supposed to furnish them with provisions. What made a bad situation much worse was the conduct of General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot, commander of the 1st Division. He told General Abel Douay, commander of the 2nd Division, on 1 August that "The information I have received makes me suppose that the enemy has no considerable forces very near his advance posts, and has no desire to take the offensive" Two days later, he told MacMahon that he had not found "a single enemy post ... it looks to me as if the menace of the Bavarians is simply bluff". Even though Ducrot shrugged off the possibility of an attack by the Germans, MacMahon tried to warn his other three division commanders, without success.

The first action of the Franco-Prussian War took place on 4 August 1870. This battle saw the unsupported division of General Douay of I Corps, with some attached cavalry, which was posted to watch the border, attacked in overwhelming but uncoordinated fashion by the German 3rd Army. During the day, elements of a Bavarian and two Prussian corps became engaged and were aided by Prussian artillery, which blasted holes in the city defenses. Douay held a very strong position initially, thanks to the accurate long-range rapid fire of the Chassepot rifles, but his force was too thinly stretched to hold it. Douay was killed in the late morning when a caisson of the divisional mitrailleuse battery exploded near him; the encirclement of the town by the Prussians then threatened the French avenue of retreat.

Drawing: The 5th Royal Bavarian Regiment at the Battle of Wissembourg, 1870



The fighting within the town had become extremely intense, becoming a door to door battle of survival. Despite an unceasing attack from Prussian infantry, the soldiers of the 2nd Division kept to their positions. The people of the town of Wissembourg finally surrendered to the Germans. The French troops who did not surrender retreated westward, leaving behind 1,000 dead and wounded and another 1,000 prisoners and all of their remaining ammunition. The final attack by the Prussian troops also cost c. 1,000 casualties. The German cavalry then failed to pursue the French and lost touch with them. The attackers had an initial superiority of numbers, a broad deployment which made envelopment highly likely but the effectiveness of French Chassepot rifle-fire inflicted costly repulses on infantry attacks, until the French infantry had been extensively bombarded by the Prussian artillery.

Battle of Spicheren (August 6th 1870)

Map of the Prussian and German offensives, 5–6 August 1870



The Battle of Spicheren, on 5 August, was the second of three critical French defeats. Moltke had originally planned to keep Bazaine's army on the Saar River until he could attack it with the 2nd Army in front and the 1st Army on its left flank, while the 3rd Army closed towards the rear. The aging General von Steinmetz made an overzealous, unplanned move, leading the 1st Army south from his position on the Moselle. He moved straight toward the town of Spicheren, cutting off Prince Frederick Charles from his forward cavalry units in the process.

On the French side, planning after the disaster at Wissembourg had become essential. General Le Bœuf, flushed with anger, was intent upon going on the offensive over the Saar and countering their loss. However, planning for the next encounter was more based upon the reality of unfolding events rather than emotion or pride, as Intendant General Wolff told him and his staff that supply beyond the Saar would be impossible. Therefore, the armies of France would take up a defensive position that would protect against every possible attack point, but also left the armies unable to support each other.

Drawing: Assault on the heights of Spicheren showing General François's last charge



While the French army under General MacMahon engaged the German 3rd Army at the Battle of Wörth, the German 1st Army under Steinmetz finished their advance west from Saarbrücken. A patrol from the German 2nd Army under Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia spotted decoy fires close and Frossard's army farther off on a distant plateau south of the town of Spicheren, and took this as a sign of Frossard's retreat. Ignoring Moltke's plan again, both German armies attacked Frossard's French 2nd Corps, fortified between Spicheren and Forbach.

The French were unaware of German numerical superiority at the beginning of the battle as the German 2nd Army did not attack all at once. Treating the oncoming attacks as merely skirmishes, Frossard did not request additional support from other units. By the time he realized what kind of a force he was opposing, it was too late. Seriously flawed communications between Frossard and those in reserve under Bazaine slowed down so much that by the time the reserves received orders to move out to Spicheren, German soldiers from the 1st and 2nd armies had charged up the heights. Because the reserves had not arrived, Frossard erroneously believed that he was in grave danger of being outflanked as German soldiers under General von Glume were spotted in Forbach. Instead of continuing to defend the heights, by the close of battle after dusk he retreated to the south. The German casualties were relatively high due to the advance and the effectiveness of the Chassepot rifle. They were quite startled in the morning when they had found out that their efforts were not in vain—Frossard had abandoned his position on the heights.

Drawing: Storming of Rother Berg



Battle of Wörth (August 6th 1870)

The Battle of Wörth began when the two armies clashed again on 6 August near Wörth in the town of Frœschwiller, about 10 miles (16 km) from Wissembourg. The Crown Prince of Prussia's 3rd army had, on the quick reaction of his Chief of Staff General von Blumenthal, drawn reinforcements which brought its strength up to 140,000 troops. The French had been slowly reinforced and their force numbered only 35,000. Although badly outnumbered, the French defended their position just outside Frœschwiller. By afternoon, the Germans had suffered c. 10,500 killed or wounded and the French had lost a similar number of casualties and another c. 9,200 men taken prisoner, a loss of about 50%. The Germans captured Fröschwiller which sat on a hilltop in the centre of the French line. Having lost any hope for victory and facing a massacre, the French army disengaged and retreated in a westerly direction towards Bitche and Saverne, hoping to join French forces on the other side of the Vosges mountains. The German 3rd army did not pursue the French but remained in Alsace and moved slowly south, attacking and destroying the French garrisons in the vicinity.

Illustration : Prussian V Corp artillery advances through the streets of Wörth

[lordroel]

Battle of Colombey-Nouilly - Strasbourg Under Siege I GLORY & DEFEAT Week 5

After the opening battles of the Franco-Prussian War, the German armies have suffered heavy casualties but were also able to stop French plans in their tracks. Now the French are withdrawing towards Metz and the symbolic city of Strasbourg is under siege.



Siege of Marsal (August 13th to 14th 1870)

The Siege of Marsal was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War on August 13 to 14 between the French Empire and the combined German forces of Prussia and Bavaria in Marsal Under the command of Lieutenant General Jakob von Hartmann, after replacing the Prussian 4th Cavalry Division, II Corps of the Kingdom of Bavaria forced the surrender of the French Empire's defenses , after a brief resistance by the French troops stationed at the fortress. Marsal fell to the German army in the same period as the French fortresses of Lichtenberg, La Petite-Pierre and Vitry. With the quick victory of the Bavarian army at Marsal, the road from Dieuze to Nancy was open to the Germans. In addition, the siege also brought the Germans a lot of raw materials for the war,  as well as hundreds of prisoners (including some officers of the French army)

Battle of Borny–Colombey (August 14th 1870)

The Battle of Borny–Colombey or the Battle of Colombey-Nouilly took place on 14 August 1870 as part of the Franco–Prussian War. During the battle the escape route of the French army under François Bazaine was blocked when the French encountered the First Army under von Steinmetz. The outcome of the battle itself was indecisive as although the French were able to escape to Metz, they were delayed for 12 hours.

Like most of the early battles of the war, Borny was one that neither side had planned or wanted. For the French, the battle had dire consequences as they neglected to use their numerical superiority to force a passage and it delayed the Army's retreat out of Metz for twelve precious hours. This gave the Prussians the time to bring up their Second army under Prince Frederick Charles and assured that after the battles fought in the following days (Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte) France's premier army would be trapped at Metz.

Map: 1904 French map of the battle



Battle of Gravelotte (August 18th 1870)

The Battle of Gravelotte (or Battle of Gravelotte–St. Privat) on 18 August 1870 was the largest battle of the Franco-Prussian War. Named after Gravelotte, a village in Lorraine, it was fought about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Metz, where on the previous day, having intercepted the French army's retreat to the west at the Battle of Mars-La-Tour, the Prussians were now closing in to complete the destruction of the French forces.

The combined German forces under King Wilhelm I were the Prussian First and Second Armies of the North German Confederation with 210 infantry battalions, 133 cavalry squadrons, and 732 heavy cannons totaling 188,332 officers and men.  The French Army of the Rhine, commanded by Marshal François Achille Bazaine, dug in along high ground with their southern left flank at the town of Rozerieulles, and their northern right flank at St. Privat.

Painting: The "Rifle Battalion 9 from Lauenburg" at Gravelotte



On 18 August, the Prussian First Army under General Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz launched its VII and VIII Corps in repeated assaults against the French positions, backed by artillery and cavalry support. All attacks failed with enormous casualties in the face of French infantry and mitrailleuse firepower. The French did not counter-attack Steinmetz's weakened army. On the Prussian left, the Prussian Guards attacked the French position at St. Privat at 16:50 hours. With the support of the Prussian II and Saxon XII Corps of Prince Friedrich Karl's Second Army, the Guards conquered St. Privat by 20:00 hours after heavy losses, pushing back the French right wing.

Map: French and German forces at 14:45



Bazaine's Army of the Rhine withdrew into Metz fortress on the morning of 19 August. The German victory at Gravelotte ended Bazaine's army's last chance of retreating west to Verdun. After a siege lasting over two months, the Army of the Rhine surrendered on 27 October 1870.

Painting: The cemetery of Saint-Privat near Metz became a bloody battlefield [Battle of Gravelotte] on which 42,000 soldiers died. On 18 August 1870, the French troops, recognizable by their red trousers, fought there in the last moves against the Prussian army. The light, which penetrates through the battle smoke in the upper part of the picture, emphasizes the drama of the fight. Neuville points out that even defeat can be honorable. With the image he defends the republican patriotism and strengthens the French resolve. The painting, which was first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1881, earned the artist the title of officer of the Legion of Honor

[lordroel]

Bloody Victories - The Battles For Metz | GLORY & DEFEAT Week 6

The French Army of Marshal Bazaine was hoping to reach Verdun or even Paris after the first engagements around Metz. But the French troops were exhausted which allowed the Germans to catch up. With the Battle of Gravelotte and the Battle of Mars-la-Tour, the fate of the French Rhine Army is sealed; they are trapped in Metz.

[lordroel]

An Entire French Army Trapped in Metz During the Franco-Prussian War | GLORY & DEFEAT Week 7

The French Army of the Rhine under Marshal Bazaine is trapped inside Metz - along with civilians and wounded over 250,000 people will need to be fed from the city's dwindling supplies. Surrounding the city is a German Army that cannot force the Metz fortifications and opts for starving it into submission instead.

[lordroel]

Battle of Sedan - German Victory and Fall of the French Empire | GLORY & DEFEAT Week 8



Battle of Sedan (September 1st to 2nd 1870)

The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, though fighting continued under a new French government.

Painting: Napoleon III at Sedan



The 130,000 strong French Army of Châlons, commanded by Marshal Patrice de MacMahon and accompanied by Napoleon III, was attempting to lift the siege of Metz, only to be caught by the Prussian Fourth Army and defeated at the Battle of Beaumont on 30 August. Commanded by Generalfeldmarschall Helmuth von Moltke and accompanied by Prussian King Wilhelm I and Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the Fourth Army and the Prussian Third Army encircled MacMahon's army at Sedan in a battle of annihilation. Marshal MacMahon was wounded during the attacks and command passed to General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot, until assumed by General Emmanuel Félix de Wimpffen.

Map: Battle of Sedan



Bombarded from all sides by German artillery and with all breakout attempts defeated, the French Army of Châlons capitulated on 2 September, with 104,000 men passing into German captivity along with 558 guns. Napoleon III was taken prisoner, while the French government in Paris continued the war and proclaimed a Government of National Defense on 4 September.

Painting: General Reille delivering Napoleon III's letter of surrender to King William I at the Battle of Sedan on 1 September 1870



Painting: Napoleon III conversing with Otto von Bismarck after being captured in the Battle of Sedan

[lordroel]

Why France Did Not Surrender After Sedan - Empress Eugénie Flees The Country | GLORY & DEFEAT Week 9

After the French defeat at Sedan, the German states expect peace negotiations. But instead the new French republic declares an early form of "total war" and continues the fight. Meanwhile Empress Eugénie flees the country for Britain.

[lordroel]

Paris Fights Back - The French Battle Against German Encirclement| GLORY & DEFEAT Week 10

The German Armies are on their way to encircle the French capital Paris after their victory in Sedan. The new French government is raising new troops all across the country and in Paris itself to stem the tide. Poorly equipped and poorly trained troops fight the Germans at Sceaux/Chatillon. Meanwhile, the German states start their negotiations for German unification.



As early as August 1870, the Prussian 3rd Army led by Crown Prince Frederik of Prussia (the future Emperor Frederick III), had been marching towards Paris. A French force accompanied by Napoleon III was deployed to aid the army encircled by Prussians at the Siege of Metz. This force were crushed at the Battle of Sedan, and the road to Paris was left open. Personally leading the Prussian forces, King William I of Prussia, along with his chief of staff Helmuth von Moltke, took the 3rd Army and the new Prussian Army of the Meuse under Crown Prince Albert of Saxony, and marched on Paris virtually unopposed. In Paris, the Governor and commander-in-chief of the city's defenses, General Louis Jules Trochu, assembled a force of 60,000 regular soldiers who had managed to escape from Sedan under Joseph Vinoy or who were gathered from depot troops. Together with 90,000 Mobiles (Territorials), a brigade of 13,000 naval seamen and 350,000 National Guards, the potential defenders of Paris totaled around 513,000. The compulsorily enrolled National Guards were, however, untrained. They had 2,150 cannon plus 350 in reserve, and 8,000,000 kg of gunpowder. 

Photo: A company of the French National Guards



Beginning of the Siege of Paris

The Prussian armies quickly reached Paris, and on 15 September Moltke issued orders for the investment of the city. Crown Prince Albert's army closed in on Paris from the north unopposed, while Crown Prince Frederick moved in from the south. On 17 September a force under Vinoy attacked Frederick's army near Villeneuve-Saint-Georges in an effort to save a supply depot there, but it was eventually driven back by artillery fire.   The railroad to Orléans was cut, and on the 18th Versailles was taken, and then served as the 3rd Army's and eventually Wilhelm's headquarters. By 19 September the encirclement was complete, and the siege officially began. Responsible for the direction of the siege was General (later Field Marshal) von Blumenthal.

Map: Investment of Paris September 1, 1870 - January 28, 1871. Location of German troops in October 1870. Attack on Le Bourget by the Prussian Guard on October 30, 1870. Battle of Villiers-Champigny (November 30-December 2). Battle of Buzenval (January 19, 1871)

[lordroel]

How the Pope's Army Marched Against Prussia 1870 - Fall of Rome | GLORY & DEFEAT Week 11

While the Franco-Prussian War was raging in France, another armed conflict to the south was reaching its conclusion. The unification of Italy was not yet complete in the eyes of Italian nationalists because Rome and the Papal State still held out. After the defeat at Rome, the Papal Zouaves went on to France to fight the Prussian.



The Papal Zouaves

After the Capture of Rome by Victor Emmanuel in 1870, 760 French soldiers of the disbanded Papal Zouaves, led by Colonel de Charette, offered the French Government of National Defense their service. They were renamed as Légion de Volontaires de l’Ouest (Legion of the Volunteers of the West) and, by 7 October 1870, the contingent, composed of 64 officers, 1,620 men, 80 cavalry, 80 gunners, was organised into:

- three six-company battalions, plus three depot companies
- squadron of mounted éclaireurs
- mountain battery

While retaining their grey and red Papal uniforms, the Zouaves fought the Prussians and their other German allies outside Orléans, with 15 killed or wounded between 11 and 12 October 1870, and also engaged the enemy at Patay. Expanded to two battalions totalling about 1,800 men,[23] the new force with its experienced core of former Papal Zouaves fought with distinction at the Battle of Loigny where the 2nd Battalion charged with the bayonet, losing 216 out of 300 men (18 officers and 198 men) while covering the retreating and shattered 16th Corps. The Volontaires were armed with Chassepots and Remingtons. The unit was disbanded after the entrance of Prussian troops into Paris.

Drawing: Ex-Papal Zouaves fighting under their distinct banner in France, 1870

[lordroel]

This French General Saved Strasbourg From Total Destruction During the Franco-Prussian War 1870 | GLORY & DEFEAT Week 12

The symbolic city of Strasbourg had been besieged since the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War. The German siege troops are ready to breach the walls of the city and take it by storm. To avoid the destruction of the city, French general Uhrich surrenders and chooses, in his view, honor above glory.



Siege of Strasbourg (August 14th to – September 28th 1870

The Siege of Strasbourg took place during the Franco-Prussian War, and resulted in the French surrender of the fortress on 28 September 1870.

After the German victory at Wörth, troops from the Grand Duchy of Baden under Prussian General August von Werder were detached to capture Strasbourg with the help of two Prussian Landwehr divisions which had been guarding the North Sea coast. This 40,000-strong siege corps reached the fortress on 14 August and began to immediately bombard it. The defenses were largely obsolete and 7,000 of the 23,000-strong French garrison were National Guard militiamen. Desiring a quick surrender, the Germans began a terror bombardment to destroy the morale of the civilian population on 23 August. Explosive and incendiary shells were rained down on the city for four days and entire quarters were reduced to ash. Panic developed among the civilians but there was no capitulation.

Painting: The bombardment of Strasbourg cathedral on the night of 24 August 1870



A shell shortage forced Werder to lower the intensity of the German fire on 26 August and switch to formal siege operations. The Germans dug their way closer to the fortress through trench parallels and destroyed specific sections of the defenses with concentrated bombardments. The siege progressed rapidly, French sortie attempts were defeated and by 17 September the enceinte wall had been breached. At the same time, the defenders' morale was lowered by news of the annihilation of the Army of Châlons at Sedan and the encirclement of the Army of the Rhine in Metz.

Map: Map of the siege of Strasbourg



On 19 September the Germans captured their first outwork and began a devastating close-range bombardment of the bastions. With the city defenseless and a German assault imminent, the French commander, Lieutenant-General Jean-Jacques Uhrich surrendered the fortress, 17,562 troops, 1,277 artillery pieces, 140,000 rifles, including 12,000 Chassepots, 50 locomotives and considerable stores of supplies into German hands on 28 September. The French National Guards were allowed to disperse. The Germans lost 936 troops. The besiegers expended 202,099 shells, with a weight of about 4,000 tons. Some 861 French soldiers died from all causes by the end of the siege and thousands were wounded. A total of 341 civilians were killed by the bombardment and a further 600–2,000 wounded. An estimated 448 houses were completely destroyed and 10,000 inhabitants were rendered homeless. The German siege operation was successful in clearing up railway lines to German forces in the French interior and freed up several divisions and a corps for operations along the Seine and in the siege of Paris. The deliberate German targeting of civilian morale presaged the total wars of the 20th century.

Photo: Franco-Prussian War, Siege of Strasbourg, Strasbourg from the Stone Gate, September 28, 1870

[lordroel]

Rise of Guerrilla Warfare & Daring Balloon Escapes | GLORY & DEFEAT Week 13

In early October 1870, the German states are still confident the Franco-Prussian War is as good as over. But two events might cross their plans: One of the leaders of the new French Republic, Leon Gambetta, escapes the Siege of Paris in a hot-air balloon to coordinate the French Armies outside of Paris. And in Ablis, French guerrilla fighters, the so called Franc-Tireurs, ambush a German patrol in their sleep - with swift German retribution.



Siege of Paris - Battle of Chevilly (September 30th 1870)

The Battle of Chevilly was fought during the siege of Paris. The battle was the second French sortie from Paris against the German armies. On 30 September 1870 General Joseph Vinoy attacked the Prussian VI Corps at Chevilly and was easily repulsed.

The Prussian VI Corps commanded by General Von Trumpling repulsed an attempt by the French army from Paris led by General Joseph Vinoy; The French army in the battle suffered greater losses than the Prussian army.

General Vinoy - who commanded a corps includes all regular forces finally of France during the war , has conducted an "attack reconnaissance" nonsense on the left bank of the Seine on September 30, 1870: with Twenty thousand men, under the cannons of the fortresses of Bicêtre and Ivry, he proceeded to raid the villages of L'Hay, Chevilly and Thiaïs. The Prussian VI Corps had no difficulty crushing and forcing Vinoy's forces to flee in chaos. Due to large losses, the French requested a ceasefire for burial martyrs and sending wounded soldiers to the rear.

Battle of Nompatelize (October 6th 1870)

The Battle of Nompatelize, also known as the Battle of Etival, was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War on October 6, 1870, between Etival and Nompatelize in the province of Vosges from Strasbourg 64 km southwest. This battle marked the first major crackdown of franc-tireur operations in the Vosges region by the XIV Corps of the Prussians by Minister August von Werder in early October 1870. In matches fiercely this, A force of the Army of Rhône of the French Republic under the command of General Louis-François Dupré, who predominated to markedly document in terms of troop numbers, and attacked 6 infantry batallions of the Grand Duchy of Baden under the command of General Alfred von Degenfeld which were part of the XIV Corps, but were defeated. Compared to the casualties of the German military, the losses of the French side in this battle were much greater (of which nearly 600 officers and soldiers were taken prisoner). After seven hours of fighting, the French were forced to flee in turmoil to Bruyeres and the Rambervillers. The Battle of Etival contributed to General Werder wiping out the French from Alsace.

The Battle

General of the Infantry Werder along with Baron Kolmar von der Goltz of Germany, after the Battle of Strasbourg at September 1870 , was marching westward. Werder's first task was to wipe out the French Franc-tireur guerrillas from the Vosges range , and on October 1, a German vertical formation – with several battalions , squads and battalions. Cavalry and battery - commanded by Major General Degenfeld began the march through the Vosges. Through the passes, German soldiers met, but only two small skirmishes took place on 4 and 5 October 1870, in which the French were all defeated. On the 5th of October, General Degenfeld received orders from Strasbourg that his formation would be the vanguard of the newly formed XIV Army, commanded by General Werder, which had begun the march to Épinal. On October 6, Degenfeld decided to capture Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and began flooding the Meurthe River. On his left flank, however, his forces were fiercely attacked by the French from many sides, and so he had to give up his intention to capture Saint-Die to meet the enemy army. Most of the French troops participating in the battle were Garde Mobile and were part of the vanguard of the main army of the Army of the Rhine , under the command of General Dupré. According to a report to the Grand Duke of Baden after this battle, the Battle of Nompatelize lasted from 9:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. that day. Documents of Prussian Army Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Elder. It is reported that the French army was much stronger than the weak German vertical formation, although other accounts indicate that the numbers of the two sides were equal. The forces involved in the German battle consisted of the 3rd Regiment , the 1st Musket Battalion of the 1st Grenade Regiment , the Grenade Launcher Battalion of the 6th Regiment, 2 cavalry teams of the Dragon Cavalry Regiment. Guard troops , along with the Möbel and Kunz artillery batteries.

The Germans attacked the enemy with bayonets, and captured the villages in French hands: St. Rémy, Nompatelize and the Bois des Jumelles. All three fierce attacks of the French army were broken by the Germans. Dupré himself was seriously wounded in the fighting, and the German artillery proved its strength. Crushed and crushed, the French army had to rush to flee. However, when night fell, Degenfeld did not pursue the pursuit because his forces were exhausted. During the 7th of October, the German general remained stationed south of Etival, in support of the XIV Corps' vertical formations, which were advancing down the Meurthe Valley. On the same day, several forces of the Reconnaissance Corps of the French Guard also captured Saint-Die. The defeat of the Army of the Rhine under General Albert Cambriels in the Battle of Nompatelize severely damaged their morale. Within a few days, their troops reduced from 55,000 to 24,000 people , which causes mainly due to desertions. On October 22 , they were again crushed by German forces at the Battle of Ognon. The victories this contributed to demonstrate the superior strength of the German reserve forces and the Landwehr system against the hastily trained fledgling armies of the French Third Republic.

Map: Map of the Battle of Nompatelize



Battle of Bellevue (October 7th 1870)

The Battle of Bellevue on 7 October 1870 was fought during the Franco-Prussian War and ended in a Prussian victory.

The French forces under Marshal François Achille Bazaine attempted to break through the lines of the Prussians investing Metz. They were unsuccessful and were driven back into the city with a loss of 1,257 soldiers and 64 officers. The Prussians lost 1,703 soldiers and 75 officers.

Drawing: "The Prussian Landwehr on October 7, 1870 in front of Metz. Drawn for the gazebo by Otto Fikentscher"



Siege of Paris - Battle of Sceaux (October 13th 1870)

The Battle of Sceaux was a battle in the Franco-Prussian War, which took place on October 13, 1870.In this battle, the German army under the command of General Jakob von Hartmann repelled the French army 's siege when Paris was under German siege causing the French army heavy losses. Several other French breakthroughs in late 1870 were also broken by the Germans.

The Battle

Two weeks after being repulsed at the Battle of Chevilly , French general Joseph Vinoy again conducted an expedition south of Paris. After a heavy artillery bombardment from the forts to the south, Vinoy sent three vertical formations towards the Clamart heights. General Von Hartmann of Germany implemented a strategy to let the enemy go too far, so that his army would surround the enemy and push them into the range of German artillery and infantry. At the beginning of the attack, the French defeated the outposts of the II corps from Châtillon and Sceaux. However, the German army had already positioned its reserve force behind the fortress of Montrouge, which would be used once the French had captured the heights at Châtillon and the Bavarian artillery positions. After a battle that lasted for about 6 hours (including the participation of the 8th and then 7th Bavarian brigade ), the German crossfire forced the French to run away.  As during the French defeat at Châtillon, the French artillery on Mount Valérien made it difficult for the Bavarians to counterattack.

Photo: Saint-Cloud from German bombardment after the Battle of Châtillon



Battle of Artenay (October 10th 1870)

The Battle of Artenay' also known as the Battle of Arthenay, is a battle in the Franco-Prussian War, was held on October 10, 1870, in Artenay a small town located on the road from Orléans to Paris, France which was about 10 miles north of the city of Orléans.In this fierce battle, with superior strength compared to the opponent, The I Corps of the Kingdom of Bavaria, under the command of Lieutenant General Ludwig von der Tann-Rathsamhausen, in collaboration with the 22nd Division of the XI Corps of the Kingdom of Prussia and the two cavalry divisions of the Prussian army attacked and penetrated the defense system of the army of the Loire of the young French Republic, under the control of general Joseph Edouard de la Motterouge, causing heavy losses for the French military of which many people were taken prisoner. The winning conditions Artenay were favorable enough for Von der Tann to stike Orléans, while the forces of France knocked back on Orléans forest in an agitated state. Despite this, Nièvre's Garde Mobiles and the Pontifical Legion in the French army were noted for their strong resistance, while a monk in Prussian Cavalry under the command of Prince Albrecht demonstrated his prowess in the battle at Artenay.

The Battle

When General von der Tann was ordered to launch an offensive campaign against Orléans, he marched on October 9, 1870, to the vicinity of St. Péravy and encountered no significant resistance (instead it was flimsy and languid resistance), and on the 10th of October, he marched on Artenay. The Prussian 4th Cavalry Division covered the right flank, while the 2nd Cavalry Division under Lieutenant General Count zu Stolberg remained close to Pithivier. Meanwhile, General de la Motto-Rouge, informed of the German advance, drew a small force to Artenay. As a result, the vanguard forces of both sides clashed not far north of their common objective. The French Chasseurs de Vincennes were taken by surprise, and they held out until the Prussian cavalry was reinforced by infantry and formed a strong front forcing the French to retreat to Bas-le-Roy. General Regau commanded a French division that responded, increasing the number of French troops. The Prussians at that time were already in a favorable defensive position, and the French made several massive attacks on this position several times. But the guns of the Germans demonstrated their power and the French were driven back to the Trinay plain. The Prussian Armored Cavalry pursued the enemy, but had to retreat as the French regrouped. There was fierce artillery fire between Regau's battery and the Prussian artillery in the middle of St. Germain-le-Gramal and Trinay, and later the French were reinforced. They again attempted to attack the Prussian lines, but failed. Soon, while the Germans attacked fiercely with firepower that terrified the French, a strong German cavalry force encircled the French right flank with La Motto-Rouge's legion disintegrated, and had to flee. The German cavalry also obtained a number of artillery pieces.

The railway station was destroyed by Prussian artillery. Following the Prussian-Bavarian victory at Artenay, the First Battle of Orléans broke out the next day on October 11, 1870.By mid-day, Von der Tann's army had smashed the French defenders and captured Orléans. Léon Gambetta demanded that La Motto-Rouge be brought before a military tribunal, but this was denied, General Louis d'Aurelle de Paladines was appointed commander of the Legion of Loire.

Map: Map of the Battle Plans



Siege of Paris - Battle of Châtillon (October 13th 1870)

The Battle of Châtillon, also known as the Battle of Châtillon-sous-Bagneux, was a skirmish in the Siege of Paris between France and North German Confederation in the Franco-Prussian War,took place on October 13, 1870. This is also considered the first battle in the history of the French Third Republic. In this fierce battle – occurred at Châtillon and Sceaux, Corps V of the Prussian army under the command of Lieutenant General Infantry Hugo von Kirchbach, along with the II Corps of the Kingdom of Bavaria by the Supreme Minister infantry Jakob von Hartmann which were the forces of the army Group 3 of Prussia by Prince Friedrich Wilhelm as General command, won a victory against an attack by the XIV Corps under General Renault - of the French army under General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot. Although some soldiers under Ducrot fought well, the majority of his army became agitated. The French were forced to flee to Paris, losing the Châtillon Plateau - a very favorable defensive position overlooking the fortresses south of Paris - to the Germans. This was a disaster for the "justice" of the French army during the war, although the French reported that they suffered only minor losses.

The Battle of Sedan between the German and French armies on September 1 – 2, 1870 ended with the defeat of the Second French Empire. The victory in Sedan opened the way for the Germans to enter Paris, and on September 4 , an uprising in Paris overthrew the Empire and led to the establishment of the Government of National Defense. Meanwhile, under the orders of Chief of the General Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Great , the German 3rd and Maas armies set out to attack Paris five days after the great victory at Sedan. Until September 19, the Prussian V Army commanded by General Von Kirchbach marched in two vertical formations to the Palace of Versailles . The French were determined to keep control of the important points in front of the capital's fortifications and in view of the Prussian presence in the Châtillon plateau, French general Ducrot launching a breakout on the frontline of the V Corps: dawn on September 19, two divisions of infantry of Corps XIV of France had invaded Petit Bicêtre and Villacoublay. With strong artillery support , they drove out the German outposts (Division number 9 of Prussia), although the Germans initially defended successfully. However, although Hartmann's II Bavarian Army advanced in a different direction, their 1st Infantry Brigade was brought in to Bicêtre to support the Prussians. Simultaneously, Von Kirchbach ordered the Prussian 10th Division to respond shortly after their vanguard force reached the northeast of Villaconblay. A combined attack by the Bavarians with the Prussians still fighting at the Bois de Garenne repelled the French at Pavé blanc. Meanwhile, the French had formed their artillery, and three regiments attacked Petit Bicêtre and Bois de Garenne. Firepower of Prussian muskets defeated the French, and German shells forced the Zouaves soldiers of the Trivaux farm to flee to Paris. Part of the right flank of the French army had to flee frantically. The Prussian-Bayern coalition captured Pavé blanc, recaptured Dame Rose and stormed into the Meudon forest.

However, the rest of the French forces were concentrated around a small earthen fortress erected on the Châtillon plateau. Thereafter, Von Kirchbach led V Corps back to Versailles, handing the battle over to Bavaria's II Corps. While a Bavarian brigade was sent to Sceaux, the 8th Brigade of the 4th Bavarian Army was sent to Croix de Bernis, and the 7th Brigade advanced to Bourg. The German army increased its artillery, and after a day of fighting,Ducrot ordered the destruction of the cannons at the earthen fortifications and retreated to the rear of separate fortresses. Some soldiers of the Bavarian 3rd Division followed him through Sceaux and Plessis-Picquet, and captured his abandoned fortifications.. he battle demonstrated the power of the French artillery, but the German victory at the Battle of Châtillon created favorable conditions for the Bavarians to defeat all French attacks on the Chatillon Plateau. After this battle, the German army completed the Siege of Paris. The French army would conduct many more fierce breakout attempts, but they were all defeated by the Germans

[lordroel]

The Battle of Orléans 1870 - French Raw Recruits vs. Experienced German Soldiers | GLORY & DEFEAT Week 14

All across France French Armies have been raised from any available troops. From international volunteers to raw teenaged recruits. How these sub-par soldiers fair against professional German soldiers is not hard to guess and we can see how that goes in the first battles for Orléans.



Battle of Châteaudun (October 18th 1870)

The Battle of Châteaudun was a battle in northwestern France during the Franco-Prussian War, which took place on October 18, 1870. In this battle, the Imperial German Army led by General Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig von Wittich attacked the city of Châteaudun and captured the city. During the nine-hour battle the attackers defeated forces that included Francs-tireurs and a Military Union for freedom of France led by Poland's Joseph de Lipowski. Although it ended in defeat, the resistance of the French army at Châteaudun is recorded by one document as legendary. The fighting at Châteaudun was immortalized by a painting by Philippoteaux (the original of which is now located in the Châteaudun mayor's office).

The Battle

Obeying orders, General Wittich, commander of the German 22nd Division advanced from Orléans to the northwest, and attacked Châteaudun on the Loire which was defended by Lipowski's irregular forces.Wittich's forces had the overwhelming advantage in numbers, and each French soldier fought 10 Prussians, while enduring heavy and fierce fire of the Prussian artillery. At around 6 p.m., the French obstacle course Rue Galante (Rue de Civry) was isolated and had to be given up. The advance of the Prussian army could not be repelled. French snipers retreated into the center of town even though it was dark. The Prussians were determined to capture the market place at Châteaudun, and they attacked in droves. A terrible battle broke out in the night,in which the two sides fought hand-to-hand. The Prussians were forced to capture each house one by one.[ Three times the French repelled the Prussians at Rues de Chartres (Rue Jean Moulin) and d'Orléans (Rue de la République), and dead bodies were piled up on the battlefield. Finally, the German army claimed victory, partly due to the strength of their artillery. Faced with a hopeless situation, Châteaudun was bombarded by the Germans and burned to ashes. The French irregulars holding Châteaudun then conducted a retreat, leaving behind a number of prisoners in the hands of the German army.

In retaliation for the resistance of the Franc-tireurs guerrillas and the French National Guard at Châteaudun, General Wittich bombarded Châteaudun and neighboring villages.Many houses were destroyed and some non-combatants, including women, were massacred.[6] On October 21, 1870, Wittich's division attacked Chartres, where their batteries repelled a French advancement, and Chartres surrendered to the Germans.[4] As one of the fiercest generals in the Prussian army, Wittich was nicknamed "The Butcher of Châteaudun". The French retook Châteaudun on November 6, 1870.

Battle of Buzenval (October 21st 1870)

The (First) Battle of Buzenval, part of the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. The besieged troops in Paris, under the orders of General Louis Trochu, made a sortie in the direction of Versailles.

Purpose

Under orders of the governor of Paris, a sortie was made by General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot in the direction of Rueil with the objective of taking the hamlets of Malmaison, Jonchère, and Buzenval, defended by the 3rd Division of the 5th Prussian Corps, a fraction of the 4th Corps, and a regiment of the Guard Corps.

Composition

The attacking troops were organized into three groups plus reserves:

- The first group, commanded by General Henri Berthaut, had 3,400 infantry, 20 cannons, and a squadron of cavalry to run between the St. Germain railway and upper Rueil.

- The second group, commanded by General Noël, had 1,350 infantry and 10 cannons to operate in the south coast of Malmaison Park and the ravine descending from the woods of St. Cucufa in Bougival. Under orders of the governor of Paris, a sortie was made by General Ducrot in the direction of Rueil with the objective of taking the hamlets of Malmaison, Jonchère, and Buzenval, defended by the 3rd division of the 5th Prussian corps, a fraction of the 4th corps, and a regiment of the guard.

- The third group, commanded by Colonel Cholletou, had 1,600 infantry, 18 cannons, and a cavalry squadron to take a forward position in the old mill above Rueil, and to link and support the left and right columns.

- Two reserve forces were arranged.

One on the left, under orders of General Martenot, with 2,600 infantry and 18 cannons.
One in the center, commanded by General Paturel, with 2,000 infantry, 28 cannons, and 2 cavalry squadrons.

The battle

At 1pm the French military opened fire down the line concentrating for 3 quarters of an hour on Buzenval, Malmaison, Jonchere, and Bougival. In the meantime, the skirmishers and the heads of the French column was approaching their objective:

- Malmaison to the column Berthaut and Nuel

- Buzenval to the column Cholletou

After the cannonade, the troops marched to the assigned objectives and arrived at the ravine descending from the woods of Saint-Cucufa to the American railroad, bypassing the Malmaison. The left column of General Noel passed the ravine and climbed the slopes that rise to Jonchere, but they soon were halted by under heavy musket fire leaving the woods from the houses, where the Prussians waited to ambush them. At the same time, 4 companies led by Zouaves, under orders of Commander Jacquot, were caught in the corner that forms the Park of Malmaison below the Jonchere, they were able to disengage because of the intervention from the battalion of Seine-et-Marne mobile. This battalion was carried on the slopes above St. Cucufa was its night supported the park of the malmaison, and opened fire on the Prussians who were forced to retreat, thus allowing the 4 companies of Zouavas to enter the park.

At the same time, the snipers of the second division, commanded by Captain Favre-Biguet of the Cholletou column rushed to Buzenval, entered it, and advanced, under the cover of the woods, to the border of the Saint-Cucufa forest.

Around 5 pm, the night arrived and the fire ceased everywhere, General Ducrot commanded troops to return to their barracks.

In the main, the column of General Martenot was a diversion on the left. A battalion settled on the farm of Fouilleuse, and skirmishers pushed up the ridges, even for a moment holding the redoubt Montretout and heights of Garches. On the right, the 6th Dragoon Regiment, supported by a cavalry battery, was carried in the direction of the Seine between Argenteuil Bezons and fired cannons upon some Prussian positions.

Painting: Defence of Longboyau's gate, château of Buzenval, 21 October 1870

[lordroel]

French Guerrilla War & German Retaliation | GLORY & DEFEAT Week 15

The French increasing reliance on franc-tireurs, guerrilla style fighters, is causing brutal German retaliation and a spiral of violence in the fall phase of the Franco-Prussian War.



Battle of Ognon (October 22th 1870)

The Battle of Ognon was a battle in the Franco-Prussian War, which took place on October 22, 1870, at the Ognon River. In this battle, the Prussian 14th Army under the command of General Karl August von Werder which also consisted of a brigade of the Grand Duchy of Baden, attacked the Army of the Rhine of France was commanded by General Albert Cambriels. The Germans captured a large number of French prisoners . The victory of the Imperial German Army in the Battle in Ognon decided the fate of the Army of the Rhine, at least within two weeks thereafter.

Lieutenant General Infantry Werder along with Baron Kolmar von der Goltz of Germany, after the Siege of Strasbourg at September 1870, was marching westward. Werder's first task was to wipe out the French forces from the Vosges range, and on October 1, the advance of the German 14th Army, led by General Degenfeld, began marching through the Vosges. Through the passes, German soldiers did not have to fight, and the first major clash between the German and French armies took place on the western slopes of the mountain range, ending with Degenfeld's victory over the newly formed French "Eastern Army". As Cambriels was the commander of the Eastern Army who had made efforts to restructure his army, Werder believed that he must first face the enemy, before embarking on a series of adventures within France, contrary to the original order from the Chief of the General Staff of the Prussian Army, General Helmuth von Moltke.

Ordered to extend his campaigns to Besançon from Moltke, General Werder took Vesoul in late October 1870. Meanwhile, General Cambriels reorganized his forces and established a strong position at Kuoz and Etuz on the River Oignon, to prevent further advance of the German 14th Army. And, on October 22, 1870, his Army of the Rhône (with two divisions) suffered yet another defeat:[3] General Werder ordered General Beyer to drive away the Army of the Rhône and fight for it. This army must run into Besançon . Beyer commanded Degenfeld's brigade, along with part of Keller's brigade, andPrince Wilhelm of Baden and two battalions of the 30th Regiment, and were heavily outnumbered. Battalion Degenfeld midfield generals were at war with the French military before the brigade of infantry of the Keller and Prince William of Baden dragged to war response. The armies of both sides struggled for a long time, but in the end, Beyer's Army captured all of the enemy's positions, despite a rather late response from the Degenfeld Brigade. In the chaos, the French retreated across the river, and were forced to abandon the village of Auxon-dessus they had temporarily captured. Once again, Cambriels' army had to retreat to the walls of Besançon.

After the German victory, the 3rd German Rhine Infantry Regiment of the reserve forces pursued the enemy. The next day, German troops attacked positions at Châtillon-le-Duc, north of Besançon, which the Germans had held the day before. The attack failed, but it forced the Army of Rhine to withdraw. Despite this, the Prussian army withdrew from Besançon on the 24th of October 1870, before Werder defeated Giuseppe Garibaldi's French Army at Gray on October 27.

Battle of Gray (October 27th 1870)

The Battle of Gray (also called Battle of Zalmay), was a small battle in the Franco-Prussian War that occurred on 27 October 1870 (the same day as the surrender of French troops in the fortress of Metz) in the Haute-Saône department of France.

About

During the engagements at Essertenne and Zalmay near Gray, the brigade of Prince William of Baden was quickly defeated, by a force Garde Mobile was consigned to King's room of the Vingeanne stream of the Côte d' Or Army of the French army, under the command of Colonel Lavalle. This forced the French army to withdraw from Gray. As a result of the victory at Gray, German forces captured a large number of French prisoners from the war. Not long after, Lavalle was taken to a French military court.

On 22 October 1870, the German 14th Army (mostly Baden) under General Werder defeated the Army of the Rhône under General Cambries at the Battle of Ognon. Werder had to march through Dijon to Bourges according to the latest orders of Chief of the General Staff Helmuth von Moltke, a new enemy, the famous Italian general, appeared. Thus, the French army was being ruled under Giuseppe Garibaldi first, and his forces were ordered to march to the Gray railroad station. From there, they advanced down Dijon.

On 24 October 1870, Baden's 14th Army assembled at the town of Gray. In the days that followed, their units searched for French troops around Gray.

On 27 October 1870, German forces that had already crossed the Saône River performed a reconnaissance towards Dijon after encountering and repelling several Garde Mobile soldiers from the forests northwest of Gray. In this direction of the Vingeanne stream, the German army was already at war with the enemy at several points. Two regiments of soldiers firing muskets of the Regiment Baden 2, with 4-gate fireworks of the 3rd heavy battery, which had sailed from Autrey to face an attack by several hundred French Garde Mobile soldiers who had retreated from La Fahy and the Pomilly woods to Mornay and St. Seine L'Eglise. After a skirmish, the Garde Mobile were driven out with the loss of their handheld equipment, and 60 prisoners fell to the Germans.

Further down the area, there were several isolated French outposts. The stronger troops, stationed at the junction of Mirabeau and Pontailler-Sur-Saône, retreated from Essertenne and the bush to the west after a minor skirmish with the 2nd battalion of the Baden Guards Regiment. As the army continued through the bush, some German soldiers gained access to the entire military wing, which was not supported by a vertical lineup Garde Mobile marching from Talmay to L'Eglise Renève. The French were driven back to Vingeanne and Talmay. At Talmay, another German company surrounded all 15 French officers and 430 soldiers. Later, General Werder ordered General Gustav von Beyer to conduct further reconnaissance towards Dijon

[lordroel]

The Last Imperial Army Surrenders at Metz - Battle of Le Bourget 1870 | GLORY & DEFEAT Week 16

Much of the remaining French hope to stem the tide against the German Armies comes from the more than 200.000 professional troops trapped in Metz since August. French Marshal Bazaine tries to negotiate with the German and even offers to march against the French republic. But to no avail.



Siege of Paris - Battle of Le Bourget (October 27th to 30th 1870)

Background

General Carey de Bellemare commanded the northern section of the Paris defenses, which, being in the vicinity of Saint Denis, was considered the strongest point. Facing de Bellemare was a German salient in the town of Le Bourget, which was held by the Prussian Guard of the Army of the Meuse. The salient at Le Bourget left the Guard isolated and vulnerable. De Bellemare grew restless at the inactivity of the Paris defenses, which were under the overall command of Louis Jules Trochu.

The battle

On 27 October 1870, without authorization from Trochu, de Bellemare attacked Le Bourget. Taken by surprise, the Prussian Guard fell back from the city. News of de Bellemare's victory was greatly welcomed by the citizens but when he asked for reinforcements to hold the position, Trochu refused. Ironically both sides felt the same way about the village of Le Bourget. Both Trochu and the Prussian Guard felt the village offered no strategic advantage and was vulnerable to enemy artillery. To the Guardsmen, the end of the war was in sight and felt that a counter-attack would only cause more bloodshed over an unnecessary objective. However, the commander of the Prussian Army of the Meuse, Crown Prince Albert of Saxony, felt otherwise. He ordered the village be retaken on September 30. Despite their reservations about the counter-attack, the Prussian Guard fought well. Three columns converged on Le Bourget, one in the center and one on each flank. The French were driven through the streets and lost 1,200 captured to the Prussians.

Among those who lost their lives at the battle was Siegfried Karfunkelstein, who was mortally wounded when he stormed the first barricade, while rescuing the regimental flag from the hands of the enemy.

Painting: The 7th company of the Kaiser Alexander Guard Grenadier Regiment No. 1 on October 30, 1870 near Le Bourget