| 15,790 killed and wounded | 16,959 killed and wounded |
Battle of Mars-la-Tour occurred on August 16, 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War, near the French city of Mars-la-Tour in northeastern France.
Preparing for battle
The first squadron of the first Hanoverian Dragoons No. 9, under the command of Oskar von Blumenthal, established that a large French army had left the city of Metz to link up with another French army at Verdun. Prussian General Constantin von Alvensleben with 20,000 soldiers (III Corps) immediately moved towards the French army in order to give battle to the not yet united French armies. The Germans hoped to defeat the enemy with a sudden blow, pushing his army back to the Belgian border and preventing the French armies from uniting.
Battle
The battle began with a surprise attack by Prussian cavalry under Adalbert von Bredow on the French army at Vionville. Despite the ratio of forces of 1 to 7, the Prussian cavalrymen managed to recapture this important city from the enemy. Now the French army was trapped: it was impossible to retreat to the west due to the loss of Vionville, neutral Belgium was in the north, and Prussian troops were advancing from the east and south. Despite the attempts of the numerically superior French to break through the encirclement, they failed to do so: 20,000 Prussian soldiers courageously withstood all enemy attacks. The Prussian cavalry especially distinguished itself in battles. The Battle of Mars-la-Tour was one of the last battles in the history of Western Europe in which cavalry dominated the battlefield.
The second part of the battle begins with the arrival of Prussian reinforcements on the battlefield. Reinforcements arrived to the 20,000 Prussians - 60,000 soldiers. Due to the indecisive actions of the French commander-in-chief Bazaine, the French soldiers were forced to defend themselves all the time. The battle lasted with varying success until the evening. At night, Bazaine ordered an end to attempts to advance to Verdun.
End of the battle
The French retreated 11 km back to Metz and stopped at the position of Saint-Privat - Gravelot, where a new battle soon took place between Prussian and French troops.
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Notes
Literature
- // Military Encyclopedia: [in 18 volumes] / ed. V. F. Novitsky [and others]. - St. Petersburg. ; [M.]: Type. t-va I.V. Sytin, 1911-1915.
Excerpt characterizing the Battle of Mars-la-Tour
Every ten seconds, pumping up the air, a cannonball splashed or a grenade exploded in the middle of this dense crowd, killing and sprinkling blood on those who stood close. Dolokhov, wounded in the arm, on foot with a dozen soldiers of his company (he was already an officer) and his regimental commander, on horseback, represented the remnants of the entire regiment. Drawn by the crowd, they pressed into the entrance to the dam and, pressed on all sides, stopped because a horse in front fell under a cannon, and the crowd was pulling it out. One cannonball killed someone behind them, the other hit in front and splashed Dolokhov’s blood. The crowd moved desperately, shrank, moved a few steps and stopped again.Walk these hundred steps, and you will probably be saved; stand for another two minutes, and everyone probably thought he was dead. Dolokhov, standing in the middle of the crowd, rushed to the edge of the dam, knocking down two soldiers, and fled onto the slippery ice that covered the pond.
“Turn,” he shouted, jumping on the ice that was cracking under him, “turn!” - he shouted at the gun. - Holds!...
The ice held it, but it bent and cracked, and it was obvious that not only under a gun or a crowd of people, but under him alone it would collapse. They looked at him and huddled close to the shore, not daring to step on the ice yet. The regiment commander, standing on horseback at the entrance, raised his hand and opened his mouth, addressing Dolokhov. Suddenly one of the cannonballs whistled so low over the crowd that everyone bent down. Something splashed into the wet water, and the general and his horse fell into a pool of blood. No one looked at the general, no one thought to raise him.
- Let's go on the ice! walked on the ice! Let's go! gate! can't you hear! Let's go! - suddenly, after the cannonball hit the general, countless voices were heard, not knowing what or why they were shouting.
One of the rear guns, which was entering the dam, turned onto the ice. Crowds of soldiers from the dam began to run to the frozen pond. Under one of the leading soldiers the ice cracked and one foot went into the water; he wanted to recover and fell waist-deep.
The nearest soldiers hesitated, the gun driver stopped his horse, but shouts were still heard from behind: “Get on the ice, come on, let’s go!” let's go!" And screams of horror were heard from the crowd. The soldiers surrounding the gun waved at the horses and beat them to make them turn and move. The horses set off from the shore. The ice holding the foot soldiers collapsed in a huge piece, and about forty people who were on the ice rushed forward and backward, drowning one another.
The cannonballs still whistled evenly and splashed onto the ice, into the water and, most often, into the crowd covering the dam, ponds and shore.
On Pratsenskaya Mountain, in the very place where he fell with the flagpole in his hands, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky lay, bleeding, and, without knowing it, moaned a quiet, pitiful and childish groan.
By evening he stopped moaning and became completely quiet. He didn't know how long his oblivion lasted. Suddenly he felt alive again and suffering from a burning and tearing pain in his head.
“Where is it, this high sky, which I did not know until now and saw today?” was his first thought. “And I didn’t know this suffering either,” he thought. - Yes, I didn’t know anything until now. But where am I?
He began to listen and heard the sounds of approaching horses and the sounds of voices speaking French. He opened his eyes. Above him was again the same high sky with floating clouds rising even higher, through which a blue infinity could be seen. He did not turn his head and did not see those who, judging by the sound of hooves and voices, drove up to him and stopped.
The battle of Colombey-Noilly did not bring victory to either side, but this battle delayed the crossing of the French troops across the Moselle for a whole day. This forced delay led to dire consequences for the French army during further hostilities. On August 16 and 18, 1870, the French troops had to withstand two new battles imposed on them - one at Mars-la-Tour, the other at Saint-Privat. These battles completed the strategic defeat of the French Army of the Rhine. Bazaine was deprived of the opportunity to retreat to join MacMahon at Chalons and shut himself up with the army at Metz. The German 1st and 2nd armies blocked the French in Metz, and the 3rd army, having passed the Vosges without hindrance, marched on Paris. In parallel, the 4th German Army was moving towards Paris. It was a disaster.
After the battle of Colombey-Noilly on August 14, 1870, the French continued their interrupted retreat, but on the day of August 15 they marched no more than 1 mile from Metz. Only the cavalry was advanced a little further along the two roads to Verdun. From the German 2nd Army, Constantin von Alvensleben's 3rd Corps crossed the Moselle by an undestroyed bridge at Novean and by crossings made by pontooners, but had to send its artillery in a roundabout way through Pont-à-Mousson. The German cavalry clashed with the French cavalry in the Mars-la-Tour area. But when 24 Prussian squadrons gathered here in the afternoon, the French cavalry retreated to Vionville.
The French also failed to cope with the move from Metz on August 16th. Carts blocked all the roads. Only the emperor, guarded by two cavalry brigades, left early in the morning along the safer road through Eten. Since the right wing could not yet set out, the action was postponed until the afternoon, and the troops of the left wing, which had already lined up, returned to their camps. The slowness of the French army was due to Bazin's personal interest. The French could well have had time to withdraw to Chalons and avoid disastrous battles, but Bazaine sought to keep his army intact and therefore deliberately delayed, not wanting to leave Metz. This allowed the Prussians to block his path and impose bloody battles.
Under cavalry cover, Major Kerber with four batteries approached Vionville itself, and the French cavalry, surprised by his fire, ran back through the infantry bivouacs. However, the French infantry immediately became fully armed and the artillery opened heavy fire. First the Prussian artillery withdrew. Fearing that he would miss the enemy, General Alvensleben and the 3rd Corps (6th and 5th divisions) began the battle. He believed that only the French rearguard was in front of him. General Stülpnagel ordered the 10th Brigade to turn around and open fire on the enemy. A stubborn oncoming battle began. On the right, the Prussians, gradually advancing, in stubborn fighting in wooded terrain, often hand-to-hand, reached the salient of the forest of Saint-Arnoux opposite Flavigny at about 11 o'clock in the morning. But the left wing of the Prussians was pushed back, even the artillery was in serious danger. The 52nd Regiment, which arrived to help, restored the front, although with very serious losses. So, the 1st battalion lost all its officers, the banner changed hands several times. The brigade commander, General Dering, was also mortally wounded. General Stülpnagel rode on horseback to the forward rifle line, encouraging the soldiers. General Schwerin gathered around himself the remnants of his troops, who had lost their commanders, and with the help of a detachment of the 10th Corps, he held the heights at Flavigny, from which the French retreated.
11th brigade at about 11 o'clock. 30 min. took Vionville. From here the Prussians attacked Flavigny. Flavigny was taken by storm. As a result, Vionville, Flavigny and the northern ledge of the forest of Saint-Arnoux constituted strongholds of the Prussian front turned east. This front was almost a mile long. At the same time, all the infantry and artillery, stationed here in one line, were drawn into a fierce battle. The 2nd echelon contained only the 5th and 6th Cavalry Divisions and half of the 37th Brigade at Tronville.
The French had a very strong position. Their position was covered on the left flank by Metz, on the right by strong batteries on the old Roman road and numerous cavalry. The French army could confidently withstand a frontal attack by a strong enemy. Moreover, Bazaine could crush the small Germans, who began the battle in isolation from the main forces. In general, the French marshal had to act offensively in order to free himself from the enemy standing immediately in front of him and continue the march to Verdun and further to Chalons. From a military point of view, it is difficult to explain why Bazin did not act. It was obvious that only part of the German troops, and obviously a small one, could be located at that time on the left bank of the Moselle; With the approach of the remaining divisions near Metz during the day, the French had a huge superiority of forces. However, Bazin was only concerned about the connection with Metz and he turned his attention mainly only to his left wing. He sent more and more reinforcements there, and transferred the entire Guards Corps and part of the 6th Corps to the left flank against the Onyon forest, and from where there was no attack from German troops at all. Apparently, only political reasons prompted Marshal Bazin on that day to decide to stay at Metz and abandon decisive action against the enemy.
Meanwhile, the Prussian troops, advancing slowly but irresistibly from Flavigny and Vionville, with the most effective support of their artillery, forced the right wing of the 2nd French Corps to retreat to Rezonville. The retreat turned into flight, and generals Bataille and Valaze were killed. To stabilize the front, the French Guards Cuirassier Regiment bravely rushed into the attack. The Prussian infantry literally shot the French cavalry, and the defeat was completed by two hussar regiments. The Prussians decided to throw the 6th Cavalry Division into the breakthrough. However, the French command had already closed the gap with a fresh Guards Grenadier division, which was transferred from the unattacked left wing. As a result, the Prussian cavalry, met with powerful rifle and artillery fire, was stopped and retreated.
At this moment a decisive turning point in the battle could have occurred. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, General Alvensleben, continuously attacking, misled the French about the enemy's forces. But now the movement had stopped, the forces of the Prussian battalions were exhausted by the four-hour battle, and ammunition was running out. Behind the Prussian battle line there was not a single battalion or battery in reserve. The Prussian corps went on the defensive. The French had every chance of success, especially on the right flank, where they had strong artillery near the Roman road. The large advantage in forces allowed the French to spread more and more to the right, threatening the Prussians with complete coverage.
In the center, Marshal Canrobert launched a counterattack on Vionville. At this critical moment the Germans had only a small part of the 5th Cavalry Division at their disposal. General Bredov led two regiments into battle - cuirassiers and uhlans, each with three squadrons. The cavalry was able to pass through the ravine and rushed at the French. Having overcome artillery fire, the Prussians broke through the first line of infantry and artillery, cutting down the gun personnel. The second line of French infantry also could not hold out, and the French batteries began to retreat. Inspired by the victory, the Prussian cavalry got carried away and continued the offensive. As a result, the Prussians were already surrounded by French cavalry. The Prussian brigade did not have a second line and was forced to break through the ranks of French cavalry and infantry without cover. Only half of the men returned to Flavigny, where two squadrons were formed from them. However, this thrust from the Prussian cavalry stopped the French attack on Flavigny.
At about 3 o'clock 4 French divisions went on the offensive. The Prussian infantry and cavalry in the Tronville bush area must retreat in the face of such superior forces. However, it took the French an hour to overcome the stubborn resistance of four Prussian battalions. At this time, the 3rd Corps, which had been fighting alone for 7 hours, received reinforcements. The 10th Corps heard artillery cannonade in the Vionville area and the corps commander, General Vohts-Retz, personally went to the battlefield and gave the necessary orders to the columns moving behind them. First of all, the artillery that moved forward energetically entered the battle.
Artillery fire from the 3rd and 10th Corps stopped the French advance. Then the head units of the 10th Corps, with the support of troops of the 3rd Corps, pushed back the enemy. In addition, units of the 8th Corps began to approach. A detachment of the 8th Corps appeared at 5 o'clock at the exit from the forest of Saint-Arnoux and immediately attacked the heights, but a three-time attempt to capture it failed, since Marshal Bazin also significantly strengthened the position in front of Resonville. The French again launched a counteroffensive, but could not resist the well-aimed fire of Prussian artillery and retreated. After this, both sides launched several more small attacks, but without much success. As a result, the battle on the right flank came down to mutual fire.
On the left flank, German troops moved along the high road to Mars-la-Tour to reach the enemy's flank or rear. Meanwhile, the French extended their greatly reinforced right wing to the valley west of Bruville and concentrated three cavalry divisions there. As a result, when General Wedel moved to attack on both sides of Tronville, which was burning from artillery fire, his brigade, consisting of only five battalions, encountered a widely deployed front of the 4th French Corps. Advancing under heavy artillery and mitrailleuse fire, both Westphalian regiments suddenly found themselves in front of a previously unnoticed deep ravine. Having crossed it and climbed the opposite slope, they came under devastating fire directed against them from very close range and from different sides. Having lost almost all commanders and officers, the remnants of the German battalions rolled back into the ravine. Several hundred soldiers were captured. The rest gathered at Tronville around a bullet-riddled banner, which was held in the hand of the only remaining mounted Colonel Krapakh. Of the 95 officers and 4,546 soldiers, 72 officers and 2,542 soldiers dropped out, i.e. more than half.
The French pursue the Germans, but they are stopped by a counterattack by squadrons of the 1st and 2nd Dragoon Guards Regiments, which act against superior forces of African mounted rangers. The Prussians gather all available cavalry units, about 16 squadrons in total, which deploy in two lines to the left of Mars-la-Tour. At about 7 o'clock in the evening there is a collision of large masses of horses. Up to 5 thousand horsemen took part in the hand-to-hand combat. The battle ends in favor of the Prussians. The seriously wounded General Montagu is captured, and General Legrand, who was hastening with the dragoons to help his hussars, is killed. The French cavalry are being pushed towards the crossings of the stream valley at Bruville. The French cavalry division of Clerambault, which has retained its strength, is trying to help its own. But the hussars galloping backwards and errors in management lead the brigade that had moved forward into chaos. The division is carried away by the general flow and only the French infantry stops the flight. As a result, the German infantry was able to put itself in order and retreat to Mars-la-Tour in an orderly manner. And the French troops on their right wing refused further attacks. This was the largest cavalry battle of the entire war.
At 7 pm the commander of the 2nd Army gave the order to continue the offensive. However, the forces of the troops were already exhausted, ammunition was running out, the horses were 15 hours without food and under saddle. Some of the batteries could only move at a walk, and the closest corps on the left bank of the Moselle (12th) was still in the entire transition from the battlefield. As a result, the 10th Corps was completely unable to carry out this order. Only on the right wing, part of the artillery and infantry attacked in the area of Resonville, but came under heavy rifle and artillery fire there from both sides. From the French Guards Corps alone, 54 guns moved to this position from the flank. As a result, the Prussian batteries had to return to their original positions. Then they tried to attack two brigades of the 6th Cavalry Division. But with darkness already setting in, they could barely discern the target of the attack and came under heavy fire. The cavalry retreated with significant losses. As a result, the battle stopped around 11 pm.
Thus, the battle began with a surprise attack by the Prussian cavalry on the French at Vionville. Fearing that he would miss the enemy, General Alvensleben and the 3rd Corps launched an offensive. With only his corps, he fought until the evening and pushed the enemy from Flavigny to Resonville, more than half a mile back. As a result, the Prussians began the battle with 20 thousand soldiers against 150 thousand. French army. At the second stage of the battle, the troops of the exhausted 3rd Corps went on the defensive and withstood the French attacks only thanks to the arrival of reinforcements. Gradually, units of the 10th and 8th corps arrived (troops of the Hanoverians, Westphalians, Oldenburgers, and later the Hessians), for a total of up to 80 thousand soldiers. That is, there were still about twice as many Frenchmen. However, the Prussian troops continued to attack and bravely withstood all the attacks of the French. The Prussian cavalry especially distinguished itself in battles. The Battle of Mars-la-Tour was one of the last battles in Western Europe where cavalry played a large role in the battle. It is also worth noting the excellent performance of the Prussian artillery, which made it possible to restrain a more numerous enemy. With the support of the troops of the 10th Corps and with the help of the strongest counterattacks of the cavalry and skillful actions of the artillery, the Prussian troops held out. Due to the indecisive actions of the French commander-in-chief Bazaine, the French soldiers were unable to exploit their advantage and were mostly on the defensive.
The battle lasted with varying success until the evening. At night, Bazaine ordered an end to attempts to advance to Verdun. The French retreated 11 km back to Metz and stopped at the position of Saint-Privat - Gravelot, where a new battle soon took place between Prussian and French troops.
The results of the battle remained uncertain. Both sides lost approximately 16 thousand people. But the Prussians managed to stop the retreat of the French army, which ultimately led to its decisive defeat.
To be continued…
. Source: v. 15: Lintulaks - Mine detachment of the Baltic Fleet, p. 211-215 () Other sources: MESBE : ESBE : ESBE
MARS-la-TOUR, places in Lorraine, in the vicinity of Metz. Battle 16 Aug. 1870(also known as the Battle of Resonville). After failures 6 Aug. near Spichern and Werth, Rhineland France. the army began to retreat along the entire front (see. Franco-Prussian Wars). A lion. wing, under march. Bazina, 12 Aug. was located near Metz, where he was joined by the VI corps of Canrobert. Contrary to the accepted chapters. kv-roy decision to quickly leave for Chalons, Bazin 14 Aug. led part of the forces in the battle at Borni Panj (see. Bornie), and then moved the entire army along one road to Gravelot, losing two days in vain. At this time it is silent. the armies made an approach from the south. around Metz, with the goal of capturing the retreat route from France. Poor German reconnaissance on the tracks west of Metz resulted in insufficient. orientation and fluctuations of the highest. exercises during August 13-15.
The Germans knew that the French. The army is retreating from Metz, but the question is whether it can be captured at Verdunsk. road remained unclear. By evening Aug 15 French The army settled down for the night at the front. in units between Doncourt and Vionville on the front 5 ver., in depth. 3 ver., facing Verdun. On the right flank was the III corps of Leboeuf at Doncourt, in the center - the VI corps of Canrobert, north of Resonville; to the left flank - II complex of Frossard and the Lapasse brigade (II complex), south of the highway; guard and chief kv-ra - at Gravelotte; Cav. d-zia Fortona - near Vionville, only 2½ ver. in front of the infantry, and the cavalry. d-zia du Baret - near Bruville. This evening the 1st and 2nd are silent. The armies were located: 4 corps (III, X, Guards and IV) - on the left. ber. Moselle, between Arnaville and Marbach, on the front 25-30 ver.; 3 units (VIII, IX and XII) - on the river. Sale; 3 units (I, VII, II) did not cross the river. Franz. Nid. To the Verdun road from the 6th cavalry. Only one 5th d-ziya (34 esq.) is directed. T. arr., on August 16. both are hostile. The armies spent the night nearby, both fronted to the west, but the French called on 5 ver. b. 150 tons are concentrated, only in 6-8 ver. from the flank army, whereas German The casa were separated from each other by a distance of 10-20 ver. Comm. 2nd German. The army of Ave. Friedrich-Karl did not hope to capture France before the river. Maas and believed that Resonville had 20 thousand. ar-rd. Based on this and without waiting for the next step. serious day. battle, he headed to Verdyunsk. There are only 2 units on the road: III from the 6th cavalry. d-zie - through Gorz to Vionville and Rezonville and X - through Thiaucourt to St. Hilaire; IX class d.b. follow X and reach Silenia; stayed. corps of the 2nd Army (XII, Guards, IV and II) b. moved straight to the west, to the crossings of the Meuse, where Frederick Charles hoped to rest and wait for the approach of the sides. armies. Meanwhile, Moltke was a friend. glance; he believed that the French. the army did not have time to move far from Metz, and therefore in the king’s directive on August 16. The 2nd Army was ordered to move with all its might to the north-west. for example, on the way from Metz to Verdun. Morning Aug 16 Moltke sent an order directly to the IXth corps to go to the crossing at Arri, thanks to which part of this corps managed to take part in the battle. The movement of the III and IX corps led to the battle on August 16. at M.-la-T. At 6 p.m. 5th Prussian Cav. d-zia gene. Reinbabena, who spent the night west of M.-la-T., near Verdyunsk. highway, moved, according to the order of Comrade X of the Corps, for reconnaissance to Vionville. The chief of staff of the regiment followed under the d-zia. Caprivi. At 9 a.m. German con. The b-rays opened fire on the carelessly standing French bivouacs. Cav-rii and k-sa gene. Frossard, raising the entire army of Bazin to its feet. Simultaneously with Yu. 6th mute appears. Cav. d-zia, preceding III k-su. Both d-zii (55 esq., 36 con. or.) form a vast. semicircle to the west and Yu. from Resonville, maintaining strong. fire with their artillery on the French under construction. infantry. With 1 shot, Frossard takes a position between Flavinia and Vionvilsk. forest, having on the right flank the village of Bataille, on the left - Verge and a ledge behind it on the left - Lapasse Br. (V k-sa), to observe the forests. To the north of the Frossard camp, the VI Canrobert camp begins to develop. The present is French. the infantry was forced into silence. to retreat and liberate Verdyunsk. highway, but at this time, ok. 9½ h.u., at extreme. flanks of the Germans Cav-rii, the heads of the columns of the III German appeared. k-sa. This army crossed the Moselle on the night of August 16th. and in the morning, having rested little, he hurried to the battlefield. The 5th Infantry arrived first. d-ziya Stulpnagel, following in the right. column from Novean to Gorz, and started a battle in Vionvilsk. forest and to the From him. After persistent She succeeded in the battle by 11 a.m. take possession of the north exit from the forest and the ridge of heights to the south. from Flavinia. D-zia suffered more. loss and had difficulty resisting vigorously. the onslaught of the 3rd brigade of the Frossard brigade (the village of Verger and the Lapasse brigade). Lastly a minute she received a surprise. reinforcement from the 19th infantry. d-zii in the form of a Linker detachment (2 battalions, 6 troops, 2 squadrons), who approached shots from Novean. Meanwhile, Budenbrok's 6th dziya, which together with the corps artillery formed the left column of the army, was concentrated at Buxieres. Comrade Alvensleben, who was accompanying her, made a personal statement. reconnaissance and, believing that before the 5th d-zia - relatively little pain. French ar-rd, was about to direct the 6th d-ziya to M.-la-T., with the goal of cutting off the wrong distance to the west, but soon became convinced of his mistake and turned the d-ziya to the east. D-Zion and housing. The artillery, as it approached, rode at a trot to the heights south of Vionville and Flavinia under the cover of one cavalry; entry into battle of the corps. art-riy occurred around 10 p.m.
At this time, the infantry of the 6th Division reached Vionville and, changing the front to direct. at an angle to the east, Verdyunsk launched an offensive on both sides. highway, supported by the artillery of the 5th cavalry. d-zii. OK. 11¼ hours Vionville, defended by 1 battalion of fr-call, b. taken concentric attack of the 6th dz. At the same time, new positions of the VI French were discovered north of Vionville. k-sa, as a result of which fighting. The German order extended further and further to the left, capturing Tronvilsk. forest The 19th Infantry brigade is sent here. d-zii (Leman's detachment), which approached shots from Tiokur. T. arr., by noon all the infantry and artillery of the III German. k-sa b. have already been put into combat. line. 2 cavalry remained in reserve. d-zii. To strengthen success it is necessary b. take Flavinia. The afterbirth was done. effort, and then continue. battle, the village lit by artillery b. taken around noon combined. through the efforts of parts of both departments. Scattered attack by French forces, met by strong forces. silent fire artillery, were not successful, and Frossard’s corps moved back. Bazin throws the 3rd Lancers into the attack. and guard. cuirass regiments, but they are met by a German attack. hussar. br-dy Redern; During the battle, Bazin himself was almost captured. With the occupation of Flavinia length. arc the disposition was reduced, and their front became solid. support. 1st task III germ. k-sa - block the gap fr-zam - b. completed; it remained to hold on to the Verdyun highway until reinforcements arrived; In view of this, the Prussian battle is taking a wait-and-see approach. character. To pursue the defeated French. Alvensleben infantry calls in the 6th Cav. d-ziyu, but while she was approaching, it was an opportune moment to attack b. missed, and instead upset. Frossard's troops Cav-Riya met the orderly advancing guard. d-ziyu Picard. The Cavalry's attack failed, but it gave him an opportunity. art-riy change position. By 2 o'clock the French are introducing new forces into the battle. On their left flank, the frustrated Captain Frossard was replaced by a Guardsman. d-ziya Picard and part of d-ziya guard. voltigeurs. To the right of the VI qsa, between St. Marseille and Bruville, the villages of Neural and Emar III qsa unfolded; behind them, the IV CS was approaching through Donkur. The German fire began to weaken, partly due to a lack of shells; Canrobert was preparing for the decision. now. To delay the blow of the call, Alvensleben threw his afterbirth into the attack. reserve - cavalry Bredova Br., located in the north-west. slopes of Tronvilsk. heights Separating 2 squadrons against Tronvilsk. forest (not knowing that it was occupied by the Germans), Bredov with the remaining 6 esq. rounded the forest from the west. and, walking along the bottom of the ravine, unexpectedly appeared in 1 ver. before the front of VI French. k-sa. Infantry call lines b. broken, art. servants and horses were cut down. Having rushed around the 2nd ver., Bredov's brigade, in turn, b. attacked by the French Kav-ria Forton and Valyabrega south of Rome. road and rushed back, hiding behind the village of Flavinia. The bold attack cost almost half the strength of the brigade, but resulted in the suspension of the reign of the 6th French. k-sa. At 3 p.m. due to mutual exhaustion, the battle froze, limiting itself to cannonade. Considering the conduct of battle III German. k-som, it should be noted the tenacity of the comrade k-s in achieving the important, but difficult, goal he set for himself. tasks: capture and hold Verdyunsk. highway. Will of the elder the command was transferred to the troops: 2 German. d-zii with selflessness. courage to attack the strongest. wrong, forcing him to go on the defensive. German the artillery selflessly moves to positions under fire, covered by one unit; Cav-Riya attacks the undisturbed infantry pro-ka; The infantry works a lot with bayonets. French valor The troops are paralyzed by the indecision of Bazin, who limited himself to passiveness. defense. Noteworthy is the carelessness of the phrases on vacation, which allowed him. artillery to open fire on the bivouacs. Consequences of this carelessness b. would undoubtedly be even more if it were not for him. Cav-Riya, instead of shelling the bivouacs, rushed to attack them. Fight after 3 hours. (III and X classes). After 3 hours against the left. the German flank began the attack of the III French. k-sa and d-zii Grenier (IV k-sa). Under a strong cross. fire French art-rii and onslaught of enemies. infantry, the Germans cleared Tronvilsk. forest and threw back the flank to Tronville, which became a stronghold. their point is the lion. flank. Their position again became critical, but at that time units of the X, IX and VIII corps, hurrying from all sides, were already approaching from behind. X k-s approx. At noon I finished my day's march and began to spend the night in S.-Iler (br. 19th d-ziya) and Tiokur (20th d-ziya). Kom-r k-sa gen. Vohts-Retz, hearing the firing, headed from 1st Esq. to the shots and on the way received a report from his chief of staff, who was with the 5th Cavalry. d-ziya, about the ensuing battle. Having reached Tronville, Vohts-Retz became convinced of the critical situation. position of III K-sa and immediately sent orders to his columns to hurry to the battlefield. The 20th Infantry was the first to arrive at 4 am. d-ziya, raised on the initiative of the head of d-ziya, general. Kraatz even before receiving the order. Having made a new transition, she promptly supported the exhausted 6th Dziya. Part of the 20th d-ziya strengthened the center of the III k-sa, and Ch. forces turned around Tronville. About 5 o'clock to the lev. the German flank is approached from S.-Iler by the Wedel brigade (5½ battalions, 12 ord.) 19th infantry. d-zii. Head of d-ziy gene. Schwarzkopen, hearing the cannonade, decided to go to Etene to cross the French forces, but at 1 hour received an order from the comrade commander to hurry to support the III corps on Shambla. However, having learned from the orderly that he was mute. fights order extends north of Tronville, Schwarzkopen moved straight to the. on both sides of Verdyunsk. highway. Simultaneously with the 19th city license. The 16th infantry brigade enters the battle on the flank. d-zii (VIII k-sa), which approached from Arri through Gorz, and behind it the 11th point (11th d-zii IX k-sa), guarding the crossings at Korni. The regimental commander believed that by moving forward he would best accomplish his task. Meanwhile, Bazaine’s troops by 5 a.m. b. located like this: on the left. flank at Resonville and to the south. from him - part of the guard (voltigeur brigade, gren. d-zia and art-ria), d-ziya Montodon (III corps) and Lapasse brigade (V corps); in the center of the 3rd d-zia VI k-sa were occupied by forests along the Roman. roads; on the right flank - d-ziya Emara (III corps) with a front to Tronvilsk. forest and 2 d-ziya IV k-sa on Bryuvilsk. plateau. Kav. The brigade of Uniac (III cavalry) was located in St. Marseille, Cav. d-zii Legrand (IV ca-sa), Clerambault (III ca-sa) and guards. the br-das of France gathered at the Gruyere farm. Most of the guards from the 2nd cavalry. br-dami and kav. The villages of Forton and Valyabrega were located west of Gravelot, having behind them the II complex of Frossard. The infantry also moved here from St. Marseilles. d-ziya Neuralya (III class). At 4 o'clock, the commander of the 2nd Army, Friedrich-Karl, arrived on the battlefield. Having familiarized himself with the situation, he was convinced of the need to conduct an attack with his lion. wing, which had just been strengthened by Kraatz's column. On the right the prince provided the flank. the role of art. Seven new b-rays 20 and 16-th d-ziy moved into length. line of b-rays between Flavinia and Vionvilsk. forest, where 102 ordnance was concentrated. To the left. the flank of the 20th Division immediately took part in the struggle for the possession of Tronvilsk. forest. With the powerful assistance of the corps. Artillery of the Xth Army, she again took possession of the forest and forced Dzia Grenier to retreat beyond the ravine. New present fr-call b. stopped by the appearance of Wedel's 38th brigade, which at 5 o'clock deployed at M.-la-T. Despite fatigue and the mass of stragglers, Wedel immediately attacked Grenier's position, but after an uneven battle. battle around 6 p.m. b. driven back to Tronville with a loss of up to 60%. 1st Guard. drag n. self-sacrifice attack against enemies. The infantry helped the remnants of the brigade retreat. Following him, the entire 5th Cavalry was preparing for an attack. d-ziya, gathering at Tronville. In turn, comr IV French. k-sa gen. Lamireau ordered his cavalry, gathered at the Gruyere farm, to counter the German movement. The result was a large cavalry. Battle of Ville-sur-Iron. At 7 p.m. French The horse huntsmen, having crossed the ravine, attacked him. con. I'm on the left. flank of the Schwarzkopen village, but b. pressed aside by the 13th dredge. n. Germans. At the same time, 3 points appeared in the Ville-sur-Iron valley. French d-zii Legrand, having hussars in the 1st line. Montagu's brigade, in the 2nd - 3rd drag. n. and a ledge behind the rights. flank guard. br-doux de France; in total with k.-jaegers - 28 units. From the Prussian side, the Barbie brigade moved from Tronville, the 16th drag. n. (attached to the 20th infantry division), 10th hussars. n. from Puxier and esq-n guard. dragoons who were at the brigade, attacked by the French. horse huntsmen - a total of 21 squadrons, with a force of about 3 tons of horses. German K-tsa turned to the north-west. from M.-la-T., having the Barbie brigade in the 1st line and remaining in the 2nd. shelves. At 6¾ p.m. happened generally collision of over 6 tons of riders. Montague wounded, Legrand killed; The 1st line of calls has been overturned. The Br de France was also outflanked and attacked in the rear by a German who happened to come up from reconnaissance. squadron. Five regiments of the approaching French. Clerambault's divisions are crushed by the retreating troops, and only one brigade manages to cross the ravine and envelop the German flank. The latter slowly retreat, escorted by infantry and artillery fire from the Gruyere farm. In general, the attack on both sides is carried out in a disorderly manner, but the Germans gather in a mass before moving to attack, while the French. cavalry enters battle at different times, even in separate regiments. Both sides, equally upset, left the scene of the confrontation. But Lamireau, pleased that he had retained his position, did not think any more about the present, and the troops of the 20th Prussian. d-zii, carried away by the retreating brigade of Vedel from Tronvilsk. forests, managed to recover and took their previous places. At 7½ p.m. 4 battalions and 2 battalions of the 25th Hessian approached the right flank of the Germans. d-zii (IX k-sa), and Friedrich-Karl made a new one. an attempt to show the enemy that the strength and energy of the Germans have not yet been exhausted. At 8 p.m. the German right flank occupied the heights to the south. from Resonville, contested all day, but crossed. fire french infantry and 54 ord. guard Art-rii forced me to clean it again. Then it’s already complete. In the darkness the attack of the 6th Prussian followed. Cav. d-zii; German Cav-Ria came under fire from her own people and from the French and was not successful. About 10 p.m. the fight stopped. Losses from the French - 837 of., 16,122 n. hours and 1 op. (taken during the attack on Flavinia); The Germans have 711 off., 15,079 n. hours and 1 banner. In tactical In regards, the battle remained undecided: neither the Prussians managed to push the French away from their heads. positions, no fr-zam - return items lost before noon. But a strategist. success belonged to the Germans, because further. French movement armies on the west without a new battle it became impossible. The battle situation was unfavorable for the Germans. Aug 16 they could concentrate only 60-70 thousand people on the battlefield, and then only thanks to the brilliant. manifestation of activity and desire to take shots; Bazin, on the other hand, had 150 thousand troops at hand and therefore had the full ability not only to throw the Germans off Verdyunsk. roads, but also to apply the department. defeat III and X German. k-sam. 
Instead, Bazin fights hesitantly, piling up reserves behind his lion. flank, while the Germans bring everything into battle. person. As a result, by the end of the battle, Bazin, with double. superior in strength, has in battles. line as many troops as the Germans. With him. On both sides, the battle is being waged extremely energetically, which was helped a lot by their ignorance of their actions. situation: Alvensleben and Friedrich-Karl did not realize until the end of the battle that they were dealing with the entire army of Bazaine; This explains the unusual the impulse of the Germans to attack. In not one of the battles of this war did the juniors act independently. chief of German The army did not show itself as brilliantly as under M.-la-T. The entire battle was started and carried out on the initiative of a private individual. chief Energy and management of private German the commanders, together with the dedication of the troops, corrected the mistakes of the highest. command, which created unfavorable battle conditions for the Germans. In contrast to the Germans, the French. the bosses showed no initiative; constrained categorically With Bazin’s order to “hold their positions,” they did not get what they wanted. transition to the present. The actions of the Germans are instructive. art-rii: moving in the head marching. columns, it was ahead of the infantry and, acting in masses, significantly facilitated the deployment of battles. order. Franz. The artillery, used scatteredly, did not have time to suppress the fire from the enemy. German the cavalry acts throughout the battle, rescuing its infantry or covering the departure of the artillery; her attacks repeatedly interrupt the attempts of the phrases to move into the present. The value of the masses is mute. K-tsa learned better than the French one: during the Kavriy clash at Ville-sur-Iron, the Germans first of all concentrated into a mass, while the stronger French. Cav-Riya enters the battle in different ways, even the department. shelves. German the infantry showed skill in the battle for the local. objects using concentric. attacks, when founded. preparation by art-riy (Vionville). (French-German war of 1870-71, compiled by the century-historical department of the Prussian general unit; N. P. Mikhnevich, The war between Germany and France 1870-71, part 1, St. Petersburg, 1897; Void, Victories and defeats in the war of 1870; K. Druzhinin, Kav. attacks in the battle of M.-la-Tour).
I planned to post this material the day before yesterday, but due to problems with the Internet, which, thank Sigmar, have already been resolved, I have to post it late. But, as they say, better late than never.
So, on August 16, 1870, in northern France near the town of Mars-la-Tour, the first major battle of the Franco-Prussian War took place, and at the same time the last battle in history, in which thousands of horsemen in shiny steel armor and helmets with high crests fought with heavy broadswords.
Shortly before this, Marshal Bazaine's army of 127 thousand people with 560 guns set out from the Metz fortress and moved towards Verdun to join the main forces of the French troops under the command of Emperor Louis Bonaparte. In the Mars-la-Tour area, the 20,000-strong Prussian corps of General von Alphensleben stood in her way. Despite the huge disparity of forces, the Prussians accepted the battle, taking up positions in front of the villages of Flavigny and Vionville. The French attacked repeatedly with infantry and cavalry, but all their attacks were repulsed. During the battle, significant reinforcements approached the Germans, increasing their number to 76 thousand, but still the French had a one and a half numerical superiority.
At approximately 14.00, Alphensleben, in order to weaken the pressure on Vionville, sent General von Bredow’s combined cavalry brigade, consisting of hussars, lancers, dragoons and cuirassiers, to attack on the left flank. In the thick powder smoke, the cavalrymen managed to quietly approach the enemy and, with a sudden blow, break through two lines of French infantry, and also capture, having dispersed the servants, artillery batteries of the National Guard. Then the horsemen turned around to attack from the rear the opposite flank of Bazaine’s army, but he threw his reserve against them - the 6th Cavalry Division of General Bourbaki, also consisting of all branches of cavalry, including cuirassiers.
South of the village of Resonville, Bredov's brigade and Bourbaki's division met at full gallop. A furious battle began, in which more than 15 thousand horsemen took part on both sides - approximately five thousand Germans and 10 thousand French. Thanks to their numerical superiority, the French managed to gain the upper hand and put the enemy to flight. They recaptured the guns, but they failed to develop their success and turn it into victory. Trying to follow the fleeing Prussian cavalry into the enemy positions, the French ran into gunfire, suffered heavy losses and were forced to turn their horses.
By evening the battle stopped, the Germans held out, but the French did not advance a meter. For them, this was tantamount to defeat. Marshal Bazin, frightened by the tenacity of the German infantry and fearing that the enemy would receive additional reinforcements, ordered a retreat to Gravelotte during the night. There, a day later, the battle resumed and ended with another defeat for Bazin, but... The damage at Mars-la-Tour was approximately equal: the Germans lost 15,781 people killed, wounded and missing, and the French - 16,959 (according to other sources - 17,007). Unfortunately, in none of the sources did I find a “breakdown” of these figures into irretrievable and sanitary losses.
Map of the Battle of Mars-la-Tour. The red arrows show the raid of the Bredov brigade, and the blue arrows show the counterattack of the Bourbaki division.
On the left is Marshal François Achille Bazin, who did not have the determination and courage of his legendary namesake; in the center - the commander of the French cavalry at the Battle of Mars-la-Tour, General Charles Denis Bourbaki; on the right is Prussian General Reimar Konstantin von Alphensleben.
Life dragoons under the command of Prince Henry of Prussia crash into the French infantry formation.
Painting by Emil Hünten.
The 10th squadron of Prussian hussars is in the attack. Watercolor by Richard Knotl.
A typical situation is “tanks in a city without infantry support.” French cuirassiers burst into Vionville, but they were stopped by a hastily constructed barricade of carts, and Prussian soldiers unhinderedly shot them from the second and third floors. As a result, the French had to retreat with heavy losses.
Painting by Edouard Detaille.
The last battle of the "men at arms" - French and Prussian cuirassiers at Resonville. Painting by Christian Sell.
French cuirassier broadsword, model 1826.
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