Battle of Wissembourg

The battles of Wissembourg is a battle of the Franco-German Guerre of 1870 which took place the August 4th 1870, on the northern border of Alsace.

General presentation

The battle of Wissembourg is a fortuitous combat of meeting where the French command, for lack of information is let hang by an enemy higher of number.

The enemy penetrates in Alsace of North and constrained the marshal Mac Mahon to deliver the engagements around Woerth-Froeschwiller on August 6th.

The reoccupying of Wissembourg

When at the beginning of the conflict, the general Ducrot order the 6th military division of Strasbourg, it makes evacuate the places of Wissembourg and Lauterbourg which is on the border. He thinks that one should not disseminate the forces on all the border; but, continuation probably with the protests of the sub-prefect of Wissembourg, the ministry, by a dispatch, fact knowledge which it does not approve this measurement.

It orders, on July 22nd, to send the 2nd division of infantry (general Abel Douay) to Haguenau, at once the intendance states that it is not able to ensure the provisioning of the 1e and the 2nd divisions of infantry if the small frontier city is not re-occupied, because it has to with it part of its provisioning.

In order to protect the way from railroad Strasbourg-Haguenau-Bitche-Metz, the marshal of Mac Mahon goes up the whole of his device around Haguenau and gives, on August 2nd, the order:

with the 1st division (Ducrot general) to leave on August 4th its positions to go to be established with Lembach in order to ensure the connection with the 5th body of the general of Failly
the 2nd division (Douay general) to occupy Wissembourg, Weiler and the surrounding positions as well as the collar of Pigeon by which it will be connected to the 1e division.
with the 1st brigade of cavalry in order to inform the 2nd division on its line until Schleithal (in France)

The Ducrot general, knowing the ground of Wissembourg, is charged to coordinate the action of these various units and to even indicate the sites to be assigned with the various bodies of Douay division.

As soon as it receives this order, the Ducrot general modifies it by instructions which it addresses to the Douay general:

It indicates that “following the recognitions carried out by the colonel ordering the 96e regiment of infantry, it does not think that the enemy is in force in the surroundings in the immediate future to undertake some thing of serious”.
It requires of the Douay general to remain on the southern heights dominating the valley of the Lauter: the Plate of Geisberg in the east and that plate of Vogelsberg in the west and to make occupy the city of Wissembourg only by one battalion.
Moreover, the Douay general must raise the 96e regiment of infantry which holds the collar of Pigeon and the village of Climbach; it is the left limit of the device of the 2nd division of infantry. As for the right limit, it is not specified because it there not friendly troops on its right side; therefore the 1st brigade of cavalry was availability of the detachment. The Ducrot general specifies as for his employment: “It is of course that this brigade of cavalry is placed under your immediate orders and that you will use it to light to you either in front of Wissembourg, or on the right in the direction of Lauterbourg”.
It indicates finally the true goal of the presence of the 2nd division to Wissembourg: “At once that Wissembourg will have been occupied, please organize brigades of bakers, with the resources which can be in your regiments. I believe that the dimension of the furnaces makes it possible to manufacture 30.000 rations of 24 hours, but in the condition which the service is well organized. because it is of Wissembourg that we must draw the major part of our subsistence. ”

The Ducrot general accompanies this letter by a plan on which the important points and the lines of retirement are indicated. The general Robert, the chief of staff of the 2nd division of infantry, affirms that division was indeed put under the orders of the Ducrot general with regard to the positions to occupy and operations of war; that seemed all the more normal to him:

that the two great units were isolated (at one day of walk of the possible reinforcements)
that the Ducrot general was older than the general Douay
than the Ducrot general knew the area perfectly.

The 2nd division of infantry is reinforced by the light brigade of cavalry of the division of cavalry of the army corps. On the whole, the Douay general can count only on his 8.000 men, whereas a division of infantry includes/understands 15.000 normally of them. This is with the bad organization of the mobilization; all the units did not reach their manpower war. The general Abel Douay thus has the following elements:

Division arrives on August 3rd at the evening at Wissembourg at most extremely of a violent one storm; nothing is planned for lodging troop. Sentinels are placed on Geissberg which dominates Wissembourg in the south of Lauter. The 2nd battalion of 74e IH is sent to occupy Wissembourg. The local authorities warn the Douay general of the presence of important hostile elements in the surroundings. The Douay general does not have any information (site, type of unit, direction of walk…) on the enemy troops. As of its arrival, 78e IH sets out again in the night for Climbach to raise 96e IH of the 1e division, as envisaged by the directives of the Ducrot general.

Unfolding of the engagements

August 4th, to the point of the day, the Douay general sends a recognition beyond Lauter; the squadrons of cavalry return around six hours without to have detected an enemy presence. The Douay general is always unaware of where the enemy is although the local authorities (sub-prefect and mayor) indicate to him that 30.000 Prussians left Landau. He receives from the marshal Mac Mahon a telegram:

asking to him whether it has many information being able to make accept a gathering
to be held on its guards
to rejoin, if it were attacked by much higher forces the Ducrot general by the collar of the Pigeon one.

During this time, the army corps of the general Werder composed of the Division badoise and Division wurtembergeoise pass Lauter to Lauterbourg and penetrate in French territory without meeting resistance.

The impression of safety is total in the French camp: the men make soup and clean the weapons when the first blows of gun resound around eight hours fifteen. IVe Bavarian division which left its quartering of Bergzabern at six o'clock in the morning attacks Wissembourg supported by two artillery batteries installed on the heights of Schweigen in the north of Lauer. The Alsatian small town is bombarded and of many houses are in flames. The 2/74 organizes the defense of the city and holds the Bavarian ones remotely.

The 1 {{er}} RTA (known as regiment of the turcos ) ensures the defense of the station of Altenstadt and prohibits the crossing of Lauter towards the east. During this time, 50e R.I. is installed on Geissberg, an eminence which dominates the valley of Lauter in the South and the castle is put in a state of defense. The Douay general makes warn Mac Mahon, by sending a squadron of the 11th Hunters to Soultz, that the Germans cannonade Wissembourg.

The engagements continue on Lauter and all the Bavarian attacks are pushed back. The brigade of cavalry, which is a brigade of light cavalry, is not used to recognize and cover the approaches of Wissembourg vis-a-vis the east. It is put at the shelter in the small valley which is in the south of Geissberg and Vogelsberg.

At the beginning of the cannonade, the head of Ve Corps Prussian was in Steinfeld; its commander, the general von Kirchbach, makes press the movement and in Schweighofen it divides its troop in two elements:

the first continues the direct road towards Wissembourg;
the second moves on the bridge of Rémy Saint to arrive by the east at the station of Altenstadt.

During this time, XIe Corps Prussian of the general von Bose arrives of the road of Lauterbourg; it lets pass the elements of Ve Corps and oblique towards the south in direction of Geissberg. The division of the Douay general who was until there opposite only in IVe Bavarian division finds from now on opposite with the Bavarian Body and the two Prussian bodies.

In spite of the obstinate resistance of the French soldiers, their situation does not cease worsening. The Prussians reinforce their artillery who cross their fires on Geissberg making the position increasingly difficult. The French artillery is practically reduced to silence and the Canons with balls cannot be maintained on their position.

Towards 10 a.m. and half, the Douay general realizes that it does not have business with a simple recognition but with an attack conducted by largely higher forces. Tackled face by the Bavarian ones, it is attacked on its right side by the Prussians. It is taken with the trap and to save its division, decides to carry out the retirement towards the collar of the Pigeon one, as Mac Mahon had ordered to him in order to join Ducrot division installed with Lembach.

The general Pellé starts to disengage his troops which are in Wissembourg while the brigade Montmarie covers its movements starting from Geissberg and of Rott. It is at this time that it general Abel Douay is reached by a glare of shell and dies without regaining consciousness. It is 11 a.m.

To disengage the units taken under enemy fires, in particular the turcos of the 1st RTA, the Pellé general who has just taken the command of division needs fresh troops, but it does not have which it. The brigade of the Montmarie general gathered around the buildings of the castle of Geissberg and form a mole of fixing in order to allow 1e RTA to disengage itself. The artillery receives the order to give an opinion with Steinselz to protect the retirement from the infantry of the 1e brigade. This one is carried out in order by gradually giving up the positions occupied to move towards Oberhofen.

At the same time the generals von Kirchbach (Ve Corps) and von Bose (XIe Body) organize the catch of Geissberg with their units. They threaten to turn the last defenders also the major Cécile of the 1/74e tries an exit which fails. The castle is invested on all the sides and subjected to a particularly violent artillery fire. To end of ammunition, the Lagneaux captain resorts with the capitulation; he is 14:00 last. With the castle fall the last support from defense, but its resistance made it possible the 1e brigade to be reformed along the road of Strasbourg and the farm of Schafsbusch.

During this time, the major Liaud (2/74e) is always in Wissembourg, but it is insulated more and more. When he learns that he must leave the city, all the exits are blocked: the Prussians hold the door of Haguenau, Bavarian the door of Bitche and the door of Pram. It then decides to defend with excess the small Alsatian city. The Bavarian artillery cuts down the stiles of Pram and the enemy troops penetrate in the city. It east 14 hours when the mayor of Wissembourg makes hoist the white flag. The garrison goes. The enemy does not continue the troops in retirement of the 2nd division; those are worried only by fires of enemy artillery.

The artillery joined the 1st RTA with Climbach, followed by a fraction of the 74e and the brigade of cavalry Septeuil. Then by the Collar of Pfaffenschlick and Pfaffenbronn, they reach Lembach in the night. On its side the Montmarie brigade tries to join Haguenau where she arrives at eleven o'clock in the evening. As for the casualties, they are abandoned on the ground and with the farm of Schafsbusch where a rescue station had been installed.

Assessment

The combat of Wissembourg is revealing errors which will be made throughout the countryside:

Whereas the Prussian chiefs of police walk to the gun, the French remain the weapon with the foot. The 78e IH which left Vogelsberg around five hours of the morning to raise 96e IH, awaits the orders whereas the gun thunders with less than 4 km. 96e IH is in Climbach after being raised; although informed of the battle, its chief of police does not take any initiative. The Ducrot general was with Reichshoffen; when it arrives at midday at Lembach and learns that Douay division was attacked, it makes put backpack but immediately does not carry its troops towards Wissembourg - it is true that they would have arrived too late. It arrives at the collar of Pigeon where it is joined by Mac Mahon; both attend the evacuation of Geissberg by the Montmarie brigade. They are restricted to prepare the defense of the coll the evening, they observe the bivouacs of the IIIe Armée which they estimate at 80.000 men. Mac Mahon makes the decision then to bring back the 1e and the 2nd divisions towards the position of Woerth-Froeschwiller which cuts the directions of Saverne and Bitche.
the artillery could not play its part because it was in numerical inferiority: the battery of machine-gun can hold on no position because it is immediately taken for target by the German parts. In addition, the range of the French guns is lower than that of the German guns; it will always miss lengthening-piece with French artillery. It cannot thus support its troops without becoming the target of German artillery whereas the Prussian artillery can support its infantry without being under the blows of the French guns ( to see table below on the pieces of artillery engaged on both sides ).
With regard to the cavalry, it was badly employed. The Douay general had been reinforced by a brigade of light cavalry (Hussards and Chasseurs) whose principal mode of action is the recognition and the monitoring of zones. However the cavalry was employed only on August 4th in the morning for a null result: it did not detect the presence of the Bavarian battalions with Schweigen (3 km of Wissembourg). It was then preserved because the ground did not lend itself to the load.
All the weight of the battle thus rests on the infantry; she is exemplary, courageous and its chiefs show with the combat a heat equal to that their soldiers. Algerian riflemen, lignards compete of heroism but cannot overcome a largely higher army of number.

Tactical faults were made:

Why place a battalion in the town of Wissembourg at the bottom of a funnel? If one wanted to make of Wissembourg a fortified position, it was necessary to make evacuate the population and put the whole of the houses in a state of defense. Wissembourg could just as easily have been defended starting from the heights dominating in the south the agglomeration (Geissberg and Vogelsberg).
the cavalry did not fulfill its mission of lighting and research of the enemy; not knowing anything about this one whereas the inhabitants and the authorities indicated the presence of enemy units in the area, the cavalry should have carried out in-depth recognitions and patrols to give to the command the information which it missed. The general Abel Douay would then have seen that it had to make with strong part and it could have broken the combat before the arrival of Ve and XIe Corps Prussian to fold up itself on Lembach like had prescribed Mac Mahon to him.
Why not to have immediately occupied Altenstadt thus leaving a breach open in the right side?
No direction for the retirement was indicated; The Pellé brigade folds up itself in direction of the collar of Pigeon and Lembach while the Montmarie brigade folds up itself on Haguenau. Thus, the 2nd division after having undergone, at the time of the combat of Wissembourg, heavy losses is divided into two; it is not operational any more in the immediate future.

But the principal responsibility falls on Mac Mahon: the orders given to the general Abel Douay seem to have been vague: to go on Wissembourg, but why make? which was its mission with Wissembourg? If were to inform about the enemy force, the units of cavalry were adapted to this mission; if were to fix the enemy and to defend the border, still it would have been necessary to say it expressly and place in support of other units. A division without close support was lost.

Thus, at the time when the Germans penetrate in Alsace, the 1st Body is amputee of one of his divisions. Mac Mahon does not have any more but three divisions of infantry to oppose to the five army corps (ten divisions of infantry) of the royal prince of Prussia. The part will be tight on Sauer.

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