Battle of Dettingen

Significance

The Battle of Dettingen, fought on 27 June 1743 near Karlstein am Main in Bavaria, saw the Pragmatic Army — a combined force of British, Hanoverian, and Austrian troops numbering 35,000 — defeat a French force of 23,000 under the Duke of Noailles. Casualties stood at approximately 2,332 for the Pragmatic Army against 3,000–4,500 for the French. Despite the Allied victory, the engagement has been characterized as 'a happy escape, rather than a great victory,' and it had little impact on the broader course of the War of the Austrian Succession. Its most enduring significance is constitutional rather than strategic: George II, nominally commanding the Pragmatic Army while operational control rested with the Earl of Stair, became the last reigning British monarch to lead troops in combat.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (8)