Battle of Gefrees

Overview

The Battle of Gefrees was fought on 8 July 1809 during the War of the Fifth Coalition between a joint force of Austrians and Brunswickers under the command of General Kienmayer and a French force under the command of General Junot, Duke of Abrantès. The battle ended in victory for the Austrians who avoided being trapped by Junot and a force of Saxons and Westphalians led by Jérôme Bonaparte, King of Westphalia. After Jérôme's troops were defeated at the Battle of Hof on 11 July, the Austrians effectively had control over all of Saxony. However the victory was in vain, due to the major Austrian defeat at Wagram and the Armistice of Znaim.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

At Gefrees on 8 July 1809, a combined Austrian and Brunswicker force under General Kienmayer defeated a French force under General Junot, avoiding encirclement by Junot's column and a separate Saxon and Westphalian force led by Jérôme Bonaparte. The Austrian success, reinforced by the subsequent defeat of Jérôme's troops at Hof on 11 July, gave Austria effective control over Saxony. The operational gain proved short-lived: the major Austrian defeat at Wagram and the ensuing Armistice of Znaim negated the advantages won in the region, rendering the victory at Gefrees consequential only within the narrow confines of the Saxon theater rather than the wider War of the Fifth Coalition.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (6)