Battle of Günzburg

Overview

The Battle of Günzburg on 9 October 1805 saw General of Division Jean-Pierre Firmin Malher's French division attempt to seize a crossing over the Danube River at Günzburg by the order of Marshal Michel Ney in the face of a Habsburg Austrian army led by Feldmarschall-Leutnant Karl Mack von Lieberich. Malher's division managed to capture a bridge and hold it against Austrian counterattacks. The battle occurred during the War of the Third Coalition, part of the larger Napoleonic Wars.

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

Significance

At Günzburg on 9 October 1805, French forces under Marshal Michel Ney secured a crossing over the Danube River against an Austrian force commanded by Karl Mack von Leiberich. The seizure of the bridge gave French forces a foothold across the Danube at a critical moment in the War of the Third Coalition, tightening the encirclement that was closing around Mack's army in the Ulm region. Austrian casualties of 2,000 against a defending force of 7,000 reflect the weight of the engagement and the cost of failing to deny the crossing. The action contributed to the strategic isolation of the Austrian army that culminated shortly afterward at Ulm.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)