Battle of Krefeld

Overview

The Battle of Krefeld was fought at Krefeld near the Rhine on 23 June 1758 between a German army under Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and a French army under Count Louis of Clermont during the Seven Years' War. As a result of this Ferdinand's victory, the British government eventually decided to reinforce him with 2,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry from the island.

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

Significance

The Battle of Krefeld, fought near the Rhine on 23 June 1758, resulted in a victory for the Hanoverian-led German army under Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel over a substantially larger French force under Count Louis of Clermont. Ferdinand's army of 31,000–32,000 men inflicted casualties of between 4,000 and 5,900 on a French force of 47,000, while sustaining losses of 1,700–2,100 themselves. The outcome carried direct strategic consequences for the British conduct of the Seven Years' War: the victory persuaded the British government to reinforce Ferdinand with 2,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry, committing additional metropolitan forces to the western German theater. This reinforcement reflected the broader British strategic interest in keeping French pressure diverted on the continent, supporting Hanoverian and allied German forces as a counterweight to France while British resources were simultaneously deployed across oceanic theaters.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)