Battle of Lübeck

Overview

The Battle of Lübeck took place on 6 November 1806 in Lübeck, Germany between soldiers of the Kingdom of Prussia led by Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, who were retreating from defeat at the Battle of Jena–Auerstedt, and troops of the First French Empire under Marshals Murat, Bernadotte, and Soult, who were pursuing them. In this War of the Fourth Coalition action, the French inflicted a severe defeat on the Prussians, driving them from the neutral city. Lübeck is an old Baltic Sea port approximately 50 kilometres (31 mi) northeast of Hamburg.

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

Significance

The Battle of Lübeck was a direct consequence of the Prussian collapse at Jena–Auerstedt, with Blücher's retreating force of roughly 17,000 men pursued north to the neutral Baltic port city by three French marshals commanding between 30,000 and 35,000 troops. The French inflicted a severe defeat, driving the Prussians from Lübeck and producing Prussian casualties estimated between 6,000 and 9,000 against French losses of 1,500–2,000. The action effectively destroyed one of the last organized Prussian field forces still operational after the October disasters, accelerating the collapse of Prussian resistance in the opening phase of the War of the Fourth Coalition. That the battle was fought inside a neutral city underscored the degree to which the French pursuit was conducted without regard for political boundaries, a pattern consistent with Napoleon's operational tempo throughout the 1806 campaign.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (5)