Battle of Oltenitza

Overview

The Battle of Oltenița was fought on 4 November 1853 and was the first engagement of the Crimean War. In this battle an Ottoman army under the command of Omar Pasha was defending its fortified positions from the Russian forces led by General Peter Dannenberg, until the Russians were ordered to withdraw. The Russian attack was called off just when they reached the Ottoman fortifications, and they retreated in good order, but suffered heavy losses. The Turks held their positions, but did not pursue the enemy, and later retreated to the other side of Danube.

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

Significance

The Battle of Oltenița on 4 November 1853 was the first engagement of the Crimean War. An Ottoman force of 8,000 under Omar Pasha held fortified positions against a Russian attack of 6,000 led by General Peter Dannenberg. Russian forces were ordered to withdraw just as they reached the Ottoman fortifications, suffering 3,000–4,000 casualties in the process. Although the Ottomans retained their positions, they did not pursue the retreating Russians and subsequently withdrew across the Danube. The engagement established that Ottoman forces could resist Russian pressure in the opening phase of the war, while the scale of Russian losses underscored the cost of frontal assaults on prepared defenses.

Tactics

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)