Battle of Dettingen

Coordinates: 50°2′56″N 9°1′6″E / 50.04889°N 9.01833°E / 50.04889; 9.01833
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Battle of Dettingen
Part of War of the Austrian Succession

George II at Dettingen
Date27 June 1743
Location50°2′56″N 9°1′6″E / 50.04889°N 9.01833°E / 50.04889; 9.01833
Result Allied victory
Belligerents
 Great Britain
Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg Hanover
 Austria
 France
Commanders and leaders
Strength
35,000[1][2] 23,000[2]
Casualties and losses
2,332 [3] [a] 3,000–4,500 [1][5] [b]

The Battle of Dettingen (

duc de Noailles
.

While the Earl of Stair exercised operational control, the Allied army was nominally commanded by King George II, accompanied by his son the Duke of Cumberland. As a result, it is now best remembered as the last time a reigning British monarch led troops in combat. Despite being an Allied victory, the battle had little effect on the wider war, and has been described as 'a happy escape, rather than a great victory.'[6]

Background

de Noailles

The immediate cause of the

Charles Albert of Bavaria, the closest male heir.[7]

An internal dynastic dispute became a European issue since the Monarchy formed the most powerful single element in the

Holy Roman emperor, in theory an elected position but held by the Habsburgs since 1440. In January 1742, Charles of Bavaria became the first non-Habsburg emperor in 300 years, with the support of France, Prussia and Saxony. Maria Theresa was backed by the so-called Pragmatic Allies, which in addition to Austria included Britain, Hanover and the Dutch Republic.[8]

In December 1740, Prussia invaded the Austrian province of

Bohemia, while Spain joined the war, hoping to regain possessions in Northern Italy lost to Austria in 1713. By early 1742, Austria's position seemed desperate; Britain agreed to send a naval squadron to the Mediterranean and 17,000 troops to the Austrian Netherlands, under the Earl of Stair.[10]

However, Austria made peace with Prussia in the June 1742

Noailles, positioned 23,000 troops under his nephew Gramont.[13]

Battle

Battle of Dettingen is located in Hesse
Mainz
Mainz
Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Aschaffenburg
Aschaffenburg
Hanau
Hanau
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden
Dettingen
Dettingen
Kassel
Kassel
The Battle of Dettingen; key locations. Note river line (in blue)

Around 1:00 am on 27 June, the Allies left Aschaffenburg in three columns, and marched along the north bank of the Main, heading for Hanau.[14] The French position at Dettingen was extremely strong; De Gramont's infantry held a line anchored on the village, and running to the Spessart Heights, with the cavalry on level ground to their left. Noailles instructed de Vallière to place his guns on the south bank of the Main, which allowed them to fire into the left flank of the Pragmatic army.[15]

Inadequate reconnaissance was a problem for the Allies throughout the war, and the French presence in Dettingen took them by surprise. Their danger became clear when Noailles sent another 12,000 troops over the River Main at Aschaffenburg, into the Allied rear; he had high hopes of destroying their entire army. Ilton, commander of the Allied infantry, ordered the British and Hanoverian Foot Guards back to Aschaffenburg, while the remainder changed from column of march into four lines to attack the French position. As they did so, they were fired on by the French artillery, although this caused relatively few casualties.[16]

The fighting at Dettingen, on 27 June 1743

Despite being ordered three times by Noailles to hold their position, around midday the elite Maison du Roi cavalry charged the Allied lines.[17] Who initiated it is disputed, de Gramont being the most common choice; French historian De Périni suggests the Maison de Roi, who had not seen action since Malplaquet in 1709, saw an opportunity to win the battle on their own and led by the duc d'Harcourt, they broke through the first three lines, throwing the inexperienced British cavalry into confusion.[18]

They were followed by the

Gardes Françaises infantry, in a disjointed and piecemeal attack which forced de Vallière to cease fire for fear of hitting his own troops, allowing the British infantry in the fourth line to hold their ground.[19] A Hanoverian artillery battery began firing at close range into the French infantry, while an Austrian brigade took them in the flank. After three hours of fighting, the French retreated to the left bank of the Main, most of their casualties occurring when one of the bridges collapsed.[20] The Pragmatic Army continued towards Hanau; although it has been suggested that they could have exploited their victory, they were in no shape to attempt a contested river crossing.[21] Their precarious position was demonstrated by the need to abandon their wounded in order to move faster.[22]

Aftermath

Map of the battle[e]

Although George II handed out numerous promotions and rewards to his subordinates, Dettingen is generally viewed as a lucky escape. Forced to withdraw due to lack of supplies, the Allied army escaped but had to abandon their wounded, and might have suffered a serious defeat if Noailles' orders had been followed.[23] On 30 September the 14,000-strong Dutch corps of the Pragmatic Army under the command of Count Nassau-Ouwekerk reached the Allied camp. However, as the threat to the Electorate of Hanover had subsided due to the French withdrawal, George decided to take no further action, even though Stair had urged the king to pursue the French army.[24] They then took up winter quarters in the Netherlands.[23]

It was the last battle for several senior officers; in 1744, Noailles was appointed

Foreign Minister, while de Gramont was killed at Fontenoy in 1745. The 70 year old Stair retired, and was replaced by the equally elderly George Wade.[25] The Allied cavalry performed woefully, failing to locate 23,000 men across their line of retreat, less than 13 km (8 mi) away, while many troopers were allegedly unable to control their horses.[26] Only the infantry's training and discipline saved the army from destruction, and one of the training companies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is named 'Dettingen' in recognition of this fact.[27]

In honour of the battle, and his patron George II,

Handel composed the Dettingen Te Deum and Dettingen Anthem.[28]

Notes

  1. ^ Other estimates suggest between 2,000 to 3,000 [4]
  2. ^ Hesse State Archive Marburg 21 WHK Wilhelmshöher Kriegskarten Bd. 21: Österreichischer Erbfolgekrieg 1740–1748 bis zum Aachener Frieden Relation S3, gives a total of 4,104 killed or wounded. A German document gives somewhat higher totals for the artillery and cavalry; many drowned when a bridge collapsed, and 'missing' are not included
  3. ^ Supporters of the 1713 Pragmatic Sanction were generally known as the Pragmatic Allies
  4. Bohemia and the Austrian Netherlands
  5. ^ The parish register in Seligenstadt features a battle plan map, apparently drawn and explained by the parish priest, dated 27 June 1743

References

  1. ^ a b Clodfelter 2017, p. 78.
  2. ^ a b Grant 2017, p. 415.
  3. ^ Townshend 1901, p. 39.
  4. ^ Hamilton 1874, p. 111.
  5. ^ Townshend 1901, p. 41.
  6. ^ Lecky 1878.
  7. ^ Anderson 1995, p. 3.
  8. ^ Black 1999, p. 82.
  9. ^ Armour 2012, pp. 99–101.
  10. ^ Harding 2013, p. 135.
  11. ^ Harding 2013, pp. 152–153.
  12. ^ Browning 1995, p. 136.
  13. ^ Périni 1896, p. 295.
  14. ^ De Périni 1896, p. 296.
  15. ^ Vallière, Joseph-Florent de.
  16. ^ Brumwell 2006, p. 30.
  17. ^ Duffy 1987, p. 19.
  18. ^ Morris 1886, p. 126.
  19. ^ Périni 1896, p. 298.
  20. ^ Mackinnon 1883, p. 358.
  21. ^ Mallinson 2009, p. 83.
  22. ^ Périni 1896, p. 300.
  23. ^ a b Anderson 1995, pp. 117–118.
  24. ^ Zwitzer 2012, p. 142-143.
  25. ^ Brumwell 2006, p. 31.
  26. ^ Battle of Dettingen.
  27. ^ Mallinson 2009, p. 84.
  28. ^ Handel Dettingen Te Deum; Te Deum in A.

Sources