Introduction
On the 3rd May Hiller evacuated Linz after destroying its bridge. The city was entered by the troops of Maréchal de l'Empire André Masséna, Duc de Rivoli, who smashed Hiller's rearguard the same day at Ebelsberg.
In 1809 Linz was, as now, the third largest city in Austria after Vienna and Graz. It is situated where the ancient salt route from Salzburg to Bohemia crosses the Danube, 86km from Passau on the Bavarian border and 235km from Vienna (Map 1).
At Linz the Danube is 250m wide and on the north bank the hills that run alongside the river open out into a crescent-shaped plain 5km long and 1 1/2 km wide. From the points of the crescent, roads run west to Ottenstetten and south-east to Steyregg and from its shoulders north to Hellmonsödt and north-east to Gallneukirchen (Map2). The road from Helmonsödt runs south through a narrow valley called the Haselgraben to the town of Urfahr, connected by a bridge to Linz and overlooked by a 537m high hill, the Pöstlingberg, crowned by a church and other buikdings known as Schloss Steinrück.
Two days later, Général de Division Dominique Vandamme, Comte d'Unsebourg was ordered to capture Urfahr with his 8ème Corps d'Armée, composed of Wüttembergers (Table 1). During the advance from the Regensburg area, the Württemberg Corps had been weakened by several detatchments. Füsilier-Regiment von Neubronn had been left at Landshut with the task of transporting prisoners back to Augsburg; Infanterie-Regiment von Cammerer was occupying Braunau, while Infanterie-Regiment von Phull, with two guns from Fuss-Batterie von Brogniard, had been sent to garrison Passau; the Leib-chevaulegers had been attached to Massena's Corps and Chevaulegers-Regiment Herzog Heinrich was guarding Imperial Headquarters [3]. This left the Corps with a strength of only 8 battalions, 8 squadrons and 20 guns.
On May 4th, the Württemberg Corps was ordered to march on Enns, but before they reached there a counterorder sent them to Linz. They had to traverse Ebelsberg, which was still burning and littered with bodies and rubble [4]. Held up by the numerous trains, they did not reach Linz until midnight.
Urfahr was garrisoned by Generalmajor Richter with 10 companies (1500 men) of the 3. and 4. Prachiner Landwehrbataillonen plus replacement troops from the line infantry regiments Deutschmeister, Jordis, Klebek and Lindenau, a squadron of Vincent Chevaulegers and a few men from the Hessen-Homburg Husaren. Vandamme, finding the bridge destroyed and that all boats had disappeared, sent a summons, demanding that Richter evacuate the town and hand over all boats and transport vehicles on the left bank [5]. The summons was naturally ignored.
At 4.30am, Vandamme had all his drummers and trumpeters sound their instruments, then lined up his Corps along the Danube from Linz to St. Margareten (Map 3). The artillery were deployed opposite Urfahr, on the river bank and the castle heights.
During a bombardment from the 20 Württemberg guns, which set 31 houses ablaze, Unterlieutenant Nestel, from Hauptmann von Scheidemantel's company of the 2. Fussjäger-Bataillon found a small boat, in which he managed to ferry across 20 Jäger. Reaching the half-burnt bridge, he called across the river for help. As luck would have it, two Ulm shipmasters, Martin and Johann Molfenter, were in Ulm on business and they volunteered to ferry the Württembergers across [6].
The companies of von Scheidemantel and Hauptmann von Seeger from the 2. Fussjäger-Bataillon under its commander Oberst von Neuffer crossed the Danube 1km upstream from Linz on two large barges, hidden from Urfahr by the hill of Spatzenhof. Hauptmann von Scheidemantel knew the area from 1805, when the Württembergers garrisoned the town. He sent two Züge [7] against the Austrian flank along the river, while two more went round the Spatzenhof. One Zug from von Seeger's company under Oberlieutenant Landenberger went round the rear of the town while the rest of the company, under Oberst von Neuffer, followed von Scheidemantel. Attacking with fixed bayonets, the two companies overthrew the brigade facing them, capturing Generalmajor Richter, 14 officers and 165 other ranks, as well as a large amount of money and stores [8].
The bridgehead was of immense strategic importance to both sides (Map 1). Napoleon entered Vienna on the 12th May and Charles 's army reached the opposite bank on the 16th. 1f the French could pass one or more Corps over the Danube at Linz, it would make Napoleon's task of crossing the river at Vienna much easier. If, on the other hand, the Austrians could remove the bridgehead and capture Linz, they would be across the French supply route to their main arsenal at Passau and, by fomenting revolt in Upper Austria, could create an area of hostility from the Tyrol to the Danube, tying up many more French troops. The task of destroying the bridgehead was given to Feldzeugmeister Karl Graf Kolowrat-Krakowsky's 3. Armeekorps, then at Budweis in Bohemia.
Kolowrat decided to split his Corps into 3 columns (see Table 3 and Map 4) [9]. The main column under Feldmarschalllieutenant Freiherr von Vukassovich (1) would advance from Neumarkt via Gallneukirchen to Katzbach, his vanguard under Generalmajor Graf Crenneville putting the Württembergers under enough pressure to draw them away from Urfahr. Two battalions under Generalmajor von Pfanzelter would march along a side road from Gallneukirchen to Auhof, extending Crenneville's line. The left flank column under Feldmarschalllieutenant Graf Saint Julien (2) would advance from Neumarkt to Mauthausen, make a demonstration and, by threatening to cross the Danube, attract any reserves from Linz. The right flank column under Feldmarschalllieutenant Graf Somariva (3) would advance from Hellmonsödt over mountain tracks to the Pöstlingberg. On the appearance of Somariva, Vukassovich would put in a full scale attack and together they would drive the Württembergers into the Danube.
The plan was a bold one, but had three flaws, besides underestimating the fighting ability of the Württemberg troops. Firstly, success depended on the close coordination of three columns operating up to 20km apart. While Vukassovich travelled on good roads, Somariva had to endure terrible conditions. Secondly, Kolowrat had made poor use of his available troops: of 31 infantry battalions, 6 under Generalmajor Oberdorf were left in reserve by Götschka, too far away to help; 3 were left at Hellmonsödt to block the Haselgraben while another half battalion was sent westward in two groups to reconnoitre; 6 were used for St. Julien's demonstration, when fewer would have sufficed. This left only 15 1/2 for the actual fight. Finally, the Württembergers would have to be defeated before Bernadotte's Saxons could intervene from Passau.
The Württemberg Corps had fortified the bridgehead, strengthening the entrenchments that they themselves had built when on line-of-communication duty during the Austerlitz campaign of 1805. The Corps was below strength: the 1. Bataillon von Cammerer was at Enns, while the 2. Bataillon had been left as the garrison of Braunau; the Chevauleger-Regiment Herzog Heinrich and the Leib-Chevauleger-Regiment were brigaded with French troops. All of Generalmajor von Hügel's battalions had only 3 companies, the fourth one from each being detatched with Capitaine Delau to Steyr, 20km south of Enns, with 50 men from each of the two cavalry regiments [10].
During the next eleven days, the Württembergers sent out a series of reconnaissance patrols, each usually consisting of a mixture of Fussjäger and Jäger-zu-Pferd, sometimes with horse artillery attached. On the 11th May, a patrol under Major Graf Salm, consisting of the Leibeskadron of the Jäger-Regiment zu Pferd König and the companies of von Starkloff and von Seeger from Fussjäger-Bataillon von Neuffer collided with 1 1/2 squadrons of the Erzherzog Ferdinand Husaren and 100-120 infantry from the Lindenau regiment near Unter Weitersdorf, between Gallneukirchen and Götschka. The Württembergers attacked and captured between 18 and 65 Austrians for the loss of 3 dead and 5 wounded [11].
On the 16th May, 72 Jäger from von Neuffer and 80 cavalry from Jäger-Regiment zu Pferd Herzog Louis under Hauptmann von Starkloff and Stabsrittmeister von Werder met an Austrian force of 1000 Ulanen, 600 Tiroler Jäger, 4000 infantry and 6 guns. They managed to conduct a fighting retreat without sustaining many casualties [12].
Generalmajor Freiherr von Scharffenstein's Brigade was in Urfahr, supported by Hauptmann von Brand's Garde-Reitende-Batterie, with 6 guns from Hauptmann von Brogniart's 2. Fuss-Batterie in the actual works. Fusilier-Regiment von Neubronn was in the Cemetery Earthwork to the east of Urfahr and Infanterie-Regiment von Phull was in the Hornwork to the north. Von Scheidemantel's company of Oberst von Neuffer's Jäger-Bataillon garrisoned the Spatzenhof. Generalmajor von Franquemont's Brigade was in Linz with the other 4 of von Brogniart's guns.
Von Seeger's company of von Neuffer and a squadron of the Jäger-Regiment zu Pferd König were at Wildberg in the Haselgraben.
Maréchal de l'Empire Jean Bernadotte, Prince de Ponte Corvo, had arrived at Linz at about 7am, with the cavalry of Generalmajor von Gutschmidt's Brigade from the 1st Division of the Saxon 9ème Corps d'Armée. These took up post just outside Urfahr, facing Katzbach, with their backs to the Pöstlingberg.
See (Map 5).[14] Crenneville's advance guard left Neumarkt at 2.30 am, followed an hour later by the rest of the column. After an hour's rest at Gallneukirchen, during which time Generalmajor Pfanzelter was sent with 2 battalions of Manfredini by a branch road to Auhof, the main body arrived at the hills to the east of Katzbach at 2.30 pm. Here a message from Somariva arrived, stating that he expected to arrive on the Pöstlingberg between 4 and 5 pm.
Facing Crenneville, who had arrived at the foot of the hills at 2 pm, the company of von Neuffer in advanced posts fell back into Katzbach. Part of the 6. Jägerbataillon quickly pushed into the village, capturing the quartermasters of the Saxon Husaren-Regiment, who were there obliviously setting up billets. The attackers were themselves thrown back by the Königsjäger, but they in turn were forced back when the rest of the 6. Jägerbataillon and the battalion of the Peterwardeiner Grenz joined in the assault.
At this point there was a lull in the battle. Kolowrat had no wish to advance too close to Urfahr before Somariva arrived or he would meet the main Württemberg forces well dug in around the town. On the receipt of Somariva's message he decided to restart the attack at 3.30 pm.
The Württemberg Jäger, supported by the cavalry, retired slowly to Dornach, while the Austrians prepared their attack. The 6. Jägerbataillon and 3 companies of the Peterwardeiner Grenz prepared to assault the village, while the other 3 Grenz companies advanced over the hills north of Auhof against St. Magdalena. The 2. Bataillon Karl Schröder left 2 companies to garrison Katzbach, while the other 4 developed north of the road, their third rank extending the skirmish line of the light infantry. Half a squadron of the Merveldt Ulanen protected the left flank of the Jäger, while the rest advanced behind their infantry. The Kavalleriegeschützbatterie moved north of the road and exchanged fire with von Bartruff 's 2. Reitende-Batterie by Dornach.
The advance of the Austrian infantry, 13 companies strong, forced the 4 Württemberg companies back to Steeg, which they defended stubbornly. The two Jäger-Regiments zu Pferd fell back behind the village, Herzog Louis to the left and König to the right. At the same time the 3 companies of the Peterwardeiner Grenz advancing over the hills to the north threw the weak light infantry detatchment out of St. Magdalena.
Meanwhile the mass of Vukassovich's column had arrived. Half of the 3. Bataillon Manfredini, with a battery, went onto the heights north of Katzbach, while the rest covered the area between the village and the Danube. The two battalions of Karl Schröder straddled the road at the foot of the hills, the 3. Bataillon, only 4 companies strong, to the north, the 1. Bataillon to the south. The two battalions of Württemberg stayed on the hills with the other two batteries. The Hessen-Homburg Husaren eventually moved onto the plain behind the Merveldt Ulanen, with two half-squadrons by Auhof, supporting the right flank of Pfanzelter's column, the 1. Bataillon Manfredini advanced to strengthen St. Magdalena, while the 2. Bataillon garrisoned Auhof.
At this point, Kolowrat saw the Württemberg troops advancing from Urfahr. As Somariva had not yet appeared and intelligence was received of the arrival in Linz of the first Saxon infantry (von Hartitzsch's Brigade, at about 1pm), he decided to cease the attack, thus sacrificing Crenneville's advance guard.
Next Issue: Counterattack
More Urfarh-Linz
[1] The Austrians call the Battle after Urfahr, the Württembergers after Linz and the Saxons after Dornach.
Battles for Urfahr-Linz Part 2
The Austrian army under Archduke Charles (Erzherzog Karl) [2] invaded Bavaria on the 10th April 1809, but was beaten by Napoleon's French and Rheinbund (Confederation of the Rhine) troops in the battles of Teugn-Hausen, Abensberg, Eggmühl and Regensburg between the 19th and 23rd of April. Charles, with the bulk of his army (1., 2., 3., and 4. Armeekorps and the 1. Reservekorps), retreated through Regensburg to the north of the Danube, while Feldmarschalllieutenant Johann von Hiller took the southern route through Landshut via Linz to Vienna with the remainder (5. and 6. Armeekorps and the 2. Reservekorps).
Capture of Urfahr
The Bridgehead
Kolowrat's Strategy
The Württemberg Preparations
The information from these patrols made it obvious that an attack on the bridgehead at Linz was imminent. By the morning of 17th May, Generalmajor von Hügel's Brigade was astride the two northern roads. Another company from von Neuffer's Jäger-Bataillon was in front of Katzbach with the Leibeskadron of the Jäger-Regiment zu Pferd Herzog Louis. The rest of Herzog Louis with 3 squadrons of the Jäger-Regiment zu Pferd König was behind Katzbach with the Fussjäger-Bataillon König. The two Leichte-Bataillonen von Wolff and von Brüsselle were at the entrance to the Haselgraben, with a small detatchment in the village and church of St. Magdalena [13]. Hauptmann von Bartruff's 2. Reitende-Batterie was by Dornach.
Attack of Vukassovich's column
Large Map 1 and 2 (slow: 153K)
Jumbo Map 1 and 2 (extremely slow: 512K)
Large Map 3 and 4 (slow: 134K)
Jumbo Map 3 and 4 (extremely slow: 491K)
Large Map 5 (slow: 151K)
Jumbo Map 5 (extremely slow: 551K)
Notes
[2] Apart from Napoleon and the Archduke Charles, I have used German or French terms for ranks, names and units, but English ones for places or rivers where they are more easily recognised.
[3] Müller, p16; Starklof (vierten Reiterregiments), p38.
[4] Starklof (zweitenten Reiterregiments), p115.
[5] Krieg 1809, p182.
[6] Muff & Wencher, p20; Nübling, p99.
[7] A Württemberg Bataillon (battalion) consisted of four Compagnien (companies), each of two Pelotons (platoons), composed of two Züge (half-platoons), divided into two Sectionen (sections). Pfister, p359
[8] 419 300 Francs in gold bars; biscuit, flour, grain and salt; military cloth, cotton, tobacco and (especially welcome) 2600 pairs of shoes (Krieg 1809, p185).
[9] It is not known for certain what types of batteries Kolowrat had. Those in Somariva's column are specified; a Kavalleriegeschützbatterie had 6 guns; the battery captured by Herzog Louis also had 6, so was probably a Positionsbatterie. Comparing the order of battle for Kolowrat's Corps at Wagram, a good guess would seem to be as follows:
Somariva: 1/2 6pdr Brigadebatterie (4 guns), 1/2 3pdr Brigadebatterie (4 guns);
Vukassovich: 1 6pdr Kavalleriegeschützbatterie (4 guns, 2 howitzers), 1 6pdr and 2 12pdr Positionsbatterien (each 4 guns, 2 howitzers);
St. Julien: 2 6pdr Brigadebatterien (each 8 guns).
Total 48 guns.
[10] The actual number of men detatched is a little uncertain. Krieg 1809, p215 says two companies of the two Jäger battalions and 50 cavalry, yet the order of battle on p746 says one company of each of the four light battalions and 100 cavalry. Nübling, (p100), says that 80 of the von Neuffer Jäger and 24 Louisjäger were detatched to Steyr followed by von Gaisberg's company of the Königsjäger and a company of the leichte Infanterie. He gives dispositions at Linz (pp103-4) for each of the four companies of von Neuffer.
[11] Krieg 1809, pp191-2. The discrepancy in figures is due to differences in Austrian and Württemberg accounts. The truth probably lies somewhere between the two.
[12] Krieg 1809, pp213-4, Starklof (zweitenten Reiterregiments), pp124-7. Starklof mentions an incident while the cavalry were covering the retreat of the Fussjäger. They noticed a Jäger sitting behind a house, happily contemplating a large container of milk. At this moment some Austrian Ulanen arrived. The Jäger whipped his gun up to his hip, shot the first Ulan off his horse and the rest made a hasty retreat, allowing the Württembergers to retire in safety.
[13] Nübling, pp102-3, says that the advanced post consisted of 80 Königsjäger under Unterlieutenants von Imthurn and Scheler, while companies von Starkloff and von Hehl of von Neuffer were at the entrance to the Haselgraben with the two leichte Infanterie-Bataillonen. As named members of both von Starkloff and von Hehl's companies became casualties, this seems likely to be true.
[14] The rest of the article is based on Krieg 1809, pp235-267. Where other sources disagree or provide more detail, these are indicated by other footnotes.
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