Battle of Krefeld
| Battle of Krefeld | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Seven Years' War | |||||||
Battle of Krefeld | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Hanover Prussia Hesse-Kassel | France | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Duke of Brunswick | Louis de Bourbon | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 31,000–32,000 men | 47,000 men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1,700–2,100 | 4,000–5,900 | ||||||
The Battle of Krefeld (sometimes referred to by its French name of Créfeld, and as Creveld) 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 a significant number of troops from the island.
By the time of the battle, the French army in Germany had deteriorated due to poor provisions, poor administration, and constant retreats; all this also had an impact on the soldiers' morale. Its presence there was marked by major defeats such as Krefeld, Rossbach in 1757, and Minden in 1759.