Battle of Náchod

Battle of Náchod
Part of Austro-Prussian War

Cavalry clash at the Battle of Náchod by Richard Knötel; Although it was a great infantry victory, the 2nd Silesian Dragoon Regiment No. 8 played a significant role, with cavalry charges, including this famous scene by trumpeter Adolph Duchale, who captured the flag of the Austrian 5th Chevauxlegers Regiment despite fierce resistance, being particularly noteworthy. The numerically superior Austrians suffered heavy losses and were forced to flee.
Date27 June 1866
Location
Náchod, Bohemia
Result Prussian victory
Belligerents
Prussia Austrian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Von Steinmetz Von Ramming
Casualties and losses
1,122 5,719

The Battle of Náchod (German: Nachod) on 27 June 1866 was the first major action of the Austro-Prussian War. The advance guard of General Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz's 5th Corps occupied some high ground near Náchod as part of a Prussian advance into Bohemia from Silesia. Elements of the Austrian 6th Corps under General Von Ramming came on the scene and attacked the Prussians but were repulsed. As more Austrians arrived, they were ordered into attacks which proved both costly and unsuccessful. Finally, the badly mauled Austrians retreated from the field. The Prussian infantry enjoyed a technical advantage in having the needle gun, a breech-loading rifle that could be fired and loaded from a prone position. Consequently, the Austrian infantry, which were only equipped with muzzle-loading rifles, suffered a disproportionate number of casualties.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.