Battle of Chateauneuf-en-Thimerais

The Battle of Chateauneuf-en-Thimerais[8] was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War,[6] which took place on November 18, 1870,[1] in the commune of Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais in France.[2][9] This was one of a series of victories by a division of the Prussian army along the Loire under the command of Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin before the Garde Mobile's forces fledgling by commander Minister Fiereck, within a week after the Imperial German Army was defeated at the Battle of Coulmiers.[3] During the Battle of Châteauneuf-en-Thimerais, the 22nd Division of the Kingdom of Prussia – noted as a brave division[2] – was under the command of General Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig von Wittich who captured the commune,[1] taking in his hands hundreds of French prisoners of war.[10] The failure at this battle forced the French forces to retreat westward.[5]

Battle of Chateauneuf-en-Thimerais
Part of Franco-Prussian War
DateNovember 18, 1870[1]
Location
Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais, Eure-et-Loir, France[2]
Result German Victory[3][2]
Belligerents
 French Republic

 North German Confederation

Commanders and leaders
Unknown Ludwig von Wittich[4]
Units involved
1 detachment consisting of 8 battalions [5] 22nd Division [6]
Casualties and losses
300 people killed and wounded, 200 people were captured 110 killed[7]

The Battle

On November 17, 1870, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin attacked a French army led by General Kératry which was part of the French Western Army led by General Yves-Louis Fiereck at the Battle of Dreux, and captured Dreux from the opponent's hand.[1][5] While the Germans took 200 French prisoners, the French were forced to retreat to Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais.[11] After this victory, Mecklenburg pursued the enemy and on November 18, his army advanced through Châteauneuf,[12] south of Dreux.[2] Here, his army encountered a French army from Senonches with 8 battalions, which was marching towards Dreux.[5] The Prussians under Mecklenburg succeeded in driving the French out of the forests and hills,[11][13] and the French did not hold their positions.[5] While the fighting at Châteauneuf-en-Thymerais resulted in Prussian losses of 110 men, the French army suffered 500 casualties. Among them, 300 were killed and wounded, 200 were taken prisoner.[7] According to the document of the communist theorist Friedrich Engels on the war of 1870–1871, the French army that lost the Battle at Châteauneuf may have been part of the Army of Loire under General Louis d'Aurelle de Paladines, but certainly not this army.[12] But actually, this is a force under Fiereck. The Germans suspected that the Loire Corps was making a move from Dreux to Paris, but in fact the French legion was still operating in front of Orléans.[3][14] With the victory at Châteauneuf, the German forces repelled the threat posed by the French to the Siege of Paris.[2]

After General Von Wittich's victory at Châteauneuf-en-Thimerais, the Prussian forces under him resumed their advance.[1] On the 19th of January 1871, they advanced from Châteauneuf to Digny, capturing a number of French Garde Mobile soldiers.[5] While the entire Army of the West to conduct retreating Chartres to Châteaudun, HRH Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia pulled the infantry regiments to Beaune-la-Rolande and Montargis to flank the Corps Loire of France.[11] The military situation of the Western Army became chaotic during the retreat to Châteaudun.[11] The division of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg united with the Prince's army, and on the 28th of November, the French general Paladines was defeated at the Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande.[4][15]

References
  1. Wilhelm Rüstow, The war for the Rhine frontier, 1870: Its political and military history, Volume 1, Page 5
  2. Frederick III, German Emperor, The war diary of the Emperor Frederick III, 1870-1871, Page 196
  3. "Wars of the century and the development of military science"
  4. "The German-French war of 1870 and its consequences upon future civilization"
  5. Julius von Pflugk-Harttung, Sir John Frederick Maurice, The Franco-German war, 1870-71, Page 399
  6. "The French Campaign, 1870-1871: Military Description"
  7. Streffleurs militärische Zeitschrift, Số phát hành 8-12, Page 205
  8. Paul Von Abel, Stammliste Der Königlich Preußischen Armee, Page 142
  9. Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig ¬von Wittich, Aus Meinem Tagebuche: 1870 - 71, Page 357
  10. "Journals of Field-Marshall Count von Blumenthal for 1866 and 1870-71;"
  11. Edmund Ollier, Cassell's history of the war between France and Germany, 1870-1871, Page 515
  12. Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx, Frederick Engels: collected works, Page 177
  13. Lowenbalk Hohenthal (Graf.), Vollständige Geschichte des deutschfranzösischen Krieges von 1870 und 1871', Page 629
  14. Edmund Ollier, Cassell's history of the war between France and Germany, 1870-1871, Page 518
  15. Wilhelm Müller. "Political history of recent times, 1816-1875, with special reference to Germany. "

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