Siege of Péronne

The siege of Peronne was a battle during the Franco-Prussian War,[12] from December 26, 1870[2] until January 9, 1871, in Péronne, Somme of France.[13] The German siege force, under the command of Lieutenant Generals August von Goeben and Albert von Barnekow,[10][6] forced the French army at Péronne- which could not be rescued[3] and had to surrender after more than a week under the bombardment of the Prussian army.[14][15] With the victory, the armies of Albert von Barnekow captured a defending force of thousands of French soldiers in Peronne[6] (including 150 marines and soldiers of the Garde Mobile ), and obtained a large number of cannons and war materials to the Prussians hands.[6] In general, the advantage of the artillery of the Prussians as well as the dynamism of German officers is credited with leading to German victories in the sieges of French fortresses,[16] and the success at the Siege of Péronne solidified German control over the river Somme.[6]

Siege of Péronne
Part of Franco-Prussian War

Monument to Jean Delpas for the Defense of Péronne from 1870[1]
DateDecember 26, 1870 — January 9, 1871[2]
Location
Péronne, Somme, France[3]
49°55′46″N 2°56′21″E[1]
Result German Victory[4][5][6]
Belligerents
 French Republic

 North German Confederation

Commanders and leaders
Louis Faidherbe
Colonel Gamier[6]		 August von Goeben[6]
Albert von Barnekow[7]
Georg von Kameke
Strength
3,000 – 3,500 troops,[8] 70 artillery[9] 10-11 battalions , 8 divisional cavalry and reserve Divisions No. 3, 9 field guns[6][10]
Casualties and losses
12 soldiers and 4 civilians killed, 35 soldiers and 50 civilians wounded, 3,000 people were captured, 2 flags, 47 artillery pieces and a large amount of ammunition were seized[11] Unknown

The battle

The fortress of Péronne on the Somme[16] was not of great strategic value, but threatened the movements of the Prussian First Army from behind, and impeded communication between the railways at Amiens and the railways at Tergnier.[6] As a result, the French garrison at Péronne caught the attention of the German army,[16] and Lieutenant General Von Barnekow was ordered to capture Péronne with a siege force. Faced with its predicament, the First Army also deployed a formation to support the army besieging Péronne,[6] and these support forces were stationed at Bapaume.[11] Lieutenant-General August von Goeben was the chief commander of the siege and support forces. After a few sporadic skirmishes between the armies of the two factions, on December 27, 1870, the German army initiated the blockade of Péronne.[6] During that day, with several field artillery batteries, Lieutenant General Georg von Kameke of Germany launched artillery fire that quickly ignited the town. From December 27 to December 29, the Germans continued their artillery attack and at times encountered fierce French resistance.[11] The commander of the German artillery at Amiens, Colonel Schmidt prepared the means of siege for the Germans at Péronne, and on December 30, these guns were brought to Péronne. Meanwhile, the French Army of the North, commanded by General Louis Faidherbe, withdrew from Amiens. On January 2, 1871, German troops began shelling,[16] at the same time a French army on its way from Arras to Bapaume to aid Péronne was repelled by the Germans.[6] Within two days, the German artillery bombardment was successful, but it was later halted:[16] fighting at Bapaume broke out again on the 3rd of January, in which the German army foiled Faidherbe's attempt to relieve Péronne.[6]

Aftermath

After the victory at Bapaume, the artillery of the siege force was significantly reinforced,[6] and at the same time they continued to fire fiercely.[6][16] Faced with desperation,[6] the French garrison at the fortress of Péronne under the command of Colonel Gamier[6] finally surrendered to the German army on January 9 after 14 days of fighting. During the Siege of Péronne, the Prussian artillery bombardment caused considerable damage to the town.[6][13]

References
  1. "Monument à Jean Delpas, ou Monument à la Défense de Péronne de 1870 – Péronne" (in French). E-monumen. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  2. Tony Jaques, Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: A-E, Page 106
  3. Cassell, ltd, John Cassell's illustrated history of England. The text, to the reign of Edward i by J.F. Smith; and from that period by W. Howitt, Pages 457-458.
  4. Michele Bomford, Beaten Down by Blood: The Battle of Mont St Quentin-Peronne 1918
  5. "Bismarck In The Franco German War 1870 1871"
  6. "The siege operations in the campaign against France, 1870-71."
  7. Adolf von Schell, Campaign 1870-1871: The operations of the First Army under General von Goeben; compiled from the official war documents of headquarters of the First Army, Pages 49-53.
  8. Henry Allnutt, Historical diary of the war between France and Germany, 1870-1, Pages 264-290.
  9. Hand-book for travellers in France [by J. Murray. 1st] 3rd-14th, 16th, 18th ed, Page 328
  10. Adolph Goetze, The Campaign of 1870-71, tr. by G. Graham, Page 236
  11. Randal Howland Roberts (sir, 4th bart.), Modern war: or The campaigns of the first Prussian army, 1870-71, Pages 444-449.
  12. George Wharton Edwards, Vanished Halls and Cathedrals of France, Page 75
  13. "The historians' history of the world; a comprehensive narrative of the rise and development of nations as recorded by over two thousand of the great writers of all ages;"
  14. Michael Howard, The Franco-Prussian War: The German Invasion of France, 1870-1871, Page 482
  15. Findlay Muirhead, Belgium and the western front: British and America, Pages 124-126.
  16. "The French campaign, 1870-1871. Military description" by A. Niemann. Tr. from the German by Colonel Edward Newdigate. Published 1872 by W. Mitchell & co. in London. Written in English.
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