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Battle of Domstadtl (Domašov)
Part of the Seven Years' War

"Black Cross", memorial of the battle near Domašov
DateJune 30, 1758
LocationDomašov nad Bystřicí, Moravia, Habsburg Monarchy (now Czech Republic)
ResultAustrian victory
Belligerents
Flag of Prussia PrussiaFlag of Habsburg Monarchy Austria
Commanders
Hans Joachim von ZietenErnst Gideon von Laudon and Joseph von Siskovits
Strength
30,00012,000
Casualties and losses
2,000 dead, wounded or missing, 1,450 captured600 dead or wounded

The Battle of Domstadtl, also spelled Domstadt, Czech Domašov, was a battle between Habsburg Monarchy and Kingdom of Prussia at a Moravian village Domašov nad Bystřicí during the Seven Years' War on 30 June 1758, preceded by a minor clash at Guntramovice (Gundersdorf) on 28 June. The Seven Years' War (1756&ndash1763 involved all of the major European powers of the period causing 900000 to 1400000 deaths Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1758 ( MDCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Domašov nad Bystřicí ('domaʃof 'nadbɪstr̝̊ɪtsi Domstadtl is a village in the Olomouc District, Olomouc Region, Czech Republic. Moravia (Morava; Morawy Moravie Moravia is a historical region in central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, one of the former Czech lands. Habsburg Monarchy (alternatively Habsburg Empire) refers to the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising Habsburg Monarchy (alternatively Habsburg Empire) refers to the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor Hans Joachim von Zieten ( May 14, 1699 &ndash January 26, 1786) also known as Zieten aus dem Busch Baron Ernst Gideon von Laudon ( German: Ernst Gideon Freiherr von Laudon (originally Laudohn or Loudon) ( February 2, 1717 Czech (ˈʧɛk čeština ˈʧɛʃcɪna in Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers it is the majority language in the Habsburg Monarchy (alternatively Habsburg Empire) refers to the territories ruled by the Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg, and then by the successor The Kingdom of Prussia (Königreich Preußen was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918 and from 1871 was the leading state of the German Empire, comprising Domašov nad Bystřicí ('domaʃof 'nadbɪstr̝̊ɪtsi Domstadtl is a village in the Olomouc District, Olomouc Region, Czech Republic. The Seven Years' War (1756&ndash1763 involved all of the major European powers of the period causing 900000 to 1400000 deaths Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, is defeated and killed by troops of the Usurper Year 1758 ( MDCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1098 - Fighters of the First Crusade defeat Kerbogha of Mosul. Austrians under the command of Major General Ernst Gideon von Laudon and Major General Joseph von Siskovits attacked and destroyed a supply convoy bound for the Prussian army besieging Olomouc (Olmütz). Please see " General " for other countries which use this rank General (genəˈraːl is presently the highest rank Baron Ernst Gideon von Laudon ( German: Ernst Gideon Freiherr von Laudon (originally Laudohn or Loudon) ( February 2, 1717 A convoy is a group of Vehicles (of any type but usually motor vehicles or ships traveling together for mutual support Olomouc (ˈolomoʊ̯ts ( local Haná dialect Olomóc or Holomóc, German Olmütz, Polish Ołomuniec, Latin The Austrian victory saved the city and the Prussian King Frederick the Great was forced to leave Moravia. Frederick II (Friedrich II January 24 1712 August 17 1786) was a King of Prussia (1740&ndash1786 from the Moravia (Morava; Morawy Moravie Moravia is a historical region in central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, one of the former Czech lands.

Contents

Prussian Invasion to Moravia

Frederick the Great invaded Moravia in the beginning of May 1758 and besieged the fortified city of Olomouc. Year 1758 ( MDCCLVIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Fortifications are Military Constructions and Buildings designed for defense in Warfare Humans have constructed defensive works for Olomouc (ˈolomoʊ̯ts ( local Haná dialect Olomóc or Holomóc, German Olmütz, Polish Ołomuniec, Latin He hoped that the Austrian army would come to help the fortress and the Prussians would defeat them in a big battle on the place of their choice. If not, he would conquer the fortress in a short time and use it as a base for defending Silesia and increasing pressure on Wien. Etymology One theory claims that the name Silesia is derived from the Silingi, who were most likely a Vandalic (East Germanic people Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria.

Austrian Field Marshal Leopold Joseph von Daun knew the strength of the Prussian army and kept avoiding the final clash. For other meanings see Field Marshal (disambiguation Field marshal is a military officer rank Count Leopold Joseph von Daun (or Dhaun) ( September 24, 1705 &ndash February 5, 1766) later Prince of Thiano, Instead the Austrians preferred blocking the ways for transporting supplies for the Prussians and causing them damage in minor skirmishes. Defenders of the Olomouc fortress also struggled bravely and it held much longer than Frederick had expected. Although in June it was on the edge of being taken, with the defensive walls destroyed by cannons on two places, the Prussians desperately needed new supplies to be able to continue the fight. See also List of cities with defensive walls A defensive wall is a Fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors | NOTE Throughout this article "cannon" is used as BOTH the || singular and plural

The convoy

Frederick was afraid that a lot of small convoys protected by small forces could be easily captured by the Austrians and therefore decided that one huge convoy guarded by strong troops should be sent. The supplies for the convoy were collected in Silesia and at the end of June it arrived in the territory of Moravia. Etymology One theory claims that the name Silesia is derived from the Silingi, who were most likely a Vandalic (East Germanic people

The convoy was so big that there was no chance it could be kept in secret. It contained about 4,000 wagons loaded with military materiel and accompanied by about 2,500 head of cattle. A wagon (in British English, sometimes waggon) or dray is a heavy four-wheeled Vehicle. Materiel (from the French "matériel" for equipment or hardware related to the word Material) is a term used in English to refer to the As it set out on its way, it stretched 45 km long.

The convoy was protected by 10,870 soldiers, commanded by Colonel Wilhelm von Mosel. A soldier is a general English term that refers to a member of a land component of National Armed forces. The strongest part was probably cavalry consisting of 1,341 men; further he had eight infantry battalions created from new recruits or healed veterans. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on The Infantry is the oldest and most numerous of the Combat Arms in the Armed forces, and consists A battalion is a Military unit of around 500-1500 men usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel

As soon as Field Marshal Daun learnt about the convoy, he decided it had to be stopped and destroyed. The task was given to Ernst Gideon von Laudon and Joseph von Siskovits.

The fights

Guntramovice

Ernst Gideon von Laudon. The battle of Guntramovice and Domašov was his first big success. Later he was promoted Field Marshal.
Ernst Gideon von Laudon. The battle of Guntramovice and Domašov was his first big success. Later he was promoted Field Marshal.

Laudon awaited the enemy at Guntramovice, a small village in northern Moravia. Siskovits, who lost his way in woods, was supposed to come in two days. This was quite a problem for Laudon, because his four infantry battalions, a regiment of dragoons, a regiment of hussars, an artillery battery and a troop of frontier guards had only about 6,000 men. A regiment is a Military unit, composed of a variable number of Battalions – commanded by a Colonel. A dragoon is a soldier intended primarily to fight on foot but trained also in Horse riding and cavalry combat especially Hussar (original Hungarian spelling huszár, plural huszárok, Husaria refers to a number of types of Light cavalry created in Hungary In Military organizations an artillery battery is a unit of Guns mortars or Rockets so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield Despite that he decided to attack the Prussians because Olomouc was near and there was no time for waiting. He also knew that five battalions of 20,000 Prussian soldiers commanded by Lieutenant-General Hans Joachim von Zieten were rushing towards the convoy to help Mosel. Please see " General " for other countries which use this rank General (genəˈraːl is presently the highest rank Hans Joachim von Zieten ( May 14, 1699 &ndash January 26, 1786) also known as Zieten aus dem Busch

The convoy arrived on 28 June early in the morning. The Austrians started shooting at the front wagons. One Prussian battalion forged ahead in order to find out the strength of the enemy, but they were routed by the Austrian artillery. The Prussians also formed artillery batteries on their side of the road and started shooting. They tried to attack the Austrian positions in the hilly terrain several times, but they were always forced back. The fight took about five hours but finally the Prussians started to dominate the battleground and Laudon ordered his men to retreat towards Moravský Beroun, which they did without any problems, because Mosel did not have enough cavalry to chase them. Moravský Beroun (ˈmorafski ˈbɛroʊ̯n Bärn is a town in the Olomouc District, Olomouc Region, Czech Republic.

Although Laudon was defeated and did not manage to destroy the convoy, his losses were smaller than the Prussian ones. However, the most precious thing that he gained was time. Nowadays some historians point out that the Prussians had a chance to succeed if they had sacrificed some of the dispersed wagons and immediately rushed to Olomouc. See also History An historian is an individual who studies and writes about History, and is regarded as an Authority on it However, neither Mosel nor Zieten, who reached the convoy several hours after the clash, knew about Siskovits' approaching forces, and therefore they decided to devote some time to rearranging the convoy and repairing some damages. They continued on 30 June early in the morning.

Domašov

Writing on the memorial
Writing on the memorial

Meanwhile the Austrians prepared for a new attack. They chose an open place between Domašov nad Bystřicí and Nová Véska, which is surrounded by hills and woods, ideal for an ambush. An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors (the ambushing force use Concealment to attack a passing enemy

Siskovits’ troops came on the scene first and waited for the enemy in the woods on the left side of the road. Laudon was supposed to come from Moravský Beroun later, in the middle of the fight, and attack from the opposite side, thus increasing the chaos among the Prussian soldiers.

First the vanguard consisting of 4,850 soldiers and 250 wagons arrived, but Siskovits let them go. Austrian artillery started the fight when the main body of the convoy was passing by, which made an enormous chaos among the wagons. Siskovits’ infantry was fighting successfully with Prussian soldiers despite the fact that they were outnumbered 3 to 1. And when Laudon’s troops appeared from the other side the result of the battle was determined. After 7 hours of fight the Prussian convoy was routed.

Casualties

Although the total number of fighting Austrian soldiers was approximately 12,000, they lost (at Guntramovice and Domašov together) only about 600 of them. The Prussian casualties were much higher, although different sources give different numbers. A casualty is a person who is the victim of an accident injury or trauma. Austrians claimed about 2,000 killed, injured or missing soldiers and 1,450 captured (including General Puttkamer and 40 other officers), while Prussians reported only 2,701 killed, injured, missing and captured soldiers altogether, but admitted that they found it difficult to count them precisely due to the complete dispersion of their troops after the battle.

The winners seized also 2,200 horses, a lot of cattle and a big part of the transported materiel. Because many of the wagons were damaged during the battle, they burned everything they were not able to take away with them. Some of the wagons with ammunition were blown up as a part of the victory celebrations. An important part of the spoils was 2 million Prussian thalers (according to some sources 1 million), but the Austrian commanders let their soldiers keep half of it and only the rest reached the state coffers. The Thaler (sometimes Reichsthaler) was the currency of Prussia until 1857

Only 250 wagons from the vanguard escaped, but some of them were captured by Croatian soldiers near Svatý Kopeček, only several kilometers north of Olomouc, and therefore just about 100-200 of them reached the destination. Croats (Hrvati are a South Slavic people mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries

Consequences

The importance of the battle is sometimes underestimated. The human casualties on any side were not as high as in other notable battles of that time, but the most important effect was the loss of the supplies for the Prussian army, which significantly influenced Frederick’s opinion on besieging Olomouc. The defeat shocked the Prussian camp and since Daun finally decided to come to help Olomouc, they were forced to finish the siege of the city (the lack of ammunition made its capture impossible anyway) and retreated to Bohemia. Bohemia (Čechy; Bohemia Czechy is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the The Battle of Guntramovice and Domašov was the turning point in the fight for Moravia.

Memorial called "Black Cross" was built north-east of Domašov in 1858 on the occasion of 100th anniversary of the battle. There is also a memorial to the killed soldiers south-east of Guntramovice.

References

Books in Czech language:

External links

Thomas Carlyle (4 December 1795 – 5 February 1881 was a Scottish essayist satirist and historian whose work was highly influential during the Victorian era.
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