Battle of Trutnov

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Battle of Trutnov
Part of Austro-Prussian War
Date June 27, 1866
Location Trutnov, Bohemia, modern day Czech Republic
Result Pyrrhic Austro-Hungarian victory.
Combatants
Prussia Austria-Hungary
Commanders
 ???  ???
Strength
 ???  ???
Casualties
 ???  ???
Austro-Prussian War and
Third Italian Independence War
NachodCustozaTrutnovLangensalza – Mnichovo Hradiště – JičínKöniggrätz – Valtellina – Battle of Vezza d'Oglio – LissaBezzecca

The Battle of Trutnov was fought on on June 27th 1866. It ended up in Austro-Hungarian victory but at a large cost.

The Prussian Second Army invading Bohemia had to split up in order to negotiate the difficult passes of the Riesen mountains. As they emerged on the Bohemian side they met Austrian forces. At Nachod the Austrians were soundly beaten, but on the same day, as Von Bonin’s 1st Corps emerged from the passes it was caught in the open on its way through Trautenau towards Pilnikau, where it was hoped to link up with the First Army. The Austrians, under Gablenz, appeared like Red Indians on the Galgenberg and Johannesberg hills above the village. The Prussians drove them off the hills by force of numbers, but von Bonin foolishly advanced down the other side without further reconnaissance, and now found himself faced by fresh enemy troops. The Austrians now retook the heights, and a furious fight developed between Prussian and Silesian troops who drove the Prussians away from their lines of communication. Von Bonin decided to retreat before he was surrounded or cut off, so the 1st Corps did not stop until it had reached its bivouac of the day before. The Prussian rifles took a fearful toll – 5000 Austrian casualties to Prussia’s 1200. To make matters worse, the Prussian Chief of Staff, Leonhard Graf von Blumenthal, assumed that von Bonin was still in contact with the enemy, and ordered the Corps of Guards to head for Trautenau, imagining that this would outflank the Austrians. It was now open to the enemy to round on the Prussian 5th Corps before disposing of the rest of the Second Army piecemeal. This was precisely what the Austrian Intelligence Officer, von Tegethoff, a relative of the Admiral and spectacular naval victor over the Italians, urged.

Fortunately for Prussia, however, Benedek refused to change his prepared strategy which was to make straight at the Prussian First Army as fast as he could.


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