| Battle of Trangen | |||||||
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| Part of the Dano-Swedish War of 1808-1809 | |||||||
Memorial of the Battle of Trangen |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Sweden | Denmark–Norway | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Carl Pontus Gahn | Bernhard von Staffeldt | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 520 men | 750 men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 25 dead 57 wounded 450 captured |
8 dead 53 wounded 2 captured |
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The Battle of Trangen took place on 25 April 1808 at Trangen in Flisa, Hedemarkens Amt, between Swedish and Norwegian troops as a part of the Dano-Swedish War of 1808-1809. The invading Swedish troops, led by colonel Carl Pontus Gahn, were surrounded and forced to surrender by the Norwegian troops under the command of Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt.[1] The Swedish colonel and around 450 of his troops were captured.[2]
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After the Swedish setback at Skabukilen on 13 April,[3] they had had better success after the victory at Lier on 18 April, when they drove the Norwegians back to Kongsvinger. General Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt had now quartered himself at Lier, and hoped to take the strategically important fortress city of Kongsvinger through a pincer movement with the help of Colonel Carl Pontus Gahn's "Flying Corps".[4] The plan was that Gahn should advance with his troops across the border from Midtskogen and on to Åsnes, and from there march south along the river Glomma to Kongsvinger.
On the evening of 24 April the Swedish Colonel Carl Pontus Gahn crossed the Swedish-Norwegian border and moved his entire battalion westwards along the southern side of Flisa.[5] He chose to march at night to come as a surprise to the Norwegian outposts. At dawn, the battalion was near Flisa river where it faced the first Norwegian outposts who immediately opened fire at the same time as it was sent out reports about the Swedish advance.[3]
The defending troops, commanded by Colonel Bernhard Ditlef von Staffeldt, had begun establishing a defense in the area since the beginning of April 1808. Staffeldt's brigade consisted of a grenadier battalion of the 2nd Trondheim Infantry Regiment, commanded by Major Johan Georg Ræder, the Southern Norway Ski Battalion commanded by Major Frederik Wilhelm Stabell, the Lærdal Infantry Company commanded by Captain Wilhelm Jürgensen, and some troops from Oppland Dragon Regiment. The Norwegian troops were divided on three defensive positions, the main force at Nyen, one a cross of the Swedish advance, and a Skier Company (Hoffske) on their way east towards Nyen. Some troops were ordered to cross the ice, and arrived behind the Swedish troops.[3]
Staffeldt was still unsure of what the Swedes had actually planned, and hesitated therefore to give the order of attacks. He found it highly unusual that the Swedes marched into Trangen, a narrow pass between the cliffs of Kjelsås and Buttenås, without sending troops forward along the main road on the north side of the river, and therefore feared that it was a trap.
The front of Colonel Gahn's column had meanwhile reached Captain Elias Nægler's companies in the Trangen pass and immediately went on to attack. The opposition, however, was so powerful that reinforcements had to be called, and after about an hour of hard fighting the Norwegians were about to be defeated. It was then Staffeldt, which initially had been reluctant to attack the Swedish column, decided to send patrols in the direction of the border to check if more Swedish troops were on their way. Major Stabell and Ræder tried constantly to persuade him to immediately attack the Swedes from behind and claimed that if he did not do this the battle would be lost.[6] But it as was only after reconnaissance showed that there was not any more Swedish troops on the way that Staffeldt was persuaded to attack.[7]
The attack was carried out by Major Ræder with two Grenadier companies in the center of the road, while the sharpshooters and a skier company attacked the wings. The advancing Norwegians quickly drove the Swedish rearguard at Gamleseteren against the main force, and Gahn quickly realized that there was a large force attacking the column from behind and threatened to encircle them. But what he did not realize was that it was the Norwegians' main force. He did, however, chose turn the whole battalion around in order to face the attackers, at the same time he as he ordered the forces who was about to break through Captain Nægler's lines to fall back in order to regroup with the rest of the battalion.[8]
The Swedish counter-attack was carried out with a tremendous force and the Norwegian officers struggled to prevent the Norwegian grenadiers from fleeing. It was during this phase of the battle that the Norwegian Captain Nicolay Peter Drejer distinguished himself when he climbed up on a pine stump and led his troops while he shot against the Swedes. It was still not long before he was shot down from the stump and died four days later from the injuries.[9]
Gahn's troops managed by repeated attempts to drive the Norwegian troops backwards but they were not able to break their way back where they had once came. The situation also worsened for the Swedes when they were attacked from the other side by Captain Næglers two companies,[10] which led to that Gahn had to form a front against the two sides.
The encircled Swedish troops eventually had to surrender after most of their ammunition was spent, and the whole force was captured (with the exception of a few soldiers who escaped through the woods). When the outcome at Trangen was clear, and thus the main Swedish troops were captured, Staffeldt sent troops towards Midtskogen in Sweden, where the remaining Swedish troops, a detachment led by Major Söderhjelm,[5] were captured.[3]
The Battle of Trangen has been a source of legendary stories, and a national symbol in Norway.[4] A memorial is raised at the site.[2]