The Siege of Sélestat was a siege in France,[10] taking place from October 20 to October 24, 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War.[1] After a heavy artillery bombardment by the Germans, the siege ended with the French army at Sélestat surrendering to the German army,[1] mainly because the French garrison was demoralized.[7] While they suffered only minor losses,[10] this victory brought the Germans many spoils.[10]
History[]
Background[]
The task of capturing Sélestat and Neu-Breisach was assigned to the newly formed 4th Reserve Division under the command of General Von Schmeling.[8] At Sélestat, the French army had a garrison of troops consisting mainly of Gardes Mobile soldiers.[7] The Germans were unable to force the surrender of the French forces at Neu-Breisach, while Sélestat made it easier for them, and Von Schmeling was focused on and successful in the siege of Sélestat.
Siege[]
During the siege, De Reinach de Foussemagne[6] was in charge of defending the Sélestat fortress of France in Alsace. The resistance there was modest as the Imperial German Army arrived[11] under the 4th Reserve Division by General Hermann von Schmeling,[3] who commanded the combined forces of the Kingdom of Prussia, Kingdom of Bavaria, and the Grand Duchy of Baden.[8]
After the officer commanding the fort Sélestat rejected suggestions to surrender to German troops, the German Army has gradually brought the material needed for the siege (e.g. artillery) and strengthened its positions.[6][8] General Von Schmeling decided to launch artillery fire on Sélestat, and shelling began during the night of the 19th of October.[7] On the 20th of October, the German artillery bombardment went ahead.[6] During the night of the 21st of October, 1870, when the Infantry had advanced about 400 steps on the gentle slope in front of the fortress, the German army began construction of the first trench,[10] located opposite the Colmar gate,[7] and put several dozen cannons in the rear.[6] While the resistance of the French garrison during the night failed to bear fruit,[10] the speed of such progress prompted the Germans to capture Sélestat quickly.[2]
French surrender[]
On the 22nd of October, a fierce artillery battle broke out. The town was ruined in several places, and eventually, the French Artillery was exhausted. That night, the German batteries continued their artillery attack.[10] In addition, German forces built a second trench,[7] and, on the morning of October 24, the white flag was raised above Sélestat.[6] That afternoon, the French surrender was arranged, and the commanding officer asked the Germans to move in and take over the town, which was in great turmoil because of drunken soldiers.[10] The Prussian battalion stabilized the town, and the French garrison became Prussian prisoners of war. After the victory, Von Schmeling entered the town the next day, amid church bells.[6][7]
Aftermath[]
The victory of the German army in the Siege of Strasbourg enabled them to capture fortresses such as Sélestat, Neu-Breisach, Mortier, Belfort as well as Lower Alsace.[7] The Fall of Sélestat (a few days before Metz), along with Soissons, Verdun, Neu-Breisach, was part of a series of victories by German forces within a few weeks of the war.[2][12]
Von Schmeling carried out a vigorous siege of Breisach, which surrendered in early November 1870.[3]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Tony Jaques, Dictionary of Battles and Sieges: P-Z, Page 919
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Edmund Ollier, Cassell's history of the war between France and Germany, 1870-1871, Pages 398-399.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Men who have made the new German empire. A series of brief biographic sketches"
- ↑ "Wars of the century and the development of military science"
- ↑ "Bismarck in the Franco-German war, 1870-1871"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 "The War for the Rhine Frontier, 1870: Its Political and Military History"
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 7.8 "The French Campaign, 1870-1871: Military Description"
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "The siege operations in the campaign against France, 1870-71."
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "The Franco-German war of 1870-71"
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 "The Franco-German War, 1870-1871..."
- ↑ SCHLETTSTADT - GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES
- ↑ "Prussia and the Franco-Prussian war. Containing a brief narrative of the origin of the kingdom, its past history, and a detailed account of the causes and results of the late war with Austria; with an account of the origin of the present war with France, and of the extraordinary campaign into the heart of the empire. Including biographical sketches of King William and Count von Bismarck"
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