Ulm Sep. 25-Oct. 17, 1805 Strategic Context After failing to neutralize the Royal Navy and invade Britain, Napoleon Bonaparte instead leads his Grande Armée against the Third Coalition: Austria, Russia and, while Prussia is not officially a part, it is mobilizing menacingly. Russia’s armies are many weeks away from the central European theater but an Austrian army under Karl Mack von Liebereich is within striking distance of the Grande Armée. Bonaparte must defeat the Allied armies in detail in order to stand a chance against the entire Coalition, beginning with Mack’s Austrian army. Stakes + An Austrian victory would delay the French until the Russians could arrive, prolonging the war and increasing the likelihood that Prussia intervenes against France. + A French victory would defeat the Austrians in detail, leaving only the Russians to deal with. By Jonathan Webb, 2009 To view animation on PC: hit F5 To view animation on Mac: hit ⌘ + enter

Ulm, 1805 Strength  Austrian Army  Well  Grande Armée  Well  59,000 infantry  13,000 cavalry  38,000 cavalry  170,000 infantry  Napoleon Bonaparte  Karl Mack von Liebereich By Jonathan Webb, 2009

Europe c.1805

Austrian Army (Mack) Grande Armée (Bonaparte) The battlefield consists of a relatively flat, open plain to the northeast. This plain extends north and east off-map but is contained in the south by the Danube River and Black Forest, and the Rhine River in the west. Another smaller plain rests between the Danube River and the Alps Mountains. Key terrain on this battlefield are the many small crossings across the Danube River, occupation of which can allow a retreating army to withdraw or an attacking army to envelop the enemy army. Many small towns and cities dot the battlefield, but only Ulm is shown km Black Forest Alps Mountains Ulm Rhine River Danube River Lake Constance

Bonaparte deploys the majority of his army along the Rhine River while V Corps and Murat’s cavalry deploy behind the Black Forest, the traditional French invasion route. Mack deploys west of Ulm; he is awaiting a Russian army numbering 100,000 that is slowly marching west. Bonaparte thus plans to encircle and destroy the Austrians, preventing any link up with the Russians. Mack – expecting an opposing army one-third its actual size – plans to hold off the French until the Russian “hammer” arrives to crush the them against the Austrian “anvil”. Grande Armée (Bonaparte) Mack’s attention becomes fixed on the Black Forest because Murat’s cavalry is crossing the Black Forest blowing trumpets, acting like the main army and preventing Austrian patrols from breaking this façade; V Corps stands by in case Mack strikes against this force. Bonaparte orders the rest of his subordinates towards the Danube River to cut off Mack’s retreat. Each are given exact destinations but are allowed to reach them any way they see fit. However, they are careful not to overlap paths because it would be more difficult to forage supplies from the land hence Bonaparte’s maxim: “separate to live, unite to fight”. Murat’s cavalry exits the Black Forest and scouts Mack’s dispositions, concluding that he is concentrating near Ulm. Mack meanwhile does not detect the main French body and is confused by seemingly contradictory scouting reports, so he detaches units to guard against many possibilities. Meanwhile, Bonaparte’s corps reach the Danube River and begin to cross after surprising the Austrian detachments guarding it. This further muddles Mack’s awareness of the situation so he does not react. Bonaparte presses his left wing to complete the encirclement of Mack by flooding upon the inadequate Austrians along the riverbank. Bonaparte thinks Mack will retreat but does not yet believe Mack is fully concentrated at Ulm so he orders Ney’s VI Corps to chase away any forces located there and pursue south. Ney’s assault is repulsed but Bonaparte now fully understands the situation. Subordinates km Symbol guide Austrian Army (Mack) Landmarks Black Forest Alps Mountains Ulm Rhine River Danube River Lake Constance Austrian Army (Karl Mack von Liebereich) 59,000 infantry 13,000 cavalry Grande Armée (Napoleon Bonaparte) 170,000 infantry 38,000 cavalry I Corps – Bernadotte II Corps – Marmont III Corps – Davout IV Corps – Soult V Corps – Lannes VI Corps – Ney Bavarian Corps – Deroi Cavalry - Murat Grande ArméeAustrian Army Combined arms corps Infantry Cavalry corpsCavalry

Bonaparte presses his left wing to complete the encirclement of Mack by flooding upon the inadequate Austrians along the riverbank. Bonaparte thinks Mack will retreat but does not yet believe Mack is fully concentrated at Ulm so he orders Ney’s VI Corps to chase away any forces located there and pursue south. Ney’s assault is repulsed but Bonaparte now fully understands the situation. Mack, however, still does not comprehend the disaster unfolding around him. He sends probes in all directions, eventually finding a favourable escape route northeast but Ney sharply closes this gap. Mack has no choice but to withdraw to Ulm and skulk over a different escape route. Meanwhile, Bonaparte designates I, III and Bavarian Corps to cover the east from any Russian appearance and begins to cast a net around Ulm: V Corps and Murat’s cavalry join VI Corps in blocking the east while II and IV Corps prepare to cut off the south. Austrian units hastily flee north and south as the French seal the net around Ulm. Soult’s IV Corps barely misses cutting off the southern detachment, II Corps blocks the east, VI Corps blocks the west and V Corps shifts over to block the north. The northern Austrian detachment then abruptly returns to assail VI Corps’ rear before being chased away by Murat’s cavalry. Mack is completely surrounded so Bonaparte demands his surrender. Bonaparte’s siege weapons are far from the front and his forces have foraged the immediate countryside bare but these factors are unknown to Mack. He refuses to surrender because although he is also short on food and heavy guns, he has plenty of ammunition and a strong position. However, the Austrian subordinates recognize the futility of the situation, mutiny, and open negotiations with Bonaparte. Mack surrenders soon after. Grande Armée (Bonaparte) Subordinates Symbol guide Austrian Army (Mack) Landmarks Black Forest Alps Mountains Ulm Rhine River Danube River Lake Constance km Austrian Army (Karl Mack von Liebereich) 59,000 infantry 13,000 cavalry Grande Armée (Napoleon Bonaparte) 170,000 infantry 38,000 cavalry I Corps – Bernadotte II Corps – Marmont III Corps – Davout IV Corps – Soult V Corps – Lannes VI Corps – Ney Bavarian Corps – Deroi Cavalry - Murat Grande ArméeAustrian Army Combined arms corps Infantry Cavalry corpsCavalry

Ulm, 1805 Casualties & Aftermath Austrian Army: Grande Armée: 60,000 or 83% 2,000 or 1% By Jonathan Webb, 2009 The Austrian capitulation left only an Austrian army of 80,000 under Archduke Charles to defend Vienna, but it was deployed south of the Alps and its path was consequently blocked by a French detachment led by Ney. Napoleon captured Vienna in November before facing the Russians in the decisive clash at Austerlitz in December, which he won decisively, forcing the dissolution of the Third Coalition.

The Art of Battle: Animated Battle Maps By Jonathan Webb, 2009