The Fight for Obersanding - EtG After Action Report
Eagles on the Danube
The Fight for Obersanding
After Action Report – 20 April 1809
"The veterans of Davout once again proved their quality, but even the Iron Marshal's finest could not overcome determined Austrian resistance. In the end, it was the timely commitment of Prince Hohenzollern's grenadiers—and the collapse of French cavalry at the decisive moment—that carried the day."
As Napoleon's army pushed into Bavaria during the opening stages of the 1809 campaign, Marshal Davout's III Corps found itself engaged against Prince Hohenzollern's Austrian III Corps in a bitter struggle for two seemingly insignificant villages on the Danube plain. As so often during the Napoleonic Wars, possession of these crossroads settlements would prove decisive.
The French fielded two veteran infantry divisions under Generals Friant and Gudin, supported by General Pire's formidable light cavalry division of sixteen squadrons. Opposing them was a balanced Austrian force consisting of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Divisions, a twelve-squadron light cavalry division, and the elite Grenadier Reserve—the finest infantry available to the Habsburg army.
Deployment
Marshal Davout adopted a straightforward but flexible deployment. Friant occupied the center of the line, where his experienced infantry would bear the brunt of the fighting. Gudin extended the French left, while Pire's cavalry screened the right flank and guarded the village of Obersanding, the Austrian objective.
Prince Hohenzollern mirrored his opponent. Austrian cavalry deployed opposite Pire on the left, supported by the 1st Division. The 2nd Division occupied the center-right with orders to overwhelm Friant through weight of numbers. The powerful Grenadier Reserve remained on the Austrian right, protecting the village of Klausen, the French objective and the anchor of the Austrian position.
From the outset, both commanders had clearly identified where the decisive action would unfold.
The Battle Opens
The first shots were fired by the horse artillery as both cavalry divisions advanced aggressively. Within moments the open fields were filled with swirling masses of horsemen, each side attempting to seize control of the flank before the infantry became fully engaged.
Neither commander held his cavalry back. Instead, both committed heavily from the opening turns, producing one of the largest mounted engagements of the battle. Repeated charges and counter-charges left both divisions increasingly disordered, while horse artillery batteries sought every opportunity to blast holes into exposed formations.
Friant moved forward in an extended line, seeking to maximize his firepower across the center of the battlefield. Opposing him, however, the Austrians chose a deeper, more compact deployment, allowing supporting battalions to reinforce threatened sectors and absorb casualties more effectively. It was a classic contest between French linear aggression and Austrian defensive solidity.
Gudin's Gamble
The key moment of the battle came not in the center but on the French left.
Spotting an opportunity beyond the Mühlbach stream, General Gudin launched an ambitious turning movement. Four battalions crossed the watercourse while the remainder of his division wheeled inward, threatening to envelop the exposed flank of the Austrian 2nd Division. Had the attack succeeded, Friant and Gudin would have trapped much of the Austrian center in a classic pincer movement.
Prince Hohenzollern immediately recognized the danger.
Rather than reinforcing his hard-pressed center, he committed the Grenadier Reserve. Seven battalions of elite infantry marched directly against Gudin, while three more secured the bridge across the Mühlbach, effectively sealing the French crossing point.
The Austrian response was both timely and decisive. Gudin's attack lost momentum before it could develop into the battle-winning maneuver Davout had envisioned.
Pressure in the Centre
While Gudin struggled against the Austrian grenadiers, the center erupted into fierce combat.
Friant's division fought with its customary determination, but the combined pressure of two Austrian infantry divisions gradually began to tell. Battalion after battalion was driven back in savage firefights and bayonet clashes, forcing the French line into an increasingly precarious position.
On the opposite flank, Gudin's larger division managed to hold its own against the Austrian elite. The Grenadiers paid dearly for every yard they gained, suffering losses that reflected the stubborn resistance of Davout's veterans.
By the middle stages of the battle, neither commander had achieved a decisive breakthrough, but both armies were beginning to feel the strain.
The Cavalry Decides the Day
After a prolonged struggle, numerical superiority finally allowed Pire's cavalry to gain the upper hand. The Austrian horse was driven back, leaving the French masters of the battlefield's eastern flank.
Yet victory had come at a heavy price.
The French cavalry had exhausted itself in hours of continuous fighting. Nevertheless, sensing the opportunity to end the battle, Pire ordered a bold advance behind the Austrian line toward Klausen.
For a brief moment, it appeared the gamble would succeed.
Then Prince Hohenzollern played his final card.
Three battalions of Grenadiers disengaged from the fighting and marched rapidly back across the Mühlbach to reinforce the threatened village. Faced with fresh infantry while already fatigued and disordered, Pire's squadrons finally lost their nerve. The entire division broke and fled the field, abandoning the French right flank at the very moment victory seemed within reach.
The Austrian cavalry, though battered and reduced, immediately exploited the opening. Sweeping around the now-unprotected flank, they rode into Obersanding and secured the village before the French could react.
With both objectives contested but Obersanding firmly in Austrian hands, the battle was effectively decided.
Casualties
The engagement was exceptionally costly for both armies.
The French lost thirteen infantry battalions, one foot artillery battery, one horse artillery battery, and Pire's entire cavalry division—sixteen squadrons in all.
Austrian casualties were scarcely lighter. Fifteen infantry battalions were lost, including five battalions from the elite Grenadier Reserve, together with eight cavalry squadrons, one horse artillery battery, and three foot batteries.
Neither army emerged unscathed.
Commander's Analysis
This battle demonstrated how quickly momentum can shift in Napoleonic warfare. Davout's plan was sound: pin the Austrian center with Friant while Gudin turned the flank. For much of the game, the French appeared well placed to achieve exactly that. However, Prince Hohenzollern's disciplined use of his Grenadier Reserve repeatedly frustrated French attempts to exploit local successes.
The cavalry battle proved equally instructive. Although the French ultimately won the mounted engagement, they lacked the strength to exploit their success. By contrast, the battered Austrian cavalry retained just enough combat power to seize the undefended objective after Pire's dramatic collapse.
Under the scenario's victory conditions, French losses awarded the Austrians 980 victory points, while Austrian losses earned the French 850 points. The capture of Obersanding added a further 100 objective points to the Austrian total, producing a final score of 1,080 points to 850.
Result: Minor Austrian Victory
Although Davout's veterans came within touching distance of success, disciplined Austrian reserves and careful objective play ultimately secured victory for Prince Hohenzollern. It was precisely the sort of hard-fought, attritional encounter that characterized the opening days of the 1809 Danube campaign—a battle won not by dramatic breakthroughs, but by steadfast defense and the timely commitment of elite troop
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