Austerlitz 1805 by Gregory Fremont-Barnes

Author:Gregory Fremont-Barnes
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780750951678
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2013-09-25T16:00:00+00:00

Pratzen Heights: The First Phase

2 December 1805 0800hrs Soult’s IV Corps begins its ascent of the Pratzen Heights

0830hrs Austro-Russian troops under Miloradovich and Kollowrath begin their march toward the village of Pratze

0845hrs Fierce engagements take place around the Pratzenberg and the Stare Vinohrady for possession of the Pratzen Heights; by 0930hrs the Allies risk being split in two

At dawn, about 0700hrs, eight French infantry divisions, plus a body of cavalry, stood in the valley of the Goldbach between Puntowitz and the Santon, a distance of about 3 miles (5km), ready to advance against the Pratzen Heights as stipulated in Napoleon’s grand tactical plan. This disposition of forces left only one division covering the 3.7 miles (6km) of the lower Goldbach – the weak deployment that the emperor had conceived in order to entice the Allies into concentrating their attacks in this sector. Napoleon’s plan involved four divisions from IV and V Corps (Soult and Lannes, respectively) to advance in echelon. St Hilaire’s division, near Puntowitz, would move first, with Vandamme’s division on his left moving parallel from Girzikowitz. Once the two divisions of IV Corps had crossed the Goldbach, Bernadotte’s I Corps would also cross the stream and position itself east of Girzikowitz, there to await further orders from the emperor. V Corps stood astride the Brünn–Olmütz road, with four cavalry divisions in support, while the Imperial Guard, established behind the Goldbach, would form part of the reserve, together with the combined grenadier division under Oudinot and two divisions of cuirassiers.

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