The Reasons For The Success Of The Sixth Coalition Against Napoleon In 1813 by Commander John Trost Kuehn

Author:Commander John Trost Kuehn [Kuehn, Commander John Trost]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781782898832
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Wagram Press
Published: 2014-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 5 — THE ARMISTICE AND FALL CAMPAIGN—FORMULA FOR VICTORY

Austria’s diplomatic efforts combined with Russo-Prussian hard fighting bought the coalition much needed time. During the armistice the Sixth Coalition attended to those matters Napoleon’s offensive had disrupted and delayed. These included diplomatically shoring up the coalition, equipping and training new troops, bringing up reserves (especially the Russians), and meeting together to agree on a campaign strategy. The campaign that followed tested the efficacy of these political and military improvements. In the campaign that followed the improvements the coalition made proved decisive and Napoleon was driven from Germany.

The Sixth Coalition consisted of two dimensions at the beginning of the armistice, one diplomatic and one military. The main members of the military part consisted of Russia and Prussia with Great Britain as their financier. The diplomatic portion added Austria and Sweden. However, the common goal for both dimensions was the same, the liberation of Germany. The activity during the armistice centered on achieving this aim diplomatically and preparing for its accomplishment militarily should diplomacy fail.

A substantial portion of the diplomatic effort would also be directed internally. The liberation of Germany meant different things to different countries. The one aspect that all parties could agree on was that the liberation of Germany meant the expulsion of French armies and influence. Accordingly, the leaders and their foreign ministers needed to further define their goal in concrete terms—terms that would exclude France and bring Austria into the war should they be rejected.

Austria, by definition in the terms of the armistice itself, assumed the diplomatic lead. She attempted the accomplishment of the common goal via statesmanship and negotiation on behalf of the coalition. In the process she committed herself to joining the coalition militarily should her efforts fail. While these efforts took place, the military side of the coalition prepared for achievement of the common goal with Austria’s full participation.

The end product of the military and diplomatic efforts was improved unity of effort. The liberation of Germany provided unity of effort via a common, shared goal. Building on this foundation, the diplomatic effort provided political unity, principally via the Treaty of Reichenbach. Great Britain’s contribution in this arena was also significant because of her subsidy treaties. These provided financial stability and equipment that supported the political unity.

The conference held at Trachenberg in July between representatives of all the nations produced a strategic plan that provided military unity. The plan addressed the goal by making the defeat of Napoleon’s armies in Saxony its means for the liberation of Germany. The plan was flexible and allowed commanders to exercise considerable initiative as long as its basic tenets were adhered to. Because it allowed commanders considerable latitude its chances of being adhered to increased. Adherence meant unity in execution.

The Trachenberg Plan also attempted to unify by assigning command of the principal armies to each nationality. Only two commanders were specified in the written plan itself, Bernadotte and Bennigsen. Command arrangements after the convention generally improved unity, Blücher and Schwarzenberg commanding for Austria and Prussia in Silesia and Bohemia, respectively.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.