Ulm Campaign, 1805

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Karl Mack von Lieberich versus Napoleon Bonaparte: An Austrian army under Mack charges blindly into a trap set by the French army under Bonaparte. Can Bonaparte close the net before Mack realizes his folly? Includes the Battles of Wertingen, Haslach-Jungingen, Elchingen and Ulm. Click on images below to view; first image opens video presentation and second image opens PowerPoint presentation. | Legend |

This is one of Bonaparte’s most important campaigns. Without this nearly bloodless capture of the entire Austrian army, Bonaparte would have never been able to fight Austerlitz on the terms that allowed him to win a glorious victory, one of the most decisive victories of the Napoleonic Wars.

Bonaparte misdirected Mack’s attention by playing on his expectations of a French invasion through the Black Forest. Even so, only the speed and direction of Bonaparte’s marshals ensured that such a large Austrian force was captured at almost no cost.

Bonaparte’s battles and campaigns are a treat to animate. Whenever I try to explain the brilliance in this man possessed in all aspects of war, I fail, so I will not attempt to do so here. Instead, I will continue to animate the most fascinating military operations history has ever seen in my opinion. In fact, I have considered using an entire season to focus entire of Bonaparte’s battles and campaigns. It will most likely never happen because there are already enough battles I am prepared to animate to last through Season VII but you never know.

- Jonathan Webb

Works Consulted

Dupuy, Trevor N. The Harper Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 BC to the Present, Fourth Edition. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.

Esposito, Vincent J. and John Robert Elting. A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars. New York: Praeger, 1965.

Griess, Thomas. The Wars of Napoleon. New Jersey: Avery Publishing, 1985.

Weigley, Russell F. The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1991.

Images

Austrian cavalry: http://www.napoleonguide.com/cavalry_austria.htm

Austrian infantry: http://napnuts.tripod.com/napwars/frameaustriainf.htm

French cavalry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Arm%C3%A9e

French infantry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_Arm%C3%A9e

Karl Mack von Liebereich: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Mack_von_Lieberich

Napoleon Bonaparte: http://wil3.typepad.com/funny_pictures/2005/08/napoleon_bonapa_1.html

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Tags: 1800s, Austrians, cavalry, envelopment of a single flank, envelopment of both flanks, French, Gunpowder Era, indirect approach, infantry, Karl Mack von Lieberich, land, modern day Germany, Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleonic Wars, Season 1, siege, War of the Third Coalition, Western Europe

2 Comments to “Ulm Campaign, 1805”
The opening sentence of your narration of the battle of Ulm is simply wrong. The battle of Trafalgar took place on October 21st 1805, i.e. after the Austrian surrender at Ulm. Napoleon had left Boulogne on 27th August with the main body of La Grande Armee. Further Villeneuve was not sailing to invade England, but to pass through the straits of Gibraltar and conduct operations against the Austrian controlled parts of Italy (Cap Trafalgar is south of Cadiz(!).

By Richard Boam on Jan 20, 2011 at 10:36 am
While we’re talking about Napoleon Bonaparte, I just read that he was killed. But I believed he succombed to stomach cancer. Which one is correct?

By trailer hitch cargo rack on May 6, 2011 at 10:04 pm