Napoleon destroys the Prussians at Jena-Auerstedt #history #napoleon #europe #war #bonaparte

Watch as Napoleon destroys a coalition force of Prussians and surrounding states. Napoloens Marshall Davout was in Auerstedt against Frederich the III of Prussia and Napoleon was in Jena against Ludwig I.

Important notes below:

The Battle of Jena-Auerstädt, part of the Napoleonic Wars, unfolded on October 14, 1806, in Saxony, modern Germany. In this battle, Napoleon's 122,000-strong French forces clashed with an army of 114,000 Prussians and Saxons, led by Frederick William III of Prussia and Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick. Napoleon's rapid advancement through the eastern end of the Thuringian Forest intercepted the Prussian-Saxon forces and forced them into combat before their Russian allies could arrive. At Jena, Napoleon's 54,000 soldiers overpowered Prince Friedrich Ludwig's 38,000 troops and their reinforcements by the afternoon.

Concurrently, at Auerstädt, a secondary French force of 26,000 under Louis-Nicolas Davout held firm against the Duke's main Prussian army. After the Duke's mortal injury, the Prussians faltered upon hearing of the French victory at Jena, leading to their army's disintegration. Davout's remarkable victory earned him the title of Duke d'Auerstädt.
The dual victory cost the French approximately 12,000 casualties, while the Prussians and Saxons suffered around 24,000 casualties and 20,000 captures. Napoleon proceeded to conquer Prussia within six weeks, before Russia could aid its ally.

The corps system allowed each corps to operate semi-independently, with its own mix of infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Each corps was commanded by a Marshal of the Empire, and Napoleon himself as Emperor would coordinate the movements of the corps, allowing for quick response and adaptation on the battlefield. This system was highly effective and was a major factor in Napoleon's military successes.

The Prussian forces, like the French, were divided between the battles of Jena and Auerstedt. At Jena, Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen commanded an initial force of around 38,000 troops, which was later reinforced during the battle, possibly bringing the total up to around 51,000.

Meanwhile, at Auerstedt, Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, commanded the main Prussian army, generally believed to be about 63,000 strong. As with the French, these numbers can vary depending on the source and how the troops are counted.

So, the total Prussian forces involved in the two battles could range around 114,000, but the numbers that were actively engaged in the fighting might have been lower. This can lead to discrepancies in the reported troop counts across different sources.

Credits to Total War: Napoleon for the clips.

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*Different sources mention different numbers of the attackers or defenders, most likely Napoleon did not put ALL his men into battle, and neither did the Prussians but they threw a lot of men away regardless.