Why a failed French march on Berlin changed the course of the Napoleonic Wars
In 1813, Napoleon ordered a strike on Berlin to force Prussia out of the war. Instead, his commander, Marshal Oudinot, faced a disastrous defeat at Großbeeren. Plagued by poor weather, fragmented forces, and a brilliant Allied defensive strategy, the French offensive collapsed, altering the momentum of the entire campaign.
The Battle of Großbeeren on 23 August 1813 was a pivotal moment in the War of the Sixth Coalition. Napoleon, aiming to knock Prussia out of the conflict, directed Marshal Nicolas Oudinot to capture Berlin with 70,000 men. However, the mission was doomed by environmental and strategic factors. Heavy rains turned the terrain south of Berlin into a quagmire, forcing Oudinot to split his forces across three isolated roads. Lacking cavalry, the French were unaware that the Army of the North, led by the former French Marshal Bernadotte, had already positioned itself to defend the city.
Bernadotte’s strategy followed the Trachenberg Plan, which dictated that Allied forces should avoid direct confrontation with Napoleon himself, instead focusing on wearing down his marshals in smaller, separate engagements. When General Jean Reynier’s VII Corps reached Großbeeren, he found the Prussian III Corps, reinforced by Swedish troops to 38,000 men, waiting for him. The resulting clash saw the French repulsed with heavy losses, including over 3,000 casualties and 14 guns. Oudinot, unable to concentrate his army, ordered a retreat to Jüterbog, eventually falling back to Wittenberg.
Despite the victory, the aftermath was marked by internal Allied friction. Prussian commanders, including Friedrich von Bülow, urged an immediate pursuit to destroy the demoralized French forces. Bernadotte refused, fearing that leaving his defensive position would expose his army to a counter-attack by Napoleon or leave his rear vulnerable to Marshal Davout’s 35,000 troops in Hamburg. Napoleon was incensed by the failure, famously questioning the intelligence of the Duke of Reggio. The defeat necessitated a second, equally unsuccessful drive on Berlin, culminating in the Battle of Dennewitz just weeks later.
Source: Battle of Großbeeren
