Date and place
- October 15th to 20th at Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, on the border with Bavaria.
Involved forces
- French Army (80 000 men), under emperor Napoleon I.
- Austrian Army (40 000 men), under Prince Johann I Joseph of Liechtenstein and general Karl Mack von Leiberich.
Casualties and losses
- French Army : 500 men dead, 1 000 wounded
- Austrian Army : 4 000 dead, 25 000 prisoners
Aerial video of the Ulm battlefield
The capture of Ulm crowned a series of movements by the French army which resulted in the capture of an Austrian army of nearly 40,000 men at the cost of minimal losses. It constitutes one of the greatest successes of Napoleon the maneuverer.
On October 15, 1805, following a request for surrender addressed to the Austrians and left unanswered, Napoleon took the offensive around 2:30 p.m. by sending General Henri-Gatien Bertrand then General Jean-Pierre Firmin Malher (VI Corps), who managed to take the heights of Michelsberg [48.41168, 9.98326], north-northwest of Ulm:
At the same time, General Louis-Gabriel Suchet attacked the Frauensberg [48.41173, 9.98812], very close, to the north.
On the same day, the city of Ulm was completely surrounded by Marshals Jean Lannes et Michel Ney, and Generals Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont and Louis-Gabriel Suchet.
In the evening, General Louis Henri Loison reached the gates of the city, but was pushed back.
The next day, Napoleon decided not to attack the city while Karl Mack von Leiberich was stalling while waiting for the next arrival of the Russians.
However, fearing the lack of food and after a short bombardment, Mack yielded and negotiated with Napoleon the conditions of a surrender, which took place on October 20.
More than 20,000 Austrian infantrymen were captured, belonging to the following infantry regiments:
- #1 (Emperor Francis II)
- #3 (Archduke Charles)
- #8 (Archduke Louis)
- #11 (Archduke Rainer)
- #12 (Friedrich Marchese Manfredini)
- #15 (Freiherr Carl von Riese)
- #24 (Carl von Auersperg)
- #28 (Michael von Fröhlich)
- #36 (Johann Karl Kolowrat-Krakowsky)
- #41 (Friedrich von Sachsen-Hildburghausen)
- #54 (Joseph Froon von Kirchrath)
- #57 (Joseph Maria von Colloredo-Mels und Wallsee)
- #64 (Johann Gabriel Chasteler de Courcelles)
No less than 60 cannons and 40 flags were also taken. Napoleon's victory was complete.
Map of the battle of Ulm
Picture - The surrender of Ulm. Painted by Charles Thévenin (1764 - 1838).
Photos Credits
Photos by Lionel A. Bouchon.Photos by Marie-Albe Grau.
Photos by Floriane Grau.
Photos by Michèle Grau-Ghelardi.
Photos by Didier Grau.
Photos made by people outside the Napoleon & Empire association.