Before dawn on December 2 1805 cannons started shooting in the area between Austerlitz and Brunn. Hours later Napoleon Bonaparte got his greatest win over the Coalitions armies after he crushed the allied armies of Russians and Austrians. The plan was to make the allied countries believe the French were retreating and avoiding combat and give them the higher ground which Napoleon planned to be the center of the battlefield. Once the allied army is in the center Napoleon had weakened on purpose his right flank so the allied armies rushed it and find themselves in a trap when Napoleon attacks the center of the allied armies splitting them in two. The high ground in the center were the Pratzen Heights and the weak French right flank were Telnitz and Sokolnitz (Telnice and Sokolnice in Czech).
First of all I will show you my MOC but before you see more pictures of it I want you to know what happened there that day so you know the context.
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| Fighting between French and Russian troops around the church of Telnitz |
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| Map of the battle. At the bottom part of the map north of the lakes you can find Telnitz and Sokolnitz. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Austerlitz |
Around 8:00 AM (7:00 AM depending on the source) on December 2 the Allied troops attacked succesfully Telnitz and the French (3rd Line Regiment) retired at the other side of the Goldbach stream behind the town. To the north at Sokolnitz Allied forces attacked the 26th Light Regiment but took them longer to take the town. Over the morning both towns changed sides and what saved the French from giving up the important defense was the arrival of Davout with 7.000 soldiers. Over the morning both towns changed hands and when the Allied forces retired they did it in disorder and different directions but the French failed to chase them. France had 72.000 soldiers involved and 1305 died while 6940 were wounded (and 573 men and 1 banner captured). Russia had 85.000 soldiers on the battlefield. 15.000 died or were wounded while 12.000 were taken prisoners. 180 cannons and 50 banners were taken.
The Russian assault:
French defenders:
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| Russian forces assault Telnitz |
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| French officer |
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| Wounded |
Here is the real church from Telnitz (Telnice in Czech).
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| Source: https://mapcarta.com/18474292 |
Bibliography and further information:
http://walkingnorterneurope.blogspot.com/2010/08/austerlitz-sokolnitz.html
http://walkingaspernausterlitz.blogspot.com/2011/04/telnitz-and-sokolnitz.html
https://www.morava-napoleonska.cz/en/localities/prvni-i-posledni-vystrely-bitvy-v-telnici/
https://www.morava-napoleonska.cz/en/localities/prvni-i-posledni-vystrely-bitvy-v-telnici/
https://www.napoleon-series.org/military-info/virtual/austerlitz/c_sokolnitz.html
