The Army of Germany or ''Armée d'Allemagne'' was a military formation of the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

during the

War of the Fifth Coalition The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, Francis ...

in 1809. The Army of Germany was distinct from the ''

Grande Armée ''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empi ...

'' (Great Army) of the preceding

Coalition Wars The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, sometimes called the Great French War, were a series of conflicts between the French and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompass first the French Revolutionary Wars agains ...

, which the Emperor

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

had disbanded in October 1808.John H Gill, ''The Battle of Znaim: Napoleon, The Habsburgs and the end of the War of 1809'' (Greenhill, 2020), pp. 47–. In a letter to General

Louis-Alexandre Berthier Louis-Alexandre Berthier (20 November 1753 – 1 June 1815), Prince of Neuchâtel and Valangin, Prince of Wagram, was a French Marshal of the Empire who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was twice Minister ...

dated 8 April 1809, Napoleon describes the new army's creation: "from 1 April, all the troops that I have in Germany will be known under the title ''Armée d'Allemagne'', of which I reserve to myself the command in chief." He goes on to name its officers and describe its composition.''Correspondance de Napoléon I^er'' (Paris: Imprimerie Impériale, 1865), Vol. 18
no. 15029, pp. 521–524
"...''à dater du 1er avril, toutes les troupes que j'ai en Allemagne seront connues sous le titre d'Armée d'Allemagne, dont je me réserve le commandement en chef''..." At its formation, the Army of Germany's French units were scattered in cantonments throughout France's allies in the

Confederation of the Rhine The Confederated States of the Rhine, simply known as the Confederation of the Rhine, also known as Napoleonic Germany, was a confederation of German client states established at the behest of Napoleon some months after he defeated Austria an ...

. The

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

reserve had not been formed and the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, in ...

assigned to it was still en route from Spain. Besides French units, the army incorporated many German units from France's allies. It took days to muster the army its assigned places, and this was not complete at the start of the war on 10 April. Berthier was ''de facto'' in command until Napoleon arrived at headquarters in

Donauwörth Donauwörth () is a town and the capital of the Donau-Ries district in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is said to have been founded by two fishermen where the rivers Danube (Donau) and Wörnitz meet. The city is part of the scenic route called "Roman ...

on 17 April.John H. Gill, "1809: The Most Brilliant and Skillful Maneuvers", in Michael V. Leggiere (ed.), ''Napoleon and the Operational Art of War: Essays in Honor of Donald D. Horward'' (Brill, 2016), pp. 235–264, esp. 239–240 and 262. The total strength of the Army of Germany was about 160,000, with a higher proportion of conscripts than the ''Grande Armée'' of 1804–1808, with which its performance has been unfavourably compared. It was short on equipment and structurally incomplete at the start of hostilities, but, after a setback at Aspern-Essling, it won the war at

Wagram Deutsch-Wagram (literally "German Wagram", ), often shortened to Wagram, is a village in the Gänserndorf District, in the states of Austria, state of Lower Austria, Austria. It is in the Morava (river), Marchfeld Basin, close to the Vienna city ...

References

{{reflist French military units and formations of the Napoleonic Wars 1809 establishments in France 1809 establishments in Germany