The Battle of Wismar took place on December 5, 1711 close to

Wismar Wismar (; Low German: ''Wismer''), officially the Hanseatic City of Wismar (''Hansestadt Wismar'') is, with around 43,000 inhabitants, the sixth-largest city of the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and the fourth-largest city ...

Swedish Empire The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...

during the

Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedi ...

. A 3,000 strong Danish force under the command of Jørgen Rantzau blocked the Swedish city of Wismar. The Swedes under Martin von Schoultz, sent out 2,500 men from their garrison in an attempt to surprise the Danish forces camping a distance away. However, the Danish commander got words of the approaching Swedes and countered them, resulting in 478 Swedes dead, with another 1,500 captured to only 300 Danes killed and wounded.

Background

After the Swedish defeat at the

Battle of Poltava The Battle of Poltava; russian: Полта́вская би́тва; uk, Полта́вська би́тва (8 July 1709) was the decisive and largest battle of the Great Northern War. A Russian army under the command of Tsar Peter I defeate ...

in 1709, Denmark-Norway again declared war on Sweden. The Danes now attempted an invasion of southern Sweden to reconquer Scania and Blekinge. However, the Danish invasion army was defeated by General

Magnus Stenbock Count Magnus Stenbock (22 May 1665 – 23 February 1717) was a Swedish field marshal ('' Fältmarskalk'') and Royal Councillor. A renowned commander of the Carolean Army during the Great Northern War, he was a prominent member of the Sten ...

at the

Battle of Helsingborg The Battle of Helsingborg was the last major engagement of the Great Northern War to take place on Swedish soil, and resulted in a decisive victory of a Swedish force of 14,000 men under the command of Magnus Stenbock against a Danish force of e ...

on 28 February 1710. The Danish king Fredrik IV now decided to move the war effort from Scania to the Swedish possessions in northern Germany. The nearest target for this purpose was

and

Swedish Pomerania Swedish Pomerania ( sv, Svenska Pommern; german: Schwedisch-Pommern) was a dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815 on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held ...

. A Danish army of 19,000 men gathered in Holstein. The Danes planned to conquer the Swedish fortress Wismar bay had already been surrounded by a smaller force under Lieutenant General Hans Christof von Schönfeld. However, after pressure from the Saxons, Frederick IV decided to change the goal of the campaign from Wismar to Stralsund. The Danish army now resumed its march through Mecklenburg towards Swedish Pomerania. The Danish army consisted of 28 cavalry squadrons and 2 infantry battalions under the command of Lieutenant General Jørgen Rantzau. Rantzau, who had led the Danish army in the battle of Helsingborg, was eager to avenge the defeat. The Swedish garrison in Pomerania consisted of 5,000 men divided into a dragon regiment and 4 infantry regiments under the command of Martin Schoultz. After the march, the Danish army was in poor condition and had shrunk to 4,000 men, due to desertions and diseases. Rantzau also weakened its forces by sending a force of 1,000 men to Rostock and Lübeck for provisions. As soon as Schoultz was informed of the Danish threat against Swedish Pomerania, he decided on a nightly attack on the Danish camp at Lübow. Before the attack, Schoultz gathered a total of 2,500 men. Which consisted of six infantry battalions and six cavalry squads as well as 12 artillery pieces. On the night of December 4, the Swedish troops approached the Danish camp in silence. However, Danish scouts managed to detect the Swedish troops. When Rantzau was informed of the coming Swedish attack, he lined up his army in battle order.

Battle

At 5:00 in the morning, the Swedish army went on the offensive. The Swedish left wing collided with the Danish right, which soon began to falter. However, Danish reinforcements managed to stop the Swedish attack and the fighting became very bloody. The Swedish artillery could not support the infantry and their fire resulted in losses in their own ranks. The Swedish battalions had now come into disarray and Schoultz ordered a retreat. However, the Swedish retreat was hindered by the Danish cavalry, which attacked the Swedes' flanks. Rantzau personally led a cavalry squadron that attacked the Swedes from behind. The inferior Swedish cavalry was now forced to withdraw, which left the infantry alone. The well-trained Carolean infantry now formed squares to withstand the Danish cavalry. The Danes attacked again and again but did not manage to break the Swedish formations despite the Swedes suffering heavy losses. Now the remnants of the Swedish army were completely surrounded by the Danes but still refused to surrender. After repeated Danish attacks, the remaining Swedes were finally forced to give up. The Swedes lost 478 men killed and 1,904 captured, of whom 500 were wounded. However, the Swedish commander Schoultz and about 100 men managed to escape. The Danish losses amounted to only 279 dead and wounded. The Danes also managed to capture the Swedes' artillery.

Aftermath

After the Swedish defeat at Wismar, the Danes together with Russian and Saxon troops began a siege of Stralsund. However, the siege had to be stopped when a Swedish army under Magnus Stenbock landed in Pomerania in the autumn of 1712.

References

1711 in Europe

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