Battle Report #17 :Vienna 1683.

[AUSTERLITZ]

BATTLE OF KAHLENBERG

OTTOMAN ARMY -
Commanders -
Kara Mustafa Pasha(Centre and overall commander-in-chief)
Ibrahim Pasha(Right wing),Abza Hussein(Left wing)

Strength -
50,000 -60,000 (active on the battlefield)
20,000-30,000(in trenches-active only in last stage)
20,000 tatars(raiding the countryside -no part in battle)
60 cannon(rest besieging vienna)

ALLIED CHRISTIAN ARMY -
Commanders -
King Jan Sobieski of Poland (Right wing and Commander-in-chief)
Prince Waldeck(Centre) ,Charles of Lorraine(Left wing)

Strength -
~65,000 (active on the battlefield) including -
(45,000-50,000 imperial germans and 15,000-20,000 poles)
[18,500 Austrians under Lorraine plus 9,000 Saxons and 20,000 Bavarians,Franconians and other german contingents.15,000-20,000 Poles]
5,000 (garrison at vienna -no active part in battle)
Unknown cannon(many stuck in weinerwald,but still equal or more than ottomans)

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Ottomans deploy in their traditional defensive formation with a strengthened right flank under ibrahim pasha centred on the fortified strongpoints of Nussdorf,Heiligenstadt and Turkenschanz anchoring the line.Abza hussein commands the bulk of the cavalry on the left wing,plus the tatars on the extreme left flank.Two months of siege has taken its toll,and the turks are feeling the shortage of quality manpower.Kara mustafa lost 25,000 men - much of the cream of his infantry on the assault on vienna's defences and now lacks quality manpower the man the whole line.While reinforcements from buda have somewhat mollified the problem,the balkan vassal contingents remain largely useless and tatars indifferent.(kara mustafa having treated their khan with not enough deference).Kara mustafa and his household kapikulu troops are available as final reinforcements if necessary,and troops from the siege lines can be fed into the action as well.
The slanted map denotes the elevation.Red for ottomans.Blue for christian cavalry,yellow for relief christian infantry.Lorraine commands the left wing with austrians and saxons.Waldeck the centre largely bavarians.Sobieski the right wing with poles reinforced by imperial infantry(requested due to unreliable quality of polish infantry).Check with numbers below with above diagram to follow battle events.

''It was like a flood of black pitch pouring downhill,crushing and burning everything in its way'' - Ottoman observer describes the attack of the relief army​

1. The action began at 5:00 am,when turkish skirmishers from nussdorf crept upclose to the austrian positions preparing for an advance and began to harass them in a effort to disrupt and preempt the process.They are finally driven off after concerted advance of the austrian battalions which begin advancing ahead of planned schedule.Austrian and saxon troops launch their attack on nussdorf at 8:00 am.Supported by the excellent saxon light artillery,amidst ferocious house to house fighting the turks are finally driven out of the village by 9:00 am.

2.Regrouping his forces at about 10:00 am Ibrahim pasha launches 2 massed counterattacks to retake nussdorf.The first one is repulsed but the second one nearly breaks through until it is outflanked by the advance of the saxon infantry (see yellow arrow above nussdorf and on open flank of counterattack)and forced to retreat.

3.Charles emplaces his artillery covering nussdorf and ready to support further advance as he consolidates his position and prepares for a steady push on heilgenstadt.

4.In the centre waldeck advances steadily with little heavy opposition but is slowed by numerous small skirmishes.

5.The Poles had arrived under cover of darkness, and had assembled in battle order covering the ground below the Dreimarkstein and the Rosskopf peaks(map in last post)The polish force,most of it cavalry has been slow to advance in the broken terrain,they are approaching the michaelsberg peak from where they would be visible to the troops below.

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1. Between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm,Charles organizes an overwhelming advance on heilgenstadt supported by artillery.After heavy resistance,the outnumbered ottoman right flank under ibrahim pasha withdraws .The austrian and saxon infantry however are exhausted and disordered.Charles orders a halt to reorganize his forces and allow the other parts of the christian army to move up,lest he overextend himself.

2.The ottomans regroup behind a ridge ,refusing their right flank which is now bent back under imperial pressure.However this is the strongest defended section of the ottoman lines with field fortifications and nearby reinforcements of elite troops at the turkenschanz.This is where kara mustafa emplaces the banner of the prophet to serve as a rallying point.

3.Imperial infantry probe the frontal defences of Dobling-turkenschanz area but are unable to make much headway.Combat in this sector takes a temporary pause as both sides recuperate.

4.Waldeck's easy progress comes to a halt before the village of potzlensdorf -defended by 1500 janissaries.Infantry is diverted from the left wing to break through which is only accomplished after an hour of brutal fighting and reinforcements from imperial cuirassiers as potzlensdorf is squeezed from 2 sides.By 3:00 pm the village is finally taken.

5.The polish cavalry arrives on michaelsberg at around 2:00 am,their glittering armour in the sun now visible to both friend and foe and a huge shout of cheer is heard throughout the christian ranks.With more pleasant terrain up ahead they advance steadily.The Schaeffberg hill is seized after a assault by polish and imperial infantry,allowing the poles to move forward with their cavalry unhindered.

6.Hetman Jablownowski commanding the polish light cavalry on the extreme right flank drives off an attempt by the tatars to disrupt the advance.This attack serves as the only real action by the tatar hordes in the battle ,who thereafter disperse and remain inactive.

7.Sobieski sends a reconaissance-in-force in the form of 2 winged hussar squadrons(300 men) forward.These impetous horsemen however lose their composure,they smash through the deceptively weak ottoman screen and are lured into the main body where they are ambushed from all sides.Having lost a third of their number they retreat in disarray.

8.Having repulsed this small cavalry attack and encouraged abza hussein now launches a general attack all along the ottoman left flank aimed at hurling back the advancing poles.This attack taking place at around 4:30 pm up the slope is driven back with ease with combined fire of muskets and artillery.

9.With the sudden appearance of the poles on the michaelsberg,Kara mustafa realized his whole battle plan was falling apart and he risked being outflanked on his left wing which is short of musket infantry.He redirects part of ibrahim pasha's infantry to the left and centre.However this hasty redeployment leaves many of the men in the rear ranks unable to manuever or employ their weapons properly.

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1.Bavarian and franconian infantry assault Turkenschanz frontally .

2.Lorraine resumes his pressure on the ottoman right flank,pressing heavily with his infantry against the ottoman strongpoints.Their numbers heavily depleted by the earlier redployment to reinforce the other wing,the outnumbered turkish forces fight desperately.

3. at 5:00-6:00 pm,Sobieski is encouraged by the imperial advance and seeing the battle hanging in the balance now gives the order for a massed cavalry attack.18,000 polish and german horsemen advance in solid squares in checkerboard formation -the 3,000 winged hussars leading with their wings fluttering in the air.With the cries of 'Jezus Maria' ,one of the largest cavalry charges in history is launched as the polish husaria crash into the ottoman lines with their lances lowered.

4.The winged hussar company of crown prince alexander breaks through the ottoman defences and cuts its way into the main ottoman camp at turkenschanz,which is already under pressure from 2 sides by the imperials.The ottoman lines begin to waver as they are unable to withstand the devastating impact of the polish cavalry.The sipahis launch one last desperate counterattack,but turkish resistance begins to dissolve with the relentless assault of the polish hussars who most of them having broken their lances now switched to the koncerz or the szabla curved sabres.

5.Kara mustafa launches one last desperate counterattack with his kapikulu household troops and reinforcements.But this desperate gambit is washed away in the face of the onrushing tide of polish horsemen,with most of his bodyguards killed.He managed to rescue the prophet's banner and seeing all was lost fled with his personal retinue.

6.The whole ottoman army degenerates into a disorderly mob pursued vigorously by the polish and imperial cavalry.A massacre ensues as the fleeing infantry are cut down in droves and he poles loot the ottoman camp.The remaining ottoman infantry in the trenches desert,many cut down and the entire turkish artillery is captured.

The battle for vienna was over.Christendom's bulwark had withstood the last great ottoman attack.The turks would never return.Ottoman losses were - 10,000 -15,000 killed in battle and 5,000 captured.Plus another 25,000 killed in the siege.All 149 cannon were also lost.The habsburgs lost 12,000 men in the siege.4500 were killed in the allied army during the battle.

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NEXT : ANALYSIS AND AFTERMATH

 

[AUSTERLITZ]

ANALYSIS AND AFTERMATH

CAUSES OF OTTOMAN DEFEAT - ​

''If a commander is given hundred thousand men and only makes use of sixty thousand on the day of battle,he must answer for the other forty thousand with his head'' - Napoleon
​

1.Lack of concentration of force -One of the main principles of war is concentration of force,however kara mustafa's decision to divide his forces rather than using the whole ottoman force to face the relief army meant the ottomans didn't make use of the total manpower available to them.Over 20,000 men were left in the trenches,the household troops entered battle in only the final stages.

2.Lack of Security - Despite possesing ample forces,kara mustafa never gave thought to the arrival of a relief army unlike caesar at alesia and made no preparations for such an eventuality.Given the broken terrian an alert ottoman force could have contested the allied crossing of the danube ,or fortified the ridges on th weinerwald in strength making the battle very difficult for the relief christian army.He thus violated the principle of security.

3.Tactical weaknesses - Some tactical weaknesses in the ottoman army were also exposed in the battle.Except the janissaries the ottoman infantry proved itself unable to prevail in firefights with drilled imperial infantry.The ottoman field artillery was also dominated by its rivals on the field.The lack of disciplined pikemen or ad-hoc field fortifications like stakes led to the easy rout of the ottoman infantry against the charge of the polish hussars.
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AFTERMATH -
Sobieski himself earned immortal glory for his part in saving vienna.He wrote to the pope the famous words echoing caesar - ''Veni,Vedi.Deus,Vicit''(We came,we saw,god conquered).Charles of Lorraine went on to have a succesful career and a string of successes against the ottomans.Kara mustafa was not so fortunate - he was strangled on the orders of the sultan soon after the debacle.However the continuing habsburg successes would see the sultan himself deposed in 1687.The battle of vienna was the first mention of one Eugene of savoy,leading a contingent of italian lancers.He would later earn great reknown against the french and turks as austria's greatest ever general.

Geopolitical effects -

Ottomans - The success at vienna saw the formation of a new holy league for an assault on the ottoman empire's european possessions.The turkish war from 1683-1699 ended at the treaty of karlowitz which saw the loss of ottoman hungary and budapest,a shattering blow to ottoman imperial morale and prestige.From hereon after the tables would be turned,with ottomans perpetually on the defensive and the habsburgs(later the russians) inexorably advancing.The treaty of Karlowitz is often taken as the beginning of the decline of the ottoman empire.The bulk of the elite janissary corps were wiped out at vienna,along with the loss of valuable specialists and artillery.For an army that transfered military knowledge largely by oral tradition this was a devastating blow.At that time it was the greatest defeat of an ottoman field army in europe.The empire would be thrown into a political and financial crisis.
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(The Ottoman Loss of hungary)
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Austria - The turkish war that begun with the siege of vienna would see austria triumphant in th east with acquisition of large territory in the east,reduction of the ottoman threat,and a ready veteran army to confront Louis XIV's ambitions in the west.Austria which had been in the doldrums since the 30yrs war was now resurgent as a major power in europe.

Poland - Sobieski's reign saw the last high point of the polish kingdom.Within a century poland would be divided between prussia,russia and the same austrians.(Incidentally only the ottomans refused to recognize the partition of poland).Political instability and a backward feudal economic structure ensured poland's doom.Poland made superficial and temporary gains in the campaign ,which could not have been won without its help.Sobieski and his men however gained immortal glory with their victory in christendom's hour of need.

France - For Louis XIV's france,vienna was a setback.A resurgent austria -its main geopolitical rival was contrary to french interests.Had vienna fallen it would have been a huge blow to habsburg power and prestige.The german states and the pope would have been compelled to look to Louis for protection.France would thus be in a position to emerge as the hegemon of europe.Louis's ambitions were thus thwarted.​

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Other Legacies -
The ottoman military bands left their instruments on the field of battle and that is how the Holy Roman Empire (and thus the other Western countries) acquired cymbals and timpani.
Legend has it the Croissant was invented at vienna.The bread being moulded in the shape of the turkish crescent before being eaten by some troops .
After the battle, the Viennese discovered many bags of coffee in the abandoned Ottoman encampment. Using this captured stock,the first of the famous viennese coffeehouses were opened.

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Thanks for reading.

Sources -
Osprey Campaign - Vienna 1683.(S.millar)
The Enemy at the gate - (A.Wheatcroft)
Siege of Vienna:Last great trial between cross and crescent(John stoye)
Osprey Men-at-arms - Janissaries,Polish winged hussars,Polish armies
A Military History of the Ottomans -(Mesut Uyar & Erickson)
Net sources.

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[BordoEnes]

Holy crap dude this is really interesting to read. Keep it up!

 

[AUSTERLITZ]

Holy crap dude this is really interesting to read. Keep it up!

Thanks.Nice to know you enjoyed reading.
Great Battles and Campaigns of history - Battle reports Index.
If u go through that whole thread u will find the links to the other 16 battle reports(blitzkrieg 1940 still ongoing).
Battle report #3 nicopolis may be of interest to you,though it is much shorter in scope due to being an earlier effort when i was just starting out writing these things.

 

[LeveragedBuyout]

@AUSTERLITZ
I can honestly say that you are the only reason why I continue to lurk at PDF. Bravo.

 

[AUSTERLITZ]

@AUSTERLITZ
I can honestly say that you are the only reason why I continue to lurk at PDF. Bravo.

Support from regular readers keeps me going really,though i've slowed down.Thanks

 

[Declein]

Support from regular readers keeps me going really,though i've slowed down.Thanks

I'm a big fan of your articles Austerlitz, please keep them coming.

 

[imranwaseem]

Great I read from different sources about second Turkish siege of Vienna but this is most comprehensively written piece !
This writing clarify few things :

1-there's an allegation on Kara Mustafa that due to his greed he wanted to conquer City as intact to get maximum treasures than going for an all out onslaught which would allow soldiers to plunder the city for three days

Well as per this analysts Kara Mustafa had no other choice except to dig and use mines . Defenders showed great resilience . There was no other way except what he did .

One point which is not discuss in detail in this article is failure of Turkish counter intelligence . Viennese sent many messages to relief army through spies who went through Turkish lines and not caught .
There are some references that couple of letter caught but Turkish failed to decode them .

There is one criticism on Kara Mustafa that he should have moved all force to fight against relief army but as per this writing he was so near to make decisive breach so his decision to call bank force from city gates was extremely difficult and unlikely .

The mistake he made however was why he didn't use all men at his disposal to fight against relief army .

Other point if Tatar were not trained for a battle rather they were there to plunder and loot and spread terror why Kara Mustafa expected them to face polish unit in head on collision , Tatar could only slaughter unarmed villagers and after slight contact with poles they ran away (probably with looted goods ).

Still it's difficult to imagine how could a big army retreat so easily , which was at verge of breaking into the city and just because piled reached their main camp they retreated

There are two opinions about that
1-first troops retreat and Kara Mustafa unwillingly retreated as people around him told now there's no choice

2-he fled first which left no option for troops to continue battle .

Kara Mustafa being strangled by Silk cord in Belgrade on 25 dec 1683 was perhaps very wrong decision by sultan ! He was preparing next campaign for next year . After him Turks changed so many grand vizirs even sultan himself had to go & it increased instability .

Anyways, great analysis . Very informative and it was pleasure to read it