Siege of La Fère 1870
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 5 November 1870 – 27 November 1870 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1870 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | France | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Franco-Prussian War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 49.6617, 3.3656 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Siege of La Fère took place during the Franco-Prussian War from 15 November until 26 November 1870, at the fortress of La Fère in France. French troops stationed at La Fère under the command of Captain Jacques Ferdinand Planche resisted the siege from the Imperial German Army, but surrendered the fort after eleven days on 26 November 1870, which resulted in a German victory. During the siege, the German army captured thousands of prisoners, most of whom were Garde Mobile soldiers, and took control of many French weapons. The German shelling of La Fère took place over the course of two days and severely damaged the town. After the Germans captured La Fère, they used cannons to arm the stronghold of Amiens.
Although La Fère was a small fortress, it still posed a threat to the rear of the German armies advancing upon Amiens. The Brigade Infantry No. 4 of the Corps of Prussia, under the command of Major General von Zhilinsky, was tasked with besieging La Fère. On 15 November, 1870, after a long journey from Metz, the Germans reached La Fère to blockade the fortress. The French garrison attempted strong assaults on the German army to no avail.
One example of a failed assault took place on 20 November, when six French companies attacked the enemy at Mennessis on the right bank of the Oise river but were crushed by a German battalion.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of La Fère (revision 1370742713), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Other battles of the Franco-Prussian War
- Battle of Amiens (1870) 1870
- Battle of Bazeilles 1870
- Battle of Beaugency (1870) 1870
- Battle of Beaumont 1870
- Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande 1870
- Battle of Bellevue 1870
- Battle of Borny–Colombey 1870
- Battle of Buzancy 1870
- Battle of Buzenval (1870) 1870
- Battle of Chevilly 1870
All 47 battles of the Franco-Prussian War →
Browse more: battles in France · Europe · 19th century battles