Part Four - The Passau Campaign

Strategic map at start of Passau campaign

General

The Passau campaign is the fourth phase of the larger 1813 Campaign. It covers the fighting in southern Germany between Third French Army and the Austrians.

It has been done as a separate blog in order to keep all of the relevant reports together and to avoid making the main campaign blog too long and complicated.

We started the campaign on 3 March 2010

The full campaign report can be read at:

http://1813danubecampaign.blogspot.com/

Background to the Campaign

Napoleon is confident that the Austrian army will remain neutral during 1813. Not only did they fight alongside the French in Russia the previous year, but Napoleon is married to the daughter of the Emperor Ferdinand. Despite this he sends Marshal Oudinot to Munich to take command of the Bavarian and Baden armies, to reorganize them and to ensure that no Austrian troops are sent north to join the allies.

Austria has long resented earlier defeats at the hands of the French. Observing the French defeat and retreat from Russia, Ferdinand forms an alliance with the allies to strike at France through Bavaria.

The Austrian advance down the Danube valley comes as a complete surprise to Oudinot.