Linz-Urfahr

Feldmarschall Johann Graf Kolowrat-Karkowsky had carefully planned a three pronged attack on the French bridgehead at Linz. Bad roads and lethargic staff work, however, destroyed any chance at surprising Vandamme1s Wurttembergers. The snail's pace of Kolowrat's advance was to compromise the entire operation. The Austrian's were divided into three columns for the assault on Linz and it's suburb Urfahr. Feldmarschall Somariva commanded the right column, Feldmarschall Vukassovich with Kolowrat were with the center column, and Feldmarschall St. Julien controlled the left column . The key to Kolowrat' s plan was timing. St. Julien was to demonstrate against Vandamme's far right and as a result cook little part in the battle to come. The main Austrian effort was to be made by Somariva and Vukassovich. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the center column emerged from the hills between Auhof and Katzbach. The skirmishers of Vukassovich's column leisurely engaged the Wurttemberg Jagers. Vandamme was convinced by the slowness of Kolowrat's actions that he only intended to gain a position for the next day. Between 2 and 3 pm, Kolowrat received word that Somariva was approaching the Postingberg north of Linz. The Austrian attack suddenly shifted gears and the entire center column surged forward. The Wurttembergers resisted gallantly, but were overwhelmed and thrown out of Katzbach. Several Saxon Hussars, who had already gone to quarters for the day, were captured by Kolowrat’s Advance Guard. By 3:30 pm, the Austrian 6th Jagers had cleared Katzbach and were moving on Dornach. Auhof had also fallen and St. Magdalena was being attacked. In less than a half hour, the Jagers had taken Dornach. They then advanced and gained a toe hold in Steeg. Around 4 o'clock, the Württembergers had been driven from the walled churchyard in St. Magdalena and fierce fighting was still going on in Steeg. Bernadotte's Saxons replaced the Württembergers guarding the bridgehead. Vandamme then ordered the two Württemberg brigades forward along with their cavalry and artillery support. One half of the ten-gun Wurttemberg foot battery was ordered along the southern bank of the Danube to bring fire onto the flanks of the advancing Austrian columns (the other half was positioned in the Urfahr redoubts). Neubronn's men stormed and retook St. Magdalena then turned south to take Dornach in the flank. The jaegers were pushed out of Steeg and chased to Dornach. The pursuing Württembergers were charged by Austrian Uhlans coming up to rescue their jaeger comrades. Two squadrons of the Herzog Ludwig Jager zu Pferd charged the Uhlans and sent them and the 6th Jagers streaming through Dornach without stopping. Kolowrat held a line from Auhof through Katzbach to the Danube at 6 o'clock. The Wurttemberg pursuit was stopped cold as the fleeing Austrians reached Katzbach uncovering an Austrian battery (10 to 12 guns) which promptly opened fire. The fire from the battery commanded the whole of the valley between Dornach and Katzbach. It had to be silenced! General Wöllwarth rallied the Herzog Ludwig Jagers and sent them forward at the battery. The mounted jaegers charged impetuously up the slopes and caused the startled gunners to abandon their pieces. Austrian reserves charged forward, but the silence of the guns had allowed some Saxon Hussars to come up as well. Together the Saxons and Württembergers took the whole battery (only two guns managed to escape). Kolowrat, seeing himself beaten, ordered the withdrawal. The exhausted Württembergers and Saxons were unable to do more than harass the center column as it withdrew. At this time (around 7 pm) , Feldmarschall Somariva crested the Postingberg. From the top of the mountain, Somariva could see Kolowrat1s men withdrawing eastward. He decided that by taking the now weakly guarded bridgehead, the right column would only be surrounded and overwhelmed. Somariva then deployed his artillery and contented himself with throwing a few shells into Urfahr. Bernadotte was not so idle and twice sent his Saxons up the mountain in an attempt to dislodge Somariva's column. The Feldmarschall held too many defensive advantages and Bernadotte was handily repulsed. Night was then starting to fall and the French Marshal called of his attacks. Unwilling to share any of the glory of the day with Bernadotte and his Saxons, Vandamme ordered his jaegers and part of the von Neubronn regiment to attack the Austrian position at 10 pm. Exhausted and out of ammunition, the Württembergers grimly fixed bayonets and stared up the Postingberg. Quickly overwhelming the poorly posted pickets, the alarm was only raised as the second picket line was reached. The Württembergers then let out their equivalent of a "Rebel Yell" and charged the dazed, but numerically superior Austrians. Whooping and hollering, 500 jaegers put the 5,700-man Right Column to flight, capturing over 500 prisoners in the process. Vandamme had won a great victory and secured Napoleon's line-of-communications of northern threats for the remainder of the war. Vandamme had lost some 350 men hors-de-combat with an additional 80 to 90 Saxons. Kolowrat's losses were over 1,200 men killed, wounded, and missing. King Frederick of Wurttemberg passed out many promotions to his army along with a special standard for the Herzog Ludwig Jagers for taking the Austrian battery and breaking Kolowrat's line. Bernadotte compared Linz to the deeds of veteran French troops (high praise indeed!). Vandamme felt that he deserved his Marshal's baton for the action around Linz and openly told Napoleon so. As in so many other cases, Vandamme complained to the Emperor too loudly and at the wrong time, and lost his grip on the baton he had worked so hard to get.