Battle of Neumarkt-Sankt Veit
The Battle of Neumarkt-Sankt Veit on 24 April 1809 saw a Franco-Bavarian force led by Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières face an Austrian Empire army commanded by Johann von Hiller. Hiller's numerically superior force won a victory over the Allied troops, forcing Bessières to retreat to the west. Neumarkt-Sankt Veit is located ten kilometers north of Mühldorf and 33 kilometers southeast of Landshut in Bavaria.
| Battle of Neumarkt-Sankt Veit | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the War of the Fifth Coalition | |||||||
Rott River near Oberdietfurt, 10 km downstream. The Bavarians suffered heavy losses while retreating across the Rott. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Austrian Empire |
First French Empire Kingdom of Bavaria | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Johann von Hiller Archduke Louis Michael von Kienmayer |
Jean Bessières Karl von Wrede Gabriel Molitor | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 27,000 to 28,000 | 18,000-20,661 Add strengths of Jacquinot, Molitor, Marulaz, and Wrede. Casualties unknown for 19–23 April. | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 800-1,000 | 2,500-2,602 | ||||||
On 10 April 1809, Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen's surprise invasion of the Kingdom of Bavaria put the Grande Armée of Emperor Napoleon I of France at a disadvantage. On 19 April, Charles failed to take advantage of his opportunities and Napoleon struck back with savage force against the Austrian left wing under Hiller. After battles on 20 and 21 April, Hiller's troops were driven into a headlong retreat to the southeast.
Having temporarily disposed of Hiller, Napoleon turned north with his main army against Archduke Charles. On 22 and 23 April, the Franco-Germans defeated Charles' army and forced it to withdraw to the north bank of the Danube. Meanwhile, Napoleon sent Bessières to pursue the Austrian left wing with minor forces. Not knowing that Charles had been defeated, Hiller turned back upon his pursuer, defeating Bessières near Neumarkt-Sankt Veit. Once he found that he was alone on the south bank facing Napoleon's main army, Hiller retreated rapidly to the east in the direction of Vienna.