Battle of Dürenstein

Battle of Dürenstein (or Dürnstein)
Part of the War of the Third Coalition
Much of the battle was fought after dark.
Date 11 November 1805 Location Dürenstein, Wachau region, Austria Result French victory
Belligerents
French Empire	Russian Empire  Austrian Empire
Commanders and leaders
Édouard Mortier Théodore Maxime Gazan Pierre Dupont de l'Étang	Mikhail Kutuzov Mikhail Miloradovich Dmitry Dokhturov Johann Heinrich von Schmitt  †
Strength
Initially about 6,000–8,000 soldiers, expanded to 8,000–10,000 by the end of the battle	About 24,000 soldiers
Casualties and losses
~4,000, plus 47 officers and 895 men captured Two Eagles, a guidon, and five guns	~4,000 dead and wounded. Two colors of Muskova Regiment Viatka.

Coordinates: 48°23′14″N 15°31′13″E / 48.38722°N 15.52028°E / 48.38722; 15.52028

The Battle of Dürenstein (German: Schlacht bei Dürnstein; also known as Dürrenstein, Dürnstein and Diernstein), on 11 November 1805, was an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars during the War of the Third Coalition. Dürenstein (modern Dürnstein) is located in the Wachau valley, on the river Danube, 73 kilometers (45 mi) upstream from Vienna, Austria. The river makes a crescent-shaped curve between Dürnstein and nearby Krems an der Donau, and the battle was fought in the flood plain between the river and the mountains.

At Dürenstein a combined force of Russian and Austrian troops trapped a French division commanded by Théodore Maxime Gazan. The French division was part of the newly created VIII Corps, the so-called Corps Mortier, under command of Édouard Mortier. In pursuing the Austrian retreat from Bavaria, Mortier had over-extended his three divisions along the north bank of the Danube. Mikhail Kutuzov, commander of the Coalition force, enticed Mortier to send Gazan's division into a trap and French troops were caught in a valley between two Russian columns. They were rescued by the timely arrival of a second division, under command of Pierre Dupont de l'Étang. The battle extended well into the night, after which both sides claimed victory. The French lost more than a third of their participants, and Gazan's division experienced over 40 percent losses. The Austrians and Russians also had heavy losses—close to 16 percent—but perhaps the most significant was the death in action of Johann Heinrich von Schmitt, one of Austria's most capable chiefs of staff.

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