Battle of Prestebakke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Prestebakke
Part of the Dano-Swedish War of 1808–09
Battle of Prestebakke, by Andreas Bloch
Date 10 June 1808 Location Prestebakke, Norway Result Dano-Norwegian victory
Belligerents
Sweden	Denmark–Norway
Commanders and leaders
Georg Adlersparre Anton von Knorring (POW)	Niels Petersen Juul Arild Huitfeldt
Strength
420	770
Casualties and losses
18 killed 380 captured	12 killed or severely wounded

The Battle of Prestebakke was a fight between Swedish and Norwegian soldiers. It happened on June 10, 1808, during the Dano-Swedish War of 1808–09. After Swedish forces left Norway, a small group stayed behind at Prestebakke and Berby. Prince Christian August of Norway ordered his troops to push them out. This attack was led by Arild Huitfeldt. The Swedish commander, Georg Adlersparre, was not there. Instead, von Knorring was in charge. The Norwegian attack completely surprised him. Most of his soldiers were captured. This battle did not change the overall war much. The Swedes fought back on June 14 and took back the areas they had lost.

Why the Battle Happened

After the Battle of Mobekk, Swedish forces had to leave Norway. But a small group remained in Prestebakke and Berby. Prince Christian August wanted them gone. He told Juul, who was in charge of Kongsvinger Fortress, to make the Swedes cross the border.

Planning the Attack

Juul became very sick, so Arild Huitfeldt took over the plan. Huitfeldt had 876 men ready for the attack. He split his forces into three groups. He would lead 230 men in a direct attack on Prestebakke. Another group of about 540 or 550 men would go around. They would attack the Swedes from behind. The third group, with 106 men, would create a distraction at Berby.

The Swedes had about 420 soldiers spread around Prestebakke. von Knorring was their commander there. About 20 more Swedish soldiers were sick. The Norwegian plan relied on the Swedish patrols being careless. This would allow the Norwegians to surprise them completely.

The Battle Begins

The Norwegian groups split into smaller teams. They wanted to attack the scattered Swedish soldiers. They also aimed to block any escape routes. The attack from behind the Swedish lines started early at 3:30 AM. The Swedes were totally surprised. Their outposts were quickly taken over or forced to retreat.

Knorring tried to fight back with about 128 men. But he had to pull back towards Glenne. This happened after an hour of fighting. Both sides of his group were in danger. No help was coming.

Fighting at the Church

At the same time, Huitfeldt began his direct attack. He pushed the Swedish outposts back towards Prestebakke. A tough fight then took place at the church. Several Swedish groups had gathered there. The Swedes fought from behind the cemetery wall. But the Norwegians managed to surround them. They broke through the Swedish defenses.

Knorring kept fighting as he retreated towards Glenne. But a small Norwegian group stopped him across a stream. This was about 1.3 kilometres from the church. Knorring told his men to form a special fighting line. He tried to break through the Norwegian position. After two failed attempts, and with more Norwegian soldiers chasing him, he gave up. His remaining 150 men were captured.

Attack on Berby

The third Norwegian group was supposed to attack Berby. They traveled by boat through the Iddefjord. On June 9, they landed a small force at Pilegården. They quickly made a Swedish outpost run away. The next day, the Norwegians attacked Krokstrand. Then they moved on to Berby. There was an artillery fight for about an hour. No one was hurt on either side during this part.

What Happened Next

After the battle, the Swedes and Norwegians agreed to a short break in fighting. This was to collect the many wounded soldiers. The Swedes lost 18 men killed. They also had 380 men captured, including 38 who were wounded. The exact number of Norwegian losses is not fully known. They had six men killed and six seriously wounded. The total number of wounded is not recorded.

Knorring faced consequences for his failure in the battle. He was temporarily removed from his duties. The battle did not have a lasting effect on the war. Four days later, the Swedes fought back. They wanted to get their honor back. They quickly retook the areas they had lost. The Norwegians quickly retreated because the Swedish force was much larger.

Later, between June 20 and 24, the Swedes left their positions. They went back to Sweden. On September 12, they crossed the border again. This time, they were just checking on the Norwegian positions at Berby.