Trachenberg Plan facts for kids
The Trachenberg Plan was a smart military strategy. It was used by the Allies in 1813 during the War of the Sixth Coalition. This plan helped them defeat the French Emperor, Napoleon. The plan was named after a meeting held at the Trachenberg palace.
The main idea was to avoid fighting Napoleon directly. Why? Because he was a legendary general. His enemies were often afraid of his skills in battle. Instead, the Allies decided to fight Napoleon's marshals and generals. They would defeat these leaders one by one. This would weaken Napoleon's army. Meanwhile, the Allies would gather a huge force. This force would be so big that even Napoleon couldn't beat it.
This plan was created after the Allies lost several battles. These included the battles of Lützen, Bautzen, and Dresden. The Trachenberg Plan worked very well. At the Battle of Leipzig, the Allies had many more soldiers. They soundly defeated Napoleon there. He was forced to leave Germany and go back to the Rhine river.
How the Plan Was Made
Many people helped create this plan. Some ideas came from Russian generals like Karl Wilhelm von Toll and Barclay de Tolly. Another person was Jean Victor Moreau, a former French general.
However, the final plan mostly came from two main ideas. These were the Trachenberg Protocol and the Reichenbach Plan. One of the key people was Crown Prince Charles John of Sweden. He used to be Napoleon's Marshal, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. His experience was very valuable. He knew how Napoleon's army worked. He also understood Napoleon's strategies.
The other main person was Joseph Radetzky von Radetz. He was the chief of staff for the Sixth Coalition from Austria. Charles John had given advice to Tsar Alexander I of Russia in 1812. This was during the Russian Campaign. He helped the Russians defeat the French invasion. He saw his strategies work in real life.
Charles John improved his ideas over the next year. He thought about how they would work in Northern Germany. He presented his ideas to Tsar Alexander and Frederick Wilhelm III of Prussia. This happened at the Trachenberg Conference. The meeting took place from July 9-12, 1813. It was during a break in fighting called the Truce of Pläswitz.
The Allied leaders liked Charles John's ideas. They made some changes to keep everyone in the coalition happy. They adopted his proposals as their main plan. At the same time, Radetzky and the Austrians were making their own plan. They joined the Sixth Coalition officially on August 12, 1813. Their plan focused on Saxony and Northeast Germany. It aimed for a big final battle. The details of their plan fit well with the Trachenberg Protocol. The combined and changed versions of these two plans became known as the Trachenberg Plan.
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