Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Battle of Wissembourg

Battle of Wissembourg was a battle fought on 4 August 1870 at Wissembourg, in what is now France. It was part of the Franco-Prussian War, which ran from 1870 to 1871. The recorded result: German victory. Recorded strength: 25,000; 144 guns against 6,000; 12 guns.

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Battle of Wissembourg
Édouard Detaille, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought4 August 1870
WhereWissembourg, France49.017N, 7.950E
OutcomeGerman victory
BelligerentsPrussia; 23px|border Baden; Kingdom of Bavaria; WürttembergagainstFrance
Casualties and losses1,551 killed, wounded or missingand1,600 killed or wounded; 700 captured
Part ofFranco-Prussian War1870 to 1871

Where it sits in the Franco-Prussian War

Siege of Metz, 1870Second Battle of Orléans, 1870Siege of Thionville, 1870Lichtenberg Siege, 1870Siege of Marsal, 1870Battle of Saarbrücken, 1870Battle of Wissembourg, 1870Battle of Spicheren, 1870Battle of Wörth, 1870Siege of Bitche, 1870Siege of Phalsbourg, 1870Battle of Borny-Colombey, 1870Battle of Mars-la-Tour, 1870Siege of Strasbourg, 1870Siege of Toul, 1870Battle of Gravelotte, 1870Battle of Buzancy, 1870Battle of Nouart, 1870Battle of Beaumont, 1870Battle of Noisseville, 1870Battle of Bazeilles, 1870Battle of Sedan, 1870Siege of Montmédy, 1870Battle of Montmesly, 1870Siege of Paris, 1870First Battle of Châtillon, 1870Battle of Sceaux, 1870Battle of Chevilly, 1870Battle of Nompatelize, 1870Battle of Saint-Quentin, 1870Battle of Artenay, 1870Siege of Verdun, 1870Battle of Châtillon, 1870Siege of Neu-Breisach, 1870Battle of Bellevue, 1870Battle of Châteaudun, 1870Battle of Buzenval, 1870Battle of Dijon, 1870Battle of Le Bourget, 1870Siege of Belfort, 1870Siege of La Fère, 1870Battle of Coulmiers, 1870Battle of Havana, 1870Siege of Mézières, 1870Battle of Amiens, 1870Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande, 1870Battle of Villiers, 1870Battle of Choisy-le-Roi, 1870Battle of Villepion, 1870Battle of Loigny-Poupry, 1870Battle of Beaugency, 1870Battle of Longeau, 1870Battle of Nuits, 1870Second Battle of Le Bourget, 1870Battle of Hallue, 1870Siege of Péronne, 1870Battle of Pontarlier, 1871Battle of Bapaume, 1871Battle of Villersexel, 1871Battle of Le Mans, 1871Battle of the Lisaine, 1871Battle of Saint-Jean-sur-Erve, 1871Battle of Saint-Melaine, 1871Battle of St. Quentin, 1871Battle of Buzenval, 187118701871Battle of Wissembourg, 1870
65 placed engagements of the Franco-Prussian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date4 August 1870
PlaceWissembourg, France
49.017N, 7.950E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength25,000; 144 guns6,000; 12 guns
Casualties and losses1,551 killed, wounded or missing1,600 killed or wounded; 700 captured
Commanders
  • Abel Douay
  • Jean Pellé
Battle of WissembourgBattle of WissembourgSecond Battle of WissembourgFirst Battle of WissembourgBattle of GeisbergBattle of WörthBattle of FroeschwillerBattle of WörthBattle of FroeschwillerFrankfurtStuttgartStrasbourgLuxembourgMannheimSaarbrückenWiesbadenMetz100 km49.017N, 7.950E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Dispositif des forces françaises et allemandes le 3 août 1870 au soir. Carte personnelle Licence GFDL Carte utilisée pour la fiche bataille de Wissembourg
Dispositif des forces françaises et allemandes le 3 août 1870 au soir. Carte personnelle Licence GFDL Carte utilisée pour la fiche bataille de Wissembourg. The original uploader was Reynier at French Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 4 times between 1793 and 1870.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1870

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: GER 3RD ARMYDefender: FR I CORPS (-)
Strength51,0006,000
Casualties1,600 (3.1%)2,100 (35.0%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1074
Outcomeattacker won
Duration1 day
Front width5 km2.5 km
Attacker advanced2.4 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 220), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Battle of Wissembourg is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,383 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q697306, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Wissembourg (1870), revision 1370276969, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.