Friedrich Wilhelm Adalbert von Bredow ( Friedrich Wilhelm Adalbert von Bredow ; 1814–1890) was a Prussian cavalry general who became famous in the battle of Mars-la-Tour during the attack near Vionville on August 16, 1870 [2] .
| Adalbert von Bredow | |
|---|---|
| him Friedrich Wilhelm Adalbert von Bredow | |
| Date of Birth | or |
| Place of Birth | |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
| Affiliation | Kingdom of Prussia |
| Type of army | cavalry |
| Years of service | since 1832 |
| Rank | lieutenant general |
| Battles / Wars | Franco-Prussian War |
| Awards and prizes |  |
| Retired | since 1883 |
Biography
Adalbert von Bredov was born on May 25, 1814 in the kingdom of Prussia near the town of Friesac (now: Brandenburg , Federal Republic of Germany ).
In 1832 he entered military service and by 1859 he was appointed commander of the 4th Dragoon Regiment.
During the Franco-Prussian War, Adalbert von Bredow commanded the 12th Cavalry Brigade, Fifth Cavalry Division. On August 16, 1870, on the day of the Battle of Mars-la-Tour , at about two o'clock in the afternoon, under Vionville, von Bredow received an order from General Constantin von Alvensleben to attack the French batteries of the Roman road as soon as possible in order to assist the 6th infantry division, bearing heavy losses from the fire of these batteries [3] .
South of Tronville bush, Adalbert von Bredow launched an attack on 7 squadrons on the right flank of the French batteries, as well as the 1st line of the French infantry and brought his squadrons to the 2nd line of the infantry at the height of the Rezonville; the artillery servants were destroyed, and the horses chopped up (to deprive the French of the ability to maneuver) [4] . After that, the Prussians were stopped by a far superior enemy cavalry, and with significant losses (16 officers, 381 lower ranks, 461 horses) made their way back through the same lines of French troops. This desperate attack, in which the attackers were almost five times lower than the number of defenders, was of enormous importance to the Prussians, as it stopped the movement of the VI French Corps and thus saved the Sixth Prussian Infantry Division from defeat. Soon reinforcements arrived at the Prussians and the French were forced to defend; the battle lasted with varying success until the evening, and at night the French commander-in-chief, Bazin, ordered to stop attempts to advance to Verdun. For this attack, von Bredov was awarded the Iron Cross Class 1 [3] . This battle showed the whole world that cavalry could still be effective in battle, and cavalry units existed in European armies for quite a long time.
Up until 1872, von Bredow served in cavalry; commanded a division, and in 1883 he retired, rising to lieutenant general [3] .
Friedrich Wilhelm Adalbert von Bredow died on March 3, 1890 in his native places.
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 German National Library , Berlin State Library , Bavarian State Library , etc. Record # 140006834 // General Regulatory Control (GND) - 2012—2016.
- ↑ Friedrich Wilhelm Adalbert von Bredow Archived January 22, 2011.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Bredov, von, Friedrich-Wilhelm-Adalbert // Military Encyclopedia : [in 18 t.] / Ed. VF Novitsky [et al.]. - SPb. ; [ M. ]: Type. t-islands I. D. Sytin , 1911-1915.
- ↑ Mars-la-Tour // Military Encyclopedia : [in 18 t.] / Ed. VF Novitsky [et al.]. - SPb. ; [ M. ]: Type. t-islands I. D. Sytin , 1911-1915.