SALAMANCA
History of War|Issue 138
After years of largely defensive campaigning, Lieutenant General Arthur Wellesley went on the offensive against a French invasion of Andalusia
LOUIS HARDIMAN
SALAMANCA

Arthur Wellesley dismounted to settle in for dinner on early afternoon, 22 July 1812. For almost a week, his army had raced to keep up with French manoeuvres to avoid being outflanked. As he tucked into his chicken on the Lesser Arapiles observation point, Wellesley (who was given the title Duke of Wellington in 1814) could see the French Army deploying below. Looking to his right, he saw five of Auguste de Marmont's divisions shifting west, ready to cut off the British retreat back to Portugal. "My God! That will do," Wellesley exclaimed, seeing that the Seventh Division led by Jean Guillaume Barthélemy Thomières, followed by Antoine Louis Popon de Maucune's Fifth Division, had outstripped their comrades. Tossing a half-eaten chicken leg over his shoulder, Wellesley jumped onto his horse and rode three miles (5km) west. His destination was Major General Edward Pakenham, his brother-in-law and commander of the Third Division. "Edward, move on with the third division - take the hills in your front and drive everything before you," Wellesley ordered. "I will, my Lord, by God!" Pakenham replied, and his division raced to engage Thomières' men before the other French divisions could catch up.

Wellesley's opportunism sparked the 1812 offensive in the Peninsular War. A chance to cross the border from Portugal and challenge French dominance in Spain came when Napoleon sent 25,000 men east to join the invasion of Russia that, combined with his attack on Valencia, left French forces in Spain stretched. While Spanish guerillas distracted the occupiers, Wellesley entered Spain on 19 January, seizing Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz. Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Sir Rowland Hill led a force to destroy the bridge over the Tagus at Almaraz, isolating Marmont's Army of Portugal at Salamanca from Nicolas-Jean de Dieu Soult's Army of the South at Seville.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 138-Ausgabe von History of War.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 138-Ausgabe von History of War.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS HISTORY OF WARAlle anzeigen
NAUMACHIA TRUTH BEHIND ROME'S GLADIATOR SEA BATTLES
History of War

NAUMACHIA TRUTH BEHIND ROME'S GLADIATOR SEA BATTLES

In their quest for evermore novel and bloody entertainment, the Romans staged enormous naval fights on artificial lakes

time-read
6 Minuten  |
Issue 138
OPERATION MANNA
History of War

OPERATION MANNA

In late April 1945, millions of Dutch civilians were starving as Nazi retribution for the failed Operation Market Garden cut off supplies. eet as In response, Allied bombers launched a risky mission to air-drop food

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
Issue 138
GASSING HITLER
History of War

GASSING HITLER

Just a month before the end of WWI, the future Fuhrer was blinded by a British shell and invalided away from the frontline. Over a century later, has the artillery brigade that launched the fateful attack finally been identified?

time-read
8 Minuten  |
Issue 138
SALAMANCA
History of War

SALAMANCA

After years of largely defensive campaigning, Lieutenant General Arthur Wellesley went on the offensive against a French invasion of Andalusia

time-read
8 Minuten  |
Issue 138
HUMBERT 'ROCKY'VERSACE
History of War

HUMBERT 'ROCKY'VERSACE

Early in the Vietnam War, a dedicated US Special Forces officer defied his merciless Viet Cong captors and inspired his fellow POWs to survive

time-read
7 Minuten  |
Issue 138
LEYTE 1944 SINKING THE RISING SUN
History of War

LEYTE 1944 SINKING THE RISING SUN

One of the more difficult island campaigns in WWII's Pacific Theatre saw a brutal months-long fight that exhausted Japan’s military strength

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
Issue 138
MAD DAWN
History of War

MAD DAWN

How technology transformed strategic thinking and military doctrine from the Cold War to the current day

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Issue 138
BRUSHES WITH ARMAGEDDON
History of War

BRUSHES WITH ARMAGEDDON

Humanity came close to self-annihilation with the Cuban Missile Crisis, Broken Arrows’ and other nuclear near misses

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Issue 138
THE DEADLY RACE
History of War

THE DEADLY RACE

How the road to peace led to an arms contest between the USA and USSR, with prototypes, proliferation and the world’s biggest bomb

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Issue 138
THE MANHATTAN PROJECT
History of War

THE MANHATTAN PROJECT

Einstein, Oppenheimer and the race to beat Hitler to the bomb. How a science project in the desert helped win a war

time-read
3 Minuten  |
Issue 138