Battle of Waren-Nossentin

Battle of Waren-Nossentin
Part of the War of the Fourth Coalition
View of Müritz Lake from St. Mary's Church tower in Waren
Date 1 November 1806 Location Waren (Müritz), Germany 53°31′N 12°41′E / 53.517°N 12.683°E / 53.517; 12.683 Result Prussian victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Prussia	French Empire
Commanders and leaders
August von Pletz Ludwig Yorck	Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte Claude-Étienne Guyot
Strength
4,000-5,000 4 guns	12,000
Casualties and losses
Waren: 26 Nossentin: Unknown	Waren: over 46 Nossentin: Unknown

War of the Fourth Coalition

200km
125miles

Friedland

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26

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Eylau

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Berlin

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Jena–Auerstedt

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⬤ current battle

⬤ Napoleon not in command

⬤ Napoleon in command

The Battle of Waren-Nossentin on 1 November 1806 saw soldiers of the Kingdom of Prussia led by August Wilhelm von Pletz and Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg fight a rear guard action against troops of the First French Empire commanded by Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. Though forced to give ground, the Prussians successfully kept the French from inflicting serious loss or cutting off any units in this War of the Fourth Coalition action. Waren lies on the northern end of Lake Müritz, about 70 kilometres (43 mi) southeast of Rostock. Nossentin is a small village on the Fleesen See (Fleesen Lake) about 15 kilometres (9 mi) due west of Waren.

After the Battle of Jena-Auerstedt on 14 October 1806, Emperor Napoleon launched an all-out pursuit of the defeated Prussians. At the end of October, the French cut off and captured large numbers of Prussian soldiers near Prenzlau and Stettin. Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher's corps evaded capture by turning back to the west. Near Waren, Blücher linked up with another Prussian corps and the combined force withdrew to the west.

As the Prussian rear guard pulled out of Waren, the first French cavalry attacked. This action started an all-day battle between Pletz and Yorck's troops and the French. Though Bernadotte attacked vigorously, the Prussians got away intact after several clashes. In contrast to their dismal performance to date, the Prussians acquitted themselves well in this fight.