"Auerstedt: Road from Hassenhausen to Spielberg " Topic

Hello. I have been studying Napoleon's Apogee: Bresonnet's Studies as translated by Scott Bowden. This is an incredible work and well worth the price.

In particular, I am interested in the terrain along the road from Hassenhausen to Spielberg. I have walked the countryside of Europe and am familiar with many different country road types. Some are flat and on the surface, others are depressed and ditch like while the extremes are sunken roads lined by hedges.

The tactical drawings by Arne Limner and the Bressonet maps appear to show the road clear of hedges and without much depression. However, the French troops were formed along this road area as if it provided some form of cover from fire. Bressonet mentions defiles and undulations that hid French battalions of the 108th and 111th regiments.

I was wondering if anyone has first hand knowledge, sources or a better understanding of the original terrain along this road?

Have you tried Google Earth?

link might have a map of the area

The maps and satellite views (Bing and Google) seem to show the road being mostly flat and on the surface.

This picture from the South West of Hassenhausen near the memorial to Brunswick looking towards Hassenhausen shows typical visibility.

This picture is from much further West, Gernstadt is in the foreground with Hassenhausen in the distance. You can make out the line of the road to Spielberg marked out by the thin line of trees.

For an historic map see

Might there not have been drainage ditches alongside the road?

Thanks for the link. Very interesting but unfortunately the section containing Auerstedt hasn't been included yet.

I have tried Google Earth. The features and general layout are very easy to pick out. The road appears to be perfectly flat without any berms or ditches but could have been graded and shaped during paving. It has been over 200 years. As an example, the Taugitz-Hassenhausen road just south of Hassenhausen was a sunken road with steep sides…all those features appear to be gone.

I drove and walked around the Auerstadt battlefield back in the northern Summer of 1998. I was struck by the small size of the area. It was a lot less rugged than I had expected, much smoother and gentler slopes and the villages were smaller than expected.

I noticed no sunken roads or similar features but admittedly it could've changed in the last couple of hundred years.

Mike and nsolomon99,

The photos you provided were outstanding and visually speak to what nsolomon99 refers to. The main battlefield, even when viewing from Google Earth is not large, rugged (except for slope down to the Saale River) or overwhelmed with terrain features. For the most part, the terrain did not restrict fire or maneuver although the woods running east from Hassenhausen (HH) split the Prussian attack.

The photos also highlight Scharnhorst's report as quoted in "Napoleon's Apogee": "…even though the French were formed in such a manner so that Hassenhausen was their center, I could see no lines of the enemy troops." The terrain elevation approaching the road from the slope to the west hid the French infantry and the artillery until Schmettau's Prussian infantry fell under fire.

The Auerstedt Museum in HH points out that the road from Kosen to HH to Taugwitz (now B87) was the Via Regia and therefore quite old (2000 yrs?). The maps from 1807 and 1906 above provided by Mike, clearly show steep sides but neither show such from HH to Spielberg. I think it would be worthwhile to contact the museum and inquire if they have any insight.

At this point I'm left with the assumption that the HH-Spielberg road provided little in the way of defensive cover other than possible trees and the elevation contour that would have hidden troops/batteries from view while approaching up the slope from Taugwitz/Poppel.

Many thanks for providing the photos, map and tour observations. If anyone has more information I'll be very grateful.

Yes, I would check to see how much has changed in the 200+ years since 1806, particularly the roads. Moving them, filling them in, widening them, or simply flattening them out to improve the drainage would erase whatever was there before.

In 2006 we marched from Bad Kosen to Hassenhausen to recreate the march of the 21eme to the battle. I was struck by how often (in 2006) we couldn't see anything to our right. The ground seemed to fall away on our left in gentle slopes. The modern, paved road took us right to the outskirts of Hassenhausen (where we got to bivouac with the 85eme) and I could visualize our forebears forming up to make a run at the town. Wonderful museum by the way, and the Germans were most welcoming.

21eRegt,

I would have loved to have been in that reenactment. WRT to the terrain to the left and right…was that observation made while coming up the escarpment out of Kosen or once you were up on the plateau?

Thanks!