Operations in Northern Germany
In the years 1712-1714. Peter planned to strike a double blow at the Swedish Empire. The Russian command sent the first blow to the Swedish possessions in Northern Germany, and the second in Finland. Through concerted action by the army fleet were going to take control of the northern coast of the Gulf of Finland and the eastern coast of the Bothnian coast, and from there transfer the hostilities to the Swedish territories proper, to Stockholm. These actions were supposed to lead to a beneficial peace between Russia and Sweden.
Even after the defeat of Karl's army near Poltava, the corps of General Krassau (Ernst von Crassow) stationed in Poland withdrew to the Swedish possession in Pomerania. It was necessary to defeat this Swedish grouping, since it could, with good leadership, bring serious trouble to the allies. But the war in this region of Europe was complicated by the policies of a number of great powers. England, Holland and Austria were not interested in the fact that hostilities went in Northern Germany and Russian troops penetrated there. 20 (31) March in the Hague was signed act on the northern neutrality. Participants in the anti-Swedish Northern Union pledged not to attack the Krassau Corps. Denmark and Saxony agreed not to withdraw their forces that were in the service of the Great Union. The powers of the Great Union (England, Holland and Austria — these powers beat the allies in the war for the Spanish inheritance) guaranteed that the Swedish forces in Pomerania would not increase in number, and would not conduct offensive operations against Saxony, Poland and Russia. If the Swedes launched an offensive, the powers of the Northern Union were given the right to start a war in Pomerania. The special “peacekeeping contingent” was to monitor the fulfillment of these conditions. July 22 (August 2) in the Hague, an agreement was signed on the establishment of the 18,5 thousand Austrian-English-Dutch Corps, which was intended to monitor the preservation of neutrality.
But the Swedish king Charles XII refused to recognize the northern neutrality and destroyed the whole political structure. As a result, the 18 Thousands of troops could attack the Allies at any time. Especially feared this strike in 1711, when the main forces of the Russian army participated in the war with Turkey and the Crimean Khanate. In Poland, they had to send a Russian auxiliary corps, which was supposed to fend off a possible Swedes strike. In May 1711, the Russian government transferred to London a proposal to join forces of the Northern and Great Unions to act jointly against the Swedish forces, since Karl is not going to maintain neutrality and the Swedish forces are waiting for a signal to invade Saxony or Poland. Readiness to act independently was also expressed, if the countries of the Great Union do not agree with this proposal. 3 (14) August 1711, the Grand Union agreed not to hinder the entry of the Northern Union troops into Pomerania.
Campaign 1711 of the year. In August 1711 of the year 27 thousand. Danish army entered Pomerania. 5 Thousands of cavalry detachment was sent to block Wismar. At the same time, the Saxon Prince Augustus II, headed by 16 thousand Saxon-Russian cavalry corps, entered Pomerania. 6 (17) September Allied forces joined at Stralsund and began its siege. Siege weapons were to be brought from Denmark. The siege dragged on - the Danish king, and the Saxon prince could not agree on a plan of common action. The Danes wanted to capture Wismar in the first place, and the Saxons, Rügen Island. The supply of troops was bad. Particularly affected were Russian soldiers - the Saxons provided them with a residual principle. Peter wrote to Augustus, where he demanded to provide Russian troops, or give them to the Danish king Frederick IV. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the Danish squadron carrying the siege artillery was dispersed by the storm, the ships returned. The Swedes were able to strengthen their forces in Pomerania, dropping an 6 thous. Auxiliary force. The Allies decided to lift the siege and go to the winter apartments - it was impossible to take Stralsund without having a siege artillery. Thus, the 1711 campaign in Pomerania did not produce positive results. The Allies acted hesitantly, poorly coordinated their actions, could not organize a normal siege of the main enemy fortress, provide the siege corps with artillery and all the necessary supplies. Only Wismar left 6 thousand Danish squad.
1712 Campaign
By the beginning of 1712, the main Russian army was liberated. Although, given the fragility of the world with the Ottoman Empire, about 80 thousand army was left in Ukraine under the command of Sheremetev. Therefore, in 1712, it was planned to conduct military operations in Pomerania by Danish, Saxon and Russian forces and strike at Finland with Russian troops. In addition, the idea was to carry out a landing from Pomerania into the territory of Sweden, which they were going to carry out with the help of the Danish fleet. The main attack on Sweden was thought to be inflicted by Northern Germany, while the Russian troops in Finland were to divert the attention of part of the Swedish army.
In Pomerania, the allied army had complete superiority over the forces of the Swedes. The Swedes had 22 thousand people. Allied forces numbered up to 85 thousand people: 27 thousand Danes, 10 thousand Saxons, the rest of the Russians. Russian troops commanded Alexander Menshikov.
The main problem for the allies was not opposition to the forces of the enemy, but the impossibility of finally agreeing on a common plan of action. From the beginning of the 1712 of the year to the beginning of the campaign negotiations were underway, but they did not lead to success. Only March 31 (April 11) in Danish Kolding managed more or less to agree on a plan of action. Stralsund decided to besiege and land troops on Rugen. The Russian command was going to take Stettin (Szczecin), so as not to sever their rear communications. Therefore, the Russian government tried to attract Prussia to the anti-Swedish coalition. Peter guaranteed that after taking Stettin, he would be transferred to Prussia. In September, 1712, Russia concluded an agreement with Prussia on the transfer of Stettin to it, the field of how it will be taken.
Peter wanted to change the plan of military operations and to solve the problem of Stettin and Wismar in the first place, in order to provide the rear. A strong fortress of Stralsund with 11 thousand garrison to take later. 17 (28) of August at the military council in Wolgast the allies did not support the plan of the Russian Tsar. It was decided to besiege Stettin, disembark landing on Rugen and simultaneously proceed to the blockade and bombardment of Stralsund.
In June 1712, the Russian troops were concentrated in Pomerania. The army under the command of Menshikov blocked Stettin. Under his leadership were the corps of Bour and Repnin. Russian-Polish-Saxon forces under the command of Allart laid siege to Stralsund. The Danish corps of General Rantzau stood at Wismar, besides the Danes besieged Stade (in the Bremen region). In this campaign, the Danes were able to take Stade, Bremen and Verdun.
Menshikov reported that the Allies were dragging on the conduct of hostilities and expressed concern that Russia might waste time and troops from lack of food. Russian troops in Pomerania experienced a shortage of food, especially in Stralsund. In addition, there was no siege artillery, it was not sent from Russia because of the distance and bad roads, the Danish fleet had to bring guns. But, the Danes did not send siege cannons, saying that the Saxons did not send them cannons to Stade. The Russian troops at Stettin, having received no artillery, moved to Stralsund.
The landing scheduled for Rügen was not carried out either. The Danish fleet (17 battleships and 5 frigates), which stood at Rugen missed the Swedish fleet (24 battleships). The Swedish command of 13 (24) of September was able to land on the Rugen of the 12 a thousand corps commanded by one of the most talented Swedish generals Magnus Stenbock. He was the organizer of the defense of the Swedish province of Skåne and defeated the Danish army in February 1710 of the year, forcing the Danes to evacuate their forces. The Stralsund garrison was almost doubled, which forced the Allies to abandon the assault.
At the end of October, Stenbock began his famous maneuver march, launching an attack from Stralsund, leaving only the 2 thousand garrison there. The Swedes took Damgarten. The Saxons and Danes standing there retreated without a fight. 3 (14) November, Swedish troops occupied Rostock. When the Swedish troops entered Mecklenburg, the Danes lifted the siege of Wismar and retreated to Trave. The Saxon commander-in-chief, Jacob Heinrich von Fleming, without Peter’s consent, concluded a truce with Stenbock for 15 days. The Swedish commander expected a second landing force to be sent from Sweden. At the same time, the foreign policy situation became complicated. England pressed Denmark to make the Danish king make a separate peace with Sweden. England was even going to combine its Navy with the Swedish fleet, to exert military and political pressure on Copenhagen. Yes, and Russia's allies led behind her back talks with the Swedes. So, the Saxon Elector Augustus promised to break the alliance with Russia if S. Leschinsky abandons the Polish crown.
The Russian-Saxon and Danish army of King Frederick IV of Denmark acted separately. Stenbok decided not to allow the allies to join and break up the Danish army. 4 (15) December, the Swedish forces (14 thousand) acted in the direction of Schwerin and Girsov. The Saxons under the command of Fleming joined the Danes and the Danish-Saxon forces reached almost 20 thousand bayonets and sabers. Peter sent couriers to the Danish king several times and advised to wait for the approach of the Russian forces and shy away from the battle. But, the Danish command decided to take the fight, relying on superiority in forces and "wanted to gain some glory." 9 (20) December, near the town of Gadebush, a battle took place between the Danish-Saxon and Swedish forces. The commander of the Danish troops Jobst von Scholten took a comfortable position: the Danish-Saxon forces were located on a hill, the front and left flank were covered with a swampy valley of the river Radegast, and from the right flank a dense forest. The infantry was placed in the center, and cavalry was placed on the flanks. The Swedes conducted reconnaissance and after an artillery bombardment of the Danish camp in 1: 00 afternoon went on the offensive. After a fierce battle, the Danish-Saxon army was overturned. The attacks of the Danish and Saxon cavalry on the flanks were repulsed by the Swedes. The Danes have lost 5 thousand people killed, wounded and captured (according to other data 4 thousand killed and wounded, and about 4 thousand prisoners), and the Saxons more than 800 people. Swedish loss 1,6 people killed and wounded. The Danes left all the artillery during the retreat. The remnants of the Allied army went to Lübeck. Stenbok was between Wismar and Lübeck.
At the end of December, the Allies held a military meeting at which they decided to pursue Stenbock, who had begun the movement towards Hamburg. At this point, the 1712 campaign of the year was completed. In general, this campaign was also unsuccessful. Allied successes limited to taking Stade and Bremen. The campaign plan was not executed: Stettin, Stralsund and Wismar could not take it. Landing on Rügen did not land. The twice prepared landing in Sweden due to the uncoordinated actions of the allies was also not carried out. The Danish fleet was unable to prevent the landing of a strong Swedish corps under the command of Stenbock. The Danish-Saxon army suffered a heavy defeat from the Swedes near Gadebush. The reasons for the failures were similar to the problems of the 1711 campaign of the year: Allied disputes, lack of coordination of actions, the lack of a unified command. Each power pulled the blanket over itself.
Field Marshal Magnus Stenbock.
1713 Campaign
At the beginning of 1713, the Russian troops, pursuing the Swedes, entered Holstein. The Swedish corps was cut off from Pomerania, Poland and Sweden and stopped in southern Schleswig, on the right bank of the Eider river. 12 (23) January 1713, the whole of the Allied army was concentrated at the Danish fortress of Rendsburg. It consisted of: 42 Russian battalion and 29 squadrons, 9 Danish battalions and 31 squadron, 3 Saxon battalion and 23 squadron.
At the end of January, the allied army reached Guzum and stood in front of the Swedish forces that were in Eiderstedt. Stenbock arranged his forces as follows: 1 thousand men in Ulvesbühl, 4 infantry regiment and 4 thousand cavalry in Friedrichstadt. Other units defended the passages in the dams that led to Adersted. The Swedes took a strong position: it was located by the sea, was surrounded by impassable channels for the army in conditions of muddy canals and swamps. Two narrow dams, through which it was possible to pass, were fortified with earthworks and artillery. Peter suggested the allies attack the Swedes. But they refused, considering that the positions of the Swedes are impregnable. In addition, the Danish king asked the Russian infantry to help, not agreeing to keep Guzum only on their own. Peter agreed to provide four infantry regiments, the Danish-Saxon command, to keep Guzum. And, with the rest of the forces, he decided to attack the passage at Friedrichstadt.
January 31 (February 11) Russian troops moved along two dams in two columns, commanded by Peter and Menshikov. The Swedes, having discovered the movement of the Russian columns, almost immediately began to retreat, did not accept a decisive battle. The guns were thrown into the water. The chase was made difficult by bad roads. The Swedish forces were saved from total annihilation only by the fact that the Holstein duke violated neutrality and allowed the Swedes into the fortress of Tonningen. Hiding there, Stenbock hoped that he could break into Mecklenburg and Pomerania. The Russian tsar prevented this maneuver, leaving the Menshikov forces to complete the siege, commanded by the Danish king. In addition, Stenbock had hope of the support of the Western powers, primarily Britain. There were persistent rumors that London sent its fleet to the aid of the Swedes. Peter even wrote a letter to the Queen of England. In it, he said that if the British would help the Swedes, attack the Russian forces or allies of Russia, "then we will be forced in our truth with all the forces, but with our allies ... we will resist and seek out, using all these methods, who will give us a case. " London did not dare to send its fleet to the aid of the Swedes, since this meant a break in all Russian-British trade relations.
The Allied army began to besiege the fortress. They built earthworks, erected positions for mortars, prepared fascines. The situation of the Swedes was difficult, in the city there was a shortage of food and drinking water. The Danish squadron blocked the mouth of the Eider River and intercepted 15 vessels with supplies for the fortress. An epidemic began in the fortress that killed 4 thousands of people. Stenbok seeing the futility of further resistance - 4 (15) of May 1713 of the year signed a surrender. The capitulation was complete: Stenbock passed the 11,4 thousand case with weapons and banners. He himself died in a Danish captivity in 1717. It was a great success - Sweden lost significant ground forces and one of its best commanders.
In June, the Allies held a regular military meeting. The Russian-Saxon army again had to proceed to the siege of Stralsund and seize the island of Rügen. In addition, the Russian troops were going to besiege Stettin, and the Saxon prince promised to give siege artillery. 4 (15) July 17 thousand Russian-Saxon landing corps captured Rügen. 24 thousand. Russian army under the command of Alexander Menshikov blocked Stettin. The city was defended by 5 thousand Swedish garrison and 4 thousand armed townspeople. In September, the Saxon artillery - 70 guns was brought to Stettin. 2 howitzers and 30 mortars. The bombing began, in the city there were strong fires. The fortress capitulated. The Russian army lost just over five hundred killed and wounded. Stettin was transferred to the management of Prussia. Prussia became an ally of Russia. Swedish Pomerania was divided between Prussia and Holstein (an ally of Saxony).
With the fall of this Stettin military action in Pomerania ended. Stralsund was captured by Prussian-Danish troops only in 1715 year.
Campaign Results in Northern Germany
The campaign ended with the defeat of the Swedes in Pomerania. Sweden lost a number of fortresses and cities, the troops of Magnus Stenbock. The duration of the campaign was associated with the inconsistency of the actions of the allies. There was no single command, a general plan of action, each power tried to solve its own tasks first of all. In general, it should be noted that the Russian state for nothing has lost in Pomerania both time and effort. All the fruits of victory went to the allies.
Even after the defeat of Karl's army near Poltava, the corps of General Krassau (Ernst von Crassow) stationed in Poland withdrew to the Swedish possession in Pomerania. It was necessary to defeat this Swedish grouping, since it could, with good leadership, bring serious trouble to the allies. But the war in this region of Europe was complicated by the policies of a number of great powers. England, Holland and Austria were not interested in the fact that hostilities went in Northern Germany and Russian troops penetrated there. 20 (31) March in the Hague was signed act on the northern neutrality. Participants in the anti-Swedish Northern Union pledged not to attack the Krassau Corps. Denmark and Saxony agreed not to withdraw their forces that were in the service of the Great Union. The powers of the Great Union (England, Holland and Austria — these powers beat the allies in the war for the Spanish inheritance) guaranteed that the Swedish forces in Pomerania would not increase in number, and would not conduct offensive operations against Saxony, Poland and Russia. If the Swedes launched an offensive, the powers of the Northern Union were given the right to start a war in Pomerania. The special “peacekeeping contingent” was to monitor the fulfillment of these conditions. July 22 (August 2) in the Hague, an agreement was signed on the establishment of the 18,5 thousand Austrian-English-Dutch Corps, which was intended to monitor the preservation of neutrality.
But the Swedish king Charles XII refused to recognize the northern neutrality and destroyed the whole political structure. As a result, the 18 Thousands of troops could attack the Allies at any time. Especially feared this strike in 1711, when the main forces of the Russian army participated in the war with Turkey and the Crimean Khanate. In Poland, they had to send a Russian auxiliary corps, which was supposed to fend off a possible Swedes strike. In May 1711, the Russian government transferred to London a proposal to join forces of the Northern and Great Unions to act jointly against the Swedish forces, since Karl is not going to maintain neutrality and the Swedish forces are waiting for a signal to invade Saxony or Poland. Readiness to act independently was also expressed, if the countries of the Great Union do not agree with this proposal. 3 (14) August 1711, the Grand Union agreed not to hinder the entry of the Northern Union troops into Pomerania.
Campaign 1711 of the year. In August 1711 of the year 27 thousand. Danish army entered Pomerania. 5 Thousands of cavalry detachment was sent to block Wismar. At the same time, the Saxon Prince Augustus II, headed by 16 thousand Saxon-Russian cavalry corps, entered Pomerania. 6 (17) September Allied forces joined at Stralsund and began its siege. Siege weapons were to be brought from Denmark. The siege dragged on - the Danish king, and the Saxon prince could not agree on a plan of common action. The Danes wanted to capture Wismar in the first place, and the Saxons, Rügen Island. The supply of troops was bad. Particularly affected were Russian soldiers - the Saxons provided them with a residual principle. Peter wrote to Augustus, where he demanded to provide Russian troops, or give them to the Danish king Frederick IV. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the Danish squadron carrying the siege artillery was dispersed by the storm, the ships returned. The Swedes were able to strengthen their forces in Pomerania, dropping an 6 thous. Auxiliary force. The Allies decided to lift the siege and go to the winter apartments - it was impossible to take Stralsund without having a siege artillery. Thus, the 1711 campaign in Pomerania did not produce positive results. The Allies acted hesitantly, poorly coordinated their actions, could not organize a normal siege of the main enemy fortress, provide the siege corps with artillery and all the necessary supplies. Only Wismar left 6 thousand Danish squad.
1712 Campaign
By the beginning of 1712, the main Russian army was liberated. Although, given the fragility of the world with the Ottoman Empire, about 80 thousand army was left in Ukraine under the command of Sheremetev. Therefore, in 1712, it was planned to conduct military operations in Pomerania by Danish, Saxon and Russian forces and strike at Finland with Russian troops. In addition, the idea was to carry out a landing from Pomerania into the territory of Sweden, which they were going to carry out with the help of the Danish fleet. The main attack on Sweden was thought to be inflicted by Northern Germany, while the Russian troops in Finland were to divert the attention of part of the Swedish army.
In Pomerania, the allied army had complete superiority over the forces of the Swedes. The Swedes had 22 thousand people. Allied forces numbered up to 85 thousand people: 27 thousand Danes, 10 thousand Saxons, the rest of the Russians. Russian troops commanded Alexander Menshikov.
The main problem for the allies was not opposition to the forces of the enemy, but the impossibility of finally agreeing on a common plan of action. From the beginning of the 1712 of the year to the beginning of the campaign negotiations were underway, but they did not lead to success. Only March 31 (April 11) in Danish Kolding managed more or less to agree on a plan of action. Stralsund decided to besiege and land troops on Rugen. The Russian command was going to take Stettin (Szczecin), so as not to sever their rear communications. Therefore, the Russian government tried to attract Prussia to the anti-Swedish coalition. Peter guaranteed that after taking Stettin, he would be transferred to Prussia. In September, 1712, Russia concluded an agreement with Prussia on the transfer of Stettin to it, the field of how it will be taken.
Peter wanted to change the plan of military operations and to solve the problem of Stettin and Wismar in the first place, in order to provide the rear. A strong fortress of Stralsund with 11 thousand garrison to take later. 17 (28) of August at the military council in Wolgast the allies did not support the plan of the Russian Tsar. It was decided to besiege Stettin, disembark landing on Rugen and simultaneously proceed to the blockade and bombardment of Stralsund.
In June 1712, the Russian troops were concentrated in Pomerania. The army under the command of Menshikov blocked Stettin. Under his leadership were the corps of Bour and Repnin. Russian-Polish-Saxon forces under the command of Allart laid siege to Stralsund. The Danish corps of General Rantzau stood at Wismar, besides the Danes besieged Stade (in the Bremen region). In this campaign, the Danes were able to take Stade, Bremen and Verdun.
Menshikov reported that the Allies were dragging on the conduct of hostilities and expressed concern that Russia might waste time and troops from lack of food. Russian troops in Pomerania experienced a shortage of food, especially in Stralsund. In addition, there was no siege artillery, it was not sent from Russia because of the distance and bad roads, the Danish fleet had to bring guns. But, the Danes did not send siege cannons, saying that the Saxons did not send them cannons to Stade. The Russian troops at Stettin, having received no artillery, moved to Stralsund.
The landing scheduled for Rügen was not carried out either. The Danish fleet (17 battleships and 5 frigates), which stood at Rugen missed the Swedish fleet (24 battleships). The Swedish command of 13 (24) of September was able to land on the Rugen of the 12 a thousand corps commanded by one of the most talented Swedish generals Magnus Stenbock. He was the organizer of the defense of the Swedish province of Skåne and defeated the Danish army in February 1710 of the year, forcing the Danes to evacuate their forces. The Stralsund garrison was almost doubled, which forced the Allies to abandon the assault.
At the end of October, Stenbock began his famous maneuver march, launching an attack from Stralsund, leaving only the 2 thousand garrison there. The Swedes took Damgarten. The Saxons and Danes standing there retreated without a fight. 3 (14) November, Swedish troops occupied Rostock. When the Swedish troops entered Mecklenburg, the Danes lifted the siege of Wismar and retreated to Trave. The Saxon commander-in-chief, Jacob Heinrich von Fleming, without Peter’s consent, concluded a truce with Stenbock for 15 days. The Swedish commander expected a second landing force to be sent from Sweden. At the same time, the foreign policy situation became complicated. England pressed Denmark to make the Danish king make a separate peace with Sweden. England was even going to combine its Navy with the Swedish fleet, to exert military and political pressure on Copenhagen. Yes, and Russia's allies led behind her back talks with the Swedes. So, the Saxon Elector Augustus promised to break the alliance with Russia if S. Leschinsky abandons the Polish crown.
The Russian-Saxon and Danish army of King Frederick IV of Denmark acted separately. Stenbok decided not to allow the allies to join and break up the Danish army. 4 (15) December, the Swedish forces (14 thousand) acted in the direction of Schwerin and Girsov. The Saxons under the command of Fleming joined the Danes and the Danish-Saxon forces reached almost 20 thousand bayonets and sabers. Peter sent couriers to the Danish king several times and advised to wait for the approach of the Russian forces and shy away from the battle. But, the Danish command decided to take the fight, relying on superiority in forces and "wanted to gain some glory." 9 (20) December, near the town of Gadebush, a battle took place between the Danish-Saxon and Swedish forces. The commander of the Danish troops Jobst von Scholten took a comfortable position: the Danish-Saxon forces were located on a hill, the front and left flank were covered with a swampy valley of the river Radegast, and from the right flank a dense forest. The infantry was placed in the center, and cavalry was placed on the flanks. The Swedes conducted reconnaissance and after an artillery bombardment of the Danish camp in 1: 00 afternoon went on the offensive. After a fierce battle, the Danish-Saxon army was overturned. The attacks of the Danish and Saxon cavalry on the flanks were repulsed by the Swedes. The Danes have lost 5 thousand people killed, wounded and captured (according to other data 4 thousand killed and wounded, and about 4 thousand prisoners), and the Saxons more than 800 people. Swedish loss 1,6 people killed and wounded. The Danes left all the artillery during the retreat. The remnants of the Allied army went to Lübeck. Stenbok was between Wismar and Lübeck.
At the end of December, the Allies held a military meeting at which they decided to pursue Stenbock, who had begun the movement towards Hamburg. At this point, the 1712 campaign of the year was completed. In general, this campaign was also unsuccessful. Allied successes limited to taking Stade and Bremen. The campaign plan was not executed: Stettin, Stralsund and Wismar could not take it. Landing on Rügen did not land. The twice prepared landing in Sweden due to the uncoordinated actions of the allies was also not carried out. The Danish fleet was unable to prevent the landing of a strong Swedish corps under the command of Stenbock. The Danish-Saxon army suffered a heavy defeat from the Swedes near Gadebush. The reasons for the failures were similar to the problems of the 1711 campaign of the year: Allied disputes, lack of coordination of actions, the lack of a unified command. Each power pulled the blanket over itself.
Field Marshal Magnus Stenbock.
1713 Campaign
At the beginning of 1713, the Russian troops, pursuing the Swedes, entered Holstein. The Swedish corps was cut off from Pomerania, Poland and Sweden and stopped in southern Schleswig, on the right bank of the Eider river. 12 (23) January 1713, the whole of the Allied army was concentrated at the Danish fortress of Rendsburg. It consisted of: 42 Russian battalion and 29 squadrons, 9 Danish battalions and 31 squadron, 3 Saxon battalion and 23 squadron.
At the end of January, the allied army reached Guzum and stood in front of the Swedish forces that were in Eiderstedt. Stenbock arranged his forces as follows: 1 thousand men in Ulvesbühl, 4 infantry regiment and 4 thousand cavalry in Friedrichstadt. Other units defended the passages in the dams that led to Adersted. The Swedes took a strong position: it was located by the sea, was surrounded by impassable channels for the army in conditions of muddy canals and swamps. Two narrow dams, through which it was possible to pass, were fortified with earthworks and artillery. Peter suggested the allies attack the Swedes. But they refused, considering that the positions of the Swedes are impregnable. In addition, the Danish king asked the Russian infantry to help, not agreeing to keep Guzum only on their own. Peter agreed to provide four infantry regiments, the Danish-Saxon command, to keep Guzum. And, with the rest of the forces, he decided to attack the passage at Friedrichstadt.
January 31 (February 11) Russian troops moved along two dams in two columns, commanded by Peter and Menshikov. The Swedes, having discovered the movement of the Russian columns, almost immediately began to retreat, did not accept a decisive battle. The guns were thrown into the water. The chase was made difficult by bad roads. The Swedish forces were saved from total annihilation only by the fact that the Holstein duke violated neutrality and allowed the Swedes into the fortress of Tonningen. Hiding there, Stenbock hoped that he could break into Mecklenburg and Pomerania. The Russian tsar prevented this maneuver, leaving the Menshikov forces to complete the siege, commanded by the Danish king. In addition, Stenbock had hope of the support of the Western powers, primarily Britain. There were persistent rumors that London sent its fleet to the aid of the Swedes. Peter even wrote a letter to the Queen of England. In it, he said that if the British would help the Swedes, attack the Russian forces or allies of Russia, "then we will be forced in our truth with all the forces, but with our allies ... we will resist and seek out, using all these methods, who will give us a case. " London did not dare to send its fleet to the aid of the Swedes, since this meant a break in all Russian-British trade relations.
The Allied army began to besiege the fortress. They built earthworks, erected positions for mortars, prepared fascines. The situation of the Swedes was difficult, in the city there was a shortage of food and drinking water. The Danish squadron blocked the mouth of the Eider River and intercepted 15 vessels with supplies for the fortress. An epidemic began in the fortress that killed 4 thousands of people. Stenbok seeing the futility of further resistance - 4 (15) of May 1713 of the year signed a surrender. The capitulation was complete: Stenbock passed the 11,4 thousand case with weapons and banners. He himself died in a Danish captivity in 1717. It was a great success - Sweden lost significant ground forces and one of its best commanders.
In June, the Allies held a regular military meeting. The Russian-Saxon army again had to proceed to the siege of Stralsund and seize the island of Rügen. In addition, the Russian troops were going to besiege Stettin, and the Saxon prince promised to give siege artillery. 4 (15) July 17 thousand Russian-Saxon landing corps captured Rügen. 24 thousand. Russian army under the command of Alexander Menshikov blocked Stettin. The city was defended by 5 thousand Swedish garrison and 4 thousand armed townspeople. In September, the Saxon artillery - 70 guns was brought to Stettin. 2 howitzers and 30 mortars. The bombing began, in the city there were strong fires. The fortress capitulated. The Russian army lost just over five hundred killed and wounded. Stettin was transferred to the management of Prussia. Prussia became an ally of Russia. Swedish Pomerania was divided between Prussia and Holstein (an ally of Saxony).
With the fall of this Stettin military action in Pomerania ended. Stralsund was captured by Prussian-Danish troops only in 1715 year.
Campaign Results in Northern Germany
The campaign ended with the defeat of the Swedes in Pomerania. Sweden lost a number of fortresses and cities, the troops of Magnus Stenbock. The duration of the campaign was associated with the inconsistency of the actions of the allies. There was no single command, a general plan of action, each power tried to solve its own tasks first of all. In general, it should be noted that the Russian state for nothing has lost in Pomerania both time and effort. All the fruits of victory went to the allies.
Information