Le Maréchal est Mort!, Alternate Franco-Prussian War

Who Should Enter Alternate Franco-Prussian War?

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  • Total voters
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Intro
Le Maréchal est Mort!, Alternate Franco-Prussian War

Bazaine.jpeg


Hello,

This thread will present an alternate history of the Franco-Prussian War based around the death of French Marshal Francois Bazaine, commander of the Army of the Rhine, at the Battle of Borny on August 14th, 1870. At Borny, in our timeline, Bazaine suffered a light shoulder wound.

Marshal Bazaine’ performance during the war left much to be desired. He failed to withdraw to Chalons as ordered, allowing himself to be entrapped in Metz, and missed two key opportunities to deal the Prussians a bloody nose at Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte. He failed to adequately inform the army as to his plans and kept his own chief of staff General L. Jarras in the dark. While having priorly demonstrated skill as a corps commander, Bazaine seems to have been unprepared for the much greater responsibility of commanding the entire Army of the Rhine.

In the event of Bazaine’s death Marshals Francois Canrobert and Edmond Leboeuf were with the army and could have potentially succeeded him.

Happy to hear your thoughts or recommendations you may have.:)
 
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Part 1
Part I: Le Maréchal est Mort!

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On the morning of August 14th, 1870 French Army of the Rhine was moving into the fortress town of Metz. The army was licking its wounds after having been thrown back from the frontier by the invading Prussians. Two days prior French Emperor Napoleon III had turned over command of the army to Marshal Bazaine and in the coming days would depart from Metz. Bazaine was an experienced leader of men having served his Majesty faithfully in the Crimea, Italy, and Mexico. He was the youngest of the active French Marshals and a popular figure with the rank and file soldiery. Many with the army and back in Paris had high hopes for him.

The day would be a bloody one, Bazaine was soon informed that the sounds of battle could be heard to the east of Metz in the vicinity of Borny. Fierce fighting was ongoing as several French divisions of the General Claude Decaen’s III Corps clashed with elements of the Prussian First Army. News soon arrived that General Decaen had been severely wounded and no longer able to command. Bazaine on hearing the news quickly headed for the front accompanied by his chief of staff General Louis Jarras.

The Marshal arrived at the climax of the engagement and immediately entered the fray. For hours Bazaine could be seen riding back and forth steadying his men and beating back numerous enemy assaults. Despite the pleading of his staff, the Marshal paid little heed to the enemy fire. Just as the battle was winding down an enemy shell landed near Bazaine hitting him and his horse with shrapnel. Jarras ran over to his Marshals side only to exclaim: Le Maréchal est Mort!
 
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Part 2
Part II: Our father is dead, but we must avenge him…

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Marshal Francois de Canrobert

In the aftermath of the Marshal Bazaine's death, General Jarras rode through Metz to the headquarters of Marshal Francois de Canrobert, commander of the VI Corps, on the western outskirts of the town. Jarras informed Canrobert of the situation and asked him to assume command of the army. The Marshal was uneasy to accept such a responsibility deeming it above his capacity. He instead recommended Jarras send word to Marshal Edmond Leboeuf and offer the command to him. As the former Minister of Defense and Jarras’ predecessor as Chief of Staff, Leboeuf was the most senior officer present. Leboeuf had accompanied the Army of the Rhine but at the moment held no official position. However, as Jarras reminded the Marshal, Leboeuf had been recently discredited by the defeats at the frontier and could not assume the position. With this Canrobert bowed to fate and accepted the command. Word of the change was sent to the Emperor who promptly approved of the move.

Canrobert would spend much of August 15th, reorganizing of the army which had now swelled to over one hundred and fifty thousand men. The III Corps, having been brutalized the day before, was withdrawn from the front line and deployed in reserve to the northwest of Metz. The IV Corps of General Ladmirault moved to take its place deploying in Metz and securing the eastern suburbs of the city. To the west of Metz, Canrobert assembled the bulk of his army and his best units. These forces included the VI Corps, the II Corps and the Elite Imperial Guard under General Bourbaki.

These men would have the important task of guarding the western and northwestern routes out of the city. The Army of the Rhine was still under orders from the Emperor to withdraw from Metz via Verdun to Chalons and then to link up with the newly formed Army of Chalons under Marshal MacMahon. Canrobert would need a few more days with which to concentrate his army and resupply before any departure could be conducted. The Prussians were well aware of this and would soon attempt to outflank the city hoping to trap the army within.

In addition to his deployments, Canrobert looked to the moral of the army. The death of Marshal Bazaine was met with a mix of intense grief and anger. Many lamented of how he was a modern-day Marshal Turenne who had fallen before his time. In his orders for the day, Canrobert ended with the message “Our father is dead, but we must avenge him.”

EDIT: Change of Leboeuf to Canrobert.
 
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Actually, Napoléon III did not leave Metz for Verdun until the first hours of August 16th, on the eve of the battle of Mars-la-Tour.


I look forward to how this TL goes. I myself have had a TL project on this war for almost a decade now ( https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/wi-mars-la-tour-1870-august-16th.195264/ ), but the pod was much later into the battle of August 16th, either with Bazaine's capture or death (as it nearly happened IOTL).

Thanks for the input. Good catch, It seems Napoleon turned over command on August 12th but stuck around until the 16th visiting various units. Your scenario is very interesting indeed! I was thinking along similar lines regarding Mars-la-Tour and excellent thoughts on a potential pull back/siege of Paris. I decided to go with Leboeuf over Canrobert, who seemed to have been somewhat unsure of himself like Bazaine, not sure if he is the best choice though….


Additionally, this might interest you, Memoirs of General Jarras:
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k2100782.image
 
Thanks.

I also had once a 1885 report that provided with a lengthy but detailed report of the battle but I didn't find online anymore (and my downloaded version is stuck on a dead computer hard-drive I still get to retrieve ).

My only academic material so far on it, besides the 1885 report, has been the biographies of Napoléon III and his cousin Prince Napoléon.
From what I remember, Leboeuf lost credit after the shameful performance of the first battles, receiving blame for French military unpreparedness.
Willing or not, Canrobert was the only one of any standing to replace Bazaine. Plus, if you kill Bazaine at Borny, it's probable Canrobert would stick closely to Napoléon III order to get the army back to Châlons (through the nearest railway at Verdun), without seeking battle, ie getting away from Metz as fast as possible. That's only about a temporary command to end as soon as they get back under McMahon command at Châlons.
 
Part 3
Part III: Battle of Mars-la-Tour

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The battle of Mars-la-Tour opened in the morning hours of August the 16th with a barrage of Prussian artillery shells falling up the cavalry of General Forton’s division near Vionville. These guns belonged to the Prussian III Corps of General Constantin von Alvensleben. Alvensleben had ordered his army to advance believing that he was facing a mere rearguard of the fleeing French. In reality, Alvensleben and his corps had stumbled upon the bulk of the French army. This presented the French with a golden opportunity to deal the outnumbered Prussians a significant blow.

Alvensleben ordered his men forward upon the villages of Rezonville and Vionville supported by artillery deployed on a ridge of high ground southwest of Flavigny. In the recent series of engagements, the Prussian Krupp guns had proven themselves far superior to the artillery of their French enemies. As the Prussian infantry advanced they came into contact with elements of the French II Corps of General Charles Frossard. Frossard was determined to hold his ground and had taken up a strong position with his left wing anchored on the nearby Juree stream. The Prussians made good progress against the French capturing Vionville. Marshal Canrobert meanwhile had spent that morning seeing off Napoleon III who finally departed the army escorted by his elite Chasseurs d’Afrique. Canrobert on hearing news of the action proceeded to the front. The VI, III and IV Corps along with the Imperial Guard Corps was ordered to shore up Frossard’s right flank and concentrate near St. Marcel.

The fighting was hard fought with the Prussian artillery dealing the French heavy blows. In the infantry battles, however, it was the French Chassepot that proved superior to the Prussian Dreyse. By midday it became clear Alvensleben was rapidly running out of reserves. It was at this point that Canrobert ordered a general advance upon Vionville and Tronville. North of Vionville Prussians cavalry squadrons did their best to keep the French at bay through a series of near suicidal charges. The Prussian infantry as well taking up a good position in the woods to the north of Tronville made the French pay for every inch. This stout defense ultimately proved to be futile as the French through weight of numbers cracked open the Prussian position capturing both Vionville and Tronville. The French cavalry was then unleashed to exploiting the breakthrough.

With their lines collapsing the Prussians began a chaotic retreat eastward. Canrobert hoped to destroy the Prussian Corps by surrounding it and pushing driving it into the Juree. Total victory, however, would prove elusive as the elements of the Prussian X Corps arrived on the field. These fresh units helped cover the withdrawal of Alvensleben’s shattered corps. Though he had not annihilated his enemy, Canrobert had much to be satisfied with, he had driven the Prussians away from the Verdun road and could not begin his withdrawal from Metz.


Note: Bazaine, in OTL battle, was overly concerned about a nonexistent attack on his left wing and keep far too many units, including the Guard, in the Rezonville-Gravelotte area. He additionally did not forcefully push his nearly successful breakthrough at Tronville. In this alternate scenario, Canrobert will be less concerned about his left flank and concentrate on his right-center forcefully pushing the attack and smashing through. Overall, I wasn’t sure how detailed to make this post. Curious if anyone cares wants to read about individual unit actions vs a broad narrative?
 
In the OTL battle, Canrobert wished to press on Prussian right flank and push towards the Gorze ravines, thus threatening Prussians lines of communication to Noveant, potentially isolating them on the left bank if the Moselle river. Ultimately, this idea was discarded by Bazaine
 
In the OTL battle, Canrobert wished to press on Prussian right flank and push towards the Gorze ravines, thus threatening Prussians lines of communication to Noveant, potentially isolating them on the left bank if the Moselle river. Ultimately, this idea was discarded by Bazaine

Very intriguing idea. It would be a much more impressive victory than the central breakthrough I proposed. This would be a sensible moved based upon Bazaine's strong left wing of OTL battle.
 
Part 4
Part IV: Sword of Damocles

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General Gregoire de Nordeck


On August 17th, in the aftermath of his triumph at Mars-la-Tour, Canrobert ordered his army to begin its withdrawal west to Verdun and then on to Chalons. Before his departure, Canrobert met with General Gregoire de Nordeck the garrison commander of Fortress Metz. It was decided that Nordeck would be left with some thirty thousand men to defend the city and hamper the Prussian pursuit.

Some 100 miles away along the Marne River rested the one hundred and twenty thousand man Army of Chalons under the command of Marshal MacMahon. MacMahon was France’s most talented commander if anyone could recover the situation it would be him. The army began preparations for the link up with Canrobert’s weary soldiers, once unified they would then have some three hundred thousand men at their disposal.

At the same time, MacMahon met with General Louis Trochu, newly appointed governor of Paris, on how best to proceed. Despite the adequate river line before them, MacMahon favored a withdrawal to Paris. Paris had an incredibly strong defensive system and the army could bring itself into the safety of these fortifications. MacMahon believed that the city with the addition of his massive army could hold indefinitely. Trochu, however, pointed out the need to keep Paris’s southern routes and rail lines open in order to supply and feed the populace. In his opinion, it was essential to prevent the city from being enveloped.

With this in mind, the two commanders contemplated a pullback to Orleans and the Loire River. At the same time, a strong garrison would be left in Paris to hold the city. The Prussians would then find it difficult to operate against the city with this “Sword of Damocles” hanging over them. Further, it was supposed that supply lines with the city could be kept open. At Orleans, they could also gather around them the thousands of new soldiers being mobilized. Having agreed upon a plan of action, MacMahon submitted it to the emperor who promptly approved it but only as a last resort.

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Loire River
 
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Interested in any opinions on this latest part. I have read that MacMahon at one point advocated a pull back to the Loire and I thought it would be a good move. @galileo-034 I noticed in your thread you favored trying to hold links north into Picardy, do you think this would be essential?
 
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This could be a good plan stay behind the defensive lines of Orleans and the Lorie while waiting for the smaller German states to loose confidence in Prussian leadership.
 
Well, I don’t know if there was any, but if there was a dam on the Loire, you could try drastic measures...
Alternatively, you could try to blow up bridge behind the German army and trap them between the Seine and the Loire, breaking their supply line. Using partisans maybe, I remember those sprung up the moment German entered France.
 
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