Battle of Grocka

Battle of Grocka
Part of the Austro-Turkish War of 1737–1739
Description of Battle of Grocka by Henry Köpp, 1753
Date 22 July 1739 Location Grocka, Belgrade, Sanjak of Smederevo, Ottoman Empire Result Ottoman victory
Belligerents
Habsburg monarchy	Ottoman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Marshal Wallis Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg	Grand Vizier Ivaz Mehmed Pasha
Strength
40,000	100,000
Casualties and losses
5,600 (2,350 killed 2,850 wounded 400 missing) or: 7,000 dead, 7,000 wounded.	Unknown

Main article: Ottoman–Habsburg wars

The Battle of Grocka, also known as Battle of Krotzka, (Turkish: Hisarcık Savaşı) was the decisive battle of the Austro-Turkish War (1737–1739). It was fought between the Habsburg Monarchy and the Ottoman Empire on 21–22 July 1739 in Grocka, near Belgrade in the Habsburg-held Kingdom of Serbia. The Ottomans were victorious, and proceeded with the Siege of Belgrade, that led to the conclusion of the Treaty of Belgrade on 18 September 1739.

Battle

The Habsburgs had direct orders from Emperor Charles VI to engage the enemy at the first possible opportunity.

The Habsburg army broke up camp at Vinča (Zweibrücken) on 20 July between 22:00 and 23:00h and moved south through difficult terrain. On the morning of 21 July, the Imperial cavalry consisting of the Pállfy and Savoy regiments encountered the Turkish army and attacked without waiting for the infantry. The Ottoman forces were better prepared and, outnumbering their opponent, could fire on the Habsburgs from higher hidden positions.

The Habsburg cavalry was then cut off and only the Savoy Regiment was able to break out. When the Habsburg infantry arrived, the battle raged on until nightfall, when the Habsburgs decided to retreat to Vinča. The Ottomans did not pursue.

On 23 July the Habsburgs withdrew further to Belgrade.

In this battle, the Habsburg cavalry alone had suffered 2,142 killed and wounded, between 25 and 50% of their total effectives.

The Ottoman Army followed and laid siege to Belgrade, until the Habsburgs signed the Treaty of Belgrade on September 18 and consequently left the city.

Consequences

The defeat at Grocka had an enormous psychological impact at the Habsburg Court. After a series of resounding victories against the Ottomans under Eugene of Savoy, a short and victorious campaign was expected again this time. The unexpected defeat made the Habsburgs eager for peace. The Ottoman diplomats took advantage and obtained a very advantageous Treaty of Belgrade, in which many of Habsburg gains from the Treaty of Passarowitz were given back, including Belgrade with central Serbia.

The Habsburg Monarchy paid a high price for neglecting to maintain an efficient army and failing to look for a worthy successor for Eugene of Savoy. Fieldmarshal Wallis, charged with negligence, was court-martialled and condemned to imprisonment in the castle of Spielberg. He was released three months later, when he was pardoned by the new Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

Sources

• Bodart, Gaston (1908). Militar-Historisches Kreigs-Lexikon V1: 1618-1905 (in German) (2010 ed.). Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 978-1167991554.
• Hochedlinger, Michael (2013). Austria's Wars of Emergence: War, State and Society in the Habsburg Monarchy, 1683–1797. London & New York: Routledge.
• Mikaberidze, Alexander, ed. (2011). Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic World: A Historical Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
• Roider, Karl A. (1972a). The Reluctant Ally: Austria's Policy in the Austro-Turkish War, 1737–1739. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.
• Roider, Karl A. (1972b). "The Perils of Eighteenth-Century Peacemaking: Austria and the Treaty of Belgrade, 1739". Central European History. 5 (3): 195–207.
• Tupetz, Theodor (1878). "Der Türkenfeldzug von 1739 und der Friede zu Belgrad". Historische Zeitschrift. 40: 1–51.
• Wheatcroft, Andrew (2008). The Enemy at the Gate: Habsburgs, Ottomans, and the Battle for Europe. London: Bodley Head Random House.

External links

• KUK Wehrmacht Die Schlacht bei Grocka am 22.7.1739