Battle of Günzburg
The Battle of Günzburg took place on 9 October 1805 near Günzburg in what is now Germany. It was part of Napoleon’s Ulm campaign during the War of the Third Coalition. French forces commanded by Marshal Michel Ney and General of Division Malher tried to seize a Danube crossing at Günzburg to block the Austrian retreat under Karl Mack von Lieberich.
Malher’s 8,000 French troops attacked the bridges with three columns. The western column headed toward Leipheim but moved into a marsh and failed. The central column pressed toward the town’s two main bridges, while the eastern column attacked a bridge east of Günzburg. The Austrians quickly destroyed the bridges, trapping some French forces. A late-arriving French unit eventually captured the eastern bridge after it had been rebuilt and held it through the evening. The bridge at Reisenburg was not used. By nightfall, the French controlled both ends of the span; Mack then ordered a retreat toward Ulm.
Casualties and losses were heavy on the Austrians: about 2,000 killed or wounded and six guns lost, including the death of Major Franz Muller and the capture of General-major Konstantin d’Aspré. The French suffered about 700 casualties, including Colonel Gérard Lacuée of the 59th Regiment killed.
The French victory at Günzburg prevented Mack from crossing to the north bank and contributed to the Austrian retreat to Ulm. This set the stage for subsequent actions, including the Battle of Haslach-Jungingen on 11 October.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:05 (CET).