The Battle of Berby was the last significant engagement between Swedish and Norwegian forces during the 1808 campaign of the Dano-Swedish War.
Key Facts
- Date
- 12 September 1808
- Conflict
- Dano-Swedish War of 1808–09
- Swedish commander
- Colonel Posse
- Norwegian commander
- Andreas Samuel Krebs
- Ceasefire duration
- Half an hour before Swedish withdrawal
- Strategic context
- Last significant engagement of the 1808 campaign year
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the Battle of Prestebakke, the western front had been largely quiet. In September 1808, Swedish Colonel Posse ordered a reconnaissance toward Norwegian positions at Berby, held by forces under Andreas Samuel Krebs. What began as a limited intelligence-gathering operation escalated beyond its original scope as the Swedes pressed the Norwegians back.
On 12 September 1808, Swedish forces under Colonel Posse pushed Norwegian troops under Krebs back to Berby, where the Norwegians made a determined stand. Recognizing that his reconnaissance had grown into a larger engagement, Posse requested a ceasefire. Krebs accepted, and after approximately half an hour, the Swedish forces withdrew across the border.
The battle ended without a decisive victor, and the Swedish withdrawal restored the pre-engagement territorial situation. The engagement proved to be the final significant military clash between Swedish and Norwegian forces for the remainder of 1808, effectively ending active operations on the western front for that campaign year.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Colonel Posse.
Side B
1 belligerent
Andreas Samuel Krebs.