The Battle of Raab marked a decisive Austrian-Russian victory that forced Hungarian forces to retreat to Komárom, accelerating the collapse of the 1848–49 Hungarian revolution.
Key Facts
- Date
- 28 June 1849
- Imperial force count
- 69,350 troops
- Hungarian force count
- 12,888 troops
- Force ratio (Imperial:Hungarian)
- greater than 5:1
- Hungarian retreat destination
- Fortress of Komárom
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the Battle of Pered, Austrian General Haynau's army, joined by Emperor Franz Joseph I and a Russian division under Panyutyin, crossed the Danube undetected to its southern bank. This surprise maneuver allowed imperial forces to encircle and isolate Hungarian units positioned around Győr, Árpás, Marcaltő, and Ihász before the Hungarian command could respond.
On 28 June 1849, imperial and Russian forces numbering over 69,000 attacked roughly 12,888 Hungarian troops near Győr. General Görgei was absent in Pest at the battle's outset, leaving Poeltenberg in command. The assault severed Kmety's division from the main Hungarian force and drove the defenders back. Görgei arrived only near the battle's end and led the cavalry and infantry in an organized withdrawal from the city.
After the battle, Görgei's retreating Hungarian forces fell back to the fortress of Komárom, pursued by imperial troops. The loss further weakened the Hungarian War of Independence by splitting key divisions and ceding strategically important western territory, contributing to the eventual suppression of the revolution by the combined Habsburg and Russian forces.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ernő Poeltenberg, Artúr Görgei.
Side B
2 belligerents
Julius Jacob von Haynau, Feodor Sergeyevich Panyutyin.