The Battle of Maudach opened the Rhine Campaign of 1796 on the Upper Rhine, inflicting a 10 percent casualty rate on Coalition forces.
Key Facts
- Date
- 15 June 1796
- Coalition casualties
- ~10% of manpower killed, wounded, or missing
- Coalition commander
- Franz Petrasch
- Location
- Maudach, southwest of Ludwigshafen on the Rhine
- Distance from Speyer
- 10 km
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The War of the First Coalition brought French Revolutionary forces into conflict with a coalition of European powers along the Rhine frontier. By mid-1796, French strategic plans called for an offensive campaign on the Upper Rhine, requiring the seizure of key crossing points and positions north of Kehl to open further operations.
On 15 June 1796, French Revolutionary forces engaged the Army of the First Coalition, commanded by Franz Petrasch, at the village of Maudach, southwest of Ludwigshafen opposite Mannheim. The action marked the opening engagement of the Rhine Campaign of 1796 on the Upper Rhine, resulting in the Coalition suffering approximately 10 percent casualties among its manpower.
The engagement initiated the Rhine Campaign of 1796 and demonstrated French offensive capability on the Upper Rhine sector. Coalition forces under Petrasch suffered significant attrition at the outset of the campaign, weakening their position as further French operations along the Rhine unfolded in the summer of 1796.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Franz Petrasch.