The Battle of Bov (German : Bau) was a battle between troops fighting for Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...

, and those for Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

, which happened on April 9, 1848 in the area of Flensborg in Denmark, during the First Schleswig War. Denmark won the engagement. It was the first battle of the First Schleswig War.

Background

In 1848, the First Schleswig War started, as Schleswig-Holstein was trying to separate from Denmark, and Denmark considered it a part of the country. The Kingdom of Prussia

Kingdom of Prussia

The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...

, the Austrian Empire

Austrian Empire

The Austrian Empire was a modern era successor empire, which was centered on what is today's Austria and which officially lasted from 1804 to 1867. It was followed by the Empire of Austria-Hungary, whose proclamation was a diplomatic move that elevated Hungary's status within the Austrian Empire...

 and the German Confederation

German Confederation

The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...

, sent troops to support Schleswig-Holstein in its attempt to secede from Denmark, and become a part of the German Confederation. Wishing to defeat Denmark before German, Austrian, and Prussian troops arrived, 7,000 Schleswig-Holsteinian soldiers under General Krohn

Krohn

Krohn is the surname of several people:* Lars Monrad-Krohn, a Norwegian engineer* Kristin Krohn Devold, a Norwegian politician* Michael Krohn , a Norwegian musician* Leena Krohn, a Finnish author* Irina Krohn, a Finnish member of Parliament...

 occupied Flensborg on March 31, 1848.

Prelude

Danish troops landed on the Holdnaes peninsula east of Flensborg and, worried that he would be surrounded, Gen. Krohn asked for permission to withdraw his soldiers from the settlement. His request was approved, and he planned to fall back during April 9. Danish commanders had decided their attack would start before Krohn withdrew. They decided that the left flank of the Danish army would launch a diversionary attack, whilst the right wing and cavalry would encircle the enemy, and their attacks would be supported by a naval squadron in Flensborg Fjord. The Schleswig-Holsteins were arranged according to the plan that they were going to withdraw, and were not prepared to put up a co-ordinated resistance.

Battle

The Danish soldiers began their attack between 08:00 and 09:00 on April 9. Badly co-ordinated and without their superior commander, the Prince of Noer, who arrived two hours after the battle had started, the Schleswig-Holsteins were unable to win against the Danish forces.

Aftermath

Thirty-five Schleswig-Holsteins died as a result of the battle, whilst Denmark lost the lives of 16; 138 Schleswig-Holsteins were wounded, and so were 66 Danes; and 923 Schleswig-Holsteins were captured to no Danish prisoners.