Johann Jakob von Wunsch
Encyclopedia
Johann Jakob von Wunsch (1717–1788) was soldier of fortune and Prussia
n general of infantry, and a particularly adept commander of light infantry. The son of a Württemberg furrier, he served in several armies in the course of his lengthy career.
Shortly after he turned 18, his father enrolled him in Württemberg service. In the Württemberg Regiment, he supported the Austrians against the Ottoman Empire
in 1737. Later, he served in Bavarian army
during the War of the Austrian Succession
. In 1748 he came to the notice of Prince Henry
, and enter Prussian service for the Seven Years War, where he led an autonomous corps in many raids and skirmishes that wrought havoc on the Austrian forces. His incursion over Prussia's border with Bohemia in 1778 was the opening action of the War of the Bavarian Succession.
In peace time, he devoted his efforts to training light infantry, developing an autonomous corps of skirmishers. Frederick the Great's successor, Frederick Wilhem II
, promoted him to general of infantry and raised him to the Prussian nobility.
to a furrier and died at Prenzlau
, in the Kingdom of Prussia
on 18 October 1788. His grandfather served in the Austrian military, and his father had served for a few years in the Bavarian military. He received schooling locally, and on his eighteenth year, his father sent him to Officer Cadet training in the Duke of Württemberg's Regiment. While with this regiment in Vienna, he married Josephine le Roi, the daughter of a Habsburg War Commissary. They had one son.
, in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina
. By 1739, he realized he had prospects in neither Austrian nor Württemberg service and he entered Bavarian service as the oldest second lieutenant in the Hussar Regiment Frangipani.
Upon the death of Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
, the new Duke of Bavaria, Maximilian III Joseph, agreed
to forgo any imperial aspirations. Wunsch's Bavarian regiment went into the service in the Netherlands, where it eventually liberated Brussels
from the French in 1745. In the course of this service, Wunsch advanced to the rank of Rittmeister
, or captain of cavalry. At the conclusion of the war in 1749, Rittmeister Wunsch acquired a staff position and a pension and remained in the Netherlands with his wife and son. When it became apparent that there would be another war, in 1756 he offered his services to Frederick the Great
and became the oldest captain in Prussian service. His unit came under the command of Prince Henry of Prussia
, an officer who understood the value of the new military formation of light troops for skirmishing and raids.
. He followed this up with stellar action near Torgau
in September, and the following day his troops overran Leipzig. The subsequent Prussian successes at the battles of Breslau
and Leuthen
led to his promotion, this time by Frederick himself, to lieutenant colonel. The King also gave him command of an independent battalion and awarded him the Order Pour le Mérite
. Wunsch made a brief journey to his home town of Heidenheim and returned to his unit in Bohemia
.
Wunsch's raids were so successful that, in 1758, Frederick promoted him to the rank of colonel and gave him his own regiment of light troops to command. Two days later, at the Battle of Kunersdorf
, the Prussian army was nearly destroyed. Frederick barely escaped with his life, assisted by his remaining cavalry. Wunsch's small force remained intact and provided the rear guard for Frederick's escape. In Berlin, Wunsch commanded the city's defenses.
From April to November 1759, he led his regiment on a series of raids and skirmishes in Silesia, Bohemia, Franconia, and Thuringia
, such as the Battle of Peterswalde
(Silesia) in August 1759. Wunsch took the pass of Reizenhain from the Austrians, skirmished with them at Königswarte and attacked and beat a small force of Austrians by Weinberg
. He acquired two cannons in the engagement. He successfully raided various towns and cities held by Austria and her allies in Franconia
, Saxony
, and Bohemia, capturing supplies and cannons and frequently taking many prisoners. His son was a lieutenant in his regiment during these raids.
Following this action, Frederick sent Wunsch into Saxony with a corps of 10,000–12,000 men in his first independent command. There he participated in the Battle of Hoyerswerda
with General Frederick August Finck. Prince Henry, in overall command of the army, surprised von Daun at Hoyerswerda by punching a hole in the Austrian defensive line. This success gave Frederick the first good news he had had in weeks and confirmed to Frederick that Wunsch had been worthy of the trust placed in him.
After two months of skirmishing in Bohemia, in November Wunsch participated in the Battle of Maxen
. There, Count Leopold Joseph von Daun's army isolated and captured Finck. Subsequently, Wunsch led both his corps and Finck's until they too were surrounded: Daun's army was three times the size of Finck's and Wunsch's combined force. Wunsch capitulated on 21 November 1759 and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner in Innsbruck
.
After the war, Frederick reorganized his army, placing nine of his generals under command of General Hans Joachim von Zieten
. An additional eight were placed under command of Finck. Wunsch remained the only general with an independent corps, further unusual in that he was not Prussian.
during the tense negotiations surrounding Bavarian Succession crisis. His entry into Bohemia in early July of that year was the first action of the War of the Bavarian Succession. There were no major engagements in the war, only a series of raids in which both sides tried to deny each other access to food and fodder. After his initial foray at the Silesia border, he and his command remained at the County of Glatz, guarding the military commissary and the bakery.
In 1787, Frederick Wilhelm II, Frederick the Great's successor, named Wunsch a Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle
for his excellent service. After a lengthy illness, Wunsch died of a pneumonia
in Prenzlau on 18 October 1788.
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...
n general of infantry, and a particularly adept commander of light infantry. The son of a Württemberg furrier, he served in several armies in the course of his lengthy career.
Shortly after he turned 18, his father enrolled him in Württemberg service. In the Württemberg Regiment, he supported the Austrians against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1737. Later, he served in Bavarian army
Duchy of Bavaria
The Duchy of Bavaria was the only one of the stem duchies from the earliest days of East Francia and the Kingdom of Germany to preserve both its name and most of its territorial extent....
during the War of the Austrian Succession
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
. In 1748 he came to the notice of Prince Henry
Prince Henry of Prussia
Frederick Henry Louis , commonly known as Henry , was a Prince of Prussia. He also served as a general and statesman, and, in 1786, was suggested as a candidate for a monarch for the United States....
, and enter Prussian service for the Seven Years War, where he led an autonomous corps in many raids and skirmishes that wrought havoc on the Austrian forces. His incursion over Prussia's border with Bohemia in 1778 was the opening action of the War of the Bavarian Succession.
In peace time, he devoted his efforts to training light infantry, developing an autonomous corps of skirmishers. Frederick the Great's successor, Frederick Wilhem II
Frederick William II of Prussia
Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:...
, promoted him to general of infantry and raised him to the Prussian nobility.
Family and early military career
Wunsch was born on 22 December 1717 in Heidenheim, WürttembergWürttemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
to a furrier and died at Prenzlau
Prenzlau
Prenzlau , a city in the Uckermark District of Brandenburg in Germany, had a population of about 21,000 in 2005.-International relations:Prenzlau is twinned with: Uster, Switzerland Barlinek, Poland Świdwin, Poland...
, in 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...
on 18 October 1788. His grandfather served in the Austrian military, and his father had served for a few years in the Bavarian military. He received schooling locally, and on his eighteenth year, his father sent him to Officer Cadet training in the Duke of Württemberg's Regiment. While with this regiment in Vienna, he married Josephine le Roi, the daughter of a Habsburg War Commissary. They had one son.
Early military career
The Duke of Württemberg's regiment supported the Austrian military in its wars with the Ottoman Empire. Between 1737 and 1739, Wunsch participated in several battles in the vicinity of Banja LukaBanja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
, in modern-day Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. By 1739, he realized he had prospects in neither Austrian nor Württemberg service and he entered Bavarian service as the oldest second lieutenant in the Hussar Regiment Frangipani.
Upon the death of Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VII, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles VII Albert a member of the Wittelsbach family, was Prince-elector of Bavaria from 1726 and Holy Roman Emperor from 24 January 1742 until his death in 1745...
, the new Duke of Bavaria, Maximilian III Joseph, agreed
Treaty of Füssen
The Peace of Füssen was a peace treaty signed at Füssen, Bavaria, between the Electorate of Bavaria and Habsburg Austria. Signed on 22 April 1745, it ended the participation of Bavaria on the French side in the War of the Austrian Succession.-Background:...
to forgo any imperial aspirations. Wunsch's Bavarian regiment went into the service in the Netherlands, where it eventually liberated Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
from the French in 1745. In the course of this service, Wunsch advanced to the rank of Rittmeister
Rittmeister
Rotamaster was the military rank of a commissioned cavalry officer in charge of a squadron , the equivalent of O3 or Captain, in the German-speaking armies, Austro-Hungarian, Polish-Lithuanian, Russian and some other states.The exact name of this rank maintains a variety of spellings in different...
, or captain of cavalry. At the conclusion of the war in 1749, Rittmeister Wunsch acquired a staff position and a pension and remained in the Netherlands with his wife and son. When it became apparent that there would be another war, in 1756 he offered his services to Frederick the Great
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
and became the oldest captain in Prussian service. His unit came under the command of Prince Henry of Prussia
Prince Henry of Prussia
Frederick Henry Louis , commonly known as Henry , was a Prince of Prussia. He also served as a general and statesman, and, in 1786, was suggested as a candidate for a monarch for the United States....
, an officer who understood the value of the new military formation of light troops for skirmishing and raids.
Seven Years War
Throughout the Seven Years War, Wunsch operated successfully as a light troops officer. After the Battle of Prague in 1757, he was promoted to majorMajor
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
. He followed this up with stellar action near Torgau
Torgau
Torgau is a town on the banks of the Elbe in northwestern Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district Nordsachsen.Outside Germany, the town is most well known as the place where during the Second World War, United States Army forces coming from the west met with forces of the Soviet Union...
in September, and the following day his troops overran Leipzig. The subsequent Prussian successes at the battles of Breslau
Battle of Breslau (1757)
The Battle of Breslau was a battle fought on November 22, 1757 during the Seven Years' War. A Prussian army of 28,000 men fought an Austrian army of 84,000 men. The Prussians held off the Austrian attack, losing 6,000 men to the Austrians 5,000 men. But one day later the Prussians beat a retreat...
and Leuthen
Battle of Leuthen
In the Battle of Leuthen or Lissa, fought on 5 December 1757, Frederick the Great's Prussian army used maneuver and terrain to decisively defeat a much larger Austrian army under Charles of Lorraine, thus ensuring Prussian control of Silesia during the Seven Years' War.- Background :While Frederick...
led to his promotion, this time by Frederick himself, to lieutenant colonel. The King also gave him command of an independent battalion and awarded him the Order Pour le Mérite
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
. Wunsch made a brief journey to his home town of Heidenheim and returned to his unit in Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
.
Wunsch's raids were so successful that, in 1758, Frederick promoted him to the rank of colonel and gave him his own regiment of light troops to command. Two days later, at the Battle of Kunersdorf
Battle of Kunersdorf
The Battle of Kunersdorf, fought in the Seven Year's War, was Frederick the Great's most devastating defeat. On August 12, 1759, near Kunersdorf , east of Frankfurt , 50,900 Prussians were defeated by a combined allied army 59,500 strong consisting of 41,000 Russians and 18,500 Austrians under...
, the Prussian army was nearly destroyed. Frederick barely escaped with his life, assisted by his remaining cavalry. Wunsch's small force remained intact and provided the rear guard for Frederick's escape. In Berlin, Wunsch commanded the city's defenses.
From April to November 1759, he led his regiment on a series of raids and skirmishes in Silesia, Bohemia, Franconia, and Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, such as the Battle of Peterswalde
Battle of Peterswalde
The Battle of Peterswalde occurred on 15 August 1759, in Peterswald, now part of the Czech Republic, during the Seven Years War. Peterswalde was the site of a Habsburg ammunition magazine. A column of Prince Henry of Prussia's advance guard, under command of Johann Jakob von Wunsch, attacked a...
(Silesia) in August 1759. Wunsch took the pass of Reizenhain from the Austrians, skirmished with them at Königswarte and attacked and beat a small force of Austrians by Weinberg
Weinberg
Weinberg may refer to:* Weinberg an der Raab in Styria* Weinberg Center for the Arts- Other Results :* Weinberg angle* Weinberg's Law of Twins* Hardy-Weinberg principle* Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences- See also :...
. He acquired two cannons in the engagement. He successfully raided various towns and cities held by Austria and her allies in Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
, Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
, and Bohemia, capturing supplies and cannons and frequently taking many prisoners. His son was a lieutenant in his regiment during these raids.
Battle of Hoyerswerda
The Battle of Hoyerswerda was a minor encounter of September 9, 1759 during the Seven Years' War between Prussian and Austrian forces. Following on from the calamitous Prussian defeat at Kunersdorf in August however, this small victory for Frederick the Great, taken together with the one fashioned...
with General Frederick August Finck. Prince Henry, in overall command of the army, surprised von Daun at Hoyerswerda by punching a hole in the Austrian defensive line. This success gave Frederick the first good news he had had in weeks and confirmed to Frederick that Wunsch had been worthy of the trust placed in him.
After two months of skirmishing in Bohemia, in November Wunsch participated in the Battle of Maxen
Battle of Maxen
The Battle of Maxen was a battle at Maxen, Saxony in present-day Germany during the Seven Years' War. It resulted in surrender of prussian corps....
. There, Count Leopold Joseph von Daun's army isolated and captured Finck. Subsequently, Wunsch led both his corps and Finck's until they too were surrounded: Daun's army was three times the size of Finck's and Wunsch's combined force. Wunsch capitulated on 21 November 1759 and spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner in Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
.
After the war, Frederick reorganized his army, placing nine of his generals under command of General Hans Joachim von Zieten
Hans Joachim von Zieten
Hans Joachim von Zieten , also known as Zieten aus dem Busch, was a cavalry general in the Prussian Army...
. An additional eight were placed under command of Finck. Wunsch remained the only general with an independent corps, further unusual in that he was not Prussian.
Late military career
Wunsch used the ensuing years of peace in garrison at Prenzlau to reorganize the light corps of Frederick's army. In 1778, he patrolled the border of Austrian BohemiaBohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
during the tense negotiations surrounding Bavarian Succession crisis. His entry into Bohemia in early July of that year was the first action of the War of the Bavarian Succession. There were no major engagements in the war, only a series of raids in which both sides tried to deny each other access to food and fodder. After his initial foray at the Silesia border, he and his command remained at the County of Glatz, guarding the military commissary and the bakery.
In 1787, Frederick Wilhelm II, Frederick the Great's successor, named Wunsch a Knight of the Order of the Black Eagle
Order of the Black Eagle
The Order of the Black Eagle was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg . In his Dutch exile after WWI, deposed Emperor Wilhelm II continued to award the order to his family...
for his excellent service. After a lengthy illness, Wunsch died of a pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in Prenzlau on 18 October 1788.