Battle of Grunwald

For the 1914 battle at the same location, refer to Battle of Tannenberg (1914)

Course of the battle

The opposing forces formed their lines at dawn. At noon the forces of Grand Duke Vytautas started an all-out assault on the left flank of the Teutonic forces, near the village of Tannenberg(St?bark). The Lithuanian cavalry was supported by a cavalry charge of several Polish banners on the right flank of the enemy forces. The enemy heavy cavalry counter-attacked on both flanks and fierce fighting occurred. After more than an hour, the Lithuanian light cavalry started to break and withdraw, but soon the withdrawal turned into a rapid retreat towards the marshes and woods. Only three banners of Smolensk commanded by Semen Lingwen, son of Algirdas and brother of both Vytautas and Jagie??o, remained on the right flank. One of them was totally destroyed while the remaining two were backed up by the Polish cavalry held in reserve and broke through the enemy lines to the Polish positions.

Related Topics:
Vytautas - St?bark - Smolensk - Semen Lingwen - Algirdas - Jagie??o

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Heavy cavalry of the Order started a disorganised pursuit after the fleeing Lithuanians and entered the marshes, where Vytautas started to reorganise his forces. At the same time heavy fighting continued on the left flank of the Polish forces. After several hours of massed battle, the Teutonic cavalry started to gain the upper hand. According to Ioannes Longinus the Grand Master Ulrich von Jungingen personally led a cavalry charge on the strongest Polish unit ? the Banner of the Land of Kraków. The Polish ranks started to waver and the flag of the banner was lost. However, it was soon recaptured by the Polish knights and king W?adys?aw Jagie??o ordered most of his reserves to enter combat. The arrival of fresh troops allowed the Poles to repel the enemy assault and the forces of Ulrich von Jungingen were weakened. At the same time his reserves were still busy pursuing the scattered Lithuanian cavalry. When they finally returned to the battlefield, it was already too late for the Teutonic charge to succeed and the forces of the Order started the withdrawal.

Related Topics:
Vytautas - Ioannes Longinus - Ulrich von Jungingen - Kraków - W?adys?aw Jagie??o

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After several hours of fighting, Ulrich von Jungingen decided to join his embattled forces in the main line of engagement, which were by then becoming outnumbered by the mass of Polish knights and the advancing Polish infantry, which all of a sudden had come pouring on the battlefield from the surrounding forests. He personally led the assault with 16 banners of heavy cavalry, until then held in reserve. Jagie??o threw in all his remaining reserves, as well as several already tired units. Soon Grand Duke Vytautas managed to reorganise part of his forces, returned to the battlefield, and also joined the fierce fighting. Putting up heavy resistance, the 16 banners of the Great Master were surrounded and began to suffer high losses, including the Grand Master himself, who was probably killed by Polish peasantry. Seeing the fall of their Grand Master, the rest of the Teutonic forces started to withdraw towards their camp. Part of the routed units retreated to the forests where they were pursued by the Polish and Lithuanian cavalry, while the rest retreated to the camp near the village of Grunwald, where they tried to organise the defence by using the tabor tactics: the camp was surrounded by waggons tied up with chains, serving as a mobile fortification. However, the defences were soon broken and the camp was looted. According to the anonymous author of the Chronicle of the Conflict of Ladislaus King of Poland with the Teutons Anno Domini 1410, there were more bodies in and around the camp than on the rest of the battlefield. The pursuit after the fleeing Teutonic cavalry lasted until the dusk.

Related Topics:
Ulrich von Jungingen - Vytautas - Grunwald - Tabor

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Despite the technological superiority of the Teutonic Knights, to the point of this being believed to be the first battle in this part of Europe in which field-artillery was deployed, the numbers and tactical superiority of the Polish Lithuanian alliance were to prove overwhelming.

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Jan ?i?ka of Trocnov lost his eye in the battle.

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