Battles of Usedom

Battles of Usedom
Part of the Great Northern War
Fighting in Swedish Pomerania 1715, with the allied invasion of Usedom depicted (lower-right)
Date 21–27 April / 31 July–22 August 1715 Location Usedom, Swedish Pomerania (Germany) Result 21–27 April: Swedish victory 31 July–22 August: Allied victory
Belligerents
Swedish Empire	Kingdom of Prussia Electorate of Saxony
Commanders and leaders
Charles XII Christian Grothusen Johan Kuse	Georg von Arnim von Jeetze Frederick Louis
Strength
3,000 (April) 600–800 (July–August)	300–400 (April) 4,200 (July–August)
Casualties and losses
Minor (April) 500–600 (July–August)	Minor (April) 700 (July–August)

The Battles of Usedom were fought on 21–27 April and 31 July–22 August 1715, between Swedish and Prussian–Saxon forces. In 1711, the Great Northern War spread to Germany as anti-Swedish forces invaded Swedish Pomerania, capturing the islands of Wolin and Usedom, and Stettin (Szczecin) in 1713. In hope of gaining an ally, Sweden's enemies offered neutral Prussia guardianship over the conquests; Frederick William I of Prussia, eager to expand his territories on Sweden's expense, accepted. On 21 April 1715, Charles XII of Sweden launched a preemptive strike on Usedom to deny the allies from using its vital waterways for a Stralsund offensive; the Prussians were forcibly removed and the island captured by the 27th, resulting in a Prussian declaration of war. In July, Prussia, Denmark–Norway, and Saxony initiated a blockade of Stralsund.

To effectively ship equipment to the blockading army, and capture Rügen to cut Stralsund off from Sweden proper, an invasion of Usedom was deemed necessary. On 31 July 1715, a Prussian–Saxon army crossed the Swine (Świna) river from Wolin, compelling Charles XII to withdraw his army to the last strong-point on the island, Peenemünde Sconce; a small rearguard which was left behind to cover the retreat was cut down. Charles XII quit the sconce the next day, instructing its commander to fight to the end. The allies stormed the sconce on 22 August; after a valiant defense, the entire garrison was cut down or captured, having inflicted heavy losses upon their enemies.

The loss of Usedom weakened the Swedish defense of Greifswald Bodden, of which bay protected the island of Rügen from an allied invasion. A Danish fleet forced an entry into the bay on 25 September. A formal siege of Stralsund began on 19 October, as the allies advanced their trenches and the artillery opened fire. On 15 November, with the Swedes occupied in the front, they landed on Rügen; Charles XII counterattacked but was repulsed, resulting in the loss of the island and the inevitable fall of Stralsund. Charles XII escaped the encirclement on 22 December, and Stralsund surrendered the next day. The city was returned to Sweden by the treaties of Stockholm and Frederiksborg, but Usedom, Wolin and Stettin were ceded to Prussia.