Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Battle of Le Mans

Battle of Le Mans was a battle fought on 10 January 1871 at Le Mans, in what is now France; it lasted 2 days. It was part of the Franco-Prussian War, which ran from 1870 to 1871. The recorded result: German victory. Recorded strength: 73,000; 324 guns against 88,000.

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Bataille du Mans. Tableau de Maurice Orange
Bataille du Mans. Tableau de Maurice Orange. Maurice Orange (1868-1916), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought10 January 1871lasted 2 days
WhereLe Mans, France48.004N, 0.197E
OutcomeGerman victory
BelligerentsNorth German Confederation; PrussiaagainstFrench Third Republic
Part ofFranco-Prussian War1870 to 1871

Where it sits in the Franco-Prussian War

Siege of Metz, 1870Second Battle of Orléans, 1870Siege of Thionville, 1870Lichtenberg Siege, 1870Siege of Marsal, 1870Battle of Saarbrücken, 1870Battle of Wissembourg, 1870Battle of Spicheren, 1870Battle of Wörth, 1870Siege of Bitche, 1870Siege of Phalsbourg, 1870Battle of Borny-Colombey, 1870Battle of Mars-la-Tour, 1870Siege of Strasbourg, 1870Siege of Toul, 1870Battle of Gravelotte, 1870Battle of Buzancy, 1870Battle of Nouart, 1870Battle of Beaumont, 1870Battle of Noisseville, 1870Battle of Bazeilles, 1870Battle of Sedan, 1870Siege of Montmédy, 1870Battle of Montmesly, 1870Siege of Paris, 1870First Battle of Châtillon, 1870Battle of Sceaux, 1870Battle of Chevilly, 1870Battle of Nompatelize, 1870Battle of Saint-Quentin, 1870Battle of Artenay, 1870Siege of Verdun, 1870Battle of Châtillon, 1870Siege of Neu-Breisach, 1870Battle of Bellevue, 1870Battle of Châteaudun, 1870Battle of Buzenval, 1870Battle of Dijon, 1870Battle of Le Bourget, 1870Siege of Belfort, 1870Siege of La Fère, 1870Battle of Coulmiers, 1870Battle of Havana, 1870Siege of Mézières, 1870Battle of Amiens, 1870Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande, 1870Battle of Villiers, 1870Battle of Choisy-le-Roi, 1870Battle of Villepion, 1870Battle of Loigny-Poupry, 1870Battle of Beaugency, 1870Battle of Longeau, 1870Battle of Nuits, 1870Second Battle of Le Bourget, 1870Battle of Hallue, 1870Siege of Péronne, 1870Battle of Pontarlier, 1871Battle of Bapaume, 1871Battle of Villersexel, 1871Battle of Le Mans, 1871Battle of the Lisaine, 1871Battle of Saint-Jean-sur-Erve, 1871Battle of Saint-Melaine, 1871Battle of St. Quentin, 1871Battle of Buzenval, 187118701871Battle of Le Mans, 1871
65 placed engagements of the Franco-Prussian War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date10 January 1871
to 12 January 1871
PlaceLe Mans, France
48.004N, 0.197E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength73,000; 324 guns88,000
Casualties and losses3,500 killed or wounded; 500 captured6,000 killed or wounded; 20,000 captured or missing; 17 guns; 2 colours
Commanders
  • Antoine Chanzy
Battle of Le MansBattle of Le MansBattle of Le MansBattle of Le MansBattle of PontlieueBattle of PontvallainBattle of La FlecheBattle of PontvallainBattle of La FlecheRennesNantesToursCaenVersaillesBourgesAngersParis100 km48.004N, 0.197E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 4 times between 1793 and 1871.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1871

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: GER 2ND ARMYDefender: FR ARMY OF THE LOIRE
Strength72,00088,000
Casualties4,000 (5.6%)26,000 (29.5%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1073
Outcomeattacker won
Duration2.0 days
Front width25 km25 km
Attacker advanced5.4 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 228), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Battle of Le Mans is one of 3,694 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,495 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q40559, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Le Mans, revision 1370267987, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.