Battle of Belchite (1809)

Battle of Belchite
Part of the Peninsular War
Date18 June 1809[1]
Location41°18′N 0°45′W / 41.300°N 0.750°W / 41.300; -0.750
Result Franco-Polish victory
Belligerents
France French Empire
Duchy of Warsaw Duchy of Warsaw
Spain Kingdom of Spain
Commanders and leaders
First French Empire Louis Suchet Spain Joaquín Blake
Strength
13,000[1] 12,000[1]
Casualties and losses
200[1] 2,000[1]
Peninsular war: Aragón Catalonia
Map
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200km
125miles
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  current battle

The Battle of Belchite on 18 June 1809 saw a Franco-Polish corps led by Louis Gabriel Suchet fight a small Spanish army under Joaquín Blake y Joyes. Suchet's force won the battle when a lucky hit detonated a large part of the Spanish ammunition supply. The ensuing blast provoked Blake's soldiers into a panicky flight from the battlefield.[2] The action was fought during the Peninsular War, part of the Napoleonic Wars. Belchite is located 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast of Zaragoza.

  1. ^ a b c d e Bodart 1908, p. 408.
  2. ^ Esdaile 2003, p. 188.