Siege of Péronne

The battle

The fortress of Péronne on the Somme was not of great strategic value, but threatened the movements of the Prussian First Army from behind, and impeded communication between the railways at Amiens and the railways at Tergnier. As a result, the French garrison at Péronne caught the attention of the German army, and Lieutenant General Von Barnekow was ordered to capture Péronne with a siege force. Faced with its predicament, the First Army also deployed a formation to support the army besieging Péronne, and these support forces were stationed at Bapaume. Lieutenant-General August von Goeben was the chief commander of the siege and support forces. After a few sporadic skirmishes between the armies of the two factions, on December 27, 1870, the German army initiated the blockade of Péronne. During that day, with several field artillery batteries, Lieutenant General Georg von Kameke of Germany launched artillery fire that quickly ignited the town. From December 27 to December 29, the Germans continued their artillery attack and at times encountered fierce French resistance. The commander of the German artillery at Amiens, Colonel Schmidt prepared the means of siege for the Germans at Péronne, and on December 30, these guns were brought to Péronne. Meanwhile, the French Army of the North, commanded by General Louis Faidherbe, withdrew from Amiens. On January 2, 1871, German troops began shelling, at the same time a French army on its way from Arras to Bapaume to aid Péronne was repelled by the Germans. Within two days, the German artillery bombardment was successful, but it was later halted: fighting at Bapaume broke out again on 3 January, in which the German army foiled Faidherbe's attempt to relieve Péronne.