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Sonderburg

Sonderburg was the pleasant little capital (6000 inhab., 1910) of Alsen, an island 122 square miles in area. In 1906 Cuxhaven and Sonderburg were selected as naval bases. By 1910 the old Schloss of the Dukes of Augustenburg was a barrack. Sonderburg was the headquarters of the Inspector of Naval Artillery, and is frequented as a bathing-place. Sonderburg, with a good harbor and a considerable trade, was connected with the mainland by a pontoon bridge.

Alsen is an island in the Baltic, off the coast of Schleswig, in the Little Belt. It formerly belonged to Denmark, but, as a result of the Danish war of 1864, was incorporated with Germany. Its area is 105 sq. m.; the length nearly 20, and the breadth from 3 to 12 m. Pop. (1900) 25,000, most of whom spoke Danish. The island is fertile, richly wooded, and yields grain and fruit.

Duppel, a village of Germany, in the Prussian province of Schleswig-Holstein, lies opposite the town of Sonderburg (on the island of Alsen). The position of Duppel, forming as it does a bridge-head for the defenders of the island of Alsen, played a conspicuous part in the wars between Denmark and the Germans. On the 28th of May 1848 the German federal troops were there defeated by the Danes under General Hedemann, and a second battle was fought on the 6th of June 1848. On the 13th of April 1849 an indecisive battle was fought between the federal troops under von Prittwitz and the Danes under von Bülow.

The most important event in the military history of Düppel was, however, the siege by the Prussians of the Danish position in 1864. The flanks of the defenders' line rested upon the Alsen Sund and the sea, and it was strengthened by ten redoubts. A second line of trenches with lunettes at intervals was constructed behind the front attacked, and a small réduit opposite Sonderburg to cover the bridges between Alsen and the mainland. The Prussian siege corps was commanded by Prince Frederick Charles (headquarters, Duppel village), and after three weeks' skirmishing a regular siege was begun, the batteries being opened on the 15th of March. The first parallel was completed fifteen days later, the front of attack being redoubts II. to VI., forming the centre of the Danish entrenchments on the road Duppel-Sonderburg. The siege was pushed rapidly from the first parallel and the assault delivered on the i8th of April, against the redoubts I. to VI., each redoubt being attacked by a separate column. The whole Une was carried after a brief but severe conflict, and the Prussians had penetrated to and captured the réduit opposite Sonderburg by 2 P.M. The loss of the Danes, half of whose forces were not engaged, included 1800 killed and wounded and 3400 prisoners. This operation was followed by the daring passage of the Alsen Sund, effected by the Prussians in boats almost under the guns of the Danish warships, and resulting in the capture of the whole island of Alsen (June 29th, 1864).

After being still further strengthened and linked with similar defenses at Sonderburg, the Duppel entrenchments were abandoned in 1881 in favor of landward fortifications around Kiel.