Fall of Kolberg

Background. Kolberg, a Prussian-held town in Brandenburg-Prussian Pomerania (now Kołobrzeg), had been besieged by Russian forces twice before: a 1758 siege repelled by the Prussian defenders, and a second from 26 August to 18 September 1760, both unsuccessful. In the 1760 and 1761 sieges, the Russians were supported by Swedish auxiliaries. Russian forces sought to secure the fortress to establish winter quarters near the lower Oder.

Rumyantsev and the Russian Command. Lieutenant General Pyotr Alexandrovich Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, one of the foremost Russian commanders of the 18th century, had first won distinction at Gross-Jägersdorf (1757) and Kunersdorf (1759). In 1761 he besieged and took the Pomeranian fortress of Kolberg, which had twice been unsuccessfully beleaguered by other Russian commanders, clearing the path toward Berlin. The siege became an important milestone in the development of Russian military art.

Betrayal of Russian Plans. Tottleben, who had commanded the Russian spring campaigns in Pomerania the year before, committed treason and revealed to Frederick the Russian plans to besiege Kolberg again in 1761. The supplied sources name him only as 'Tottleben' without a first name and do not state how the Russian command responded to the betrayal. Rumyantsev took quarter at nearby Köslin in June 1761 and awaited reinforcements before investing the fortress in August.

Aftermath and Reversal. Empress Elizabeth of Russia, already ill during the sieges, died weeks after the Russian victory, on 25 December 1761 (Old Style) or 5 January 1762 (New Style). Her successor Peter III, who had opposed Russia's involvement in the Seven Years' War, ceased hostilities with Prussia at once and, by the Treaty of Saint Petersburg, returned all occupied territories including Kolberg to Prussia.