The Battle of Salzbach (frequently referred to as the Battle of Sasbach) took place on July 27, 1675, during the Franco-Dutch War. The engagement occurred near the village of Sasbach in the Ortenau region of present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The primary combatants were the French army, commanded by Marshal Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne, and the Imperial forces of the Holy Roman Empire, led by Count Raimondo Montecuccoli.
The battle is historically significant primarily due to the death of Marshal Turenne. While surveying the Imperial positions and preparing to deploy his artillery, Turenne was struck and killed by a cannonball. His death occurred in the opening stages of the engagement.
In the administrative and military vacuum following Turenne's death, command of the French forces was disputed between the Comte de Lorges and the Marquis de Vaubrun. Although the French managed to maintain their lines during the immediate Imperial counterattacks, the loss of their commander prompted a strategic withdrawal across the Rhine. The Imperial forces pursued the retreating French, leading to the subsequent Battle of Altenheim.
The Battle of Salzbach is characterized as tactically inconclusive, though it resulted in a strategic setback for the Kingdom of France due to the loss of one of its most prominent military leaders. Turenne's death is marked by a monument at the site where he fell in Sasbach.
