Prussia
Combat at Gilly
Having finally reached Charleroi at 3pm, Vandamme’s troops had to file across the bridge and through the narrow, congested streets of the town. Other than the Guard, which Napoleon would be very loath to commit so early in the campaign, his was the first infantry formation to pass through Charleroi heading towards the east. Lefol’s division led the march and…
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HOHENFRIEDBERG – 3rd of June 1745
Battle of Hohenfriedberg, Attack of the Prussian Infantry , by Carl Röchling. Oil on canvas. HOHENFRIEDBERG, or HOHENFRIEDEBERG The battle gets its name from a village in Silesia about 6 miles from the small town of Striegau in the War of the Austrian Succession, the battle was fought on the…
The Miracle of Brandenburg!
Emperor Peter III, 1762 After Peter succeeded to the Russian throne (5 January 1762 ), he withdrew Russian forces from the Seven Years’ War and concluded a peace treaty (5 May 1762) with Prussia (the “Miracle of the House of Brandenburg”). He gave up Russian conquests in Prussia and offered…
Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, duke of Braunschweig-WolfenbĂĽttel
(1735-1806) ruler of the duchy of Braunschweig-WolfenbĂĽttel from 1780 to 1806. Marriage alliances linked the Braunschweig princes with PRUSSIA, thereby providing them with a powerful ally and protector. Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand exhibited interests as a young man in the intellectual trends of the ENLIGHTENMENT and in state reform. He studied…
Battle of Gravelotte–St. Privat
Date: August 18, 1870 Location: Villages of Gravelotte and St. Privat in eastern France Opponents: (* winner) *Germans French Commanders: *Germans Prince Friedrich Karl; General Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz French Marshal François Achille Bazaine; Marshal François Certain Canrobert Approx. # Troops: *Germans 188,000 French 112,000 Importance: The French inflict heavier…
Battle of Torgau
Frederick the Great greets General Zieten after the Battle of Torgau. The fighting began in Silesia when an Austrian corps under General Loudon defeated a Prussian corps at Landeshut on 23 June 1760. The Austrians heavily outnumbered the Prussians, 34,000 men to 11,000. The Prussians were easily defeated, losing 10,000…
Military practice in Prussia: 1740–1763 – The tactical level
Due to limitations inherent in campaigning in this period, it was difficult for Frederick to force battle on an unwilling opponent. This unwillingness is easy to understand when taking into account that battle would result in the loss of soldiers, who needed years of training and were hard to recruit,…