Page 79 - All About History - Issue 180-19

Battle Of Leuthen

Prussians austrians

numBer of infantry
numBer of infantry
29,900 41,000

GunS numBer of cavalry GunS numBer of cavalry

Prussian King Frederick II
watches the Prussian army as it 170 9,800 210 22,000
engages the Austrians at Leuthen © Alamy

of cavalry. On the opposite end of the line, Lt Gen total total
gaping holes in the Prussian lines, but the Prussian 39,700 63,000
Georg Wilhelm von Driesen had 55 squadrons. His
troops were hidden behind the Sophienberg.
The three veteran regiments that led the
Prussian main attack began their advance at 1.00pm.
As the Prussian infantrymen swept forward, the
Austrian gunners went into action. Shells ripped

troops did not waver.
Frederick had ordered his artillery corps to bring
along ten 12-pounder siege guns from the fortress frederick charleS
of Glogau. These thick-barrelled fortress guns, the Great of lorraine
known as ‘brummers,’ were brought along to make
up a deficiency that Frederick’s army had in long- He regularly defeated armies He was a veteran commander
much larger than his own.
with extensive experience
range artillery. He ordered the crews manning the A master of manouevre fighting the Prussians.
brummers to go into action on the Glanzberg to and a gifted tactician He had instituted a number of
support the attack. Prussian shells slammed into the Prone to petty behaviour key reforms between wars
German musketeers on the Kirchberg, shattering © Alamy leader blaming others for his own © Alamy leader He suffered from a lack of
torsos and severing limbs. failures and shortcomings self-confidence
Unable to withstand the storm of iron, the
German and Austrian infantry fled towards Leuthen
with the Prussian infantry in pursuit. After just 20 ii and iii imperial
minutes of fighting, the Prussians had overrun the Battalion reGimentroth-
Kiefenberg and driven all of Nadasdy’s infantry Garde WurzBurG
north towards Leuthen. In an attempt to stave off
disaster, Nadasty ordered his cavalry to charge the Frederick created these The regiment had
right flank of the Prussian line; however, Zieten’s units when he took the been raised from three
troops disrupted and defeated the charge. throne in 1740. existing peacetime
They were tough and
A lull occurred at mid-afternoon as Lorraine resilient in battle infantry units.
They excelled in
and Daun scrambled to form a new battle line They were reluctant defensive combat
facing south behind Leuthen. Some of the first to be withdrawn or key unit They did not train key unit
reinforcements to arrive took up positions in the replaced during battle during peacetime
buildings of Leuthen in an effort to buy time for
the rest of the army to redeploy into a new battle
line. The struggle for control of the fortress-like 12-pdr SieGe cannon ordinaire commiSS-flinte
churchyard of the Catholic Church became a Frederick added ten thick-barrelled 12-pdr siege cannons The Austrian army adopted this .72 calibre flintlock musket
focal point of the battle for both sides from 3.30 from Glogau fortress to his army right before the battle. in 1754.
to 4.30pm. Despite a valiant resistance by the The long-range guns were capable of taking a larger Its heavy lead ball inflicted dreadful wounds
Rot-Wurzburg Battalion, the Prussians ultimately charge of gunpowder owing to their sturdy construction It had a slow rate of fire
They were difficult to move from one position to the next
carried the position.
General Lucchese, who was responsible for the
right flank of the new line, hurled his 65 fresh
cavalry squadrons against the Prussian left flank at
4.30pm in an attempt to drive the Prussians back.
As the Austrian white-jacketed cuirassiers with their
black metal breastplates and Austrian dragoons
in their red and green coats thundered towards © Getty Images Weapon Weapon
the vulnerable left flank of the Prussian infantry, © Alamy

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