Battle of Leuthen
The Battle of Leuthen, fought on December 5, 1757, was a significant military engagement during the Seven Years' War between the Prussian forces led by Frederick the Great and the Austrian army commanded by Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine. Following his earlier victory at Rossbach, Frederick sought to reclaim Silesia, where the Austrians had taken key positions. The battle occurred near the village of Leuthen, where Frederick's familiarity with the terrain played a crucial role in his strategic planning.
Employing a tactic known as the "oblique order of battle," Frederick feigned an attack on the Austrian right flank while secretly maneuvering his main forces to strike the Austrian left. This deception led to significant Austrian reinforcements being redirected, exposing vulnerabilities that the Prussians exploited effectively. The engagement resulted in a decisive Prussian victory, with Austrian losses numbering around 22,000, far exceeding Prussian casualties. The battle is notable for its demonstration of Frederick's military prowess and is regarded as one of the most important victories of the 18th century, highlighting elements such as troop morale, terrain advantage, and artillery mobility.
Battle of Leuthen
Type of action: Battle in the Seven Years’ War
Date: December 5, 1757
Location: Silesia
Combatants: 33,000 Prussian vs. 65,000 Austrian troops
Principal commanders:Prussian, Frederick the Great (1712–1786); Austrian, Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (1712–1780)
Result: Prussian victory that led to reconquest of Silesia in 1757
After his victory at Rossbach (1757), Frederick the Great turned to Silesia, where a strong Austrian army, under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, had taken Schweidnitz and the capital, Breslau. Learning of Frederick’s approach, the Austrians left their fortified camp near Breslau to oppose the Prussians near the village of Leuthen.
Because Frederick and his generals were familiar with the territory around Leuthen—the site of Prussian peacetime autumn maneuvers—Frederick’s instructions throughout the battle were of extraordinary clarity and precision. With his vastly inferior troops, he feigned an attack on the Austrian right wing, while the bulk of his infantry executed a concealed march under ground cover toward the Austrian left wing. The Austrian commander, convinced of an impending attack on his right flank, strengthened it with his reserves. Meanwhile, the main Prussian thrust fell against the Austrian left flank about four miles to the south, forcing the Austrians to regroup their left and center. Frederick’s execution of the attack formed a textbook example of the “oblique order of battle” that he perfected at Leuthen.
The massive Prussian infantry attack on the Austrian left wing was ably assisted by mobile batteries of heavy guns. Soon, the whole Austrian army had to be wheeled from its original south-north into a new south-facing front. After the failure of an Austrian cavalry charge to relieve its embattled infantry, the Austrians fled in confusion, assisted by the descending darkness of the short winter day, which made an immediate pursuit unfeasible. The Austrian losses of 22,000 exceeded Prussian casualties more than threefold.
Significance
The high morale of Prussian troops, mostly native Pomeranians and Brandenburgers, Frederick’s familiarity with and shrewd exploitation of the terrain, the unhurried pace of the attack, and the extraordinary mobility of Prussian artillery, all combined to make Leuthen one of the most decisive victories of the century.
Bibliography
Duffy, Christopher. Frederick the Great: A Military Life. Routledge: London, 1985.
Showalter, Dennis. The Wars of Frederick the Great. Longman: London, 1996.