Battle of Kunersdorf
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Kunersdorf, fought in the Seven Year's War, was Frederick the Great's
most devastating defeat. On August 12, 1759, near Kunersdorf (Kunowice)
, east of Frankfurt (Oder)
, 50,900 Prussians
were defeated by a combined allied army 59,500 strong consisting of 41,000 Russians
and 18,500 Austrians
under Pyotr Saltykov.
Only 3,000 soldiers from original 50,900 Prussian army returned to Berlin
after the battle, though many more had only scattered.
The battle started with a Prussian attack on the flank of the Russian positions. This attack was successful and if Frederick had stopped there (as his brother demanded), Kunersdorf would have been a Prussian victory. But the Prussian leader wanted to press his initial success and decided to continue the fight. While the Prussian attack faded, the Austrian cavalry (so far kept in reserve) entered the battle. However, King Frederick II was able to re-group and kept pressure on the allies.
The battle culminated in the early evening hours with a massive Prussian cavalry charge under Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz
upon the Russian center and artillery positions. The Prussian cavalry suffered heavy losses and retreated in complete disorder. Seydlitz himself was gravely wounded. The allied cavalry, included heavy Russian cavalry, Croats and Kalmyks, counterattacked and scattered what was left of the Prussian Army. King Frederick II himself barely escaped capture, and was wounded by gunfire himself . He stood alone on a small hill with his rapier sticking in the ground before him - determined to either hold the line against the whole enemy army alone or die. Cavalry Captain Ernst Sylvius von Prittwitz came to the king's rescue with his 200 strong squadron and convinced Frederick to leave.
The Russians and Austrians lost fewer than 15,000 men (approx. 5,000 killed). The Prussians suffered a severe defeat losing 172 cannons, 6,000 killed, 13,000 wounded and 26,000 men that were scattered. Four days after the battle, most of the 26,000 scattered men turned up and Frederick's army recovered to a strength of 32,000 men and 50 cannon.
The Battle of Kunersdorf was the first battle where regular units of horse artillery
were deployed. It was essentially a hybrid of cavalry
and artillery
where the entire crew rode horses in to battle. The unit had been formed only recently and fought on the Prussian side. Despite being wiped out during the battle, the batteries were reorganized the same year and participated in the Battle of Maxen
.
http://www.diedeutschen.zdf.de/
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick II was a King in Prussia and a King of Prussia from the Hohenzollern dynasty. In his role as a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire, he was also Elector of Brandenburg. He was in personal union the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel...
most devastating defeat. On August 12, 1759, near Kunersdorf (Kunowice)
Kunowice
Kunowice is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Słubice, within Słubice County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland, near the Oder river and the German border. It lies approximately east of Słubice, south-west of Gorzów Wielkopolski, and north-west of Zielona Góra. Before 1945...
, east of Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt (Oder)
Frankfurt is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, located on the Oder River, on the German-Polish border directly opposite the town of Słubice which was a part of Frankfurt until 1945. At the end of the 1980s it reached a population peak with more than 87,000 inhabitants...
, 50,900 Prussians
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
were defeated by a combined allied army 59,500 strong consisting of 41,000 Russians
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
and 18,500 Austrians
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
under Pyotr Saltykov.
Only 3,000 soldiers from original 50,900 Prussian army returned to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
after the battle, though many more had only scattered.
The battle started with a Prussian attack on the flank of the Russian positions. This attack was successful and if Frederick had stopped there (as his brother demanded), Kunersdorf would have been a Prussian victory. But the Prussian leader wanted to press his initial success and decided to continue the fight. While the Prussian attack faded, the Austrian cavalry (so far kept in reserve) entered the battle. However, King Frederick II was able to re-group and kept pressure on the allies.
The battle culminated in the early evening hours with a massive Prussian cavalry charge under Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz
Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz
Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Seydlitz was a Prussian soldier and one of the greatest German cavalry generals.-Early life:...
upon the Russian center and artillery positions. The Prussian cavalry suffered heavy losses and retreated in complete disorder. Seydlitz himself was gravely wounded. The allied cavalry, included heavy Russian cavalry, Croats and Kalmyks, counterattacked and scattered what was left of the Prussian Army. King Frederick II himself barely escaped capture, and was wounded by gunfire himself . He stood alone on a small hill with his rapier sticking in the ground before him - determined to either hold the line against the whole enemy army alone or die. Cavalry Captain Ernst Sylvius von Prittwitz came to the king's rescue with his 200 strong squadron and convinced Frederick to leave.
The Russians and Austrians lost fewer than 15,000 men (approx. 5,000 killed). The Prussians suffered a severe defeat losing 172 cannons, 6,000 killed, 13,000 wounded and 26,000 men that were scattered. Four days after the battle, most of the 26,000 scattered men turned up and Frederick's army recovered to a strength of 32,000 men and 50 cannon.
The Battle of Kunersdorf was the first battle where regular units of horse artillery
Horse artillery
Horse artillery was a type of light, fast-moving and fast-firing artillery which provided highly mobile fire support to European and American armies from the 17th to the early 20th century...
were deployed. It was essentially a hybrid of cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
and artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
where the entire crew rode horses in to battle. The unit had been formed only recently and fought on the Prussian side. Despite being wiped out during the battle, the batteries were reorganized the same year and participated in the Battle of Maxen
Battle of Maxen
The Battle of Maxen was a battle at Maxen, Saxony in present-day Germany during the Seven Years' War. It resulted in surrender of prussian corps....
.
Frederick's note from Kunersdorf
The king wrote to Berlin on the evening after the battle:This morning at 11 o'clock I have attacked the enemy. ... All my troops have worked wonders, but at a cost of innumerable losses. Our men got into confusion. I assembled them three times. In the end I was in danger of getting captured and had to retreat. My coat is perforated by bullets, two horses of mine have been shot dead. My misfortune is that I am still living ... Our defeat is very considerable: To me remains 3,000 men from an army of 48,000 men. At the moment in which I report all this, everyone is on the run; I am no more master of my troops. Thinking of the safety of anybody in Berlin is a good activity ... It is a cruel failure that I will not survive. The consequences of the battle will be worse than the battle itself. I do not have any more resources, and - frankly confessed - I believe that everything is lost. I will not survive the doom of my fatherland. Farewell forever!
Sources
- Kungliga artilleriet: Det ridande artilleriet (1987) editor: Jonas Hedberg (summary in English) ISBN 91-85266-39-6
- Die Deutschen Folgen 6- Friedrich II und die Kaiserin, ZDF 2009
http://www.diedeutschen.zdf.de/