In the winter of 1756-57, Frederick collectedly augmented and prepared his army for the inevitable
war which spring would bring.
Sure, he could look back on a somewhat satisfactory end of his surprise attack against the Saxons
- thanks to their surrender, they wouldn't be a threat.
He consolidated his control over the principality during winter.
He expelled the King, who took up residence in Warsaw.
Incorporating Saxon soldiers in his army provided ten new regiments, not to mention the food,
material and capital his new conquest provided.
The Great Powers wouldn't be able to use the electorate as a springboard against Brandenburg's
heartland.
But the Battle of Lobositz did not grant him the victory he so desperately required to
knock anyone out of the war.
The Saxon soldiers proved a liability rather than an asset.
In spring 1757, two regiments disbanded for sedition.
And another escaped to Poland.
With the international anti-Prussian alliance gaining momentum, Frederick rightly worried
about invasions against his Kingdom once winter was over.
The Russians would invade from the east, the Swedes from the north, the French from the
west and of course, Austria from the south.
Moreover, the Imperial Diet declared war against Prussia that winter, leading to extra worry.
The west was now also prone to Imperial invasions.
Frederick quartered in Dresden throughout the winter, building up his army and preparing
them for the inevitable campaign through the Bohemian hills against Prague.
In Prague, the Austrian Field Marshal Browne also prepared for the year to come.
He divided his army into four parts.
In Eger, he stationed 30.000 soldiers under Charles Marie, Duke Arenberg.
If the French managed to reach Bohemia by spring, these had to link up with them.
50.000 quartered at Budin.
30.000, under Count Christian Moritz von Koenigsegg und Rothfels, quartered close to the Lusatian
border.
The remaining 30.000 were stationed at Koniggratz.
In April 1757, Frederick deployed his 120.000-strong army along the Bohemian frontier.
They were divided into four separate units.
The plan was to incrementally march into Bohemia across a hundred-mile front.
Their goal was to converge north of Prague.
Prince Moritz of Anhalt-Dessau, commanding 20.000 soldiers, advanced towards the Eger
valley from the west.
Marshal August Wilhelm, Duke of Brunswick-Bevern, commanding 16.000, invaded from Lusatia, the
centre-north.
Schwerin invaded from Silesia, commanding some 34.000.
Bevern and Schwerin were to link up with each other at Sobotka and launch an attack against
Jung Bunzlau.
Frederick would march via Lobositz with 40.000 soldiers and a 3900-wagon strong baggage train.
On April 18, Count Schwerin embarked on his march.
Two days later, Bevern marched into Bohemia.
Bevern commanded some 15.000 troops.
He was aware that a 23.000-strong Austrian army under Count Koenisseg quartered on his
route near Reichenberg.
He hoped they would move towards Schwerin once scouts confirmed the Prussians launched
their invasion.
This was idle hope, and that same day his vanguard already encountered some of Koenisseg's
soldiers.
The Austrian commander immediately dispatched messengers to nearby strongholds requesting
reinforcements.
Meanwhile, in Prague, Field Marshal Maximilian Ulysses von Browne received news of Schwerin's
march.
The Prussian army accumulating to Bohemia's west and north-east unnerved Browne, who travelled
to his force in Budin.
He also ordered Duke Arenberg to move his corps from Eger to join him.
On the late evening of April 20, Bevern arrived north of Reichenberg, where, as expected,
Koenigsegg defended the town.
They knew they had to delay the Prussians as much as possible.
Some Austrian detachments were quartered in different villages.
To their west at Gabel, Count Macquire moved north to cut off Bevern's communication line.
However, some of Bevern's hussars halted their advance, and Macquire was forced to return
to Gabel.
Meanwhile, general Franz Moritz von Lacy and a few of his soldiers rapidly approached Reichenberg
as reinforcements.
Close by, another Austrian force under Colonel Karl Prince von Liechtenstein, numbering some
800 cavalry and 300 infantry, was reluctant to leave their position at Grottau to reinforce
Reichenberg.
Commander Georg Ludwig von Puttkamer quickly capitalised on this by attacking Grottau.
After a brief skirmish, Liechtenstein's force was scattered.
Puttkamer seized 60 horses and many prisoners.
Liechtenstein hurried to Reichenberg, together with whatever of his battered force remained.
Puttkamer followed him.
In the late evening of April 20, Bevern and his army approached Reichenberg.
He positioned his army behind a brook, separating him from the Austrians.
They set up camp and built a bridge to cross in the morning.
In total, Koenigsseg commanded between 14- and 17.000 soldiers.
These comprised 14 infantry battalions, 15 grenadier companies and some 3400 horsemen
in 22 squadrons.
In addition, he fielded approximately 78 artillery pieces.
The Austrians erected barriers and placed their batteries in anticipation of the battle.
They put their ramps on the elevation in front of Reichenberg and a thick forest to the far
left.
Letters survive, stating the thick forests "made it difficult for any kind of troops
to pass."
The Austrians were flanked by two rises, the Iser and Jeschke.
They held the strategic high ground.
Behind them laid several valleys, encircled by elevations.
Bevern commanded fifteen battalions and twenty squadrons, 11.300 infantry and 3100 cavalry.
He fielded 40 artillery guns.
Some sources indicate they enjoyed a slight numerical superiority.
At dawn on April 21, Bevern deployed his army parallel to the creek they camped behind.
The Austrian watchmen immediately informed their commanders battle was imminent.
Koenigsegg too deployed his army in a long stretch from a hill in front of Reichenberg
to the thick woodlands on their left.
He reinforced his already strategically strong right flank, concentrating his main army there.
Lacy commanded this Austrian right.
Liechtenstein, who arrived with his still shaken cavalry from the previous day's assault,
commanded the Austrian cavalry.
They took up position in front of the Franzenthal.
Koenigsegg held control of the Austrian centre.
After crossing the bridge, Bevern's men took their positions.
General Hans Sigismund von Lestwitz commanded the Prussian left.
The cavalry was concentrated on the right-wing, commanded by Lieutenant-General Friederich
Eugene von Wurttemberg.
A few hundred Hussars under Puttkamer were hidden away in the woods to the far-right.
Bevern took charge of the main infantry body.
[Battle Sequence]
Bevern concentrated the main attack against the Austrian left, the least reinforced flank.
Lestwitz advanced against the Austrian right to divert attention.
The volleys of artillery on both sides marked the start of the battle.
Because of the uneven terrain, occasionally, the Prussian artillery fired straight into
their advancing infantry.
Not an ideal position to be in.
Wurttemberg and his 15 cavalry squadrons launched the first assault against Liechtenstein.
Both parties heavily clashed, and fierce combat ensued.
Meanwhile, the infantry continued their advance forward slightly to the left.
But their advancement also allowed them to invade the Austrian centre ramps entirely.
The main body of infantry climbed the left slope of the Austrians' elevation.
After exchanging musket volleys, savage close-combat followed.
The iron discipline of the Prussians once again proved superior, and the Austrian formations
on the ramp began cracking.
But whereas the infantry was already proving successful, the cavalry was in a more difficult
position.
They had launched three charges in a very short period, but none proved successful.
Still, the Prussian cavalry drifted off from their infantry lines.
The significant distance allowed the Austrians on the ramp to their right to fire away during
the skirmish.
It caused mounting casualties.
With the Prussian infantry pushing back the Austrian defenders on the ramp to their left,
their flank became exposed to fire from two sides.
The cavalry retreated, unable to inflict decisive damage.
Before Liechtenstein could recuperate, Bevern had already ordered the next assault.
This time, three infantry battalions moved forward.
They were tasked with climbing the Jeschke mountain on the Prussian right.
They climbed through the forest only to outflank the infantry on the ramp.
A brief skirmish broke out.
During this skirmish, Puttkamer's hussars came into action.
They launched a charge from their hidden positions, surprising the Austrian cavalry.
When the surprised infantry on the ramp was routed, the Prussians gained an ideal position
to fire away at the Austrian cavalry's flank.
The confusion and damage the Prussian volleys caused allowed Wurttemberg to launch another
charge with his dragoons.
Again, they clashed with the Austrians, and another bloody, ferocious melee ensued.
Meanwhile, Koenigsegg grasped the severity of the situation.
Having had the strategic high ground, the Prussians now turned it around and were securely
positioned on what had been the Austrian left.
Bevern adequately used his momentum.
He ordered the remainder of the infantry forward along a straight line.
It was time to take the centre.
They began scaling the slope.
Battle ensued along the line, as the Austrians were hard-pressed and forced to give up more
ground against the ever-advancing Prussians.
This didn't go on for very long, and many were pushed back towards the Franzenthal.
Koenigsegg attempted to rally his men for a final counter-attack, but the chaos was
too much.
Soldiers descended into a rout, as the Prussian right wing nearly enveloped the main body
of soldiers in a pincer movement.
The situation became too dangerous and Koenigsseg ordered the general retreat.
Official documents written right after the battle reveal that "The retreat was made in
good order, covered by Count Lacy, who commanded the right."
Ironically, his side, the strongest side, had barely seen any combat.
In total, the battle lasted five hours.
The Prussians suffered some 700 casualties, whereas Koenigsegg lost 900.
Many of the Prussian casualties were caused by friendly fire.
Koenigsegg's retreat allowed Bevern to penetrate Bohemia and continue the march towards the
Rendez-Vous point.
Upon the victory, Brunswick freed the way, which allowed him to continue his march against
Prague.
Two days after the battle of Reichenberg, Frederick crossed into Bohemia.
With his large army and baggage train, they expelled the Austrians from Linay.
His arrival meant he could soon outflank the Austrians at Budin.
Despite poor road conditions and hilly terrain, the advance went rather well.
When the Prussians crossed the Elbe and Eger, Browne retreated to the northwest of Prague.
Arenberg was still on his way, so Browne wanted to postpone battle.
Prince Moritz of Anhalt–Dessau crossed the hills from the west and linked up with Frederick
at Linay.
They continued their march south.
On April 28, Bevern captured Jung-Bunzlau, with Schwerin arriving soon after the action.
The storehouses held enough provisions to feed 40.000 men for three weeks.
Meanwhile, to the north in his military camp, Frederick told his brother that the upcoming
"victory would prove as decisive for the fate of present-day empires as Caesar's defeat
of Pompey at Pharsalus in 48 BC had been for Rome."
Perhaps a bit dramatic, but definitely understandable considering the importance of the upcoming
battle of Prague.
Everyone was aware of its importance, and the battle would soon arrive.
Thank you for watching this video.