Battle of Königgrätz
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| Austro-Prussian War |
|---|
| Custoza – Trutnov – Langensalza – Mnichovo Hradiště – Jičín – Königgrätz – Lissa – Bezzecca |
In the Battle of Königgrätz (or Hradec Králové) or Battle of Sadowa (or Sadová) of July 3, 1866, the Austro-Prussian War was decided in favour of Prussia. It was an excellent example of the battlefield concentration, a convergence of multiple units at the same location to trap and/or destroy an enemy force between them.
Preliminary campaign
At the outset of the war in June the Prussian armies were gathered along the Prussian border: the Army of the Elbe under Karl Herwarth von Bittenfeld at Torgau, the First Army under Prince Friedrich Karl between Senftenberg and Goerlitz, and the Second Army under Crown Prince Friedrich in Silesia west of Neisse (modern Nysa). The Austrian army under Ludwig von Benedek was concentrated at Olomouc. The campaign began with Bittenfeld's advance to Dresden in Saxony, where he easily defeated the Saxon army of 25,000 and joined with the First Army. Benedek meanwhile began moving his army to Josefov.
On June 22, Prussia's Chief of the General Staff Helmuth von Moltke ordered both armies under his command to Jičín near the Austrian positions, a daring maneouvre undertaken to limit the war's duration despite the risk of one army being overtaken en route. Fortunately for Prussia, Benedek was relatively unprepared, and by June 29 Friedrich Karl had reached Jicin despite weak resistance and the Crown Prince had reached Dvůr Králové despite stiff resistance. On June 30 Friedrich Karl advanced to within one day's march from the Crown Prince. However, for the next two days the Prussian cavalry lost sight of the Austrians entirely, although Moltke's guess as to their actions -- a retreat to the Elbe River -- proved correct.
The eve of battle
The Austrian forces were finally sighted on the eve of July 2 near Sadová, and Friedrich Karl planned to attack the next morning. Moltke ordered the Crown Prince to advance at once, but the telegraph lines to the Second Army's positions were out, necessitating the dispatch of two mounted officers at midnight to ride the twenty miles' distance in time. They arrived at 4 a.m..
Benedek was intimidated by the heavy losses his army had suffered so far and uncertain of his capability. He desired peace, but Emperor Franz Josef ordered him to fight a battle first. He also dismissed his chief of staff and operations officer for incompetence and chose a defensive position between Sadová and Hradec Králové (Königgrätz in German). He planned to delay the Prussians until he could retreat across the Elbe.
The battle
The Austrian army of 205,000 faced the Prussian Army of the Elbe (39,000) and First Army (85,000) on July 3. The Austrian infantry was partially fortified and supported by cavalry in the rear and artillery units with firing range across hilly, wooded terrain. The battle began at dawn in subsiding rain and mist as Prussia took its position west of the Bystřice River. Shortly before 8 a.m., the Austrian artillery opened fire, and the Prussian 7th Division under General von Fransecky advanced into Swiep Forest, where it was met by two Austrian corps. King Wilhelm ordered the First Army across the river to support Fransecky. Sadová was captured, but a fierce battle ensued in a nearby forest. The Austrian artillery held off the Prussians, and although the river was easy to wade, transporting artillery across it was greatly difficult. The Prussian attack was halted by 11 a.m., but Benedek refused to call for a cavalry charge which might have won the battle. Reserve units were deployed at noon, but the battle was still uncertain and Prussian commanders anxiously waited for the Crown Prince.
At 2:30 p.m. the Crown Prince finally arrived with almost 100,000 men, having marched with all possible haste all morning, and hit the Austrian right flank retiring from Swiep Forest while the Prussian artillery pounded the Austrian center. The Second Army broke through the Austrian lines and took Chlum behind the center. Meanwhile, the Army of the Elbe broke through the other Austrian flank, seized Probluz, and proceeded to destroy the left flank. The Prussian king ordered an attack all along the line. Despite valiant efforts by the Austrian artillery, the superiority of the Prussian "needle-gun" rifle, which was breech-loading and could be reloaded quickly and operated while lying prone, while the Austrians had to stand up after each shot to reload their obsolete muzzle-loading rifles, proved decisive. Benedek was forced to withdraw, and ordered a series of cavalry countercharges to back up his artillery and cover the retreat.
Aftermath
The Koeniggraetz/Sadowa campaign was the central one of the Austro-Prussian War, and an armistice was agreed to three weeks later. It was a great victory for Prussian statesmen, whose path to German unification had now been cleared.
Reference
- Craig, Gordon The Battle of Königgrätz : Prussia's Victory Over Austria, 1866 Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 1975, 1964.
- Creasy, Sir Edward S., & Mitchell, Joseph B. Twenty Decisive Battles of the World. Chapter 17 ("The Battle of Sadowa, A.D. 1866").
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