The Battle of Reichenberg was a

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

of the

Third Silesian War The Third Silesian War () was a war between Prussia and Austria (together with its allies) that lasted from 1756 to 1763 and confirmed Prussia's control of the region of Silesia (now in south-western Poland). The war was fought mainly in Silesi ...

(part of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...

), fought on 21 April 1757 near the town of Reichenberg (Czech: ''Liberec'') in Bohemia.

Background

Marshal von Bevern had entered Bohemia with a corps of 15,000

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...

ns. At Reichenberg he encountered

Königsegg Königsegg was a state in the southeastern part of what is now Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It emerged in 1192 as a Herrschaft (territory), lordship and was raised to a feudal barony, barony in 1470. It was partitioned in 1622 between itself, Kö ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n corps. The full Austrian corps consisted of 18,000 infantry and 4,900 cavalry, but only about 14,000 of them had been concentrated at Reichenberg. The experienced Bevern defeated his opponent. As a result, Bevern captured large quantities of Austrian supplies and could continue his march on

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

Order of Battle

Austrian Forces

Austrian Forces during the battle were: * Commander-in-Chief, ''Feldzeugmeister'' (General of Artillery) Christian Eusebius, Count von Königsegg-Rothenfels * Vanguard (at the outskirts of the woods to the East of Reichenberg) ** Splényi Hussarregiment (2 Sqns) ** Karlstädter Grenz-Hussarregiment (1 Sqn) * Main Corps ** Right Wing, under Major-General Count Franz Moritz von Lacy *** on the left bank of the

Neisse The Lusatian Neisse (german: Lausitzer Neiße; pl, Nysa Łużycka; cs, Lužická Nisa; Upper Sorbian: ''Łužiska Nysa''; Lower Sorbian: ''Łužyska Nysa''), or Western Neisse, is a river in northern Central Europe.Lusatia Lusatia (german: Lausitz, pl, Łużyce, hsb, Łužica, dsb, Łužyca, cs, Lužice, la, Lusatia, rarely also referred to as Sorbia) is a historical region in Central Europe, split between Germany and Poland. Lusatia stretches from the Bóbr ...

Prussian Forces

Prussian Forces during the battle were (cavalry maintained 4 sqns and infantry had 2 battalions): * Commander-in-Chief, August Wilhelm, Duke of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern ** Infantry Commander, Lieutenant-General Hans Sigismund von Lestwitz ** Cavalry Commander, Major-General

Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg Friedrich Eugen, Duke of Württemberg (21 January 1732 – 23 December 1797) was the fourth son of Karl Alexander, Duke of Württemberg, and Princess Maria Augusta of Thurn and Taxis (11 August 1706 – 1 February 1756). He was born in Stut ...

* Puttkamer Hussarregiment (vanguard) * 1 Battery of 12 x 12-pounder guns * First Line ** Kahlden Grenadierbataillon ** Möllendorf Grenadierbataillon ** Billerbeck Greandierbataillon ** Prinz von Prußen Infanterieregiment ** Darmstadt Infanterieregiment ** Forcade Infanterieregiment ** Amstell Infanterieregiment ** Kleist Infanterieregiment * Second Line ** Normann Dragonerregiment ** Katte Dragonerregiment ** Würtemburg Dragonerregiment ** Puttkamer Hussarregiment ** Prinz Heinrich Fusilierregiment

References

Sources

* Battle of Reichenberg Battles of the Seven Years' War Battles involving Prussia Battles involving Austria

Battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

1757 in Austria Battles in Bohemia Battles of the Silesian Wars {{Austria-battle-stub