The First Army was a

Prussian 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 e ...

formation during the Austro-Prussian War. Being a wartime organization of the Prussian Army; it afterwards was demobilized.

Formation

For the Austro-Prussian War the Prussians organized their forces into three, and eventually four,

field armies A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...

. Helmuth von Moltke, Chief of the

Prussian General Staff The German General Staff, originally the Prussian General Staff and officially the Great General Staff (german: Großer Generalstab), was a full-time body at the head of the Prussian Army and later, the German Army, responsible for the continuou ...

, assigned four corps to attack the area of the Austria-allied kingdoms of

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

and

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

. The command of the First Army was given to Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia, a nephew of King William of Prussia. The young

General der Kavallerie General of the Cavalry (german: General der Kavallerie) was a General officer rank in the cavalry in various states of which the modern states of German and Austria are successors or in other armies which used the German model. Artillery officers ...

had served in the

First Schleswig War The First Schleswig War (german: Schleswig-Holsteinischer Krieg) was a military conflict in southern Denmark and northern Germany rooted in the Schleswig-Holstein Question, contesting the issue of who should control the Duchies of Schleswi ...

and

Second Schleswig War The Second Schleswig War ( da, Krigen i 1864; german: Deutsch-Dänischer Krieg) also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War was the second military conflict over the Schleswig-Holstein Question of the nineteenth century. ...

and already received the prestigious

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eag ...

with oak leaves. Chief of Staff was to be

Generalleutnant is the Germanic variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO rank of ...

Konstantin Bernhard von Voigts-Rhetz, who was an intelligent but opinionated officer.

Course of war

During the war the First Army did not operate effectively in the opinion of the war-directing General Staff. Prince Friedrich Karl's marching orders strained the army's supply lines and prevented a link with Second Army. Fortunately the First Army was able to link up with the

Army of the Elbe The Army of the Elbe was a Prussian formation during the Austro-Prussian War. Being a wartime organization of the Prussian Army; it afterwards was demobilized. Creation Helmuth von Moltke the Elder created the Army of the Elbe for the Austro ...

, commanded by Karl Eberhard Herwarth von Bittenfeld. On June 28th both armies operated against

Mnichovo Hradiště Mnichovo Hradiště (; german: Münchengrätz) is a town in Mladá Boleslav District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 8,700 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monum ...

which turned into the Battle of Münchengrätz. The prince then ordered the 3rd Division to march to

Jičín Jičín (; german: Jitschin or ''Gitschin'') is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument reservation. Th ...

. Even though the campaign was successful many men died before reaching the battlefields. The combined operation of two armies worsened the already bad supply situation. When the armies marched separately again the First Army was the first in the

Battle of Königgrätz The Battle of Königgrätz (or Sadowa) was the decisive battle of the Austro-Prussian War in which the Kingdom of Prussia defeated the Austrian Empire. It took place on 3 July 1866, near the Bohemian city of Hradec Králové (German: Königg ...

, fighting against the Austrians under

Ludwig von Benedek Ludwig August Ritter von Benedek (14 July 1804 – 27 April 1881), also known as Lajos Benedek, was an Austro-Hungarian general (Feldzeugmeister), best known for commanding the imperial army in 1866 in their defeat at the Battle of Königg ...

until the Second Army of Crown-Prince Frederick William of Prussia arrived.

Order of Battle

The First Army had the following order of battle:
Commanding General: General der Kavallerie Prince Friedrich Karl of Prussia

Chief of Staff: Generalleutnant Konstantin Bernhard von Voigts-Rhetz
Quartermaster General: Generalmajor

Ferdinand von Stülpnagel Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...

Chief of Artillery: Generalmajor

Albert von Lengsfeld Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

Chief Engineer: Generalmajor Karl Keiser

II Corps

Commanding General: Generalleutnant Stephan von Schmidt
Chief of Staff: Generalmajor

Georg von Kameke Arnold Karl Georg von Kameke (14 April 1817, in Pasewalk – 12 October 1893, in Berlin) was a Prussian General of the Infantry and Minister of War. Life Arnold Karl Georg von Kameke was a son of Prussian army officer Georg Christian Friedric ...

* 3rd Division

August von Werder Karl Wilhelm Friedrich August Leopold Graf von Werder (12 September 1808 – 12 September 1887) was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian general. Life and career Early life and assignments Werder was born in Schloßberg near Norkitten in the Pr ...

** 5th Infantry Brigade Ludwig von Januschowski *** Grenadier-Regiment „König Friedrich Wilhelm IV.“ (1. Pommersches) Nr. 2 Oberst Ernst von Reichenbach *** 5. Pommersches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 42 Oberst Ferdinand von Borcke ** 6th Infantry Brigade Karl Friedrich Wilhelm von Winterfeldt *** 3. Pommersches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 14 Oberst Alexander von Stahr *** 7. Pommersches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 54 Oberstleutnant Benno von Kurowski *** Pommersches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 2 ** Division Cavalry Pomeranian Hussar Regiment No. 5 Oberst Tamm von Flemming * 4th Division Friedrich Herwarth von Bittenfeld ** 7th Infantry Brigade, Ludwig von Schlabrendorff *** 2. Pommersches Grenadier-Regiment (Colberg) Nr. 9, Oberst Karl Gustav von Sandrart *** 6. Pommersches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 49, Oberst Gustav von Wietersheim ** 8th Infantry Brigade, Bernhard von Hanneken *** 4. Pommersches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 21, Oberst Franz von Krane-Matena *** 8. Pommersches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 61, Oberst Hermann von Michaelis ** Divisions Kavallerie 1. Pommersches Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 4, Oberst Fedor von Kleist ** Korps-Reserve Artillerie, Oberst von Puttkammer

III Corps

''Directly subordinate to the army'' *

5th Division In military terms, 5th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 5th Division (Australia) *5th Division (People's Republic of China) * 5th Division (Colombia) *Finnish 5th Division (Continuation War) * 5th Light Cavalry Division (France) *5th Mo ...

Wilhelm von Tümpling Wilhelm Ludwig Karl Kurt Friedrich von Tümpling (b. 30 December 1809 - d. 13. February 1884) was a Prussian ''General der Kavallerie''. Tümpling commanded a division in the Austro-Prussian War and VI Army Corps during the Franco-Prussian War. ...

** 9th Infantry Brigade Genarlamajor Gustav von Schimmelmann *** Grenadier-Regiment „König Friedrich Wilhelm IV.“ (1. Pommersches) Nr. 2 Oberst Ernst von Reichenbach *** 5. Pommersches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 42 Oberst Ferdinand von Borcke ** 10th Infantry Brigade Wilhelm von Kamienski *** 2. Pommersches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 14 Oberst Kolmar von Debschitz *** 1. Pommersches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 54 Oberst Karl von Kettler ** Division Cavalry Pomeranian Hussar Regiment No. 5 Oberstleutnant Eugen von Treskow * 6th Division Albrecht Gustav von Manstein ** 11th Infantry Brigade, Hermann von Gersdorff *** Brandenburgisches Füsilier-Regiment Nr. 35, Oberst Louis von Rothmaler *** 7. Brandenburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 64, Oberst Ernst von Hartmann ** 12th Infantry Brigade, Bernhard von Hanneken *** 4. Brandenburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 24, Oberst Emil von Hacke *** 8. Pommersches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 61, Oberst Johann von Götz und Schwanenflies ** Divisions Kavallerie Brandenburgisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. 2, Oberstleutnant Carl Heinichen

IV Corps

''Directly subordinate to the army'' * 7th Division,

Eduard von Fransecky Eduard Friedrich Karl von Fransecky (16 November 1807 – 22 May 1890) was Prussian general who served in the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War. Biography Fransecky was born in 1807 in Gedern in a military family. In 1818 he ...

** 13. Infanterie-Brigade, Julius von Groß *** 1. Magdeburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 26, Oberst Alexander von Medem *** 3. Magdeburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 66, Oberst Adolf von Blanckensee ** 14. Infanterie-Brigade, Generalmajor Helmuth von Gordon *** 2. Magdeburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 27, Oberst Franz von Zychlinski *** 4. Magdeburgisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 67, Oberst Eduard von Bothmer ** Divisions Kavallerie Magdeburgisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 10, Oberst Hermann von Besser * 8. Division, August von Horn ** 15. Infanterie-Brigade, Julius von Bose *** 1. Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 31, Oberst Louis von Freyhold *** 3. Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 71, Oberst Karl von Avemann ** 16. Infanterie-Brigade (Deutsches Kaiserreich), Leopold von Stuckrad *** 4. Thüringisches Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 72, Oberst von Bruno Neidhardt von Gneisenau *** Magdeburgisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 4 ** Divisions Kavallerie Thüringisches Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 6, Oberstleutnant Ferdinand August von Langermann und Erlencamp

Cavalry Corps

Commanding General: General der Kavallerie Prince

Albert of Prussia Albert of Prussia (german: Albrecht von Preussen; 17 May 149020 March 1568) was a German prince who was the 37th Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, who after converting to Lutheranism, became the first ruler of the Duchy of Prussia, the s ...

Chief of Staff: Oberstleutnant Karl von Witzendorff * 1st Cavalry Division, Hermann von Alvensleben ** 1. Leichte Kavallerie-Brigade, Generalmajor Albert von Rheinbaben *** 1. Garde-Ulanen-Regiment, Oberst Enno von Colomb *** 2. Garde-Ulanen-Regiment, Oberst Wilhelm von Brandenburg *** 1. Garde-Dragoner-Regiment, Oberstleutnant Friedrich Magnus von Barner ** 2. Schwere Kavallerie-Brigade, Generalmajor Wolf von Pfuel *** Brandenburgisches Kürassier-Regiment Nr. 6, Oberst Alfred von Rauch *** Magdeburgisches Kürassier-Regiment, Oberst Hiob von Hontheim * 2nd Cavalry Division, Benno Hann von Weyhern ** 2. Leichte Kavallerie-Brigade, Generalmajor Wilhelm zu Mecklenburg-Schwerin *** 2. Garde-Dragoner-Regiment, Oberst Hermann von Redern *** Brandenburgisches Husaren-Regiment (Zietensche Husaren) Nr. 3, Oberstleutnant Adalbert von Kalkreuth *** 2. Brandenburgisches Ulanen Regiment Nr. 1, Oberstleutnant Friedrich Wilhelm zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen ** 3. Leichte Kavallerie-Brigade, Generalmajor Georg von der Groeben *** Neumärkisches Dragoner Regiment Nr. 3, Oberstleutnant Karl von Willisen *** Thüringisches Husaren-Regiment Nr. 12, Oberst Gustav von Barnekow The following detached units also belonged to the corps: * 1. Schwere Kavallerie-Brigade, Generalmajor Prince Albert of Prussia ** Regiment der Gardes du Corps, Oberst Friedrich von Brandenburg ** Garde-Kürassier-Regiment, Oberstleutnant Hermann von Lüderitz * 3. Schwere Kavallerie-Brigade, Generalmajor Wasa von der Goltz ** Kürassier-Regiment „Königin“ (Pommersches) Nr. 2, Oberst August von Schaevenbach ** 2. Pommersches Ulanen-Regiment Nr. 9, Oberst Otto von Diepenbroick-Grüter

References

Literature

* * * {{Cite book, last=Wawro, first=Geoffery, title=The Austro-Prussian War: Austria's war with Prussia and Italy in 1866, year=1997, isbn=978-0-521-62951-5 Units and formations of the Prussian Army Austro-Prussian War Field armies of Germany