Kunersdorf battle

In preparation for a meeting with the enemy, the Allied forces settled down on three dominant heights, separated from each other by ravines and a swampy lowland. This position, protected by a series of trenches and batteries standing on the tops of the hills, was strong enough and advantageous for defense and at the same time inconvenient for an attack from the enemy.

The plan of General-General P.S. Saltykov , who led the allied forces, was to force the Prussian army to attack the left flank of the allied forces, well-fortified and located on rough terrain, to exhaust its forces in battles and then, firmly holding the center and the right flank , go on a general offensive. Among other things, the stake was placed on the Unicorn howitzer, invented by P. I. Shuvalov, which debuted in the battle ^[2] .

In the early morning of August 1 (12), 1759, the army of Frederick built bridges across the river. Oder and crossed to the other side. Work to strengthen the left flank of Russian positions at the dominant heights was not yet begun when it became clear that the battle was imminent.

On August 1 (August 12, according to the new style) of 1759, at 9 o’clock in the morning, the Prussian artillery , well placed and easily reaching Russian positions, opened fire on the left flank, an hour later the Russian artillery answered it. Placed behind the village, in a lowland, poorly trained, it becomes an easy target for Prussian cannons and howitzers. Most of the servants die before they manage to fire a single shot. Noticing that the left flank was not strengthened, Frederick II at about 11 a.m. gave the order to the Prussian troops with superior forces to attack the left flank of the Russian army. The Prussians easily mastered Russian batteries. The Russians had to retreat so that the village, which was in the middle of the army before the battle, was behind the Prussians. Saltykov all the time pulled to the center additional forces of the main reserve and part of the troops of the right flank.

By 6 o’clock in the evening, the Prussian troops captured all the Russian batteries, captured 180 guns (of which 164 would return to the Allies at the end of the battle) and 5 thousand privates. The victory of the Prussian king was undeniable, and he ordered the joyful news to be delivered to Berlin. As a sign of victory, Frederick II also ordered the captives to be taken away and the guns recaptured from the Russians. The heat and the long exhausting battle did their job, the troops were tired to exhaustion. At this time, a dispute arose in the headquarters of the Prussian command: the cavalry commander Seidlitz and General Fink advocated the withdrawal of soldiers from the battle, knowing about their deplorable state, and General Wedel - for the continuation of the battle. Frederick II decided to attack.

The battle resumed at the Jewish cemetery for an abandoned Russian battery. Several times unsuccessfully, the soldiers of Frederick II tried to take the steep height of Svalbard, to which Saltykov moved the reserves from the height of Judenberg. Finally, trying to turn the tide in his favor, Frederick II threw his cavalry into battle, which was then considered the best in Europe . However, the terrain limited its maneuverability and it could not properly turn around. The Prussians had to retreat under a hail of bullets and buckshots. Although the dragoons of the Prince of Württemberg broke into Svalbard, the Russians threw them from there with canister of guns. Several Prussian generals were injured, the king himself was close to death, the gold workshop in his pocket protected his chest from a bullet, the horse underneath killed him with a nucleus. Friedrich threw his last reserve into battle - the life-cuirassiers, who were defeated by the Chuguev Cossacks. The commander of the life-cuirassiers was captured.

Seeing that the reserves of Frederick II were exhausted, Saltykov ordered the general advance of the remaining Russian units. The army of Frederick II ran to the bridges, where a terrible crush was formed. Only about 3,000 people remained in service with Friedrich, of the 180 guns captured from the enemy, only 16 fell into Berlin, the rest of the guns fell into the hands of the Austrians, and besides, there were also 8 Prussian guns that the Prussians did not manage to save during the retreat. After the battle, Saltykov brought Friedrich's hat, which is now kept as a relic in the Suvorov Museum in St. Petersburg .

The officer of Frederick II, Johann Arkhengolts, after the end of the Seven Years War, wrote her story, attributed the decisive role in the victory of the Russian-Austrian troops to the counterattack of the cavalry of the Austrian general Laudon.

“... Then the Prussian cavalry dared to attack the heights, but even Seydlitz’s cavalry tactics proved powerless here. This cavalry, accustomed under his command to overturn the twice and three times the strongest enemy cavalry, put the infantry in all positions to flight, even beat off batteries and overcome the greatest difficulties of the terrain, was exhausted here in an impossible fight under the high-standing Russian guns. <...> All the Prussian troops, horse and foot, came in great frustration. At this critical moment, Laudon with fresh troops attacked from the flank and from the rear to the completely exhausted right wing of the Prussians. This commander, who so often knew how to take advantage of a good moment in the war, now led the cavalry, which had been properly built away from the battle and in perfect order struck the frustrated ranks of the Prussians. This circumstance decided the battle ” ^[3] .

As a result of the victory, the road for the Allied offensive on Berlin was open. Prussia was on the verge of disaster. Friedrich sent a letter to Berlin describing the situation. Subsequently, a myth arose about the phrase allegedly present in the letter: "Everything is lost, save the yard and archives!" However, the persecution was not organized. This made it possible for Frederick to assemble an army and prepare for the defense of Berlin.

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  Map of the Battle of Kunersdorf

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  View from Cow’s Hollow ( German Kuhgrund) , where the fate of the battle was decided, to Cow’s Mountain, where parts of the Observation Corps were located (left flank of the Russian army)

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  View from the center of the Russian position on Frankfurt (Oder) (on the horizon), located in the rear of the Russians

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  Frederick after the Battle of Kunersdorf

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  Laudon in a victory pose in the Battle of Kunersdorf

The complete defeat of the Prussian army, however, did not take Frederick out of the war. Prussia was saved from the final defeat only by the so-called “miracle of the Brandenburg House” .

• Medal "Winner over the Prussians"
• Medal "Winner over the Prussians" (for colonels of the Don Army)

• World War History. / Auto-comp. A. G. Mernikov , A. A. Spector . - Mn. : Harvest , 2005 .-- S. 481-482. - ISBN 985-13-2607-0
• Maslovsky D.F. The Russian Army in the Seven Years War. Vol. 1. - M .: Type. V. Berezovsky, 1891.
• Johann Wilhelm von Archengolts . History of the Seven Years War. - M .: AST , 2001. - ISBN 5-17-010009-4

• Relation of P. S. Saltykov about the victory at Kunersdorf
• Palzig-Kunersdorf operation. Maslovsky .