Battle of Soor
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The Battle of Soor (30 September 1745) was a battle between
Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...
's
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 ...
n army and an Austro- Saxon army led by
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine Prince Charles Alexander Emanuel of Lorraine (french: Charles Alexandre Emanuel, Prince de Lorraine; german: Karl Alexander von Lothringen und Bar; 12 December 1712 in Lunéville – 4 July 1780 in Tervuren) was a Lorraine-born Austrian general ...
during the
Second Silesian War The Second Silesian War (german: Zweiter Schlesischer Krieg, links=no) was a war between Prussia and Austria that lasted from 1744 to 1745 and confirmed Prussia's control of the region of Silesia (now in south-western Poland). The war was fough ...
(part of the
War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's ...
). The battle occurred in the vicinity of Soor, also known as Hajnice, in the modern day
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
. The battle started with a failed Austrian surprise attack on the outnumbered Prussians. Despite initial setbacks the Prussian army managed to defeat the Austrians, due to an unexpected attack from a reserve regiment that refused to follow Frederick's orders.


Background

Three months after the
battle of Hohenfriedberg The Battle of Hohenfriedberg or Hohenfriedeberg, now Dobromierz, also known as the Battle of Striegau, now Strzegom, was one of Frederick the Great's most admired victories. Frederick's Prussian army decisively defeated an Austrian army unde ...
,
Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...
laid the "Camp of Staudenz", initially planning to return to Berlin, in order to inspect the building work on his new palace of Sans Souci. Having stripped off many detachments during his march through Bohemia, Frederick's numbers had been reduced to 22,500 men. Prince Charles then discovered that Frederick had failed to occupy the Graner-Koppe, a hill north of Burkersdorf (Střítež, Trutnov District, modern day
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
) that dominated the landscape to the east and south. On 29 September, Charles attempted to flank the Prussian camp from the Königreich-Wald hills, and the following morning the Austrians took positions on the crucial Graner-Koppe hill. The 40,200-strong Austrian army intended to destroy the Prussians in a surprise attack.


Battle

Prussian scouts soon detected the Austrian presence, and drummers and trumpeters sounded the general alarm as Prussians began preparing for battle. Austrian artillery proceeded to fire on the Prussian encampment, while the Prussian army marched into battle. Frederick ordered the cavalry to charge up the valley to the side of the hill in order to encircle the enemy. During the maneuver the cavalry came under artillery fire, suffering heavy casualties. Despite the initial setback the vanguard regiments of the Gens D’Armes and General Buddenbrock's cuirassiers managed to surprise the Austrian cavalry forcing it to flee. Coming under musket fire the Prussian cavalry withdrew to the rear of the force. By the time of the cavalry retreat, Prussian grenadiers and the Anhalt infantry regiment began engaging the Austrian troops positioned on the hill. An Austrian counterattack, supported by artillery fire, dealt significant damage to the Prussian infantry causing it to fall back. The Prussians then launched a second assault consisting of Geist Grenadiers, Blanckensee, La Motte and other battle hardened regiments. The unwillingness of the Austrian artillery to risk firing at its own troops contributed to the fall of the summit. A number of Prussian regiments positioned south of Burkersdorf ignored orders to remain in the area and attempted to capture Burkersdorf. A bayonet charge led by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick seized an Austrian battery, and the surprise attack led to the collapse of the Austrian line. Despite the lack of an organised pursuit many Austrian infantrymen were captured by the Prussian cavalry regiments. A total of 856 Prussians were killed, while the injured or missing amounted to 3,055. Austrian and Saxon troops suffered 7,444 dead, injured or missing.


Order of battle


Austrian – Saxon army order of battle

*Right Wing Cavalry Division: **Kohary Dragoon Regiment **Palffy Cuirassier Regiment **Bretlach Cuirassier Regiment **Liechtenstein Dragoon Regiment **Hohenembs Cuirassier Regiment **St. Ignon Cuirassier Regiment *Right Wing Infantry Division: **Hesse – Kassel Infantry Regiment **Damnitz Infantry Regiment **Baden – Baden Infantry Regiment **Kolowrat Infantry Regiment **J. Harrach Infantry Regiment **Niepperg Infantry Regiment **Waldeck Infantry Regiment **L.Daun Infantry Regiment **Grunne Infantry Regiment **Platz Infantry Regiment **Landlau Infantry Regiment **Croatian Battalion *Center Infantry Division: **Marschal von Biberstein Infantry Regiment **Braunschweig – Wolfenbu"ttel Infantry Regiment **Bayreuth Infantry Regiment **Kokomesde de Vettes Infantry Regiment **Botta de Adorna Infantry Regiment **3 Imperial Infantry Regiments **S. Guylay Infantry Regiment **U.Browne Infantry Regiment *Left Infantry Division: **Kaiser Infantry Regiment **Karl von Lothringen Infantry Regiment **Livingstein Infantry Regiment **Wurmbrand Infantry Regiment **J. Harrach Infantry Regiment **3 Grenadier Battalions **Converged Elite Company Regiment *Left Wing Cavalry Division: **Bernes Cuirassier Regiment **Serbelloni Cuirassier Regiment


Prussian army order of battle

*Left Wing Cavalry Division: **Alt-Wurttemberg Dragoon Regiment **Gessler Cuirassier Regiment **Rochow Cuirassier Regiment **Bornstedt Cuirassier Regiment *Left Wing Infantry Division: **Grumbkow Grenadier Battalion (7/23) **Stangen Grenadier Battalion (34/Garrison #5) **Retzow Grenadier Garde Battalion **I/Leibgarde Infantry Regiment **Markgraf Karl Infantry Regiment **Dohna Infantry Regiment **Lehwaldt Infantry Regiment **Kalckstein Infantry Regiment *Right Wing Infantry Division: **Anhalt Infantry Regiment **Finck Grenadier Battalion (43/Garrison #2) **Tresckow Grenadier Battalion (35/39) **Wedel Grenadier Battalion (15/18) **Hagen Infantry Regiment **Blanckensee Infantry Regiment **La Motte Infantry Regiment *Right Wing Cavalry Division **Buddenbrock Cuirassier Regiment **Gendarmes Regiment **Kyau Cuirassier Regiment **Prinz von Preussen Cuirassier Regiment **Rothenberg Dragoon Regiment **Garde du Corps


Notes


References

* Asprey, Robert B.: "Frederick the Great: The Magnificent Enigma" Ticknor & Fields (1986). pp 333–338 * Chandler, David: ''The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough.'' Spellmount Limited, (1990). * Duffy, Christopher: "The Army of Frederick the Great" The Emperor's Press (1996) pp 243–245. * Duffy, Christopher: "Frederick the Great, A Military Life" Routledge (1985) pp 69–71 {{Authority control Soor Soor 1745 Soor 1745 Soor 1745 Soor 1745 1745 in the Holy Roman Empire 1745 in the Habsburg Monarchy 18th century in Bohemia Soor 1745 Soor 1745 Soor 1745