Frederick’s First Great Victory

Frederick II reentered the war at the behest of Louis XV of France. As was his style, he launched an offensive in 1744, but he was outmaneuvered by the skilled Otto von Traun. However, it was Charles who was selected …

1745-06-04

FW03

Frederick II reentered the war at the behest of Louis XV of France. As was his style, he launched an offensive in 1744, but he was outmaneuvered by the skilled Otto von Traun. However, it was Charles who was selected to retake Silesia with a large army of Austrians and Saxons. Frederick, predicting that Charles were bungle his maneuvers, sought a battle. At Hohenfriedburg he made a sudden attack. Although the terrain forced Frederick to assault with only part of his army, he nevertheless destroyed the Saxons, and then bested the Austrians. Once again, the Prussian army proved to be a fine instrument of war, but Frederick had changed. He had overcome his earlier failings, and was becoming known as Frederick the Great. Maurice de Saxe, fresh off his victory at Fontenoy, called the battle brilliant and wrote in admiration of the Prussian king. The battle was studied by Prussian officers well into the twentieth century and the great Hohenfriedberger March, supposedly composed by Frederick himself, became a mainstay of Prussian military music.

Hohenfriedberg, Striegau, Prussian Silesia

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 under Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine on 4 June 1745 during the Second Silesian War (part of the War of the Austrian Succession).

Wikipedia: Battle of Hohenfriedberg

Prussian

Austrian