Battle of Kunersdorf

Battle of Kunersdorf
Part of the Third Silesian War
Battle of Kunersdorf by Alexander von Kotzebue (1848)
Date 12 August 1759[a] Location Kunersdorf, Margraviate of Brandenburg (now Kunowice, Lubusz Voivodeship, Poland) 52°21′11″N 14°36′46″E / 52.35306°N 14.61278°E / 52.35306; 14.61278 Result Russo-Austrian victory
Belligerents
Russia Austria	Prussia
Commanders and leaders
Pyotr Saltykov Ernst von Laudon	Frederick II
Strength
59,500[1][b]  • 41,000  • 18,500 248 guns	50,900[2] 230 guns
Casualties and losses
16,332[3][4][5] 14,031 2,301	18,609–20,700[6][4][7] 172 guns

Frederick the Great

200km
125miles

20

19

18

17

Dresden

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

Prague

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

  

  current battle

  First Silesian War

  Second Silesian War

  Third Silesian War

The Battle of Kunersdorf occurred on 12 August 1759 near Kunersdorf (now Kunowice, Poland) immediately east of Frankfurt an der Oder. Part of the Third Silesian War and the wider Seven Years' War, the battle involved over 100,000 men. An Allied army commanded by Pyotr Saltykov and Ernst Gideon von Laudon that included 41,000 Russians and 18,500 Austrians defeated Frederick the Great's army of 50,900 Prussians.

The terrain complicated battle tactics for both sides, but the Russians and the Austrians, having arrived in the area first, were able to overcome many of its difficulties by strengthening a causeway between two small ponds. They had also devised a solution to Frederick's deadly modus operandi, the oblique order. Although Frederick's troops initially gained the upper hand in the battle, his limited scouting, combined with the strong defensive preparations of the Allied troops, gave the Russians and Austrians an advantage. By afternoon, when the combatants were exhausted, fresh Austrian troops thrown into the fray secured the Allied victory.

This was the only time in the Seven Years' War that the Prussian Army, under Frederick's direct command, disintegrated into an undisciplined mass. With this loss, Berlin, only 80 kilometers (50 mi) away, lay open to assault by the Russians and Austrians. However, Saltykov and Laudon did not follow up on the victory due to disagreement. Only 3,000 soldiers from Frederick's original 50,000 remained with him after the battle, although many more had simply scattered and rejoined the army within a few days. This represented the penultimate success of the Russian Empire under Elizabeth of Russia and was arguably Frederick's worst defeat.

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