Austro Prussian War, 1866

Date:1866

Location:  Bohemia, Germany, Italy and Adriatic Sea

Result: Prussian victory

Austria, Saxony, Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg, Hanover and some minor German States (formerly as the Deutscher Bund)

Prussia, Italy and some minor German States

Vs

600,000 Austrians and German allies

500,000 Prussians and German allies300,000 Italians

Vs

40,000+ dead or wounded37,000 dead or wounded (German and Italian)

Vs

Custoza – Trutnov – Langensalza – Mnichovo Hradišt – Jičín – Königgrätz – Lissa – Bezzecca

Kingdom of Prussia

Austrian Empire

Neutral

Disputed Territory

Alliances of the Austrian-Prussian War

Prussian Territorial Gains after 1866

Significance for Coursework

• The first major war between two continental powers in many years, this war used many of the same technologies as the American Civil War, including railroads to concentrate troops during mobilization and telegraphs to enhance long distance communication. The Prussian Army used breech-loading rifles that could be loaded while the soldier was seeking cover on the ground, whereas the Austrian muzzle-loading rifles could be loaded only while standing (thus being a good target).

The first practical bolt action rifle. Speeded up loading and allowed for a tactical advantage

• The main campaign of the war occurred in Bohemia. Prussian Chief of the General Staff Helmuth von Moltke had planned meticulously for the war. He rapidly mobilized the Prussian army and advanced across the border into Saxony and Bohemia, where the Austrian army was concentrating for an invasion of Silesia. There, the Prussian armies led personally by King Wilhelm converged, and the two sides met at the Battle of Königgrätz (Sadová) on July 3.

• Superior Prussian organization and élan decided the battle against Austrian numerical superiority, and the victory was near total, with Austrian battle deaths nearly seven times the Prussian figure. It is worth noting that Prussia was equipped with von Dreyse's breech-loading needle-gun, which was vastly superior to Austria's muzzle-loaders. Austria rapidly sought peace after this battle.

Notes on the Austro-Prussian War (Outline)

War in the 19th Century Moltke regarded strategy as a practical art of adapting means to ends, and had developed the methods of Napoleon in accordance with altered conditions of his age. He had been the first to realize the great defensive power of modern firearms, and had inferred from it that an enveloping attack had become more formidable than the attempt to pierce an enemy's front.

“No battle plan survives contact with the enemy”

Helmuth Von Moltke the Elder, 1822-1888

Notes on the Austro-Prussian WarRival military systems: All Prussian citizens were liable to conscription. The three-year term of active service, during which troops were continually trained and drilled, also ensured a better standard of training and discipline than that of the Austrian army, particularly in the infantry.

Speed of mobilisation: An important difference in the Prussian and Austrian military systems was that the Prussian army was locally based, organised as "Kreise" (lit. circles), each containing a Korps headquarters and its component units. The vast majority of reservists lived within a single day's journey from their regimental depots, and mobilisation to full strength would take very little time.

Speed of concentration: The railway system of Prussia was more extensively developed than that within Austria. Railways made it possible to supply larger numbers of troops than had previously been possible, and also allowed the rapid movement of troops within friendly territory. The better Prussian rail network therefore allowed the Prussian army to concentrate more rapidly than the Austrians.

"We have the inestimable advantage of being able to carry our Field Army of

285,000 men over five railway lines and of virtually concentrating them in

twenty-five days ... Austria has only one railway line and it will take her forty-five days to assemble 200,000 men".

Von Moltke

Notes on the Austro-Prussian War

Command and control: Von Moltke headed the General Staff, a full-time body responsible for continually drawing up and reviewing war plans. General Staff officers, who had undergone rigorous selection and training, were also responsible for directing operations at all major headquarters

Economic Factors: In 1866 the Prussian economy was rapidly growing, partly as a result of the Zollverein, and this gave her an advantage in the war. It enabled Prussia to supply her armies with breech-loading rifles, and later with new Krupp breach loading artillery. In contrast, the Austrian economy was suffering after the 1848 revolutions in Hungary and the Second Italian War of Indepence.