Battle of Peterswalde facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prussian Bohemia Incursion |
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| Part of the Third Silesian War (Seven Years' War) | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Prussia |
 Holy Roman Empire |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Prince Henry of Prussia Johann Dietrich von Hülsen Johann Jakob von Wunsch |
Feldmarshall Lieutenant Ernst Gideon von Laudon General Reinhardt (POW) Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein |
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| Units involved | |||||||
| Prince Henry's vanguard | I./Andlau Infanterie-Regiment I.Battalion Königsegg Infanterie Croatian soldiers Hungarian foot |
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| Strength | |||||||
| ? | 3,400+ men | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Unknown | ~3000 captured 3 guns |
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The Prussian Bohemia Incursion was a quick military operation. It was led by Prince Henry of Prussia. This happened during the Third Silesian War, which was part of the bigger Seven Years' War. The main goal was to weaken the Austrian army. The Prussians wanted to destroy Austrian military supplies in Bohemia.
Contents
The Prussian Attack on Bohemia
On April 14, 1759, Prince Henry of Prussia began his attack. His army crossed the Ore Mountains into Bohemia. They moved in two main groups.
Prince Henry's Advance
One group was led by Prince Henry himself. It had 13 battalions (groups of soldiers) and 20 squadrons (groups of cavalry). On April 15, this group entered Bohemia at a place called Peterswalde. Today, this area is part of the Czech Republic.
Peterswalde was important because it held a large Austrian ammunition storage. A part of Prince Henry's army, led by Johann Jakob von Wunsch, attacked the Austrian defenders. These defenders were mostly Croatian soldiers. The Prussians won this fight. Wunsch ordered all the stored ammunition to be destroyed. He also burned several ships on the Elbe river.
The Prussian soldiers stayed in Peterswalde overnight. The next day, they were attacked by another Austrian force. The Prussians fought back and captured one officer and 22 soldiers.
Pushing Deeper into Bohemia
About 600 Grenzers (border guards) and some Hungarian soldiers were guarding a strong position near Peterswalde. Prince Henry's advance group split up. One part went to Aussig (now Ústí nad Labem), and the other went to Töpplitz (now Teplice). This forced the Austrian defenders to leave their positions.
At Aussig, the Prussians destroyed another ammunition storage. They also burned about 200 boats on the Elbe river.
General Hülsen's Column
The second Prussian group was led by General Hülsen. His group had 8 battalions and 12 squadrons. Hülsen marched towards a pass called Passberg. This pass was heavily guarded by Austrian forces under General Reinhard. The Austrian force had about 2,800 men, including infantry and hussars.
General Hülsen used a clever tactic. He sent his cavalry around the Austrian positions to attack them from behind. At the same time, his infantry attacked from the front. The Prussians pushed the Austrians out of their defenses. They captured General Reinhard, 51 officers, and 2,000 soldiers. They also took 3 flags, 2 standards, and 3 cannons. The remaining Austrian soldiers retreated to Trautenau (now Trutnov). There, they joined another Austrian commander, Loudon.
Destroying More Supplies
On April 16, Prince Henry's advance group returned to his main column. They then seized and destroyed more Austrian supplies.
- Magazines at Lobositz (now Lovosice) and Leitmeritz (now Litoměřice) were taken.
- A new bridge at Leitmeritz was burned.
- Prince Henry marched to Budin (now Budyně nad Ohří) and destroyed another magazine. The fire accidentally spread and damaged the town.
Meanwhile, General Hülsen marched to Saatz (now Žatec). However, the Austrians had already burned their supplies there before he arrived. The Prussians still managed to destroy several other magazines in different towns. These included Komotau (now Chomutov), Luckowitz, Liboschowitz (now Libochovice), Worwitzow, Postelberg (now Postoloprty), and Brüx (now Most).
During these attacks, the main Austrian commander, Field Marshal Count Leopold Joseph von Daun, was at Jermer (now Jaroměř). This Prussian raid caused a big delay in his plans for the summer.
Prussian Retreat
By April 20, Prince Henry had completed his mission. He ordered his troops to retreat. They took about 3,000 captured Austrian soldiers with them. Three days later, the Prussians safely reached Saxony.
