26 Facts About Prussian Army

1.

Prussian Army had become outdated by the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars, and France defeated Prussia in the War of the Fourth Coalition in 1806.

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2.

However, under the leadership of Gerhard von Scharnhorst, Prussian reformers began modernizing the Prussian Army, which contributed greatly to the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte during the War of the Sixth Coalition.

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3.

Conservatives halted some of the reforms and the Prussian Army subsequently became a bulwark of the conservative Prussian government.

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4.

Prussian Army based his reforms on those of Louvois, the War Minister of King Louis XIV of France.

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5.

Prussian Army developed a cadet institution for the nobility; although the upper class was resistant to the idea in the short term, the integration of the nobility into the officer corps allied them with the Hohenzollern monarchy in the long term.

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6.

The elector achieved his greatest victory in the Battle of Fehrbellin; although a minor battle, it brought fame to the Brandenburg-Prussian Army and gave Frederick William the nickname "the Great Elector".

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7.

Prussian Army vastly increased the role of music in the Army, dedicating a large number of musician-troops, especially drummers and fifers, to use music for increasing morale in battle.

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8.

Frederick William I restricted enrollment in the officer corps to Germans of noble descent and compelled the Junkers, the Prussian landed aristocracy, to serve in the army, Although initially reluctant about the army, the nobles eventually saw the officer corps as its natural profession.

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9.

The Prussian Army cavalry excelled during the battle, especially the Zieten Hussars.

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10.

The Austrian Prussian Army had been reformed by Kaunitz, and the improvements showed in their success over Prussia at Kolin.

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11.

The Prussian Army cavalry was to attack as a large formation with swords before the opposing cavalry could attack.

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12.

Prussian Army delegated responsibility to the aged Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, and the army began to degrade in quality.

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13.

Prussian Army was succeeded by his son, Frederick William III, who involved Prussia in the disastrous Fourth Coalition.

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14.

The Prussian Army was decisively defeated in the battles of Saalfeld, Jena and Auerstedt in 1806 and Napoleon occupied Berlin.

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15.

Prussian Army troops were subsequently used to suppress the revolution in many other German cities.

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16.

Prussian Army desired to reform the army, which conservatives such as Roon considered to have degraded since 1820 because of liberalism.

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17.

Prussian Army expanded the General Staff, creating peacetime subdivisions such as the Mobilization, Geographical-Statistical and Military History Sections.

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18.

Prussian Army accomplished this by means of directives stating his intentions, rather than detailed orders, and he was willing to accept deviations from a directive provided that it was within the general framework of the mission.

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19.

Prussian Army crushed Danish forces in the Battle of Dybbøl during the Second Schleswig War, allowing Prussia and Austria to claim Schleswig and Holstein, respectively.

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20.

The needle guns of the Prussian Army infantry were highly successful against the Austrians, who were defeated at Koniggratz.

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21.

Under the leadership of Moltke, the Prussian Army then proved victorious over France in the Franco-Prussian War .

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22.

The Prussian Army formed the main component of the Reichsheer, the army of the German Empire.

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23.

Rather than frontal attacks, the Prussian king tried to apply the oblique order, by which his army's strongest wing focused against the enemy's weakest wing or flank, while restraining his own weaker wing.

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24.

The Prussian systems were regarded as weak in intelligence, counterintelligence, and logistics, but during the First World War the German Army was often able to lay its hands on British and French battleplans.

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25.

Prussian Army is often considered to have used the flexible command of Auftragstaktik, by which subordinate officers led using personal initiative.

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26.

Prussian Army acquired a reputation for strict and savage military discipline.

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