SYW004
First Legion
The drummer taps out the rhythm of the march, keeping the line in step. and straight formation.
Fought from 1756 through 1763, the war involved most of the major world powers and was fought not only in Europe, but throughout various colonial holdings around the world. Though First Legion’s intent with the range is to cover the European part of the conflict in detail, they have decided to start off with the Battle of Kunersdorf fought on August 12th 1759 between the Prussians and a combined Austro-Russian Army.
Kunersdorf was by far Frederick's worst defeat and in fact was the biggest fiasco of Prussian Military until their dismemberment at the hands of Napoleon's Grande Armee in 1806 at the twin battles of Jena-Auerstadt. It may seem strange to cover the greatest defeat of Frederick the Great, who was certainly the finest military mind of the age, but FL feels that the battle offers a variety of interesting troops, attacks and counterattacks, and cavalry charges by both sides. It was a battle that Frederick won in the morning, but then lost in the afternoon as he continued to press the attack despite the protests of his generals. The Prussians struggled through poor terrain, against strong allied positions, and in extremely hot weather. Frederick's attacks finally ground to a halt due to a combination of fierce resistance alongside the thirst and exhaustion of the Prussian troops. When the Austro-Russian force counterattacked the Prussian army came apart, virtually dissolving.