On the 5th November 1854 a smaller British and (yes) French army beat off an assault by the Russians at Inkerman in the Crimea. It was known as “The Soldier’s Battle” as men fought small engagements due to poor visibility in dense fog.
The Russians had massed 32000 men on the Allied flank and headed for the 2700 man 2nd Division, commanded today by the aggressive Pennefather. Instead of falling back in the face of superior numbers, he advanced. The British had their rifles to thank this day as they took a terrible toll on the musket armed Russian Infantry, who were hemmed in by the valley’s bottle neck shape. The British 2nd Division pushed the Russians back onto their reinforcements and should have been routed by the Russians’ numbers, but the fog and the British Light Division saved them. Three successive Russian commanders were killed in this engagement.
The Russians other 15000 men approached and assailed the Sandbag Battery, but they were routed by 300 British defenders vaulting the wall, blunting the lead Battalions, who were then attacked in the flank. More Russian attacks ensured the Battery exchanged hands several times.
The British 4th Division was not as lucky. Arriving on the field, its flanking move was itself flanked and its commander, Cathcart, killed. This enabled the Russians to advance, but not for long. They were soon driven off by French units arriving from their camps and made no more headway.
The battle was lost and they had to withdraw.
This was the last time the Russians tried to defeat the Allied troops in the field. Despite this reverse, however, the Russian attack had seriously stalled the Allies from capturing Sevastopol. They had to instead, spend one harsh winter on the heights overlooking the city, before it fell in September of 1855.
The British suffered 2573 casualties, the French 1800 and the Russians 11959.
Leuthen fought today in 1757\.
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Today, the 5th December, in 1757 Frederick the Great of Prussia won his greatest victory at Leuthen against an allied army of mostly Austrians under FM Prince Charles of Lorraine.
It was the Seven Years War and Frederick was battling most of Europe. His Prussia could count a population of 4.5 million. His enemies one in excess of 100 million, but Frederick was the difference. He had won victory after victory and the battle of Leuthen was fought in lands captured from Austria, but 1757 had started badly for him. He had lost to the Austrians at Kolin and been driven out of Bohemia. All looked lost, then he defeated the French at Rossbach and now faced an army twice his size at Leuthen.
The Austrians were confident after inflicting the first ever defeat on Frederick and were aware of how he won his battles. Frederick did not fight in a linear manner, rather he did so obliquely. He would crush one flank, by holding it with his centre while his flank turned the enemy. His other flank he would refuse(bend back) and take the rest of the pressure.
At Kolin this tactic had failed. It did not at Leuthen.
He was able to fool the right wing Austrian commander(Lucchese)into thinking he was attacking his flank, so he demanded Charles’ specially designed reserve for such a contingency, only for them to discover too late that the left was the target.
All went to plan for Frederick as his Prussians defeated the enemy to his front(many of whom were Protestants, like the Prussians, not Catholics like the Austrians, so had less inclination to fight hard today) and sent them fleeing.
The Prussians lost 6000 men, but Charles army of between 60-80000 lost 30000, mostly as prisoners. As a consequence of the battle, a further 17000 surrender without a fight at Breslau.
Frederick is rightly lauded as the 18th century’s greatest military commander and thy victory at Leuthen would be used to great effect in uniting Germany and building up a sense of military superiority over its neighbours, which was felt even as late as the 20th century. -
Writing this I thought of you Worsham, as I know you admire Frederick.
I only hope I have done this subject justice; I know very little of 18th century battles, despite being overly fond of Prussia as a nation.
December what a time to be fighting! -
Thanks Witt!
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I know who’s going to name thier next son Frederick Wittmann!
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Thank you Wittmann.





