Strategy & Tactics 275 The Battle of Koeniggraetz: Austria vs. Prussia, 1866

The Battle of Koeniggraetz: Austria vs. Prussia, 1866
Germany was in 1866 little more than a term applied to a vaguely-defined area of central Europe, home to more than three dozen separate political entities. By far the most important of them were Austria and Prussia. Hapsburg Austria had long been the more powerful of the two, heir to an empire born in the Middle Ages. That power was fading, largely owing to the patchwork nature of the empire. Hohenzollern Prussia, on the other hand, was young and vibrant with ambition to match.

A crisis erupted concerning the fate of Schleswig and Holstein, two German duchies wrested from Denmark by the Federal Army. Austria and Prussia, which had done most of the fighting, were awarded temporary joint rule of the provinces. Disagreement over the apportionment of that rule brought the two into new conflict. Austria bristled once again but, rather than backing down, Prussia deliberately hurled barbs and goads.

In April 1866 the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph called up his army and appealed to the Bund for backing. It appeared he would need the help: only a few minor northern German princelings declared support for Prussia, but far to the south the new nation of Italy was expected to take advantage of Austria�s distraction to seize Vienna�s holdings on that peninsula. Fortunately for Austria, Prussia�s antagonism hadn�t gone unnoticed by Bund members: most of the larger states � Saxony, Hannover, Bavaria, Baden, Wuerttemburg and Hesse � sided with Franz Joseph.

Other articles in this issue:

The First Jihad: an analysis of the massive 7th century (AD) wars that established Islam as a great power across the Middle East and North Africa. Emphasis is on how the Arabs managed to defeat so many opponents, even though they (the Arabs) were almost always outnumbered.

Marshal Pilsudski: a biography of the Polish leader who established that country�s independence in a bloody war with the Soviets in 1919-20. Emphasis is also given to his attempts to form an anti-Nazi preemptive-war alliance in the early and mid-1930s.

Hukbalahap Rebellion: the story of the defeat of this communist-inspired rebellion in the post-World War II Philippines had ramifications in that country lasting to today. Emphasis is also given to the role of CIA and their attempt to duplicate their tactics later in Viet Nam.

Battle of Koniggratz. On 3 July 1866 the armies of Austria-Hungary and Prussia met west of the Bohemian fortress of K�niggr�tz (now Hradec Kr�lov�). The battle was the culmination of a quarter-century of political and military maneuvering by Otto von Bismarck, aimed at enabling Prussia to supplant Austria-Hungary as the dominant state of the coalescing German nation.

The battle is presented using the folio line�s Musket & Saber system: brigade-sized units, one-fifth-mile hexes, 90-minute turns, 280 counters.

The Austro-Hungarian army, chastened by a week of minor defeats, was entrenched a long line covering the fortress of K�niggr�tz. It occupied a central position facing three converging Prussian armies. To win, the Prussians must sweep the Austrians off the field (as they did historically), while the Austrians must maintain a presence on the field to justify their continued claim to political primacy. The game emphasizes the differences between the armies in doctrine, weapons and morale. The Prussian triumph was born of more than just the famous needle-gun: their infantry used flexible organization and tactics to mass men quickly at the decisive point, while the Austrians used a throwback to Napoleonic column formations due to a misreading of the lesson from an earlier engagement. The Prussian artillery is outclassed by the superb Austrian guns, but can be dangerous if used properly. The Austrian cavalry is superior as well, but horsed charges were already an anachronism. In the end the battle came down to crucial command decisions, giving both players an opportunity to win.