Perhaps not every excellent student today can tell where the battle of Zorndorf was unfolding, when and between which sides. And that is pretty sad. After all, the battle of Zorndorf was one of those that strengthened the glory of Russian weapons, and indeed seriously affected the history of all of Europe, and, therefore, the whole world.
When did it happen?
To begin with, this battle became part of the Seven Years War, which lasted from 1756 to 1763. And it took place on August 25, 1758 - August 14, according to the old style. Zorndorf is located on the territory of modern Poland and is called the village of Sarbinovo.
Not everyone knows that the battle at the village of Zorndorf turned out to be one of the largest in the entire Seven Years War. Therefore, it can be argued without a doubt that it influenced the history of the development of all of Europe, and this has already affected the rest of the world.
Parties to the conflict
Specifically, in the battle of Zorndorf, two parties took part - the Russian Empire and Prussia. The forces of the parties were very impressive - for their time, of course.
About 42 thousand people acted on our side with the support of 240 guns. And for the most part these were the so-called Shuvalovites. Due to the approaching war with Prussia, Elizaveta Petrovna gave the order to increase the army, creating a corps of 30 thousand people. It was they who mainly fought under Zorndorf. They got their name because of Count Shuvalov, to whom Her Majesty entrusted the creation of the corps. As it turned out later, he did not do his job well. But more on that later.
From Prussia, the forces were much smaller - about 33 thousand people and 116 guns. However, they were mostly experienced, battle-hardened soldiers who had fought a lot in different countries of Europe before confronting the battle with the Russian enemy.
The generals in the battle of Zorndorf were King of Prussia Frederick II himself, on the one hand, and General-General Willim Fermor.
Battle progress
The battle, as already mentioned, began on August 25, 1758.
In the beginning, everything was as it should be according to the military science of its time. Prussian soldiers were built oblique battle formation. But Fermor chose for his case a very unusual construction for a similar situation - a square. Moreover, he concentrated the cavalry, convoy and reserve in the center, greatly facilitating the work of enemy artillerymen.
The first blow of the Prussians fell precisely on the Shuvalovites. Having no real combat experience, they could hardly restrain themselves, and only timely support from the cavalry allowed them to survive. True, the cavalry was soon attacked by enemy cavalry - brave horsemen had to retreat. But they fulfilled their mission - to delay the enemy from the Shuvalovites and give them time to regroup.
Unfortunately, Fermor did not differ in the talent of the commander and rather quickly lost control of the situation. Only cold-blooded commanders on the ground saved the corps from complete destruction. The whole battle lost its original order and broke into many fights. Subsequently, the Prussian military historian Karl Clausewitz called the Battle of Zorndorf the strangest stage of the Seven Years War, alluding to chaos and irrationality.
Enormous damage to the Russian troops was also caused by poor coordination of the actions of individual units, and the lack of constant communication. For example, in the dust that rose during the battle, the gunners did not immediately recognize the approaching cavalry and opened fire on their own troops. Of course, this is not the first and far from the last such incident in military history - this happens in all countries. But there is a flaw in the command.
Battle results
The courage of the Russian soldier allowed to win this battle - not thanks, but rather, contrary to command. As a result of the battle, Prussia lost more than 11 thousand people wounded and killed. From the side of the Russian Empire, the losses were smaller - about 6 thousand people.
Frederick II led the troops deep into their territories, not daring to re-engage in battle with the Russian troops.
In addition, the battle, despite the absurdity and inexperience of Fermor, forced to forever change the opinion of Frederick II about Russia. Prior to this, he believed that only Austria was a serious opponent for Europe in Prussia. After this battle, he changed his mind, claiming to the end of his death that it was the Russian soldiers who were the most formidable adversary.
Conclusion
On this article comes to an end. Now you know about one of the most important events of the Seven Years War - the battle of Zorndorf. This means that another knowledge gap in history will be closed.