Battle of Mollwitz

Part of the War of the Austrian Succession

Prussian infantry during battle of Mollwitz 1741

Date	10 April 1741
Location	Mollwitz, Silesia, now Małujowice, Poland
Result	Prussian victory

Belligerents

Prussia

Austria

Commanders and leaders

Frederick II

Count Schwerin

Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg

Strength

21,600

19,000

Casualties and losses

4,850 dead, wounded or missing/prisoners

4,550 dead, wounded or missing/prisoners

The Battle of Mollwitz was fought by Prussia and Austria on 10 April 1741, during the early stages of the War of the Austrian Succession. It was the first battle of the new Prussian King Frederick II, in which both sides made numerous military blunders but Frederick the Great still managed to attain victory. This battle cemented his authority over the newly conquered territory of Silesia and gave him valuable military experience.

After the accession of Maria Theresa of Austria to the Kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary, Frederick II saw an opportunity to invade and annex the province of Silesia (then under the Czech Crown). He took Silesia by storm and occupied almost the entire province. His troops settled into winter quarters and were expecting an easy land grab, but Maria Theresa sent an army of about 20,000 men led by Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg to take back the province and assert herself as a strong monarch.

Neipperg's army caught Frederick II completely off guard as he lingered in the province, and surged northwards past Frederick and his army to relieve the city of Neisse, which was being besieged by a small Prussian force and had not yet fallen. Both Neipperg and Frederick rushed northwards in parallel columns, in a race to reach the city first. In atrocious weather, Neipperg reached Neisse first and set up camp there. Frederick II and his entire army were now caught behind enemy lines with a large Austrian force lying between him and the rest of his kingdom and his supply and communication lines cut off. Both sides knew that battle was now inevitable.

Captured Austrian soldiers told Frederick the exact position of Neipperg's forces at Mollwitz, and the morning fog and snow allowed Frederick's army to advance undetected to within 2000 paces of Neipperg's camp. Most commanders would then have given the order to charge the camp and rout the Austrian army, but since Frederick had never fought a campaign or a battle before, he instead decided to deploy his army in a battle line. There was very heavy snow on the ground which caused snow-blindness, and Frederick miscalculated the distance to the river on his right. He deployed several of his units behind a bend in the river where they could take no part in the battle, and several more units were deployed perpendicular to his two battle lines on the right flank. It is said that Schwerin commented early on that Frederick miscalculated the distance, but he was ignored.

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