Battle of Kunersdorf

E15881

The Battle of Kunersdorf was a pivotal 1759 clash in the Seven Years' War in which a combined Russian and Austrian army inflicted one of Frederick the Great’s most devastating defeats.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf battle
military engagement
alliedForcesComposition combined Russian and Austrian army
alsoKnownAs Battle of Kunowice
AustrianCommander Ernst Gideon von Laudon
belligerent Habsburg Monarchy
Kingdom of Prussia
Russian Empire
campaign 1759 campaign of the Seven Years' War
commander Ernst Gideon von Laudon
Frederick II of Prussia
Frederick the Great
Leopold I, Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
Pyotr Saltykov
conflictOf Seven Years' War
countryAtTime Kingdom of Prussia
date 1759-08-12
followedBy Russian advance toward Berlin (1759)
FrederickAssessment Frederick the Great considered it his worst defeat
front Central European theatre of the Seven Years' War
location Kunersdorf
near Frankfurt an der Oder
notableEvent near-annihilation of the Prussian army
partOf Third Silesian War
precededBy Battle of Kay
presentDayLocation Kunowice, Poland
PrussianCasualties around 19,000–20,000 killed, wounded or captured
PrussianCommander Frederick the Great
Leopold I, Prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel
PrussianObjective to destroy the Russian army and relieve pressure on Brandenburg
result Prussian defeat
decisive Russo-Austrian victory
RussianCommander Pyotr Saltykov
RussoAustrianCasualties around 15,000–18,000 killed or wounded
RussoAustrianObjective to defeat the main Prussian field army and open the road to Berlin
significance major turning point in the Seven Years' War
one of Frederick the Great's worst defeats
threatened the survival of the Prussian state
strategicEffect brought Prussia close to collapse
temporarily eliminated Prussia's main field army
strengthPrussia approximately 50,000–60,000 soldiers
strengthRussoAustrian approximately 60,000–70,000 soldiers
tacticalOutcome Russo-Austrian forces held the field
terrainFeature Judenberg heights
Mühlberg hill
swamps and ponds near the Oder River
year 1759


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