BATTLE OF LEUTHEN
The blue-coated Prussian soldiers marched south over hard frozen ground blanketed with a light dusting of snow towards the nondescript village of Sagschutz at midday on 5 September 1757. A string of low hills masked their march from the watchful eyes of their Austrian foe arrayed for battle less than two miles to the west.
Prussian King Frederick II ‘The Great’ believed his army had a strong chance for success in the coming battle that would decide whether Prussia retained Silesia or lost it to the Austrians. He intended to send his well-trained infantry against the Austrian flank in what was known in military lexicon as an ‘oblique order of attack.’ Simply put, the Prussians would advance diagonally against the southern end of the Austrian line.
When Frederick had completed making his final adjustments for attack at 1.15pm, he rode over to two corporals who would carry the colours into battle for the first battalion of the 26th Infantry Regiment. Frederick wanted to make sure they knew exactly where to lead their battalion. The 45-year-old Prussian king told them to march straight towards the enemy whose troops were on a low rise
