The story of Prussia's defeat at the Battles of Jena and Auerstedt and subsequent reform has dominated the historiography of Napoleonic Prussia. While Napoleon has received the vast majority of historical attention, those who have written on Prussia have focused on the Prussian reform movement or the Prussian army's campaigns against Napoleon. These historians present the Prussian army before 1807 as an ossified relic, a hopelessly backward and rigid army commanded by a series of septuagenarians. Apart from the 1806 campaign, these scholars scarcely address the field operations of the Prussian army during the French Wars (1792-1801). This thesis seeks to prove that the Prussian army during the War of the Bavarian Succession and the War of the First Coalition was still an effective fighting force by examining the field operation of the Prussian army from 1778-1793 and the reactions of Prussian thinkers to it. The history of the Prussian army from 1778-1806 challenges the narrative of the army as a force in decline. The Prussian army struggled in the War of the Bavarian Succession, and the war revealed two of its weaknesses, the lack of light troops and an uncoordinated strategic approach. However, many of the problems of the war were failures of Fredrick and Henry as generals rather than the army as a whole. The army's performance during the War of the First Coalition against the French proved that it was a highly effective force and able to win even when significantly outnumbered. The existence of the reform movement following the war of the First Coalition and the implementation of some changes demonstrated that the army was far from dormant and its officers still sought ways improve it. While the army did not enjoy commanders of the caliber of Frederick the Great in his prime, before 1806 it retained the discipline and effectiveness in battle it displayed under Fredrick.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1752326 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Soefje, Ethan K |
| Contributors | Leggiere, Michael V, Chet, Guy, Wawro, Geoffrey D. W. |
| Publisher | University of North Texas |
| Source Sets | University of North Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | v, 105 pages, Text |
| Rights | Public, Soefje, Ethan K, Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved. |
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