Battle of Kesselsdorf

Overview

The Battle of Kesselsdorf was fought on 15 December 1745, between the Kingdom of Prussia and the combined forces of the Archduchy of Austria and the Electorate of Saxony during the part of the War of the Austrian Succession known as the Second Silesian War. The Prussians were led by Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, while the Austrians and Saxons were led by Field Marshal Rutowsky. The Prussians were victorious over the Royal Saxon Army and the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Emperor.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Kesselsdorf, fought on 15 December 1745, was a decisive Prussian victory over the combined Saxon and Austrian Imperial forces in the closing phase of the Second Silesian War. Commanded by Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, a Prussian force of 32,000 defeated a Saxon and Austrian army of 35,000 under Field Marshal Rutowsky, inflicting roughly 10,500 casualties against Prussian losses of approximately 5,100. The scale of the Saxon and Austrian defeat effectively ended meaningful military resistance in this theater of the War of the Austrian Succession. Coming as it did at the conclusion of the Second Silesian War, the battle contributed directly to securing Prussian control of Silesia, the central territorial objective Frederick II had pursued since 1740, and paved the way for the Treaty of Dresden signed shortly afterward, which ended the conflict between Prussia, Austria, and Saxony.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)