Battle of Kunersdorf

Overview

The Battle of Kunersdorf occurred on 12 August 1759 near Kunersdorf immediately east of Frankfurt an der Oder. Part of the Third Silesian War and the wider Seven Years' War, the battle involved over 100,000 men. An Allied army commanded by Pyotr Saltykov and Ernst Gideon von Laudon that included 41,000 Russians and 18,500 Austrians defeated Frederick the Great's army of 50,900 Prussians.

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

Significance

The Battle of Kunersdorf, fought on 12 August 1759 near Frankfurt an der Oder, was one of the most costly defeats Frederick the Great suffered during the Seven Years' War. A combined Russo-Austrian force of roughly 59,500 men under Pyotr Saltykov and Ernst Gideon von Laudon inflicted casualties of between 18,609 and 20,700 on Frederick's army of 50,900 — losses representing a substantial portion of the Prussian force engaged. The Allied army itself sustained approximately 16,332 casualties, indicating the ferocity of the engagement. Within the Third Silesian War and the broader Seven Years' War, Kunersdorf demonstrated the capacity of the Russo-Austrian alliance to coordinate effectively against Prussia and to defeat Frederick's army in the field at severe cost to Prussian manpower. The scale of Prussian losses made Kunersdorf one of the gravest single-battle reverses of Frederick's reign and underscored the pressure Prussia faced from multiple directions simultaneously during this phase of the war.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)