Battle of Leuthen Day

Entrance to the Leuthen churchyard, defended by the Rot Wurzburg regiment

December 5th is the anniversary day of Frederick the Great's victory in the Battle of Leuthen, fought December 5, 1757. Leuthen was Frederick's signature battle, featuring the employment of the Prussian oblique order tactics, and is probably what established Frederick as one of the great captain-generals in history.

I have posted some of the pictures of the Leuthen church that I took in October 2016 when I visited the site during Christopher Duffy's guided tour.

You can see the relative height of the church walls by comparing it to the people.
That is Christopher Duffy in the center-right of the picture.

The signature round corner walls of the Leuthen church

Another view of the corner round walls

A street view of the village of Leuthen shows that it is relatively unchanged from how it would have appeared in the 18th Century (save for the asphalt road pavement and the power lines in the distance)

Relatively flat terrain around Leuthen made for easy maneuvering during the battle.

And now, some pictures of my wargame of Leuthen fought on December 5, 2016, featuring the Prussian attack on the left flank of the Reichs Army troops.

Prussian Guards brigade (left) rolling over the Wurtemburg troops.

Austrian artillery battery is about to be charged in the flank by the Prussian Black Hussars.

Prussian 12-pound Brummers advance and deploy on the Juden-berg
to provide close artillery support for the Prussian attack.

Action on the Austrian left flank. The Prussians have cleared the Reichs Army troops from Sagschutz and prepare to strike Austrian infantry in the flank.

Huge cavalry scrum near Sagschutz on the Austrian left flank.

Austrian infantry wheels left and forms a new battle line that faces the Prussian attack around Sagschutz

Austrians and Prussians engage in a firefight.

An overview of the battle of Leuthen on the Austrian left flank.

Every so often I recreate the Battle of Leuthen on the tabletop, and while I did not do so this year, my photo archive is well stocked with photos of Leuthen games.