Battle of Hohenfriedberg

At the time of this battle, the Prussian king had no less forces than the united Austro-Saxon army under the command of Charles of Lotharingia, i.e. about 60,000 soldiers. Frederick assumed the Austrians would try to invade Silesia in early spring, which would mean that he could take advantage of the border mountains. Instead of blocking certain mountain passes, he decided to leave them open and engage the enemy in Silesia. The king organized strict mountain patrols. His troops were positioned in a way that would enable them to concentrate in a short period of time close to whichever pass the united Austro-Saxon army emerged from. The Austrians in turn tried to take the Prussians by surprise by marching by night. This attempt was not successful. At 8 a.m. they started the offensive. Frederick already knew of their approach and marshalled his forces to take the Austrians aback. This scheme was a full success, and by 9 a.m. the fight was practically resolved. The enemy fell back through the mountains along the whole frontline. Having lost 4800 men, Frederick imposed great losses on the Austro-Saxon army, which lost 14,000 - 16,000 men and 80 guns. Following this victory, Frederick was considered a great commander. Hohenfriedberg assured him of fame that was to last forever.