The Start of Battle
However what Frederick thought was the opposite of what was true. After days of personally scouting the Prussian camp and being urged by his officers, Daun thought it to be a good opportunity for attack. Daun noted the fact that the Prussians neither increased their security nor deployed their troops in response to the Austrian presence, they were non-responsive. He also took into account that his men were eager to fight a battle and they outnumbered the Prussians by over two-to-one.
Using the darkness and fog as cover, the Austrians fell on the Prussians when the church bell rang at 5 a.m. They were grouped in small shock units so that they could be easier controlled under the cover of night. The east side was the first to be attacked. The Prussians were caught completely off guard. Many men were still sleeping or just waking up when Austrian soldiers would bayonet them. The Austrian artillery was also getting their aim, inflicting heavy casualties on their disoriented enemies.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Hochkirch
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