Background
After the victory at Kolín, having pushed the Prussians out of Bohemia in the summer of 1757, and the cleverly waged campaign in the autumn that saw Lieutenant-General the Duke of Bevern's Prussians defeated at the Battle of Breslau (22 November 1757), Queen Maria Theresa of Austria believed her fortunes were taking a turn for the better. In August 1758, Austria's ally Russia invaded East Prussia with 43,000 troops under William Fermor advanced within 100 km (62 mi) of Berlin, and were poised to join the Austrians under Field Marshal Daun. The king, Frederick II of Prussia, understood that the joining of his enemies would spell the fall of Berlin and, deciding to forestall their plans, moved to the Russian rear. Fermor, who was then besieging Küstrin, learned about his manoeuvre from a Cossack sortie. He lifted the siege and occupied an advantageous position at Zorndorf, 10 km (6 mi) northeast of Küstrin.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Zorndorf
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