Battle of Leuthen - Maneuver

Maneuver

The infantry marched to the south, out of sight of the Austrians, behind a line of low hills. Prince Charles, although in the tower of the church at Leuthen, failed to note the maneuver and responded by moving his reserve to his right flank instead of the threatened left. The Prussian army had seemed to simply vanish, appearing to the Austrians as a retreat; Prince Charles was heard to say "The good fellows are leaving, let's let them go." But when the heads of the two Prussian columns, (the distances between the marching platoons remaining exactly the width of each platoon's front), had passed the Austrian left flank, the columns veered left toward the enemy and continued their march until the heads of the two columns had passed beyond the Austrian left flank. Then, on command, the platoons of the columns turned left at Lobetinz, the whole Prussian army lay in line of battle at nearly a right angle to the left flank of the Austrian position. The Prussians had carried out, with their whole army, a maneuver to attack their enemy in the flank. This is often compared with the tactic used by Epaminondas against the Spartans at the Battle of Leuctra in 371 BC, although there the flank attack was accomplished through force disposition more than through movement.

In the age of linear tactics, as in the days of Epaminondas, such a flanking maneuver can be lethal to the victim. The least-regarded soldiers of the Austrian army had been put on the left flank in a position protected by the hills as their fighting ability was doubted.