EUROPEAN WAR

European War

European War

Introduction

This argumentative paper discusses the question of what is a decisive war, keeping in focus how Fredrick the great affected the conduct of European War in the 18th Century.

Discussion

It is true that maneuver often served in place of decisive battle and that in this age of maneuver warfare decisive battles were rare. Where Napoleon sometimes fought two or three major battles in a campaign, the War of the Spanish Succession rarely saw more than one such action a year (Lund, 1999, 52). Yet the category of decisive battle is an illusive one. Inconclusive battles were much more common, while fighting that fell short of battles went on constantly. An advancing vanguard had to brush aside constant ambushes, blockades, and fortified strong points.

On one hand, there is a tendency to criticize the conduct of all the armies involved in that conflict except the Prussians. Hero worship of Frederick the Great is one thing, but why is it that it is incomplete unless his enemies are criticized in the bargain? Is it really necessary to say that the French army was "decadent," but this decadence was not noticed? (Lund, 1999, 53)

His military achievements were the utmost possible in Europe until the French Revolution brought in national, conscript armies and aggressive, mobile, combative strategy.

His strategic methods remained those of his age, confined within the limits of the war of position with its complex maneuvers and small gains; but his tactics were original.

He wanted to shatter through the protective method of the century by belligerence, authority and shock.

When challenged by a force taking up a fixed arrangement which was tough against forward attack, his plan was to assault swiftly one side with part of his soldiers, while utilizing the rest to give the intuition that he intended to attack in another place, and so break through the opponent line before strengthening of the backup troops could be brought up (Cowie, 1963, 134).

Of his ten great combats in the Seven Years' War, he won six by the use of this indirect battle-order, his victory at Leuthen in 1757 being his premeditated masterpiece.

While these situations were major causes of the defeats suffered on the European combat zones by France, the wealthiest and most inhabited state of the continent, her army, despite its greater numbers, was being outmatched by the Prussian army, which significantly owed its superiority to Frederick the Great.

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