AMSP AY EOA Seminar 6 EOA 8 Class Notes Dan C. Fullerton 9 September 2015
AMSP Class Notes, 9 September 2015 Strategic Context of the Austro-Prussian War: Germany consists of 300+ ‘states’ -1700s Prussia emerges alongside Austria as a ‘Great Power’ Congress of Vienna: 39 states into a German Confederation -1830s: experiment with Zollverein…a German customs union (taste of a unified Germany) -1850s, Bismarck wanting to lead Prussia into a new era; unite Germany behind Prussia
AMSP Class Notes, 9 September 2015
Prussian Army: -Composition: corps and divisions; little emphasis on cavalry (heavy), homogenous (Prussian; common language), conscription, but educated -Organization: standing divs, corps in peacetime, staffs (expertise and professional) -Weaponry (& Doctrine?): needle-gun good for infantry (open order tactics, but little control); artillery lags (guns typically in the back); -Leadership: offensively-minded, comfortable with ambiguity, decentralized command (auftragstaktik), willing to accept risk -Comms: insecure comms, lengthening lines as they advance, more sporadic
AMSP Class Notes, 9 September 2015 Austrian Army: -Composition: corps but heterogenous (different languages, customs, traditions); conscripts, but of what caliber… -Organization: divs and corps, but only in war, and reserves not proximal -Weaponry (& Doctrine?): rifled-musket (close order, linear, more control, but more losses); more… and ‘better’ artillery (negated?) -Leadership: combat-experienced, but renewed study?, defensively-minded, pessimism, diff languages, wrong experiences, and knowledge of terrain -Comms: had secure comms, had set locations
AMSP Class Notes, 9 September 2015 Transportation ‘Revolution’?
AMSP Class Notes, 9 September 2015
Break into four groups: -Analyze the campaign using a doctrinal ‘tool’ of your choice -Groups 1 & 3 examine the Prussians -Groups 2 & 4 examine the Austrians
AMSP Class Notes, 9 September 2015 Lessons learned from Austro-Prussian War? -Why did the Prussians win?
AMSP Class Notes, 9 September 2015 So, what lessons from the campaign can be learned and utilized by the modern operational planner? The modern leader/commander?
AMSP Class Notes, 9 September 2015