African Business Chronicles

Chapter 37 – War

June 14, 1866.

Prussia declared war on Austria, using Austria's alleged mismanagement of Holstein as justification.

On the very day war was declared, Prussian forces on the western front launched a swift and unexpected assault on the northern German states and rapidly seized their governments and railway hubs.

Due to the influence and dynastic ties of the Habsburgs, most of the larger German states supported Austria. Only a handful of small, militarily weak German states stood with Prussia.

At the last German Confederation assembly, Prussia's proposal to resolve the German question by force was overwhelmingly rejected by other member states. This made it clear to Prussia that it had virtually no allies within the Confederation. So, once war broke out, Prussia immediately turned its guns on its northern German neighbors.

At the time, Prussia's territory was split into two parts on the map, separated by a scattering of smaller German principalities. These small states were surrounded by Prussian land yet still dared to side with Austria. Prussia, not known for playing nice, chose not to negotiate but to invade and take over.

This war marked Prussia's unprecedented commitment to the "Lesser Germany" solution. Any state that refused to cooperate would be wiped out.

The few stronger opponents in the south were understandable—but these tiny principalities and free cities? With hardly any military strength, located right in Prussia's heartland, they still dared to oppose.

With Prussia's western army moving swiftly along the rail lines, the northern German states fell easily. Prussia took control of their administrations and transportation networks.

By neutralizing these internal threats first, Prussia secured its railway system and prevented any risk of sabotage.

The Bohemian front was the war's main battleground. Both sides gathered hundreds of thousands of troops there—but Prussia's efficiency far outpaced Austria's.

Back in 1862, Prussian minister Albrecht von Roon had introduced sweeping military reforms, requiring all Prussian men to serve.

Previously, the army's size had been fixed based on outdated population data, resulting in unfair and unpopular conscription. Though some soldiers stayed in service or the reserves until age 40, about one-third (more in rapidly industrialized areas) received only minimal training.

Roon's three-year universal conscription system increased the active army and gave Prussia a robust reserve force equal to or greater than Austria's.

Prussia also anticipated potential intervention from Napoleon III's France. With its reserve system, it could mobilize forces to counter France if needed.

Prussian conscripts underwent regular drills and ongoing training. By contrast, Austrian recruits were often sent home on permanent leave shortly after enlistment, with only a small standing force left in garrisons. When war broke out, Austria had to recall soldiers who needed to be retrained nearly from scratch.

Thus, Prussia's army was far more disciplined and better trained—especially the infantry.

While Austrian cavalry and artillery remained formidable (with two elite heavy cavalry divisions), warfare had evolved since the Napoleonic era. Cavalry charges were largely obsolete.

Prussia's military structure was also superior. It was based on regional corps, with each district housing its own headquarters and units. Most reservists lived near their regiments and could be quickly mobilized.

Austria, by contrast, stationed units far from home to avoid fueling separatism. When war came, reservists often had to travel for weeks to rejoin their units—making Austrian mobilization slower.

In addition, Prussia's railway system was far more developed than Austria's. Railways allowed fast movement of troops and supplies across friendly territory. With this logistical edge, Prussian forces could concentrate faster.

Moltke later said of Roon's plan:

"We possess an incalculable advantage. We can move our 285,000-man field army along five rail lines and concentrate them in less than 25 days. Austria, with only one rail line, would need 45 days to move 200,000."

Moltke had said before:

"There is no war more welcome than the one we must now fight."

Austria's army, led by Ludwig von Benedek in Bohemia, had once been seen as enjoying the strategic advantage of "central position," able to strike repeatedly along the border.

But Prussia's speed neutralized that edge. When Austria finally assembled its forces, they could only focus on one Prussian army at a time—unable to stop the other two from flanking them or threatening their supply lines.

In the south, the presence of Italy forced Austria to split its forces, even withdrawing from Venetia.

From the outset, the odds were against Austria. Weakened and aging, it appealed to Napoleon III for help. Napoleon agreed—but delayed his involvement, underestimating Prussia.

On June 23, Prussian troops gathered along the Zawidów–Zittau line.

On June 26, they clashed with Austria at the Battle of the Iser River.

Moltke, chief of staff, had carefully planned the campaign, concentrating firepower. When Austria advanced into Silesia, he redeployed Prussian forces to Saxony and Bohemia to join King Wilhelm's army already massed there.

On July 3, Prussia launched a massive attack at the Battle of Königgrätz (also called the Battle of Sadowa), defeating the Austrians. Although the Austrians had more men, their casualties were seven times higher than Prussia's, due to Prussia's superior weapons and tactics.

Outside of Saxony, other German states played minor roles. Hanoverian troops had a brief victory at Langensalza on June 27, but were soon surrounded and surrendered.

Prussia fought Bavaria near the Main River, including battles at Nuremberg and Frankfurt. Würzburg was besieged but held out until the ceasefire.

Unexpectedly, Austria fared better against Italy. In the Battle of Custoza on June 24 and the naval Battle of Lissa (off modern-day Vis Island, Croatia) on July 20, they defeated the Italian forces.

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