The sound of artillery boomed, and the sound of gunfire rang out one after another. The cool summer breeze blowing from the direction of the battlefield carried a strong smell of blood and gunpowder smoke, which was the smell of war.

The attacking Prussian army was like two iron pincers, squeezing the Austrian left-wing army's defense through frontal waves. The bloody battle had lasted for more than an hour.

View from a high place

The original semicircular formation of the Austrian Army had obviously been squeezed out into two huge depressions. The more than ten hollow square formations on the first line had been beaten to pieces by the Prussian army, and the officers and soldiers were fleeing backwards without their armor.

The soldiers of the Prussian army marched forward in neat rows amidst the high-pitched military music. On the fields passing behind them, there were a large number of casualties lying down. The blood stained the golden rice that was about to mature, making it look particularly dazzling.

On the battlefield of fierce fighting

Dozens of thick smoke billowed out from the wheat fields that were ignited by the hot shells. In the wheat fields that had just entered the wax-ripening stage, the wheat stalks were still green and yellow, and the wheat grains were not yet firm when rubbed in the hands.

It is difficult to ignite such farmland on a large scale. In addition, the wheat fields trampled by the army are lying in the soil. The ignited wheat fields will only burn in a small area, but produce a large amount of thick smoke that gathers into the sky.

This blocked the bright sunshine at noon, and the view of the battlefield became much darker.

In the sound of war drums

The Prussian army marched forward at a determined pace. Whenever a soldier in the front row was shot down by a bullet, there would always be soldiers from behind silently stepping forward to make up the ground.

After walking 50 meters forward, they stopped neatly under the command of the officer, raised the rifles in their hands, and then fired violently...

The hollow formation formed by the Austrian army did not show the expected miraculous effect. When the enemy approached, the Austrian officers and soldiers became even more panicked when faced with the fear of death. The gun maneuvers were out of shape, the fire connection between infantry and artillery was chaotic, and all kinds of problems broke out.

Out.

After the more than ten hollow phalanxes in the first row of the Austrian Army were defeated one after another, the deserters scattered.

The defeated troops who retreated hurriedly blocked their own firing range, and were shot to the ground in large swaths by the Prussian army that followed closely behind.

This further aggravated the panic among the Austrian regiment soldiers, and many soldiers dropped their weapons and ran away.

Many people panicked and rushed into the hollow formation of the second row, disrupting the Austrian army's formation. The Austrian officer was so angry that he waved the shining saber in his hand and shouted curses.

However, there were too many Austrian legionnaires who fled. The first row of more than 10 hollow formations totaled more than 34,000 people. Even though nearly half were killed or injured, and there were still 10,000 to several thousand soldiers, the officers were unable to stop the chaos at all.

Facing the Austrian legionnaires fleeing over the mountains and plains, the Austrian general commanding the second row of the hollow formation was also dumbfounded;

He could not order his soldiers to cover his defeated troops with artillery and volleys of guns. He could only watch helplessly as the Prussian columns approached with murderous intent, and there was nothing he could do.

Only from this point

You can see the gap between the Austrian regiments and the French professional regiments. The French professional regiments, which have been fighting overseas all year round, are highly skilled in combat. They will not collapse after facing heavy losses, but will shrink their formations and retreat step by step in an orderly manner.

The key point is to get out of the way of the front, which can ensure that the hollow formations in the back row can provide certain artillery support and delay the enemy's pursuit.

Finally, the most important thing is to withdraw in an orderly manner from the 800 to 1,000-yard gap between the two large hollow formations. This must not hinder the delivery of artillery fire and volley firepower by friendly forces.

The mistake of the Austrian left-wing corps was that they could not reach such a high tactical level, but they chose to perform difficult actions, and they failed.

cool summer breeze

There was a strong smell of blood mixed with choking smoke in the air. Richard sat cross-legged on a high branch, chewing corned beef jerky slowly in his mouth, with a look of disdain on his face.

It was originally expected that the Austrian left-wing corps would be able to resist for a day or two no matter what, but now it seems to be very uncertain. It is uncertain whether it can hold out until the evening and withdraw its troops.

In comparison

The Prussian army adopted the old-fashioned horizontal formation, but the officers and soldiers executed very well, had a high degree of discipline and a spirit of sacrifice. Under the command of the officers, they were like chasing rabbits, letting the broken troops attack their own ranks.

All the defeated soldiers who fled towards the middle of the two hollow formations were hit hard by the Prussian army's volleys of guns, and fell down in the field like leeks.

And those defeated soldiers who fled towards their own army formation had a much greater chance of survival.

It is not difficult to choose between life and death.

On the surface

The effectiveness of the Prussian army's volley fire attack seemed to have been reduced by most, but it invisibly drove the Austrian army's defeated soldiers to attack the second row of hollow formations, blocking the shooting field of view, which made it impossible for the Austrian army's second row of hollow formations to exert their firepower.

When the pursuing Prussian soldiers approached within 800 yards, the Austrian regiment's artillery in the second row of hollow formations was basically useless.

The front-loaded artillery equipment of the Austrian army requires the gunner to load propellant at the front of the artillery, load the shells, clean the remaining gunpowder in the barrel after firing, and a series of other actions. Basically, it takes 1 to 2 minutes to fire a gun.

For such a long time, the Austrian gunners had to withstand at least 10 rounds of volley fire.

In the war

Artillery has always been a key target, and going up within the rifle range is tantamount to death.

Having experienced war, Richard was an excellent military commander. Seeing the panic in the rear positions of the Austrian left-wing regiment, he knew that the situation was over.

The Austrian commander could not come up with an effective response plan, could not change his formation in time, and shrink his troops. So what suspense was there about defeat?

I originally thought that we could see a wonderful offensive and defensive battle, and the Austrian regiment could show a very high level of combat literacy and command.

Who knows, just...making knitting?

At this time, the battle situation on the field took on new changes.

The desolate horn sounded, and Richard could feel the earth trembling. The cavalry on both sides of the Austrian left-wing regiment swept across the fields like dark clouds, thrusting into the attacking Prussian army's wings...

It's over, these idiots!

Richard couldn't help stroking his forehead and was speechless, losing his last bit of confidence in the Austrian Army.

Everyone knows

Since the Battle of Waterloo in the early 19th century, any European country has tried its best to avoid cavalry from attacking infantry formations head-on, not from the side. That would be no different than seeking death.

The French hussars across Europe are world-renowned and are recognized as the top cavalry unit.

Even if he is so elite, so what?

In the Battle of Waterloo, the famous French hussars and cuirassiers suffered a devastating blow from the line infantry commanded by the British Duke of Wellington, and never recovered.

It is clearly stipulated in the cavalry regulations of the Tang Empire;

It is strictly prohibited for any cavalry unit to attack the infantry line from the front, it is strictly prohibited for any cavalry unit to attack the enemy's fortified areas from the front or side, it is strictly prohibited for any cavalry unit to...

Regardless of the fact that the cavalry units of the Austrian regiments attacked the weak points on the enemy's flanks, in fact it was just an illusion.

Is it difficult for line infantry to turn directions?

The Prussian army gave the correct answer. At the officer's order, the Prussian army's original "long snake formation" line quickly transformed into an "L"-shaped array in a short period of time, forming dozens of "L"

"type military formation

The Prussian soldiers in the front row knelt down and the 2nd and 3rd rows stood. As the officer commanded the sword to be raised high, the soldiers all raised their Mauser 1865 rifles in their hands.

The muzzle of the gun was pointed at the Austrian cavalry that was rushing towards them.

Oh... what a sin!

Even though Richard's heart was as solid as stone, he was unwilling to continue reading at this moment.

The assault in several batches, with a total of about 12,000 cavalry, may give the Austrian army some time to survive, but it will inevitably pay a heavy price.

"Making love……"

The brave shouts of the Austrian cavalry were drowned in the dense volley of gunfire, which sounded intermittently one after another, like the sound of the god of death grinning ferociously.

The Austrian cavalry who charged to a distance of 300 yards fell off their horses one after another as if they had hit an invisible wall. The huge smoke and dust raised by the tumbling horses and men were accompanied by desperate screams, one after another resounding on the battlefield.

"Making love……"

The Prussian army was like a ruthless war machine, manipulating the sophisticated rifles in its hands to fire deadly volleys of bullets, covering the heroic cavalry who were advancing one after another like locusts, round after round.

Maybe more than 10 minutes, maybe more than 20 minutes, maybe longer

When the huge billowing smoke was gradually blown away by the warm summer wind, a tragic scene of massacre appeared in front of everyone.

Most of the cavalrymen who went out were now turned into corpses, and the fields were covered with layers of people and horses. There were also some horses that had lost their owners and ran in panic, and less than 5,000 of them were able to evacuate.

Only this round of charge

The Austrian left-wing regiment lost more than 7,000 cavalry, and also lost a powerful bargaining chip to harass the enemy, and the situation became even more embarrassing.

The smell of blood in the air was extremely strong. The only good news was that most of the fleeing Austrian soldiers saved their lives. The 2nd row of the hollow formation, which was originally crumbling due to the impact of the rout, was reorganized under the punches and kicks of the officers.

Stabilize it.

The Austrian left-wing corps won a little breathing space, but to what avail?

After comprehensively defeating the Austrian cavalry, the Prussian army took some time to rotate and change formations. The infantry on the front line was a new force and continued to launch waves of attacks on the Austrian army.

Now that the Austrian Army has regained its footing, let's crush it again, smash it to pieces, and completely destroy the Austrian Army's will to resist.

With the belief of victory in their hearts, the Prussian army at this time had high morale and marched heavily to the sound of military music...

The familiar scene repeated itself, with cries of killing on the battlefield intertwined with blood and fire, and gunshots continued, devouring countless lives at all times, and everyone was risking their lives to fight on the battlefield.

more than three hours later

The afterglow of dusk seemed to be filled with blood, and the situation on the battlefield was decided.

The hollow formation formed by the Austrian left-wing regiment was almost completely destroyed. The entire regiment gathered together to fight and retreat. There was chaos and panic among the various units, and it seemed that they would collapse at any time.

Under heavy pressure, the Austrian regiment withdrew seven or eight kilometers away, discarding a large amount of artillery baggage along the way, all of which became trophies captured by the Prussian army.

Fortunately, the sunset arrived in time, and the red clouds in the sky meant that today's bloody battle was coming to an end.

in the 1860s
To be continued...