Phase 1: The Battle Begins
On November 20th, the Austrians set their attacking forces in motion by deploying into the four attack columns previously described, in front of Hausdorf. Daun positioned 50 heavy 12-pound cannons on the Heide Berg and Drei Berg hills and commenced fire at 3 P.M.
The Prussians could only return fire with 11 guns and so the Austrian artillery soon gained superiority over the field. Daun spotted what looked like signs of wavering among some of the Prussian troops and so he ordered the columns to advance. Croats and grenadiers led the way up the slippery slopes with the tightly packed columns of horse and men following behind.
As the first wave of Austrian grenadiers ascended the slope in front of Maxen, the Zastrow (IR38) and Grabow (IR47) fusilier regiments, positioned on either side of the road, broke ranks without much resistance and fled into Maxen. Their rout also disordered the Prussian dragoon regiment Wurttemberg (D12) and the Gersdorf (H7) hussars, who were stationed in the hollow behind. The remaining elements of tbe front line were then swept away in the general rout of the Prussians, just as the Austrian columns crested the ridge.
I reviewed the videotape of Duffy's comments during the tour, and he gives us some insight into the Prussian rout. It begins on the Prussian left, where the Finck musketeer regiment (IR12) put up a stout defense against the first wave of Austrian cavalry (from the Austrian right-hand column). It was eventually overwhelmed by the Austrian dragoon regiment Jung Modena (D13), which then repulsed the Prussian cavalry in the hollow behind the front line.
The destruction of battalion Finck now compromised the entire Prussian left, which gave way. This dominoed its way down the entire Prussian front line, sending 6 battalions fleeing through Maxen village.
Phase 2: Prussians Retake Maxen
Recall, that a single battalion of Prussian grenadiers commanded by Willemy (4/16) had been deployed on an isolated hill to the east of Maxen. Initially they had been ignored by the Austrian attack. Willemy now ordered his grenadier battalion to charge into the village, which they did, surprising the Austrians and temporarily driving them out of the village. Eventually, though, the Prussians were overwhelmed by superior numbers of Austrians and forced out by the Austrian De Ligne Dragoons (D31), those same stalwart fellows that turned the tide of battle against the Prussians at Kolin in 1757. The Austrians now held Maxen for good.
Phase 3: Prussians Counter-attack vs. Brentano
Finck was not a general who gave up easily, nor was be lacking in bravery. Despite the disaster that took place in front of Maxen, Finck resolved to mount a counter-attack against Brentano's corp, positioned on the Sand Berg west of Maxen. Finck gathered his cavalry together: 3 cuirassier regiments and some artillery. The cuirassiers advanced smartly across the open ground north of Maxen, where they were exposed to flanking fire from Brentano's Croat infantry and Austnan artillery.
Then, the Austrian cuirassier regiment Anhalt Zerbst (C25), detached itself from the left-hand cavalry co1umn of Lacy's main attack and herded the Prussian cavalry across Brentano's front. The intense fire from the Austrian artillery caused the Prussian cavalry to veer to its right, rather than carrying the charge home into Brentano. This move turned into an escape attempt or rout and deprived Finck of his last striking force.
Thereafter, Finck tried to orgamze a stand at Schnorsdorf with about 2,800 men. He also gave Wunsch permisssion to organize a break-out with the remaining Prussian cavalry, but night fall foiled this effort. The battle was effectively over, lasting all of three hours.
The Austrians Close In
Lacy and Brentano linked their forces together north of Maxen, bringing most of their heavy artillery forward with considerable speed, and positioned it to finish off Finck's command the following morning. Finck realized the hopelessness of his position. His only avenue of escape, across the Mug1itz, was blocked by the Reichsarmee troops and Lacy was closing in from behind.
On the morning of November 21st, Finck asked for surrender terms. Lacy insisted on an unconditional surrender and ordered to attack if the offer was not accepted. Dr. Duffy reports that the Austrians were astounded by the large number of Prussians that had surrendered: some 13,750 prisoners out of 15,000. It was an unprecedented event. The Austrians lost less than 1,000 men.
To put things into perspective, the number of Prussian surrendering was nearly equal to the casualties at Kolin and far greater than the losses at Hochkirch and Zorndorf. Their losses were magnified by Daun's decision not to exchange prisoners with the Prussians, especially since the captives included more than 500 Prussian officers. This represented 10 percent of the entire Prussian officer corps. These losses were irreplaceable. Frederick could always turn up more men, but officers were another matter.
The Aftermath of Maxen
Frederick was at first astounded, then fell into a depressive rage when he heard about the disaster at Maxen. The very idea that a whole Prussian corps would lay down its arms without much of a fight was unthinkable, until then. The king blamed everyone but himself for the disaster. He struck the Gersdorf Hussar regiment from the army list and held the "Maxen Regiments" in lasting contempt. Finck would remain a prisoner of the Austrians until the end of the war, when he was court-martialled and sentenced to a year's confinement in Spandau prison. He was released and entered Danish service in 1764 and died in 1766.
Frederick then blamed himself for Maxen (and rightfully so) and for the first time began to consider the possibility that he might actually lose the war. The shortages caused by the loss of 15,000 troops forced Frederick to recall the 10 squadrons of hussars and dragoons that were serving in the army of Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, in western Germany.
On December 3rd, another isolated detachment of Prussians was surprised and captured, this time after offering a stronger resistance, at Meissen. The loss of troops was 1,500 prisoners including the commanding officer, General Diericke. That effectively ended the 1759 campaign in which Prussian losses were an astounding 60,000 men.
Wargaming Maxen
In short, why?
Order of Battle
More Maxen
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© Copyright 1997 by James E. Purky
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