Capture of Schweidnitz
- When
- 1761
- Where
- Silesian theatre of operations; Prussian fortress town of Schweidnitz
- Episodes
- 2
In 1761, during the Seven Years' War, Austrian commander Ernst Gideon von Laudon operated in Silesia, where Russian timidity and failed attacks on Frederick's Bunzelwitz camp preceded his successful night storming of the Prussian fortress town of Schweidnitz on September 30/October 1, 1761.
Episodes
- Silesian Operations and Failed Attacks on Bunzelwitz
Laudon campaigned in Silesia in 1761, but timid Russian allies and repeated failures against Frederick's entrenched Bunzelwitz camp left him without success.
- Night Storming of Schweidnitz
Seizing a fleeting opportunity, Laudon stormed the Prussian town of Schweidnitz on the night of September 30/October 1, 1761.
Background and detail
Background. Ernst Gideon von Laudon, an Austrian officer of Baltic German descent born in Swedish Livonia, had earlier served in the Russian army before entering Austrian service and distinguishing himself in the Second Silesian War against Prussia. The Seven Years' War brought him fame, promotion to lieutenant-field-marshal, and elevation to Freiherr by Empress Maria Theresa.
Campaign Context in Silesia. In 1760 Laudon destroyed a corps of Frederick's army under Fouqué at Landeshut and stormed Glatz, but suffered a severe reverse at Liegnitz on 15 August 1760, sparking controversy with Daun and Lacy. In 1761 he again operated in Silesia, where his Russian allies proved timid and assaults on Frederick's entrenched camp at Bunzelwitz failed.
Aftermath and Assessment. The source's retrospective judgment is that the student of the later campaigns of the Seven Years' War will probably admit there was need of more aggressiveness than Daun displayed, and of more caution than suited Laudon's genius. In 1761 Laudon found his Russian allies timid and all attempts against Frederick's entrenched camp of Bunzelwitz failed, yet he seized one fleeting opportunity and stormed Schweidnitz on the night of September 30/October 1, 1761.
People involved
- Ernst Gideon von Laudon · Austrian lieutenant-field-marshal who stormed Schweidnitz
- Frederick the Great · Prussian king and opponent of Laudon whose entrenched camp at Bunzelwitz was the object of failed attacks in 1761
Sources
- Ernst Gideon von Laudon Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.