Kolin 1757: Frederick the Great’s First Defeat

Osprey Campaign #91

by Simon Millar, Adam Hook (Illustrator)

Osprey's examination of the highly devastating battle of the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). In May of 1757 Frederick the Great invaded Bohemia, smashed an Austrian army outside Prague and bottled it up in the city. The Empress Maria Theresa despatched Marshal Daun with 60,000 men to save the Empire's second city. Frederick had won a string of victories over the Austrians and was convinced his men would always triumph. Although outnumbered he attacked, but the Austrians were waiting. His army was defeated and forced to withdraw. As his veterans commented, 'they were not the same old Austrians at all'. Simon Millar shows how Frederick's overconfidence proved his undoing at Kolin.

Genres: Military History, History

96 pages, Paperback

First published October 25, 2001

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been awhile since Simon Millar has been producing any work for Osprey, but to judge from this study if he came out with anything new it would be well-worth considering. This is as this booklet represents everything that one would want from the "Campaign" series, in terms of providing a concise overview of the strategic state of play, the relevant higher-level actors, the building blocks of the contending militaries, the course of the battle itself, and its overall relevance.

[Mike O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well done book on one of the major battles of the Seven Years War. It follows the usual Osprey format. The author does a great job of making the battle clear.

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid account of the battle, which includes a passage on Prague. Unfortunately, there is no map of Prague and the maps for Kolin are a bit hard to follow. I came away from this book with an even greater respect for Daun.

[Steven]

Love the subject. Love Osprey. Germans fighting a two front war? You think they would have learned. Good read.