Скачать или смотреть Prussian Officers Studied Napoleon’s Battles — And Realized They’d Been Outclassed

In 1806, the Prussian Army — heirs to Frederick the Great — faced Napoleon’s Grande Armée with confidence. They had tradition, discipline, and precision drilled into every soldier. But when the French struck at Jena and Auerstedt, the Prussians realized they were facing something completely different.

Napoleon’s forces didn’t move like any army before. They advanced in independent corps, striking from multiple directions at once. His artillery hit with precision. His cavalry appeared out of nowhere. Within two days, the Prussian army — the most feared in Europe — was annihilated.

When the surviving officers studied Napoleon’s campaigns, they were stunned. His use of reconnaissance, rapid marches, and flexible command left their rigid systems obsolete. He fought wars of movement, not position. And his soldiers — inspired by the Revolution — fought with a spirit no drill could create.

From those defeats came transformation. The Prussian military reformed completely — creating a staff system, merit-based promotions, and war colleges that would one day shape modern warfare itself.

The Prussians had been outclassed — but by studying Napoleon, they learned how to become the masters of the next century.