15 - Remarks on the Preconditions to Waging War in Prussia-Germany, 1866-71

Summary

The war between Austria and Prussia in June and July 1866 and the Franco- Prussian War of 1870-71 have already been examined and recounted hundreds of times with respect to military planning, the specifics of the operational and tactical course of the war, and their concomitant military problems. In the 120 to 125 years since the events took place, the battles of Koniggratz, Weissenburg and Worth, Vionville/Mars-La-Tours and Gravelotte/St. Privat, as well as the victory of the German army at Sedan and the successful sieges of Metz and Paris have been described in detail and from differing perspectives by participants on both sides, by officers, and by historians. Hence, the historian today can scarcely expect to stake out new ground in this area. The same is also true for those areas that still are being treated more marginally, such as the supply and medical systems as well as the significance of railroads for operational activities and for supplying the armies. Consonant with the times, the literature in recent decades in Germany has been almost exclusively concerned with the tensions between political and military thinking. Therefore, in the aforementioned areas, it might be useful to pay greater attention to the literature from the years prior to World War I, a literature rich in factual presentation for the issues and topics in question.