94 THE THEATRE OF WAR
defend it' (Tempelhoff, 1783-1801, I, 132).
A Turkish envoy once described Bohemia as 'the real pride and
core of the Austrian power' (Achmet Effendi, 1762, in Volz, 1908, II,
207). Bohemia had been renowned since the Middle Ages for the
wealth of its mines of iron, tin and silver, and in the eighteenth
century the prosperous woollen industry of the north-eastern hills
and the Bohemian-Moravian borders made the kingdom a still greater
prize. The menfolk were the foundation of he Habsburgs' artillery and
the backbone of their infantry: 'Beyond comparison they are the best
soldiers of all the Imperial subjects. They are the ones most able to
endure all the hardships of military life without going under'
(Riesebeck, 1784, II, 412). The conquest of Bohemia remained the
ultimate objective of all Frederick's plans for offensive war against
the Austrians. What avenues lay open to him for a direct invasion
from Saxony?
Frederick never led the main army across the frontier to the east
of the Elbe. The country closest to the river was tangled and nearly
trackless, and suitable only for attempts at strategic surprise, such as
those launched by Field-Marshal Browne in 1756 or Prince Henry in
- Scarcely more attractive was the long and vulnerable road
stretching from Zittau in Upper Lusatia, or the one from the neigh-
bouring corner of Silesia that led between the Iser-Gebirge and the
Riesen-Gebirge to the valley of the Iser. The base areas for such an
offensive stood equally remote from the supply lines of the Elbe and
the Oder, and the prospects in Bohemia depended on how completely
the Austrians allowed themselves to be taken by surprise.
Frederick much preferred to invade Bohemia by way of the
western side of the Elbe. It was necessary to escort the train of boats
through the sandstone gorge of the Saxon-Bohemian border, but the
main Prussian army always moved quickly enough to be able to cut
across country over the low Elbsandstein-Gebirge, descend to the
valley of the Biela, and then make the passage of the isolated
Bohemian Mittel-Gebirge before the Austrians had time to make an
effective response (in 1744, 1756 and 1757).
Except for the border hills, the Austrians had no tenable posi-
tions except the narrow river Eger and the low ridge of Budin on the
southern side. Here they could be turned by a Prussian corps advanc-
ing down the Eger from the west (Moritz in 1757). The whole country
therefore lay open to the Prussians. 'Behind Lobositz we enter open
landscapes, fine plains and rich agriculture. This is the Circle of
Leitmeritz, the region the local people call "the Garden of Bohemia" '
(Guibert, 1803, I, 251). Leitmeritz town offered the Prussians a
convenient crossing of the Elbe (comparable with Torgau for the
Saxon Elbe), and it was the best landing place for the heavy artillery
