112 THE SEVEN YEARS WAR, 1756-63allowing the Austrians the leisure to build up their forces in Bohemia
until the French arrived on the scene. He therefore proposed a blow
against the important magazines at Koniggratz and Pardubitz (PC
3757). The principle of pre-emptive action was reaffirmed on 30
March, when Schwerin, Winterfeldt and Frederick's representative,
Major-General von der Goltz, met in conference at Frankenstein in
Silesia.
The report of the Frankenstein meeting reached Frederick in his
new headquarters, at Lockwitz near Dresden, on 3 April. Frederick
now brought together the proposals of Winterfeldt and Schwerin with
the results of his own cogitations, and he rapidly outlined the features
of something far more ambitious than the original design to strike at
the magazines on the upper Elbe. The 116,000 men of the available
field army (including gunners) were to advance from Saxony and
Silesia across the Bohemian border on an initial frontage of about 130
miles. The break-in was to be accomplished by four widely separated
columns, which would combine two-by-two into two armies, one on
each side of the Elbe. From west to east the disposition ran as follows:(A) West bank of the Elbe
1 Prince Moritz of Dessau (19,300) advancing from western Saxony
and down the valley of the Eger.
2 The royal army (39,600) moving up the left bank of the Elbe.
(B) East bank of the Elbe
1 The Duke of Bevern (20,300) crossing from Lusatia and descending
the Iser in the direction of the large magazine at Jung-Bunzlau.
2 Schwerin with the Silesian army (34,000) entering Bohemia near
Trautenau, and moving smartly west to join Bevern.According to the original scheme the two armies were to unite inside
Bohemia in the region of Leitmeritz, 'as the navigation of the Elbe is
most essential, and must be preserved' (Mitchell, 19 April, in Mitch-
ell, 1850, I, 239). The transport trains carrying the dry fodder would
see the Prussians through the first days of their advance, after which
they looked to the supplies in the captured Austrian magazines.
By timing his invasion before the grass was growing, Frederick
might hope to catch the enemy at an important disadvantage. The
Austrian commander, Field-Marshal Browne, was now the prey of
tuberculosis, and in his feverish over-optimism he could contemplate
nothing but his schemes for the eventual Austrian offensive. Mean-
while the Austrians remained in quarters in four scattered groups,
namely (again from west to east) Arenberg with 24,000 troops around
Plan, Browne's own 30,000 between Prague and the Eger, Konigsegg
with 28,000 at Reichenberg near the border with Lusatia, and the