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bridge but encountered determined resistance. In the center and on
the left, the Prussian First Army waded across a river and pressed
its attack, initially meeting with success and driving back the
opposing forces. The needle gun proved its superiority and helped
the Prussians to defeat larger contingents of Austrians.
x The Prussians advanced through a series of small villages before
entering a zone commanded by the massed Austrian artillery. The
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x On the Prussian left, many men sought refuge from the deadly
cannonade in the Svir forest, which became the scene of an
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the advance and threatened to break the Prussian lines. At least 13
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verge of buckling. The desperate Prussian commander appealed
for reinforcements, but Moltke refused, calculating that until the
Second Army arrived, all reserves had to be kept intact to meet the
potential threat of a general Austrian advance.
x One Austrian commander pushed his men forward on the far left
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needed was for Benedek to support this action with a push against
the Prussian center. This was a crisis point in the battle and the
moment of supreme danger for the Prussians. Benedek, however,
chose to remain on the defensive, refusing all requests to advance
and, instead, letting his cannons chew up the Prussian forces.
x Moltke, aware of the danger, knew that all he could do was watch
for the Second Army. At last, it appeared and began to drive into
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Austrians. Caught in a classic double envelopment, the Austrian
army began to crumble.