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The Prussian officer corps, already during the reign of Frederick William I (1713-1740) and especially Frederick II the Great (1740-1786), was considered one of the most efficient and perhaps the most professional in Europe at that time. His fame, however, faded significantly during the Napoleonic Wars, and especially as a result of the defeats at Jena and Auerstädt in 1806. After these humiliating defeats, it underwent changes as a result of the re-matches by Scharnchord and Gneisenau. At that time, the Prussian general staff was also established - a kind of institutional "brain" of the Prussian army. Its reform was carried out by Helmut von Moltke the Elder, who headed it from 1858. He placed great emphasis on the training system of officers, especially staff officers, whose level of competence and responsibility grew along with the position held. He often urged them - not to say "forced" - to show their own initiative in solving tactical or operational problems. Also the Prussian generals operating in the field, who knew the general plan of the campaign, had a relatively large scope of freedom in its implementation. Generally, it can be assumed that in the course of the so-called the unification wars of 1862-1871, the Prussian officer corps, including its generals, made far fewer mistakes than its Austrian or French counterparts. It is worth adding, however, that the "system" sometimes failed, an excellent example of which is the senseless attack of 7 infantry regiments by General von Steinmetz's soldiers at Gravellote-Saint Privat in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871).
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