This wide-ranging tour of the battles and sieges of the War of Austrian Succession and Seven Years War in Europe takes us to some of the most evocative locations in the life of Frederick the Great and what we consider the best battlefield sites in the development of this consummate military genius. The trip includes the site of Rossbach, Frederick’s greatest victory, and Hochkirk, one of his greatest blunders. And at Pirna we hear about the remarkable story of defeated Saxon troops joining the great man’s army. Alongside the amazing battle sites we also visit fortresses such as Kłodzko, successfully besieged and stormed by the Austrians in 1760, and Kostrzyn. The trip culminates in a visit to the Frederick’s palace of San Soucci where we see his grave.

Travelling through beautiful rolling countryside we experience warm central European hospitality and visit some less well-known, little-disturbed battlefields and fortresses to provide an almost perfect platform from which to demonstrate Frederick the Great’s tactical and strategical genius.

The influence of Frederick the Great in military thinking is incalculable. The Emperor Napoleon was a great student of his campaigns and applied many of the lessons learned to his own brand of military genius. His ability to turn surprise to his own tactical advantage depended not only upon his own quick thinking but upon the quality of the superbly trained Prussian Army, its able commanders and their ability to make rapid decisions. As the great man wrote in his ‘instructions’, “the primary maxim for an offensive war is to formulate ambitious plans …..hit the enemy hard and do not be content to harass him on his frontiers…..devise every conceivable means of concealing your intentions”.

Day 1: Fly London to Berlin and drive to Osterfeld where we check into our hotel for the night. Introductory talk before dinner. (D).

Day 2: Despite being outnumbered nearly 2:1, in November 1757 Frederick won one of his greatest victories at Rossbach. We will see the ground used to hide his flanking manoeuvre and over which he rapidly moved in oblique order to achieve complete surprise. In the nearby village of Reichardtswerben there is a wonderful diorama of the battle itself. Drive to Dresden where there will be free time to explore this beautiful central European city. Hotel in Dresden - 2 nights. (B,D).

Day 3: To the east of Dresden, just outside of the historic city of Bautzen, we find the battlefield of Hochkirch (14 October 1758), considered one of Frederick’s greatest blunders. We explore the open fields, visit the distinctive church with extant cannonballs embedded into its walls and walk down the ‘Blutgasse’, the scene of bitter close quarter combat. Thence to Pirna, where we have lunch and discuss Frederick’s successful siege of the fortress in 1756, resulting in the surrender of the Saxon army within a month. At the majestic and towering Saxon fortress at Königstein, we take the lift to the inside of its walls where we find a wonderful museum with a fine display of military hardware, explore its many period buildings and gain magnificent views over the Elbe valley. Return to Dresden. (B,D).

Day 4: We leave Dresden to drive into Czechia stopping to visit the site of the Battle of Lobositz (1 October 1756). This was the opening battle of the Seven Years War and a narrow victory for Frederick. We continue to the largely unspoilt site of the Battle of Kolin (18 June 1757) where we enjoy walking the scene of Frederick’s first defeat in the Seven Year’s War. We continue to the town of Hradec Králové and our hotel for the night. (B,D).

Day 5: Today we move on to Soor (30 September 1745), an encounter of the Second Silesian War (1744-45), where Frederick proved his and his army’s military superiority comfortably defeating a surprise attack by a vastly superior Austrian army. We then enjoy a visit to the remarkable Kłodzko (Glatz) Fortress, successfully besieged and stormed by the Austrians on 26 July 1760 with the aid of heavy artillery. Despite the immense efforts in taking the fortress Glatz remained the only territory captured by the Austrians and their allies leaving the situation almost unaltered since the previous year. We now leave the area of Frederick’s southern campaigns. This fascinating day finishes at Świdnica and our hotel for the night. (B,D).

Day 6: Leaving Świdnica we travel north to explore the site of the Battle of Leuthen (5 December 1757), arguably Frederick’s greatest tactical victory, and after which he gained control of Silesia. The battle underlined Frederick’s skilful use of tactics and Napoleon later called it "a masterpiece of movements, manoeuvres and resolution". We now drive north to Frankfurt an der Oder and our hotel for two nights. (B,D).

Day 7: Today we travel to the site of the Battle of Zorndorf (25 August 1758) where Prussian forces under Frederick clashed with Russian troops who had recently invaded East Prussia. The battle was marked by a savage episode of hand-to-hand fighting when both sides ran out of gunpowder. When Prussian units showed signs of wavering Frederick famously seized a regimental standard and led an attack himself, rallying his troops. Although considered by some the bloodiest battle of the century it was inconclusive with both sides claiming victory. Returning to Kostrzyn we visit the Fortress Museum and walk the bastions, the predecessors of which were bombarded by the Russians in 1758 with limited effect. (B,D).

Day 8: Today we travel to the historic town of Potsdam and the Sanssouci Palace, home to the Hohenzollerns and favourite of Frederick, where amidst its grand terraced gardens we find his simple grave. After lunch we move to the centre of Berlin where we visit the wonderful Charlottenburg Palace and the ‘New Wing’, personally commissioned by Frederick. We check into our hotel before spending a pleasant early evening stroll along Frederick’s Unter den Linden and admire his magnificent statue. Hotel in Berlin – 1 night. (B,D).

Day 9: Our last day and some well-earned time to relax and explore the amazing city of Berlin. Perhaps this is time to do some last-minute shopping. Afternoon transfer to the airport for our flight to London (B).