The Prussian Army was composed not of regulars but conscripts and reservists. Service was compulsory for all men of military age, thus Prussia and its North and South German allies could mobilize and field some 1.2 million soldiers in time of war, which it did within 18 days of mobilization. The sheer number of soldiers available made possible the mass-encirclement and destruction of entire enemy formations. Every able bodied man had to serve in the army for three years, then he was released to the reserves for four years and after that he was on call to the national guard for five more years . Compared to the French, the Prussian soldiers were better educated with compulsory primary education that was not the law in France till after the war .
The army was still equipped with the Dreyse "needle-gun" rifle of fame.The deficiencies of the needle-gun were more than compensated for by the famous Krupp 6 pounder (3 kg) breech-loading cannons being issued to Prussian artillery batteries. Firing a contact-detonated shell filled with zinc balls and explosive, the Krupp gun had a range of 4,500 meters and blistering rate of fire compared to muzzle loading cannon.
a breech loading 1000 pounder Krupp gun. This won a prize for Krupp at the Great Exhibition of Paris in 1867
Helmuth von Moltke
The Prussian army was nominally commanded by the King, William I. Royal and noble officers such as the Crown Prince Frederick commanded the major formations. In practice, all operations were directed by the General Staff under Field-Marshal Helmuth von Moltke. The Prussian army was unique in Europe for having the only General Staff in existence, whose sole purpose was to direct operational movement, organise logistics and communications and develop the overall war strategy.
The German cavalry- the uhlan
General Staff officers, who had undergone rigorous selection procedures and training performed similar functions at all major headquarters. A Chief of Staff was a much more important figure in the Prussian Army than in any other army, because he had the right to appeal against his superior to the commander of the next highest formation. Thus, for example, the Crown Prince was unable to contradict the advice of his Chief of Staff, General von Blumenthal, for fear of a direct appeal (in this case) to his father the King.
Uniforms of Prussian soldiers. Upper right is a uniform of the Death Head Hussars.
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