Editing Austro-Prussian War (section)

==== Speed of concentration ====
The railway system of Prussia was more extensively developed than that within Austria. Railways made it possible to supply larger numbers of troops than hitherto and allowed the rapid movement of troops within friendly territory. The more efficient Prussian rail network allowed the Prussian army to concentrate more rapidly than their enemy. Moltke, reviewing his plans to Roon stated, "We have the inestimable advantage of being able to carry our Field Army of 285,000 men over five railway lines and of virtually concentrating them in twenty-five days. ... Austria has only one railway line and it will take her forty-five days to assemble 200,000 men."<ref name="Wolmar">{{Cite book |last=Wolmar |first=Christian |title=Blood, Iron and Gold: How the Railways Transformed the World |date=2010 |page=96}}</ref> Moltke had also said earlier, "Nothing could be more welcome to us than to have now the war that we must have."

The Austrian army under [[Ludwig von Benedek]] in [[Bohemia]] (the present-day [[Czech Republic]]) might previously have been expected to enjoy the advantage of the "central position", by being able to concentrate on successive attacking armies strung out along the frontier, but the quicker Prussian concentration nullified this advantage. By the time the Austrians were fully assembled, they would be unable to concentrate against one Prussian army without having the other two instantly attack their flank and rear, threatening their lines of communication.