Gen. Moritz Auffenberg of the Austrian Fourth Army saw an opportunity. The Russian XIX Corps pressed forward, trying to drive a wedge between their own Russian VI Corps holding the eastern end of their line and the XXV Corps on the west. If the Austrian VI Corps’ 39th Honvéd Infantry Division could hold its ground, the Austrian IX Corps, just arriving on the battlefield, could take the Russians in their open flank. The plan depended on hard marching and precise timing, neither of these a particular strength of the Habsburg armed forces.

The 26th Landwehr Infantry Division, a Sudeten German outfit from Leitmeritz in north-western Bohemia, broke camp late and failed to reach the battlefield in time to deliver the stunning blow planned by Auffenberg’s staff. Instead, the Honvéds were left to face the Russians all by themselves, at a serious disadvantage in strength following the previous day’s losses. They made no progress on their own, racking up another lengthy casualty list for no purpose.