:( indeed. Also: the detail that Fritz at first wanted to give Heinrich AW's command reminds me unpleasantly of FW trying to split up Fritz and Wihelmine via Grumbkow.
For what it's worth: Heinrich had received his first autonomous command already on April 15th 1757, before AW got his - AW was still on of Fritz staff officers at this point - , though Heinrich's was on a smaller scale at first. Heinrich was supposed to go from Neustadt to Bohemia with a small corps to investigate the enemy positions there since Fritz wanted to occupy Bohemia as long as he was still "only" dealing with the Austrians there, and the Russians hadn't arrived yet. Heinrich accomplished the mission, reported as ordered and Fritz marched on to Prague, the battle thereof was also the first time Heinrich distinguished himself big time not just in terms of personal bravery but command, as part of the right wing (he managed to both get his men out of an unexpected Pandur firing line and later take (some, obviously, not all but those he could get at with the right wing) of the Austrian positions by a sneak attack through the mud. Fritz mentions it applaudingly in his letters to the sisters as you might recall. (AW got his first - and fatal - autonomous command only after the battle of Kollin in June.) So it's entirely possible the offer of AW's command to Heinrich was merit-based, but: we're talking Hohenzollern there.
Re: More Volz: A family affair
For what it's worth: Heinrich had received his first autonomous command already on April 15th 1757, before AW got his - AW was still on of Fritz staff officers at this point - , though Heinrich's was on a smaller scale at first. Heinrich was supposed to go from Neustadt to Bohemia with a small corps to investigate the enemy positions there since Fritz wanted to occupy Bohemia as long as he was still "only" dealing with the Austrians there, and the Russians hadn't arrived yet. Heinrich accomplished the mission, reported as ordered and Fritz marched on to Prague, the battle thereof was also the first time Heinrich distinguished himself big time not just in terms of personal bravery but command, as part of the right wing (he managed to both get his men out of an unexpected Pandur firing line and later take (some, obviously, not all but those he could get at with the right wing) of the Austrian positions by a sneak attack through the mud. Fritz mentions it applaudingly in his letters to the sisters as you might recall. (AW got his first - and fatal - autonomous command only after the battle of Kollin in June.) So it's entirely possible the offer of AW's command to Heinrich was merit-based, but: we're talking Hohenzollern there.