The Fair Treatment
- Thread starter RyanBrune
- Start date
January 18th 1757
Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia
Frederick II was not one for waiting. Especially on a day like today. Just a few days ago he called the greatest generals and officers of Prussia into one room. However within a few minutes they all arrived. Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz, a colonel, was selected to be the main speaker. “Nearly Twenty Four hours ago reports from a spy, who’s name we will not disclose, reported that a Franco-Spanish taskforce is going to launch in 36 hours, so 12 hours from now. They plan to attack Minorca, which we all know is a nominal Spanish island in the Mediterranean which is under British control. Due to the Defensive Pact we signed with Great Britain on the 23rd of March in 1755… we are at war.” The only non-Prussian in the room, George McCarne stood up, “are you serious?!” “I am sorry I am, what is worse is that the British don’t even know yet. Less than an hour ago we sent our fastest ship from Stettin less than an hour ago. However if you look outside you can see the weather… isn’t good to say the least. Unfortunately it could take up to three days until it arrives.” Everyone in the room was silent.
France, Spain, Austria… and Russia?
France
France was led by King Louis XVI. Since the new king took over in 1748much had changed. In terms of his family he had his first son in 1751 and a daughter in 1753. He continued to have a good relationship with his wife and he would have two additional legitimate children before he died. In addition the French economy did well under his reign. There was a transition from an economy mostly based on agricultural to a more diversified economy, even though the vast majority still worked in the agricultural sector. By 1757 the population of Continental France was around 27 million. The population of New France was around a half a million. France was the world’s third most populous nation, behind China and the Mughal Empire. Under the leadership of Louis there were many changes to the military. While during the war of Austrian Succession France had the largest army on the planet in terms of raw numbers this was going to change. By 1757 Austria and Russia had more troops in terms of absolute numbers. However the French military budget from 1748 actually had a small increase. This new capital was invested into several ventures. Under the Viceroy, Maurice de Saxe established a professional New French army and navy. By 1757 the city of Tadoussac, which had a population of nearly seventy-five thousand the second third largest city in Quebec, had the second largest ship-building manufacturing capability in the New World. Only Boston’s was larger. Under his oversight New France had almost 15 ships of the line to defend the St. Lawrence. In terms of a standing army New French Army had a professional core of 15,000 soldiers and a supplementary 7,500 militia. Viceroy Saxe was known for keeping his troops fit and prepared. By 1757 French had kept its principal allies Austria, Russia, and Spain were still close. There were several reasons contributing to the Franco-Spanish invasion of Minorca. The British and there settlers were pressing into New France. There were many minor skirmishes before the war even began. In addition Spain was furious that Britain controlled Gibraltar and Minorca.
Maurice de Saxe abandoned his post in 1755 to come to France for a year in order to do something of the utmost importance. Louis had recalled him to make a contingency for war. During the month of August in 1755 the top French officers and many nobles took part in a meeting to dictate how the war against Britain would be fought. Upon completion the war plan was referred to as the Deception Plan. It was broken up into three different parts, Europe, North America, and India. The basic French strategy of Europe would only be to supplement Austria’s troops in the invasion of Prussian Silesia. In addition troops would be deployed on the northern French coastline in order to repel any British amphibious landings. This would stretch from Anvers (Antwerp) to Nantes. The French would have a significant naval disadvantage in Europe. However the most complex part of the plan was for North America. Saxe presumed the British would have a very small land force and wouldn’t attempt any land attacks at least for a year after the start of battle. They would most likely fortify the area around Boston and Philadelphia. However the possibility of a British naval attack was very real. This is where the French would use deception. The British and the French had just about the same number of ships of the line in the New World. However only the French knew this. This British only knew of half the navy, the presumed the rest was stationed in Europe. In addition it is worth noting that a third of the British New World navy was stationed in the British West Indies. The French decided they would even keep one in their colonies in the Antilles. Saxe reasoned the British would attack Louisburg. The British would attack from the South from ports of Boston. The French would have half their fleet stationed at the bottom of the island. The other half would be at the top. When the British fleet arrived the southern fleet would pretend to evacuate to the port of Tadoussac, to the North. They would actually rendezvous with the rest of the fleet to the North and bend around from the East. They would arrive just when the British started to have the amphibious landings; When the British was at its weakest. After a decisive victory the French fleet would go south and raid as many ports as possible. During this time an invasion force would be built at Tadoussac. When the Fleet returned after the raids it would take the force to Newfoundland for an amphibious invasion. Unfortunately the plan had a problem; it allocated very little military resources to New Orleans and Louisiana. The Indian plan was the vaguest. To put it simply it called for fortifications around Pondicherry and to use local allies to aid the outnumbered French in India.
Next Pre-War Country to be described will be Great Britain.
Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia
Frederick II was not one for waiting. Especially on a day like today. Just a few days ago he called the greatest generals and officers of Prussia into one room. However within a few minutes they all arrived. Friedrich Wilhelm von Seydlitz, a colonel, was selected to be the main speaker. “Nearly Twenty Four hours ago reports from a spy, who’s name we will not disclose, reported that a Franco-Spanish taskforce is going to launch in 36 hours, so 12 hours from now. They plan to attack Minorca, which we all know is a nominal Spanish island in the Mediterranean which is under British control. Due to the Defensive Pact we signed with Great Britain on the 23rd of March in 1755… we are at war.” The only non-Prussian in the room, George McCarne stood up, “are you serious?!” “I am sorry I am, what is worse is that the British don’t even know yet. Less than an hour ago we sent our fastest ship from Stettin less than an hour ago. However if you look outside you can see the weather… isn’t good to say the least. Unfortunately it could take up to three days until it arrives.” Everyone in the room was silent.
France, Spain, Austria… and Russia?
France
France was led by King Louis XVI. Since the new king took over in 1748much had changed. In terms of his family he had his first son in 1751 and a daughter in 1753. He continued to have a good relationship with his wife and he would have two additional legitimate children before he died. In addition the French economy did well under his reign. There was a transition from an economy mostly based on agricultural to a more diversified economy, even though the vast majority still worked in the agricultural sector. By 1757 the population of Continental France was around 27 million. The population of New France was around a half a million. France was the world’s third most populous nation, behind China and the Mughal Empire. Under the leadership of Louis there were many changes to the military. While during the war of Austrian Succession France had the largest army on the planet in terms of raw numbers this was going to change. By 1757 Austria and Russia had more troops in terms of absolute numbers. However the French military budget from 1748 actually had a small increase. This new capital was invested into several ventures. Under the Viceroy, Maurice de Saxe established a professional New French army and navy. By 1757 the city of Tadoussac, which had a population of nearly seventy-five thousand the second third largest city in Quebec, had the second largest ship-building manufacturing capability in the New World. Only Boston’s was larger. Under his oversight New France had almost 15 ships of the line to defend the St. Lawrence. In terms of a standing army New French Army had a professional core of 15,000 soldiers and a supplementary 7,500 militia. Viceroy Saxe was known for keeping his troops fit and prepared. By 1757 French had kept its principal allies Austria, Russia, and Spain were still close. There were several reasons contributing to the Franco-Spanish invasion of Minorca. The British and there settlers were pressing into New France. There were many minor skirmishes before the war even began. In addition Spain was furious that Britain controlled Gibraltar and Minorca.
Maurice de Saxe abandoned his post in 1755 to come to France for a year in order to do something of the utmost importance. Louis had recalled him to make a contingency for war. During the month of August in 1755 the top French officers and many nobles took part in a meeting to dictate how the war against Britain would be fought. Upon completion the war plan was referred to as the Deception Plan. It was broken up into three different parts, Europe, North America, and India. The basic French strategy of Europe would only be to supplement Austria’s troops in the invasion of Prussian Silesia. In addition troops would be deployed on the northern French coastline in order to repel any British amphibious landings. This would stretch from Anvers (Antwerp) to Nantes. The French would have a significant naval disadvantage in Europe. However the most complex part of the plan was for North America. Saxe presumed the British would have a very small land force and wouldn’t attempt any land attacks at least for a year after the start of battle. They would most likely fortify the area around Boston and Philadelphia. However the possibility of a British naval attack was very real. This is where the French would use deception. The British and the French had just about the same number of ships of the line in the New World. However only the French knew this. This British only knew of half the navy, the presumed the rest was stationed in Europe. In addition it is worth noting that a third of the British New World navy was stationed in the British West Indies. The French decided they would even keep one in their colonies in the Antilles. Saxe reasoned the British would attack Louisburg. The British would attack from the South from ports of Boston. The French would have half their fleet stationed at the bottom of the island. The other half would be at the top. When the British fleet arrived the southern fleet would pretend to evacuate to the port of Tadoussac, to the North. They would actually rendezvous with the rest of the fleet to the North and bend around from the East. They would arrive just when the British started to have the amphibious landings; When the British was at its weakest. After a decisive victory the French fleet would go south and raid as many ports as possible. During this time an invasion force would be built at Tadoussac. When the Fleet returned after the raids it would take the force to Newfoundland for an amphibious invasion. Unfortunately the plan had a problem; it allocated very little military resources to New Orleans and Louisiana. The Indian plan was the vaguest. To put it simply it called for fortifications around Pondicherry and to use local allies to aid the outnumbered French in India.
Next Pre-War Country to be described will be Great Britain.
Hi,
Great and very interesting update!
I have a few questions:
- Why the Indian theater is ignored by the french, as in your previous updates you mentioned that the king was much interested about it? Will Dupleix sent to India ? It will be an equivalent of Third Carnatic war ?
- How the English are prepared for war? Is Robert Clive in India TTL ?
- Poland will stay out of war ? How about Otoman Empire ? Is Sweden on the side of the French and Russians as OTL ?
- In America, how are the Indian alliances set ITTL ?
- Who are the main leaders of the armies ? Are Montcalm and Vaudreuil still commanding in Quebec ? How about G. Washington and James Wolf ?
Thanks!
Great and very interesting update!
I have a few questions:
- Why the Indian theater is ignored by the french, as in your previous updates you mentioned that the king was much interested about it? Will Dupleix sent to India ? It will be an equivalent of Third Carnatic war ?
- How the English are prepared for war? Is Robert Clive in India TTL ?
- Poland will stay out of war ? How about Otoman Empire ? Is Sweden on the side of the French and Russians as OTL ?
- In America, how are the Indian alliances set ITTL ?
- Who are the main leaders of the armies ? Are Montcalm and Vaudreuil still commanding in Quebec ? How about G. Washington and James Wolf ?
Thanks!
Hi,
Great and very interesting update!
I have a few questions:
- Why the Indian theater is ignored by the french, as in your previous updates you mentioned that the king was much interested about it? Will Dupleix sent to India ? It will be an equivalent of Third Carnatic war ?
- How the English are prepared for war? Is Robert Clive in India TTL ?
- Poland will stay out of war ? How about Otoman Empire ? Is Sweden on the side of the French and Russians as OTL ?
- In America, how are the Indian alliances set ITTL ?
- Who are the main leaders of the armies ? Are Montcalm and Vaudreuil still commanding in Quebec ? How about G. Washington and James Wolf ?
Thanks!
Maurice de Saxe, the creator of the plan didn't want to originally send much to India in the beginning. I don't want to as of now spoil anything else about the India campaign.
The next update (which will be soon) will describe the years leading up to the war in the perspective of the British and the Prussians.
All we know so far about who the Native Americans are going to fight for is that the Wabanaki Confederacy, the Algonquin, and the Iroquois Confederacy will fight for France. In the British update, I will describe the British Native American allies.
As for who is commanding the armies... you're going to have to wait on that one. I can only assure you Maurice de Saxe will be in command of the North American Theater. (For those who are wondering... I have generously extended his life.)
The king of the United Kingdom was George II, an aging monarch. Regardless Britain was booming. The Kingdom stretched throughout the world. In Europe Scotland, Wales, England, and Hanover made up the majority of the population. However England also did have the most populous of all the colonies in India. In addition the United Kingdom had the largest presence in India. The principal allies of the United Kingdom were Prussia and Portugal. The economy was perhaps the most diversified of all of Europe. Many Britons participated in maritime trade and by the start of the war Great Britain by far had the largest merchant navy. In addition it had the largest actual navy. The British navy was bigger than the French, Russian, and Austrian navy put together. The navy of the United Kingdom would be the cornerstone of its war policy.
The way the British planned to wage war was very British. Only a year before the war began the British came up with war plan “Retaliation” with Prussian commanders. The plan was based on the premise that France and its allies would attack first. The treaty assumed that allies would Britain, Prussia, and Portugal. However only limited support from Portugal was expected. Britain wanted to extract as much help from Portugal as possible; however they didn’t want to defend Portugal in the event of a Spanish invasion. The treaty accurately assumed the powers would be able to supplement each other. Britain had a very powerful navy, while Prussia had a very powerful army. Upon the declaration of war a third of the British navy in the Atlantic would immediately impose a blockade from Anvers to Nantes. This was determined to be the most effective option, this would do the most damage to the French economy with the fewest amount of ships. Another third would be put on standby in the English Channel to prevent any amphibious attacks at Great Britain. The last third would secure a naval route from Great Britain to Prussia. The main job would be to keep seaways open and to protect Prussian ports. The majority of the British navy in the Mediterranean would be stationed at Gibraltar. A smaller group would be stationed at Minorca. The British army would be split into thirds. One third would be stationed in Britain to prevent French assaults. In addition his group could be used against the French in the form of amphibious assaults. Another third would be sent to Prussia and Hanover in order to resist French, Austrian, and Russian aggression. The last third would be sent to the American colonies to fight against the French. The British plan in the Americas was simple. With Portuguese aid their West Indies Fleet based in Barbados and Jamaica they would quickly seize French Guiana and their own West Indies territories. Then the fleet would lay siege to New Orleans. The Atlantic fleet, based in Boston would go to north to Louisburg and commence amphibious landings. Upon the fall of Louisburg the British would advance into the St. Lawrence. Here they would stay put. This would effectively trap New France. The complete blockade of New France was only expected to take half of a year. The British would then launch a ground offensive from Philadelphia to Quebec City. The main Native American allies would be the Cherokee and the Catawba. The British in India had a plan as well. They would simply use their superior navy to blockade Pondicherry. Then they would launch amphibious attacks to the north and south and pinch in French forces.
The Ruler of Prussia was Fredrick II. Prussia was absolutely a rising power. During the war of Austrian Succession they should that they were at least an equal German power compared to Austria. While having a relatively small population Prussia fielded the second largest army in the European theater, only being behind Russia. They were able to do this via mass peacetime male conscription. The army was most likely the best trained and most professional of all of Europe. During the war of Austrian Succession it was common for Prussian casualties to only be half of the opposing forces after a battle Prussia lost. The Prussian Navy was small, but not negligible. The navy was designed in order to protect Prussian port cities, which were vital for the vibrant economy.
The Prussians helped co-designed the British plan “Retaliation.” According to the plan the Prussians would first launch a large scale invasion of Saxony. The plan called for capture of Dresden, the capital, within 2 weeks. After the capture of Dresden the army would march into Austria. The plan was to capture Prague as quickly as possible and then hunker down in order to protect the Prussian flank against possible Russian aggression. Poland was in a loose nonbinding treaty with Austria and Russia. The Russian army would most likely be allowed to pass through the Courland and be allowed to attack East Prussia. In addition Prussia would have to prevent the French from advancing into Hanover. However once both fronts were stabilized Prussia, with massive British aid, would attempt to advance toward Vienna and knock Austria out of the war. After the capture of Vienna Britain and Prussia presumed the other powers would sue for peace.
This seems like somewhat of a dangerous assumption to make.
If it's Spain/France/Austria/Russia versus Britain/Prussia/Portugal, and the British are at least somewhat concerned about an invasion of Portugal, then assuming that both they and Austria get knocked out, and that Spain isn't able to contribute much to the rest of the war, it's still two v. two.
It seems that the war would have to go awfully well for them to knock out both France and Russia without even launching any offensives into their territory.
Question: Are the Dutch going to do anything in the war, or are they too wary about attacking France after the last one?
The Dutch are going to stay out of this war. They are terrified of invasion after the last war.
If Austria loses France and Russia would most likely sue for peace. In those days wars weren't fought until the end. They were fought as long as one side felt like it was doing well and the were getting benefits from the continuation of the war.
Got it. Seems like Russia and France would still be doing well individually though. Anyways, good TL so far! I look forward to developments with bated breath.
I doubt France and Russia would ask for peace so soon. The Prussian army was not really big, professional but small. Even if Vienna fall ( a thoug nut to crack) the Russian armies might capture East Prussia making the Prussian gain pointless. And if the French armies would be able to go unopossed to reinforce saxony. I can't see Russia and France fold because of Austria.
THE WAR COMMENCES
January 18th 1757
Michel-Ange Duquesne
The joint Franco-Spanish fleet arrived at the island of Minorca just after sunset. The task-force was led by Michel-Ange Duquesne de Menneville, a French admiral, from the flagship Soleil Royal. After a quick siege the unsuspecting British forces on the island surrendered. It was a quick battle, the British were thoroughly unprepared. The French didn’t lose any ships, and only sustained 12 fatalities. The British however were able to scuttle two out of the five ships of the line at the island at the time. The other three were captured, but would require weeks of repairs. The first stage of operation “conquête” was completed. The fleet led by Michel, compromising of 16 ships of the line, would then advance towards Gibraltar. The operation called for a pincer, a fleet of 12 ships of the line were launched just under two days previously from Bordeaux, under the command of Comte de Conflans. Time was of the essence, mainland Britain didn’t even know the war started. Gibraltar most likely just discovered the commencement of the war a few hours ago. Just twelve hours after capturing Minorca the fleet under Michel set sail towards Gibraltar. Michel decided to review the plans on the way. The peninsula of Gibraltar had anywhere from ten to fifteen ships of the line defending it, and a maximum of five frigates. However minor bombardment was to be expected from cannon fire. By noon the next day the joint fleet reached Gibraltar, however there was something wrong. The French fleet that was supposed to arrive was simply not here. In addition there were no British ships in sight. Michel was confused. Then it happened. At first he just heard cannon fire, then he heard the explosions. He was surrounded; the British fleet had encircled him. The ensuing battle, referred to as the battle of Gibraltar was a decisive British victory. Out of 16 ships under the command of Michel, eight were able to escape to Minorca, four were captured, including the flagship, the other four were scuttled. Michel was one of the men captured. It was in his cell when he discovered what happened. Lord Tyrawley, the governor of Gibraltar was informed of the attack by a defecting French officer just after the attack on Minorca. Lord Tyrawley then sent his fleet to intercept the fleet commanded by Comte de Conflans. That battle was a stalemate with neither sides losing any ships, but the French fleet retreated towards Bordeaux. France had lost the second battle of the war and the advantage of surprise was no more.
Frederick II of Prussia
The next major area of battle early in the war was between Saxony and Prussia. Upon advanced warning from France Saxony started to mobilize a few days before the war began. However the Saxons were in a terrible position. It would be days if not weeks before the Austrians would be able to supplement their defenses; however Prussia, having one of the most efficient armies on the planet, was almost immediately able to launch an invasion. And what an invasion it was. The core of Saxony, including its capital of Dresden, fell within three weeks from a three pronged Prussian invasion. Prussia had no plans of stopping there. At the commencement of the war Prussia had at army of one hundred of fifty thousand men. They immediately however instituted a policy that drafted the mass majority of men between the age of eighteen and thirty. Also when Saxony surrender on February 9th the Prussian army absorbed the remaining Saxon army and instituted similar draft polcies. The first place the Austrian and Prussian arms met was at the Saxon city of Altenberg, a city only 5km away from the Austrian border. The ensuing battle would be called the battle of Altenberg.
The Prussian King, Frederick II was the commander of the Prussian forces numbering thirty thousand. He was facing Maximilian Ulysses, the Austrian commander who was in charge of nearly forty thousand soldiers. Frederick split up his forces into groups, one at the actual city of Altenberg and the the other was stationed at the nearby village of Geising, which was only a few kilometers west of Altenberg. Frederick suspected that the Austrians would advance from Zinnwald-Georenfeld, a city to the south of Altenberg and march North for a standard engagement. The Austrians did just as he expected. And when they did the army group from Geising flanked. The battle only lasted for a couple of hours. By the end Austria lost ten thousand men with another ten thousand captured, Maximilian was taken prisoner. Prussia continued its advance, and many battles ensued, but they all were the same. Austria outnumbered Prussia, but Prussia simply out maneuvered them. Frederick soon became thought of as an unstoppable force feared by all Austrian commanders. The Austrian defeats were so bad that Empress, Theresa had to personally call of the Austrian invasion of Silesia in order to reinforce the area around Prague. The Prussians finally reached the outskirts of Prague by April. The Prussian army group was joined by equally successful Prussians who just won several battles in the Silesian region.
The Austrians lost the battle of Prague because they were not willing to do what was necessary. The bulk of the Austrian army led by the aging Fürst von Lobkowitz refused to leave the massive city as Prussian forces surrounded it, he was so concerned about how his prestige would be tarnished he actually refused to leave the city, fearing its capture. His incompetence ended in the entire city being encircled by the 20th of April. A siege ensued. Cut off from supplies the Austrians didn’t have a chance, by mid-May they surrendered. Fürst would end up dying just a few weeks after the battle due to smallpox.
Stepan Fyodorovich Apraksin
The Russians, just as expected by the Prussians, were very slow to mobilize. In addition it took several weeks of negations with Poland in order to be allowed to pass through the Courland. It didn’t help the entire country was shut down for a week of mourning for the death of Catherine, a Russian princess at the young of twenty eight. However by mid-April the long trek through the Courland began as Russian forces advanced towards East Prussia. However the weather especially cold and wet for April, the largest rainfalls and some of coldest temperatures were recorder. It was common for it to rain five inches in one day and then drop to far below freezing in one day. The Russians truly advanced at a miserable pace. However they finally reached the outskirts of Memel on May 16th. The Russians expected many things, but the one thing they did not expect was nearly ten thousand British soldiers. Over the last month Britain had spent a long of its energy supply Prussia through naval means. In addition there were another fifteen thousand Prussian soldiers who just returned from the Bohemian front. However the twenty-five thousand troops were significantly outnumbered by the Russian army of sixty-thousand troops led by Field Marshal Stepan Fyodorovich Apraksin. However the Russian soldiers were cold wet and starving, while the Prussian and British soldiers were some of the most professional soldiers on the planet and also enjoyed a defensive advantage. In addition around a thousand new Prussian and British soldiers were being shipped in a week.
Stepan realized that he needed a foothold quick; his soldiers could not survive in the outdoors in these conditions. Realizing that attacking Memel was suicide he decided to attack to the south at the city of Heydekrug, which was around 30 kilometers south of Memel. He decided to wait there until the weather improved.
Louis XVI was saddened about how the war had started. French forces had successfully captured Minorca, but the invasion of Gibraltar had failed. In addition Austrian was seemingly incapable of defending itself from a country one sixth the size of itself. It didn’t help the Russian advances were stalling as well. French international trade also began to suffer. The British enacted a blockade that stretched from Anvers to Nantes; two thirds of the French ports were not operational. The French navy was also incapable of stopping it. They already had too many things to do. Troops en masse were being ferried across the Atlantic to the new world. In addition the navy had to protect the remaining coastline. Thankfully however Louis secured a passage through northern Italy in order to send supplementary troops to aid Austria in the fight against Prussia in June. However Louis was personally most interested in the army that was building up near Nancy for an invasion of Hanover, however that would not be ready to advance until late July.
Upon the failure of the battle of Gibraltar Spain attempted to take matters into its own hands. Starting in April they started to siege the tiny peninsula. However Gibraltar proved itself to be a tough nut to crack, advances were quite slow.
The war was truly becoming a war.
January 18th 1757
Michel-Ange Duquesne
The joint Franco-Spanish fleet arrived at the island of Minorca just after sunset. The task-force was led by Michel-Ange Duquesne de Menneville, a French admiral, from the flagship Soleil Royal. After a quick siege the unsuspecting British forces on the island surrendered. It was a quick battle, the British were thoroughly unprepared. The French didn’t lose any ships, and only sustained 12 fatalities. The British however were able to scuttle two out of the five ships of the line at the island at the time. The other three were captured, but would require weeks of repairs. The first stage of operation “conquête” was completed. The fleet led by Michel, compromising of 16 ships of the line, would then advance towards Gibraltar. The operation called for a pincer, a fleet of 12 ships of the line were launched just under two days previously from Bordeaux, under the command of Comte de Conflans. Time was of the essence, mainland Britain didn’t even know the war started. Gibraltar most likely just discovered the commencement of the war a few hours ago. Just twelve hours after capturing Minorca the fleet under Michel set sail towards Gibraltar. Michel decided to review the plans on the way. The peninsula of Gibraltar had anywhere from ten to fifteen ships of the line defending it, and a maximum of five frigates. However minor bombardment was to be expected from cannon fire. By noon the next day the joint fleet reached Gibraltar, however there was something wrong. The French fleet that was supposed to arrive was simply not here. In addition there were no British ships in sight. Michel was confused. Then it happened. At first he just heard cannon fire, then he heard the explosions. He was surrounded; the British fleet had encircled him. The ensuing battle, referred to as the battle of Gibraltar was a decisive British victory. Out of 16 ships under the command of Michel, eight were able to escape to Minorca, four were captured, including the flagship, the other four were scuttled. Michel was one of the men captured. It was in his cell when he discovered what happened. Lord Tyrawley, the governor of Gibraltar was informed of the attack by a defecting French officer just after the attack on Minorca. Lord Tyrawley then sent his fleet to intercept the fleet commanded by Comte de Conflans. That battle was a stalemate with neither sides losing any ships, but the French fleet retreated towards Bordeaux. France had lost the second battle of the war and the advantage of surprise was no more.
Frederick II of Prussia
The next major area of battle early in the war was between Saxony and Prussia. Upon advanced warning from France Saxony started to mobilize a few days before the war began. However the Saxons were in a terrible position. It would be days if not weeks before the Austrians would be able to supplement their defenses; however Prussia, having one of the most efficient armies on the planet, was almost immediately able to launch an invasion. And what an invasion it was. The core of Saxony, including its capital of Dresden, fell within three weeks from a three pronged Prussian invasion. Prussia had no plans of stopping there. At the commencement of the war Prussia had at army of one hundred of fifty thousand men. They immediately however instituted a policy that drafted the mass majority of men between the age of eighteen and thirty. Also when Saxony surrender on February 9th the Prussian army absorbed the remaining Saxon army and instituted similar draft polcies. The first place the Austrian and Prussian arms met was at the Saxon city of Altenberg, a city only 5km away from the Austrian border. The ensuing battle would be called the battle of Altenberg.
The Prussian King, Frederick II was the commander of the Prussian forces numbering thirty thousand. He was facing Maximilian Ulysses, the Austrian commander who was in charge of nearly forty thousand soldiers. Frederick split up his forces into groups, one at the actual city of Altenberg and the the other was stationed at the nearby village of Geising, which was only a few kilometers west of Altenberg. Frederick suspected that the Austrians would advance from Zinnwald-Georenfeld, a city to the south of Altenberg and march North for a standard engagement. The Austrians did just as he expected. And when they did the army group from Geising flanked. The battle only lasted for a couple of hours. By the end Austria lost ten thousand men with another ten thousand captured, Maximilian was taken prisoner. Prussia continued its advance, and many battles ensued, but they all were the same. Austria outnumbered Prussia, but Prussia simply out maneuvered them. Frederick soon became thought of as an unstoppable force feared by all Austrian commanders. The Austrian defeats were so bad that Empress, Theresa had to personally call of the Austrian invasion of Silesia in order to reinforce the area around Prague. The Prussians finally reached the outskirts of Prague by April. The Prussian army group was joined by equally successful Prussians who just won several battles in the Silesian region.
The Austrians lost the battle of Prague because they were not willing to do what was necessary. The bulk of the Austrian army led by the aging Fürst von Lobkowitz refused to leave the massive city as Prussian forces surrounded it, he was so concerned about how his prestige would be tarnished he actually refused to leave the city, fearing its capture. His incompetence ended in the entire city being encircled by the 20th of April. A siege ensued. Cut off from supplies the Austrians didn’t have a chance, by mid-May they surrendered. Fürst would end up dying just a few weeks after the battle due to smallpox.
Stepan Fyodorovich Apraksin
The Russians, just as expected by the Prussians, were very slow to mobilize. In addition it took several weeks of negations with Poland in order to be allowed to pass through the Courland. It didn’t help the entire country was shut down for a week of mourning for the death of Catherine, a Russian princess at the young of twenty eight. However by mid-April the long trek through the Courland began as Russian forces advanced towards East Prussia. However the weather especially cold and wet for April, the largest rainfalls and some of coldest temperatures were recorder. It was common for it to rain five inches in one day and then drop to far below freezing in one day. The Russians truly advanced at a miserable pace. However they finally reached the outskirts of Memel on May 16th. The Russians expected many things, but the one thing they did not expect was nearly ten thousand British soldiers. Over the last month Britain had spent a long of its energy supply Prussia through naval means. In addition there were another fifteen thousand Prussian soldiers who just returned from the Bohemian front. However the twenty-five thousand troops were significantly outnumbered by the Russian army of sixty-thousand troops led by Field Marshal Stepan Fyodorovich Apraksin. However the Russian soldiers were cold wet and starving, while the Prussian and British soldiers were some of the most professional soldiers on the planet and also enjoyed a defensive advantage. In addition around a thousand new Prussian and British soldiers were being shipped in a week.
Stepan realized that he needed a foothold quick; his soldiers could not survive in the outdoors in these conditions. Realizing that attacking Memel was suicide he decided to attack to the south at the city of Heydekrug, which was around 30 kilometers south of Memel. He decided to wait there until the weather improved.
Louis XVI was saddened about how the war had started. French forces had successfully captured Minorca, but the invasion of Gibraltar had failed. In addition Austrian was seemingly incapable of defending itself from a country one sixth the size of itself. It didn’t help the Russian advances were stalling as well. French international trade also began to suffer. The British enacted a blockade that stretched from Anvers to Nantes; two thirds of the French ports were not operational. The French navy was also incapable of stopping it. They already had too many things to do. Troops en masse were being ferried across the Atlantic to the new world. In addition the navy had to protect the remaining coastline. Thankfully however Louis secured a passage through northern Italy in order to send supplementary troops to aid Austria in the fight against Prussia in June. However Louis was personally most interested in the army that was building up near Nancy for an invasion of Hanover, however that would not be ready to advance until late July.
Upon the failure of the battle of Gibraltar Spain attempted to take matters into its own hands. Starting in April they started to siege the tiny peninsula. However Gibraltar proved itself to be a tough nut to crack, advances were quite slow.
The war was truly becoming a war.
The British navy isn't as big as during the latter Napoleonic era and the british army is really small. They simpy can't supply Prussia, blocade France and fight the franco-spanish navy at the same time. I really doubt the Saxon soldiers would be that loyal they've been conquered afterall. Prussia can't afford long campaign it must trike fast or they will lose their advantage. And it's too soon to start levée en masse.
The British navy, by personnel and ships was still the largest on the planet. Especially under the terms of this TL, (with a new powerful French fort) the British increased the size of their navy. However the British fleet is still spread incredibly thin, as shown by the fact they can only blockade a third of France. As for the Prussian absorption of the Saxon army, and conscription of their troops... this actually happened OTL, and from research it seemed like the loyalty problem wasn't actually a problem. As for the length of the campaign... Prussia is definitely hoping to knock out Austria withing a year of the commencement of the war.
The war was truly becoming a war.
The war however was slow to come to the Americas. It took around a month for the fastest ships to travel from Europe to North America. Here the French had an innate advantage. As they were the ones who started the war, they were able to send a ship first. They were able to send a ship a whole week earlier, however due to more efficient British ship design they only made it first by a matter of days. The French ship, the correctly named L'Informateur, sailed reached the city of Quebec on February 9th 1757. The governor of New France, Maurice de Saxe, was the first to be informed about the commencement of war. Later that afternoon he held a meeting where he invited all of the citizens of the city to inform them about the start of the war. He warned them that this war would not be quick, but it would be bloody. He also mentioned in a somber tone that conscriptions may be needed to be use. However he said all French citizens are a part of this war, he said we all have things we can do to help the war effort. It doesn’t matter if you are poor or rich, a man or a woman, you can help. Maurice de Saxe’s first military policy was to organize the French fleet at Louisburg.
The thirteen colonies of Britain were shocked to hear about the commencement of war on February 12th. The remembered the previous wars that had occurred on this mighty continent and shuttered to think about another. However they were loyal, they would fight to the last man in order to preserve their way of life. They would make sure that the French were once and for all knocked off of the continent. Due to desperation Robert Dinwiddie, the colonial governor of Virginia was appointed commander of the thirteen colonies until Edward Braddock, who was currently a month out, could take command. In addition Lord Loudoun was being sent to control the navy.
While Robert Dinwiddie would only be in charge for a short amount of time he had a very important task. He had to make sure the army and navy would be in ample shape for the arrival of the two men. His first order was to call upon all British naval forces distributed throughout the colonies to group up in Boston. His next order was to call upon the other twelve colonies to start volunteer moments. The total number of British troops in North America was quite dismal numbering less than five thousand. However with the troops he did have he ordered to reinforce the forts in Pennsylvania and New York. Robert also attempted to establish communications with the British West Indies. Henry Grenville was in charge of the British forces in the Gulf of Mexico as the Governor of Barbados. He actually had a much larger navy at his disposal than Robert did. He quickly ordered it to attack French colonial possessions ranging from Martinique to New Orleans.
The British were surprised that there were no major French advances by the time Braddock and Loudon arrived. However the British were ready to launch their first offensive. It was imperative that the British launch their first offensive at Louisburg. Louisburg, located at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence, was imperative to capture because without it the British could not advance into the Saint Lawrence. If they didn’t capture the Saint Lawrence they could not bring French New World to a standstill and actually launch offensives towards the capital of Quebec. There were twelve capital ships spread throughout the thirteen colonies, but the British were able to supplement this number to seventeen. Lord Loudoun and his fleet left Boston on April 9th. On the 12th they arrived.
Lord Loudoun was quite pleased with himself. His fleet of seventeen capital ships was able to cause the smaller French fleet of perhaps twelve ships evacuate. To be honest he was quite surprised, while the French had less forces they still could have attempted to fight with those numbers. He thought to himself that perhaps the French were just inferior and knew when they saw a superior commander approach. He chuckled to himself. He ordered the ampihibious landings to begin a few short hours later. The second the first landing ship reached the coast he heard the first cannon ball whiz through the air. The French fleet was back. Loudoun was horrified, the ship advantage he had was erased. There appeared to be nearly thirty French capital ships, compared to his seventeen. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. He realized his fleet was doomed because of two other reasons. First of all his fleet was not in any shape to retaliate, his entire fleet was in the process of supporting amphibious landings. Also the French fleet took it upon itself to completely encircle the British fleet. The battle was a slaughter. There were ten British ships that sunk, seven ships were captured. Not a single British ship was able to escape. Four French ships were damaged and only two were sunk. The French took all of surviving sailors prisoners with the exception of Lord Loudon. They would let him return in order to explain his defeat to the British command after a brief interrogation. This battle would be referred to as the Battle of Louisburg.
Maurice’s plan had worked. The only British naval forces left in the New World were far out of reach in the Gulf of Mexico. A French fleet comprised of twenty four ships of the line had complete dominance. It was now time to do as much damage as possible in the time window at hand. The French admiral Toussaint Hocquart just proved himself in the last battle, now he just had to do it again. The French were going to destroy as many ports as possible in the amount of time at hand. This would cripple the economy and make it difficult for the British to gain a naval foothold again. The first target of was Halifax. It was hardly a battle. The French fleet, which encountered no resistance, destroyed the port and sank every large British merchant vessel it could find. In addition the fleet shelled the city for the greater part of the day. The French fleet continued farther South to Boston were it did the same thing. Then it went to New York, the exact same thing occurred, and finally it arrived in Charleston, in the colony of South Carolina. There it was forced to turn back to Louisberg upon hearing a new British fleet was assembled. However the damage had been done. The exact opposite of what the British wanted happened. The British wanted French trade to be crippled, but now their trade was.
However the French were not done. By the time a force of ten thousand Frenchman had assembled at Louisburg under the command of Louis-Joseph de Montcalm the French fleet returned. They were ready to invade Newfoundland. The British were outnumbered. When the French force landed at the capital of Saint Johns the company of five hundred men was forced to surrender.
However not everything was going well for the French. Robert Monkton, who was in charge of British naval efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, was able to seize the entirety of French colonial possessions in the Gulf of Mexico. The French didn’t even attempt to defend themselves. However Robert was most surprised when he invaded New Orleans. He expected it to be the hardest battle of his career; but once again, the French didn’t even attempt to defend.
If things were slow to start in the New World, the war in India was occurring at a snail’s pace. Hostilities didn’t start until June. The French started by quickly taking the mostly undefended British settlement of Cuddalore with the commander Comte de Lally leading the charge. The British simply responded by using their superior naval forces in the area, combined with Portuguese assistance to blockade French India.
The war however was slow to come to the Americas. It took around a month for the fastest ships to travel from Europe to North America. Here the French had an innate advantage. As they were the ones who started the war, they were able to send a ship first. They were able to send a ship a whole week earlier, however due to more efficient British ship design they only made it first by a matter of days. The French ship, the correctly named L'Informateur, sailed reached the city of Quebec on February 9th 1757. The governor of New France, Maurice de Saxe, was the first to be informed about the commencement of war. Later that afternoon he held a meeting where he invited all of the citizens of the city to inform them about the start of the war. He warned them that this war would not be quick, but it would be bloody. He also mentioned in a somber tone that conscriptions may be needed to be use. However he said all French citizens are a part of this war, he said we all have things we can do to help the war effort. It doesn’t matter if you are poor or rich, a man or a woman, you can help. Maurice de Saxe’s first military policy was to organize the French fleet at Louisburg.
The thirteen colonies of Britain were shocked to hear about the commencement of war on February 12th. The remembered the previous wars that had occurred on this mighty continent and shuttered to think about another. However they were loyal, they would fight to the last man in order to preserve their way of life. They would make sure that the French were once and for all knocked off of the continent. Due to desperation Robert Dinwiddie, the colonial governor of Virginia was appointed commander of the thirteen colonies until Edward Braddock, who was currently a month out, could take command. In addition Lord Loudoun was being sent to control the navy.
While Robert Dinwiddie would only be in charge for a short amount of time he had a very important task. He had to make sure the army and navy would be in ample shape for the arrival of the two men. His first order was to call upon all British naval forces distributed throughout the colonies to group up in Boston. His next order was to call upon the other twelve colonies to start volunteer moments. The total number of British troops in North America was quite dismal numbering less than five thousand. However with the troops he did have he ordered to reinforce the forts in Pennsylvania and New York. Robert also attempted to establish communications with the British West Indies. Henry Grenville was in charge of the British forces in the Gulf of Mexico as the Governor of Barbados. He actually had a much larger navy at his disposal than Robert did. He quickly ordered it to attack French colonial possessions ranging from Martinique to New Orleans.
The British were surprised that there were no major French advances by the time Braddock and Loudon arrived. However the British were ready to launch their first offensive. It was imperative that the British launch their first offensive at Louisburg. Louisburg, located at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence, was imperative to capture because without it the British could not advance into the Saint Lawrence. If they didn’t capture the Saint Lawrence they could not bring French New World to a standstill and actually launch offensives towards the capital of Quebec. There were twelve capital ships spread throughout the thirteen colonies, but the British were able to supplement this number to seventeen. Lord Loudoun and his fleet left Boston on April 9th. On the 12th they arrived.
Lord Loudoun was quite pleased with himself. His fleet of seventeen capital ships was able to cause the smaller French fleet of perhaps twelve ships evacuate. To be honest he was quite surprised, while the French had less forces they still could have attempted to fight with those numbers. He thought to himself that perhaps the French were just inferior and knew when they saw a superior commander approach. He chuckled to himself. He ordered the ampihibious landings to begin a few short hours later. The second the first landing ship reached the coast he heard the first cannon ball whiz through the air. The French fleet was back. Loudoun was horrified, the ship advantage he had was erased. There appeared to be nearly thirty French capital ships, compared to his seventeen. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. He realized his fleet was doomed because of two other reasons. First of all his fleet was not in any shape to retaliate, his entire fleet was in the process of supporting amphibious landings. Also the French fleet took it upon itself to completely encircle the British fleet. The battle was a slaughter. There were ten British ships that sunk, seven ships were captured. Not a single British ship was able to escape. Four French ships were damaged and only two were sunk. The French took all of surviving sailors prisoners with the exception of Lord Loudon. They would let him return in order to explain his defeat to the British command after a brief interrogation. This battle would be referred to as the Battle of Louisburg.
Maurice’s plan had worked. The only British naval forces left in the New World were far out of reach in the Gulf of Mexico. A French fleet comprised of twenty four ships of the line had complete dominance. It was now time to do as much damage as possible in the time window at hand. The French admiral Toussaint Hocquart just proved himself in the last battle, now he just had to do it again. The French were going to destroy as many ports as possible in the amount of time at hand. This would cripple the economy and make it difficult for the British to gain a naval foothold again. The first target of was Halifax. It was hardly a battle. The French fleet, which encountered no resistance, destroyed the port and sank every large British merchant vessel it could find. In addition the fleet shelled the city for the greater part of the day. The French fleet continued farther South to Boston were it did the same thing. Then it went to New York, the exact same thing occurred, and finally it arrived in Charleston, in the colony of South Carolina. There it was forced to turn back to Louisberg upon hearing a new British fleet was assembled. However the damage had been done. The exact opposite of what the British wanted happened. The British wanted French trade to be crippled, but now their trade was.
However the French were not done. By the time a force of ten thousand Frenchman had assembled at Louisburg under the command of Louis-Joseph de Montcalm the French fleet returned. They were ready to invade Newfoundland. The British were outnumbered. When the French force landed at the capital of Saint Johns the company of five hundred men was forced to surrender.
However not everything was going well for the French. Robert Monkton, who was in charge of British naval efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, was able to seize the entirety of French colonial possessions in the Gulf of Mexico. The French didn’t even attempt to defend themselves. However Robert was most surprised when he invaded New Orleans. He expected it to be the hardest battle of his career; but once again, the French didn’t even attempt to defend.
If things were slow to start in the New World, the war in India was occurring at a snail’s pace. Hostilities didn’t start until June. The French started by quickly taking the mostly undefended British settlement of Cuddalore with the commander Comte de Lally leading the charge. The British simply responded by using their superior naval forces in the area, combined with Portuguese assistance to blockade French India.