Tartantyco's Prussian Empire ETW AAR

[Axel]

Good AAR, I enjoy it.

[Tartantyco]

Western Territories

-Despite the successful campaign against Spanish held Flanders in 1753, it's annexation in the summer of 1754, and the successful defense during the Spanish invasion of 1757, it was obvious that without the profitable trade routes to the Mediterranean, the Ivory Coast, and India, Prussia was headed towards bankruptcy. The large garrisons required to control the population in Bavaria and Brandenburg, along with the army being relegated to the same duty in Flanders, meant that Prussia had entered a stalemate with Spain. Having seized control of Spanish territory and defeated it's armies Louise I decided that her promise to Poland-Lithuania had been kept and proposed a peace treaty with Spain. In the summer of 1758 the two powers came to an agreement and the prosperous trade routes once again opened up.



-With funds once again flowing into the treasury and Brandenburg calm enough that taxation could commence again, Louise I decided to raise another army. Elite Guards and 24lb Howitzers conscripted from Bavaria, Grenadiers from Brandenburg, and the Prussian Line Infantry were to make up this new force. By the winter of 1759 the new army merged in Bavaria.

-With the conquest of Bavaria and Flanders Prussia had stretched it's resources and fragmented it's armies. Flanders was unreachable by land and Bavaria was only accessible through Polish-Lithuanian territory, with Saxony on the northern border. The joining of the Prussian territories was imperative and in the summer of 1760 the Central European Campaign commenced as the two Prussian armies invaded Westphalia from Flanders and Bavaria. The two armies joined up east of Cologne where they would stay until winter had passed. The army of Westphalia had other plans though, and marched towards the Prussian armies. Informed of the enemy army's plans, General Kohlrausch decided to ambush them, and mere weeks after the Prussian advance the two armies would meet near Frankfurt(1). The ambush was a success and with superior numbers and skill the Westphalian army was destroyed. The remains of the enemy army were hunted down near Marburg(2) and in the winter 1760 the siege of Cologne began. The city was besieged until the summer of 1761, when Westphalian troops attempted to break through. The attempt was unsuccessful, the opposition crushed, and in the end Prussia entered the city victorious(3).

-Having succeeded in linking Flanders and Bavaria the next target was Hannover. Having initially planned to capture Saxony, that state had been embroiled in a bitter conflict with Poland-Lithuania, lost and become a protectorate of the Prussian ally, and thus, the next objective was Hannover. Before that part of the campaign could commence the unrest in Cologne would have to be quelled and the Prussian armies recoup their losses. Unable to control the population despite the help of the trustworthy Dragoons, a rebellion ensued. Poorly equipped and lacking in ability, the rebel army was destroyed in the winter of 1762 and the unrest died down, at least for a while(4). More Dragoons were sent to make prevent any problems while the army was on campaign and in 1763 Prussia declared war on Hannover and invaded from the south. An army was dispatched to halt the Prussian advance and the Battle of Hannover commenced, ending with Hannover's army defeated(5). Acting quickly, the Prussian forces advanced and in the winter of 1763 assaulted the city of Hannover. Defended by a small garrison, the city was quickly captured(6).

-The western territories of Prussia were finally linked and the Central European Campaign came to a close. Ahead lay the seeds of dissent, and these would have to be quelled. The complete assimilation of the western territories into Greater Prussia was imperative for the long term survival of the Empire.


----------


1 - The Battle of Frankfurt(.rep)
2 - The Battle of Marburg(.rep)
3 - The Battle of Cologne(.rep)
4 - The Rhineland Rebellion(.rep)
5 - The First Battle of Hannover(.rep)
6 - The Second Battle of Hannover(.rep)

(Sorry that I didn't go too much into detail about the battles or their circumstances, but I played this in a 6 hour stretch and with just as many battles it's hard to remember all the details...)

[Tartantyco]

...may have hit a snag here; game crashes when I end the turn in S 1775.

[crAck_sh0t]

not good...

This is a great read that does me over till my empire comes on tuesday.

[chimpyang]

May just be your game, confirm that it is a bug and post the savegame for someone else to have a go for 1 turn. If they CTD then its a game bug overall, otherwise, may just be somthing wrong with the file locally? Also, try playing from an earlier savefile?

[NickO]

/Is at war with Prussia as Sweden right now :P Although I'd say its looking pretty grim for the Prussians :P

[Michael_Denmark]

Great read Tartantyco

[Tartantyco]

-BTW, the Battle of Frankfurt is the biggest battle of them if you want to see a large scale battle. As always I use quite some time in the beginning to set up my forces(I'm a formation whore), but the action starts pretty quick after that with a long battle line of infantry and lots of artillery on either side.

[Tartantyco]

(Save game still bugged, I'll just report the years up to 1774. Which won't be much )

Succession

-With the western provinces joined and the Prussian armies spread out it was time to consolidate power and stabilize the economy. Louise I ordered the expansion of the Prussian Merchant Fleet and by the summer of 1764 the new ships were on their way to the Ivory Coast. Everything was however overshadowed by one event, the death of Immanuel Kohlrausch, General of the Grande Armée during the 1756-1757 campaign against Spain and later as Commander of the Greater Prussian Army during the 1760-1763 campaign, leading the Prussian army throughout the largest expansion of Prussian territory in history.

-Expansion of the Merchant Fleet and several new trade treaties followed during the winter of 1764 and 1765, along with a heavy emphasis on industrialization and scientific progress throughout the Prussian Empire up until the summer of 1769 when the greatest Monarch of the Prussian Empire, Louise I passed away. Having maintained economic growth, constant industrialization and scientific progress, in spite of several wars and riots, while being responsible for the largest territorial expansion in the history of the Prussian Empire, annexing Bavaria, Flanders, Rhineland, and Hannover. Truly, no equal was to be found among her peers.

-Later that summer Queen Augusta I ascended the throne, vowing to maintain the peace that her mother had achieved. For the next several years Prussia continued on the path of peace and prosperity.

The Empire of Prussia anno 1774



----------

[black-wolf]

Woot, can you be the netherlands?