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Jan 26, 2000
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perso.club-internet.fr
Frederick II, king of Prussia. 1755. Potsdam.

I look at my map of Europe, and I find my kingdom (composed with 5 western provinces and 2 eastern provinces) quite small compared to my neighbors, Austria in the south, Poland in the east. Moreover, my eastern provinces, separate by the province of Danzig, surrounded by Poland and Russia, are far from my administration and the protection of my armies.

I believe that it is time to take the things in hand and if it is needed to cover my clothing of campaign, to hold up the sword and to make known in the world the ambition of Prussia...

A military alliance binds me to England and Hanover. Saxony is my vassal but with very bad diplomatic relations.
My relations with Austria and Poland are extremely bad (naturally).
However that other German monarchies look at me with a kindly eye, this will be able to help me in the future.

My objectives are varied:
- to join together my territories from the east to those of the west and for this reason to conquer Danzig.
- to reconquer Western Pommerania against Sweden
- to increase my kingdom to the natural border of the Vistula
- to reduce the influence and the power of Austria (i.e. to conquer by the force these provinces close to mine)
- to establish a great germanic empire by the diplomatic or forced annexation of the other german kingdoms.

For that I have, at this beginning of year 1755, a little gold (hardly insufficient for my ambitions) and an armed force divided into 3 :
1) 10 000 infantry and 1 000 cavalry under the commands of Major General Seydlitz.
2) 45 000 infantry, 12 000 cavalry and 10 artillery under the command of Lt General Heinrich.
3) 2 000 infantry under my direct command.


Let start the game ...

1755
January : I have no casus belli, so I can’t declare war upon anybody. Thus I prefer increase my defensive potential and I reinforce my fortress in Berlin (that will be to complete within one year) and I try to increase my financial power by taking the monopole in my CoT in Brandenburg. That is made with the detriment French and Dutch merchants.
The national feeling of my subjects pushes me to accept the mission of recovering Pommerania under the prussian colors. Indeed, it is an acknowledged goal of my foreign politics, but that will not be easy, I do not have any casus belli against Sweden and this one formed part of an alliance so powerful that I cannot provoke it for the moment : Sweden, Austria, Russia, Cologne, Baden, the Palatinat and Genoa.
Therefore I accept another easier objective, to keep Silesia under my control during 5 years.
However, I will do everything to deserve these points of victory.

June: I acquire the monopole my CoT in Berlin and I drive out the last foreign merchants, that will assure me per year an income of 5o.

July: to face the power of my enemies (future), I look for allies around me but the level of my relations with my closest neighbors is insufficient. So I will be satisfied with my current allies.

September: Thüringen and the Palatinat propose a royal marriage to me, I accept. It is there a good occasion to tie links more fraternal with the german kingdoms in the long-term intention of a large kingdom of Germany but in the shorter term to avoid a war with the Palatinat.

1756
January : The Palatinat changes religion for Reformed : all the relations with them are broken, my marriage is broken too, my beautiful preceding considerations break down but at least the Palatinat leaves also the military Alliance with Austria, Russia and Sweden. Hessen offers a royal marriage to me, here is a compensation.

February: My fortress is finished. It is a good thing made. I now insist on the economic aspect and reinforce the position of my merchants through Europe so that I will have more income.

1757
This economic policy costs me more expensive than other thing and I do not see for the moment the benefit. My inflation is so high (100%) that my merchants is to me too expensive.
I decide to stop that and I prefer concentrate my investments on technological advance and to pile up a little more gold in the trunks in forecast of a nearest war.

1758
January : It is the WAR. Indeed, England requires that I honor our military alliance against France and its allies. It is a good thing because the play of the diplomatic negociations made that during the last year the alliances have changed : today Sweden and Poland are allied with France and no longer with Austria so I do not have to fear for the moment the power of Austria. Therefore it is almost with joy that I agree to go to war. I will be able to carry out my dreams of expansion (finally I hope).

January 13 : General Heinrich following my orders leaving his barracks in Berlin with his 56 000 men goes to invade swedish W. Pommerania.
I decide to recruit troops to put them under my direct command. But with 30o the thousand men, my finances are insufficient to recruit a suitable army : I pay for only 2 000 additional men.
The campaign of Poland will be done without any more reinforcement...

February 13 : after a long way in snow to undergo the rigorous winter, General Heinrich begins the head office of Stralsund vis-a-vis to a garrison of 10 000 soldiers and 10 artillery. During this time, I order to the General Seydlitz to walk on Thorn (Western Prussia).

February 26 : Stralsund fells. Less than 15 days of seat. But it should be said that with the assistance of the troops of Hanover (40 000 infantry and 5 000 cavalry, are on the whole more than 100 000 man!), that was easier. Nasty surprise, they are the troops of Hanover which hoists their color at the top of the fortress. :(

It is not this day that I will recover W. Pommerania...

March : General Heinrich must now cross over all Prussia to attack Danzig. It is there the top priority of this war. Seydlitz General, under the walls of Thorn, is engaged in a long seat, it will be a long-term war.

July : the troops of Hanover come to contribute me to besiege Thorn, their help will be invaluable and will accelerate the fall of the city.

August 15 : Thorn fells, but this time still, they are Hanovrians which is made main from the city and thus of the province (Prussia Western). What a cumbersome allied! I will pay more attention to that thereafter. For this purpose, I hurry in spite of but weak troops (4 000 men) to leave to shift : my leadership will enable me to lead all the battles and to collect without sorrow the fruits of the victory.
The troops of Hanover go down in the south to the conquest Krakow.

October 15: Today Danzig fell between my hands. It is the first real victory of my armies. And most significant !
In Western Prussia, the first battle in open land of this war takes place. 14 000 Polish infantry and 5 000 cavalry attack my 15 000 men under my command (4 000 for Frederick II + 10 500 for General Seydlitz including 1000 cavalry). Whereas the victory is not a doubt, I decide to make retirement on eastern Pommerania in order to allowing Polish to take again the town of Thorn. I will return after that to reconquer the province but this time for my own glory and not for that of Hanover...

October 22: General Heinrich, after having conquered Danzig, runs on Posen. Poland offers finally only little resistance in advance of my troops, the end of this campaign appears inescapable to me.

November 18: After 1 month of seat, Thorn is again Polish. It is time for me to turn over to the combat.

November 24: Posen is prussian now. Heinrich did a good work, the attack which it carried out was effective and did not lead to many human losses. After this new conquest, and whereas Krakovia fells to the hands of Hanover, Poland makes me a peace proposal. I am unaware of it : the time is still too early to make peace under good conditions for me.

December 6-18 : 1st (and only) ' great ' battle of the campaign of Poland under the walls of Thorn (definitely there will be many polish corpses there) : my troops (8000 men under my direct orders) completely destroy a polish force of 10 000 men (9000 inf. + 1000 cav.) with less than 500 died and wounded.
Really what a genius I am ! :D

December 27 : the troops of Hanover (37 000 inf. + 3 000 cav.) help me to assault Thorn and the province of W. Prussia is now mine.

1759
January : General Heinrich, in accordance with my commands moves on Warsaw in order to put fine at our campaign and to obtain peace conditions favorable to Prussia (6 stars victory).

February 25 : Warschau fells between the hands of General Heinrich but, as I was in a hurry to conclude this war, I ordered to him to take by storm the city. In spite of his protests which had with the fact that the town of Warsaw is very well strengthened, I maintained my command.
Admittedly, the victory was acquired more quickly but it costs me also much more expensive : nearly 10 000 died and wounded, a butchery... :mad:
That will remain a shadow in this brilliant campaign of Poland.

March: I propose peace to Poland claiming to him the provinces of Danzig, Posen and Western Prussian. Foolish polishes who refuse!
Until where will be necessary it to go?
Perhaps that incredible resistance that they opposed to my armies during this seat gives them a new hope. Which vain hope...

April 14: Lithuania fells to Hanover, like Krakow. The kingdom of Poland is reduced from now on to 7 provinces, and there is no more polish army.

April 15: Hanover makes a separated peace with Poland recovering sovereignty from the provinces from Lithuania and Krakow.

May 1 : By anger and to force Poland with my peace propositions, I besiege Lublin (Province of Podlasia).

May 12 : here is perhaps the reason for which Poland refused peace : an army of help made up of young polish conscripts (5000 men) attacks me. Without any experiment of the combat and with weak moral, it is entirely destroyed with few losses in my army.

May 15 : this last flown away hope, it is Poland which proposes to me peace under the same conditions that I made him two months ago : peace with Danzig, Posen and Western Prussia. It' s fine.
The war is finished.
And I am victorious.

June 1: I am promoted Baron...

Conclusion of the campaign of Poland
- 3 Polish provinces became Prussian
- I consolidated my kingdom by making some a united country from Magdeburg to Memel.
- Poland quartered and without army is not any more a threat for me.

But:
- the war with Sweden is not finished (it remains to fulfill my mission conquering Pommerania), but I cannot attack it fault of having a fleet which I cannot build for budgetary reasons
- Austria is always also powerful and becomes my new immediate objective (for future campaigns).
- My army lost more than 50% of its manpower and it will be necessary that I rebuild it quickly. Army size in 1755 : 56 000 inf + 13 000 cav + 13 art
Today: 29 808 inf + 4371 cav


End of the campaign of Poland. July 29, 1759.

PS :


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Si vis pacem, para bellum
 
Nice going! Prussia has always seemed interesting to play. Besides, I imagine that starting in 1755 makes for a more intense experience. Thanks for sharing it with us. :)
 
I acknowledge to have had some facilities in this campaign in particular a technologic level higher than that of Poland and a leader (Frederick II) who among the best of EU as well on the level of the administrative characteristics as military.

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Si vis pacem, para bellum
 
Bravo for a good ARR! It's always fun to see the world from a minor nations point of view!

In the final version, what countries will you be able to play, without editing any files?

Thanx for reading :)

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*says like a chicken*
 
Originally posted by Doomdark:
Nice going! Prussia has always seemed interesting to play. Besides, I imagine that starting in 1755 makes for a more intense experience. Thanks for sharing it with us. :)

Originally posted by King Christian IV:
Bravo for a good ARR! It's always fun to see the world from a minor nations point of view!

Thank you. I will continue this AAR as soon as possible...

In the final version, what countries will you be able to play, without editing any files?

Thanx for reading :)

In the GC, you can play France, Spain, England, Turkey, Russia, Poland and Portugal.



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Si vis pacem, para bellum
 
JP - I'd also like to thank you for this descriptive and fast-paced AAR. I'm looking forward to the next installment! :)

In the meantime, I wanted to confirm one thing: When two allied nations beseige the same province, are they graphically represented by two different armies, or are they combined into a single force? If they are combined into a single force, how does this affect the chain-of-command, i.e. would Frederick's bonuses apply to the Hannover army as well?
 
Originally posted by Jiminov:
In the meantime, I wanted to confirm one thing: When two allied nations beseige the same province, are they graphically represented by two different armies, or are they combined into a single force?
Yes, the number of army flag in a province corresponds to the number of army which occupies this province.

If they are combined into a single force, how does this affect the chain-of-command, i.e. would Frederick's bonuses apply to the Hannover army as well?
Yes, Frederick bonuses applyed to all allied armies in the same province ...



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Si vis pacem, para bellum
 
Originally posted by Dark Knight:
Excellent work!
Could you provide some details on how the English did in their war against France? It would be nice to see them succeeding at something for once.

The main war taked place in the colonies, however England unloaded a small army (7k) of invasion in France which plunders and devastates several provinces but which finally was destroyed in front of the walls of Paris.
Many naval combats took place but England strengthened its domination in the Manche and in the Mediterranean making the blockade of several french ports.


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Si vis pacem, para bellum
 
I'm writing the continuation of this AAR : the campaign of Austria.

It'll be soon (maybe tomorrow) on the site ...

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Si vis pacem, para bellum
 
I wonder about something - I understand the concept of having to conquer more than a province in order to obtain a province in a peace treaty. However, is there any rule that after a certain amount of time occupying a province, you obtain control over it? Seems that after some time period, you would become the de facto ruler of Pommerania, even if you were not able to actually invade Sweden.
 
Originally posted by Tom:
However, is there any rule that after a certain amount of time occupying a province, you obtain control over it? Seems that after some time period, you would become the de facto ruler of Pommerania, even if you were not able to actually invade Sweden.

Not at all.
The only rule for victory is based on stars. More you gains battles more you gains stars, in the same way for the territories, more you conquer some provinces, more...
An exception for the capital, if you can conquer the capital then the number of stars is increased considerably.
But if you let spend time nothing making, ie status quo, after 36 months, there is a white peace, and all the territories are returned to the preceding owners. And the armies must go back at home.



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Si vis pacem, para bellum
 
YOU ARE RIGHT.
But in my case, I cannot make the war against Sweden on his own territory (I do not have a fleet). So it is necessary that I wait until Sweden wants to send some troop in Pommerania, which be rather random.

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Si vis pacem, para bellum