More info on the upcoming DLC, ahoy:
This date in 1758 saw another small scale combat of the Pomeranian War, in town of Güstow, between Swedish forces under general von Lingen and Prussian detachment from the army of general von Manteuffel. By then the Swedish campaign, started in spring 1757, was already showing signs of turning into another disappointment.
The Invasion of Prussian PomeraniaDuring mid-1750s, The power of the Riksdag (Swedish parliament of estates) was being undermined by the Queen of Sweden, Louisa Ulrika. The new king Adolf Frederick was kept under control by the Hats party, but the cunning queen had plans to restore absolute monarchy in Sweden. The attempted coup was revealed in June 22nd 1756 and this tightened the political grip of the Hats party, now under Axel von Fersen. With the gained momentum, the Hats were free to steer Sweden to their liking, even more than ever.
When the Seven Years’ War broke out in August 1756, Sweden remained neutral. But as the great alliance against Frederick II seemed to inevitably win, the Swedish ambition to regain the territories lost to Prussia in the Great Northern War was growing in the Hats party. Early 1757 Sweden mobilized the field army and started hastily transporting them to Stralsund, the Swedish outpost in Pomerania. The plan was to gather an army 20.000 strong, and with the backing of French coin attack Prussia while their focus was still in Austria.
Internal fight for power before the Pomeranian War: Queen Louisa Ulrika, sister of Frederick II of Prussia, and Axel von Fersen the elder, in command of the Hats party. Louisa is said to have been portrayed masculine in the paintings of the time to discredit her.The army was in no way ready for an operation such as this, and the movement to Pomerania was shadowed by confusion. Regiments from Finland and Sweden reinforced the mainly German garrison army of Pomerania, and the created force was placed under command of marshal Mattias Alexander von Ungern-Sternberg. At the time the army had no magazine, commissariat, pontoon, or light troops, all which would have been needed for a proper military operation to succeed…
The initial invasion of Prussian Pomerania in 1757 was aborted by von Ungern-Sternberg and he returned with his army to Stralsund and Rügen, where Prussians laid siege on them. Only an intervention by the Swedish arch-enemy Russia in June 1758 saved the campaign. After this the Swedish commander-in-chief was replaced by Gustaf von Rosen and soon after by general Hamilton. The command would change two more times during the war; such was the crisis in leadership.
The first real success in the war was the capture of fort Peenemünde, guarding the mouth of river Oder, by Augustin Ehrensvärd in July 1758. Later this commander of fortification works in Finland was to become the commander-in-chief in Pomerania. After the limited success, Swedish army tried to march out to support first their Russian, then Austrian allies, but were stopped by Prussians in Brandenburg. After losing battle of Tornow and stopping Prussian advance in Fehrbellin, Hamilton marched back to Stralsund, suffering increasing number of losses to attrition and disease.
The siege of fort Peenemünde. The fortification was seized by Ehrensvärd in July 27th 1758, after which Hamilton with 16.000 men attempted to march to support the Russians at Küstrin. The same Russians were soon defeated in the battle of Zorndorf.On November 18th Hamilton was eager to revenge the setbacks. He ordered general von Lingen to attack town of Güstow. The assault was repulsed by a small force of Prussian grenadiers, taking cover behind a stone wall, and the Swedes were forced to withdraw. The Prussian commander general Heinrich von Manteuffel had reserves available in a camp close by and an attack by Prussian dragoons and hussars almost routed the Swedes, before the situation was stabilized with use of canister by Swedish cannons. The battle itself saw no more than a few thousand participants, and the Pomeranian War became increasingly characterized by lot of back and forth movement, sieges, attrition and indecisive engagements. Returning to Swedish Pomerania, Hamilton was forced to resign.
The Final AttemptYear 1759 started again with the Swedish army retreating back to Stralsund, losing garrisons on the way. Only another intervention by Russia freed Swedish Pomerania, but the Swedes were unable to continue campaigning until fall. The army moved out again towards the main goal, Stettin. Covered by this move, the Swedish coastal fleet Skärgårdsflottan moved up to Oder lagoon and defeated the small Prussian fleet in the battle of Frisches Haff. The Swedish navy once again proved its worth, but the Swedish army was unable to siege Stettin and returned to winter quarters, followed by Manteuffel’s Prussians.
The battle of Frisches Haff in Oder lagoon September 1759. Swedish archipelago fleet (Skärgårdsflottan), specialized in coastal combat in the Gulf of Finland against Russians, defeated the small Prussian fleet.In January 1760 Manteuffel attacked Swedish Pomerania, but got repulsed and was himself captured. The Swedes saw a chance to exploit the situation, as Prussian attention was elsewhere. But the final attempts to realize the war goals during 1760-62 were to prove unsuccessful, even when the leadership problems started to get solved under Augustin Ehrensvärd, and light troops under Jacob Magnus Sprengtporten, the so called “Sprengtporterna”, gained small victories against the Prussians.
When Elizabeth of Russia died and the new Tsar allied himself with Prussia, the Swedish leaders realized all was lost. The war ended in the peace of Hamburg 22nd May 1762, where status quo between Sweden and Prussia was restored: Sweden gained nothing from the war. The combat losses may have been low, only a few thousand, but the total loss of life due to sickness and attrition was far greater. And even more so was the popularity hit on the Hats party, who eventually lost their power in 1765. Swedish Pomerania was later lost during the Napoleonic Wars, along with Finland.
The Pomeranian WarThese are the conditions and realities you will find yourself in the later scenarios as Sweden in the Pomeranian War DLC. The 1757 campaign starts with transporting the army to Stralsund, numbering 20.000, and opening the hostilities with Prussia. If you are slow, the Prussians may strike the first blow!
In March 21st 1757, Sweden enters the Seven Years War, attacking Prussia without a declaration of war. Maintaining army of 20.000 in mainland Europe may seem like an easy task, but with battles and attrition eating away and insufficient replacements available, you need to choose your battles carefully!Defeating the Prussians in field battle is possible, and you have the numbers to engage in prolonged sieges, but the state of the army and quality of leadership is alarming. This leads to high desertion, especially so if losing battles. The real challenge is resupplying and replacing losses. Go in too aggressively in the beginning and you may find yourself with a combat ineffective skeleton of an army, with the hopes of victory fading. There simply are not enough people to press into service, to fill up gaps left by poor generalship. On the other hand, time is working against you…
But the situation may not be as dire as it may sound. Even though diplomatic relations are not great with the allies, you may gain support from them in coin and military involvement. Being able to draw away the strongest Prussian armies elsewhere may open up a possibility for a surprise strike. The Prussians are dependent on their economy and allies, so using the navy to blockade naval trade and armies to devastate the Prussian countryside may provide leverage in the long term!
In spring 1760 the Swedish army in Pomerania is in bad shape, thanks to poor management of the war. Can you turn the situation into your advantage?Remember that tactical victories need to be expanded into strategic advantage, and this will require skill in both combat and management of your nation:
The Seven Years War (1756-1763) takes into account supplies, recruitment base and morale, as well as attrition, desertion and upkeep of soldiers. A successful commander will need to harness the nation’s economy too to support the war effort. There is no tactics without proper logistics!
Some of the 14 new historic events in Pomeranian War DLC will provide relief in the appalling state of the army, but in the end it’s up to you to manage the war and prevent history from repeating itself.Pomeranian War DLC will be released in just a week, on November 25th!On Steam: Click here
Translations for our friends around the world.
Topic: The Seven Years War (Read 44752 times)
Similar topics (5)
August 28, 2016, 12:25:39 AM
