You Win Some, You Lose Some: Prussia in the Austro-Prussian War

[Simon]

Something that came up in the Great Britain and Hanover thread was the idea of during the Austro-Prussian War the Kingdom of Hanover wins the Battle of Langensalza even more decisively than in our timeline, not being forced to surrender but managing to link up with their local allies and beat the Prussians in their region. The easiest way I can see to do this is simply have the Hanoverians replace their rifles with something that can match the Prussian's needle guns since IIRC they were still using muzzleloaders, parity in small arms makes things go even more their way.

So Austria-Hungary still loses to Prussia in the main fighting but in the secondary one Prussia has lost to Hanover and her allies. Is this enough to change things or does it simply mean Prussia then maneuvers her armies back up and to the west before steamrollering them? Either way what could be the possible outcomes?

[Mikestone8]

Originally Posted by Simon

Something that came up in the Great Britain and Hanover thread was the idea of during the Austro-Prussian War the Kingdom of Hanover wins the Battle of Langensalza even more decisively than in our timeline, not being forced to surrender but managing to link up with their local allies and beat the Prussians in their region. The easiest way I can see to do this is simply have the Hanoverians replace their rifles with something that can match the Prussian's needle guns since IIRC they were still using muzzleloaders, parity in small arms makes things go even more their way.

So Austria-Hungary still loses to Prussia in the main fighting but in the secondary one Prussia has lost to Hanover and her allies. Is this enough to change things or does it simply mean Prussia then maneuvers her armies back up and to the west before steamrollering them? Either way what could be the possible outcomes?

It could mean a harsher peace with Austria and Saxony and a milder one with the Princes. This was what the King wanted OTL until Bismarck and the Crown Prince talked him round. Maybe he gets his way now, especially if there is concern that the Princes amy seek the aid of France - which would be a more realistic expectation after a battlefield victory.

So Prussia annexes Schleswig-Holstein, Saxony and possibly Frankfurt, plus most of what would later be called the "Sudetenland". Hanover etc remain in exitence, though maybe losing small areas like East Friesland, and their existing rulers, who waged war on Prussia, have to abdicate in favour of their heirs. They will, of course, still have to join the North German Confederation, so the long term effect is limited. The Sudeten region provides a few extra regiments in 1870. Changes will be bigger if resentment at these terms leads Franz Josef to join France in 1870, but he probably won't, and it's unlikely to change the outcome even if he does. Just costs Austria a bit more land - Tyrol maybe - but in the end Austria needs Germany as an ally against Russia, so FJ will have to swallow it..

[robcraufurd]

Originally Posted by Simon

The easiest way I can see to do this is simply have the Hanoverians replace their rifles with something that can match the Prussian's needle guns since IIRC they were still using muzzleloaders, parity in small arms makes things go even more their way.

The Hanoverians had actually decided to rearm with the needle rifle at the end of 1865, but hadn't received them by the time war broke out. In any case, it doesn't seem likely to make a massive difference. Part of the reason that the Hanoverian army had surrendered was that they were low on ammunition: to evade the initial Prussian thrusts they had been forced to leave most of their stores in Hanover and concentrate at Gottingen. As none of their allies used either the M1849 rifled musket or the needle-rifle, they would have been in the same position or- given the higher rate of fire of breech-loaders- even worse off.

Had the Hanoverian army broken through, the Bavarians are unlikely to have shown much more resolution or attacking spirit than they did historically. I suspect the effect would have been to leave an untidy collection of principalities on Prussia's western frontier until the equivalent of the Franco-Prussian war and German unification. I don't have my sources with me, but I believe that this result leaves King Wilhelm I a lot happier and Bismarck fairly infuriated.

[yourworstnightmare]

If it means Germany annexing Bohemia- Moravia from Austria, Bismarck might get his way during the war with France and Germany won't annex Alsace- Lorraine. Stronger princes of course create all kinds of what ifs. This could for example lead to the southern princes not joining the Franco- Prussian war and thus remain outside Germany.