Opportunity


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A wave of change came during the 1750's in Europe. Hatred and power which had been growing exponentially since the conclusion of the war of Austrian Succession finally was dissipated. Turbulence, war, and revolution ensued. Countries that had been enemies for centuries would finally burn.


Opportunity
Introduction and POD

“It is generally accepted that by failing to press an invasion of Bohemia in 1756 with all his forces Frederick lost the opportunity to win the war against Austria before it could mobilise its forces fully and before France and Russia committed themselves to the war against Prussia.”
- British Military Historian Christopher Duffy
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The actions that took place during 1756 transpired faster than everybody, including its creator, thought possible. Frederick II of Prussia had conquered Saxony and had defeated an army of a premier European power, Austria. Prussia accomplished this in less than two months.

Frederick II of Prussia was a bold man, but he required intense preparation. However he had an opportunity he did not foresee. He did not expect the Austro-Saxon forces to collapse in its entirety in the time that it did. Frederick II of Prussia had to hesitate. He could attempt to invade Bohemia and Austria proper before 1757. He determined that it would certainly be a risky maneuver. The remaining strength of the Austrian military was largely unknown. However there was also risk in waiting to invade Austria. Austria was a larger country and had more resources to call upon. With a heavy heart Frederick decided to go ahead with the bolder move to invade Austria immediately [1].

The Austro-Prussian War (1756-1757) shocked the world. Shortly after the defeat of Saxony an army numbering no more than one hundred and fifty thousand invaded. Austria was doomed. Austria lost the vast majority of its armed forces during the attempted defense of Saxony. All Austria needed was time to rebuild its military, but Prussia refused to yield. Prussia was always able to destroy an Austrian army before it was fully mobilized. The collapse of Austrian defenses was swift. After a short battle Prussian troops entered the city of Prague on the 4th of December. By the 18th of January 1757 the Prussian advance had reached the outskirts of Vienna. Archduchess Maria Theresa, seeing the inevitable, sent a delegation to discuss peace terms. The result was the Treaty of Dresden (1757.)

Main Terms of the Treaty of Dresden (1757):

- The cessation of hostilities between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Hapsburg Domains
- Austrian recognition of the previous Prussian annexation of Silesia.
- Austrian recognition of the Prussian annexation of Saxony.
- The destruction of existing forts on the Prussian-Bohemian border, and limits on the construction on future forts.
- Prussian Occupation of a few select strategic locations until January 1st 1758.
-Minor reparations.


The impacts of the Austro-Prussian War (1756-1757) were massive. By ending the war as quickly as it did a massive war was prevented. France, Russia, and Sweden were forced to cancel their mobilizations before they could even field armies. Another significant impact was simply the rise of Prussian power. Prussia nearly doubled its population by annexing Saxony. It had showed its superior military tactics. After the end of the war there was no doubt that Prussia had joined the ranks of the most powerful European countries. While Prussia was rising, Austrian was in distress. Archduchess Maria had lost Austrian two important wars. She failed to reclaim Silesia and prevented the rise of another German power. There were calls for her abdication. While the Archduchess was able to keep her throne the future of Austria was seriously questioned.

While the treaty did bring peace to some of Europe, a war was still raging. Two old enemies continued to play their endless game. There had been a formal declaration of war between France and England since the spring of 1756. Blood would continue to rain.



[1] Point of Depature
This is my new TL, Opportunity. I am coming back after a five month hiatus to continue what I love. This TL will be quite long; if I can I will bring it out to the early 2000's. I hope you it enjoy it. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think about it.
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I am very interested to say the least and will follow it. I see that Prussia winning its war with Austria is the POD?
 
I am very interested to say the least and will follow it. I see that Prussia winning its war with Austria is the POD?

The POD is Frederick II doesn't wait until Spring of 1757 to continue the offensive into Austria. Because of how quickly he wins the war, France, Russia, and Sweden had no opportunity to join (they joined in the latter half of 1757 OTL)
 
This could buy France some time in the New World, at least until the next war with Britain. Prussia will probably start shopping around for alliances, seeing as it's now huge but diplomatically isolated and right next to a huge Austria that wants blood. And in Russia, the pro-Prussian Czar Peter III might survive longer without the widespread unpopularity caused by his actions during the Seven Years' War. He was a diehard modernist, so Russia might modernize faster than OTL because of him.
 
This could buy France some time in the New World, at least until the next war with Britain. Prussia will probably start shopping around for alliances, seeing as it's now huge but diplomatically isolated and right next to a huge Austria that wants blood. And in Russia, the pro-Prussian Czar Peter III might survive longer without the widespread unpopularity caused by his actions during the Seven Years' War. He was a diehard modernist, so Russia might modernize faster than OTL because of him.

The next post will focus on the Americas. I hope you guys will enjoy it.
 
Opportunity
Military Doctrine


While peace came to most of Europe, two ancient enemies were at war. Both sides did not want a repeat of the previous war, the war of Austrian Succession, a war where there was no change in the status quo. Both the United Kingdom and France wanted dominance. However they knew that their objective would not be easy.


[FONT=&quot]The French had an opportunity they hadn’t had for many years against the British. The British would not be able to call upon any allies. The Dutch were still recovering from the war of Austrian Succession. Prussia did not have the offensive capabilities to attack France and was still consolidating its acquisition of Saxony. However France still had incredible challenges to overcome. Water was the saving grace of England. France needed a strong navy in order to wage this war. Recognizing this France started to massively increase it shipbuilding industry. However that would require time, probably on the scale of a few years to start yielding results. This concept formed the main French military doctrine during the war. Attendre avant d'agresser. Wait before aggressing.

The waiting period would not be a time of peace. There would have to be a large amount of military action to ensure that the final attack would be able to occur. The main French aggression during this period would occur in the colonies. New France would be a center of attention. A de facto state of war had been existed since 1754. Now that an official war existed between France and the United Kingdom France would be able to use more of its might. The old French doctrine of war was Europe over the colonies. France would focus its military resources in Europe while only sending minimal forces to aid its colonies. The main negative result of this was France have a weaker colonial standing than the United Kingdom. But once again this war presented a unique opportunity. France had nowhere in Europe to focus its military. Hanover was a possible target because it was in personal union with the United Kingdom, but an invasion was finally determined to be unadvisable. Hanover would not be able to strengthen the British war effort and France would have to violate the neutrality of a few German states in order to launch an invasion. And because of this France would be able to send an unprecedented number of troops to colonies. After some talks between the upper echelons of the armed forces and the royal family it was determined that New France and the West Indies should be the priority. Sending significant forces to French India would just stretch the French too thin and protecting. And protecting Louisiana would be too wasteful considering the low financial returns and the even smaller population. Through simple necessity it was determined that most of the navy would be required to protect French trade. This meant that, until the second phase of war began, the majority of the French navy would be positioned in the West Indies and defensive positions near major French ports. The remainder of the navy would be used to ferry troops from France proper to the battlefield in New France.

While the French had been experiencing moderate success from 1754 to 1756 the situation was still dire. The obvious explanation was the difference in population. The population of New France numbered no more than 75,000. The population of the thirteen colonies was around 1,400,000 and rapidly increasing. The French were outnumbered nearly 19 to 1. Recognizing the British could call a large amount of soldiers from the local population the French saw the necessity in shipping over a large amount of soldiers. Once a significant amount of troops reached New France hostilities would begin. The major priorities would be to reclaim Newfoundland and Acadia, both lost during the war of Spanish Succession, and achieve a dominant position in the Ohio Country. Assuming these goals were met France could push inwards into the heart of the British colonies in order to get a more favorable position.

Once the “waiting period” had ended and France had a larger navy a much bolder move could be attempted. If everything occurred as the French hoped an amphibious invasion of Britain could be attempted in 1760.

The British also recognized that this would not be an easy war. It realized that it would have no allies for support. Recognizing this, the British came up with an elaborate plan to secure their colonial dominance. They realized that their impressive navy was their biggest asset. Accordingly they, just as the French, decided to increase their shipbuilding industry. However they already had a started with a numerical advantage. With this they would be able to do many things. They would Blockade the major French ports. They would be able to, hopefully, take the French West Indies. They could use it to make the much larger French army as ineffective as possible. They would leave the French with a crippled military and a crippled economy. And if they were able to significantly weaken France as a fighting force the British had the fullest intentions of kicking the French of every bloody colony they owned. The British were not prepared to let the sun to set.

It is true that neither side expected an easy war. However it would be impossible to predict the horror that this war would bring. By the end of the war both powers were left in ruins.
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Alright sorry for not posting the next update. It is comming a long but I feel like I could make it better. In the mean time I polished the two earlier posts. Thanks.
 
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Major Forts and Major Cities of New France and the British Colonies Before the Commencement of the War [1]

Opportunity
North American Campaigns Part 1


The French truly had an opportunity they did not expect to have. While the war between Britain and France began in the spring of 1756 the French were reluctant to send troops to New France. They were expecting that Austria would survive longer in its war with Prussia and France would be able to come to their aid. However by December it was evident that Austria was going to collapse before French aid could make it. Because France did not have to contribute to a war in Europe they realized they could allocate a massive amount of resources to North America. However, by making this decision they had to act quickly. Speed was imperative. They needed to reinforce the only seven thousand soldiers that were positioned in New France before the commencement of the war. In addition, everybody was aware of the fact the British were organizing their fleets for a massive blockade of France. Thankfully for the French, they had some experience in sending a large amount of personal across an ocean with less than ideal conditions. During the war of Austrian Succession the French sent the largest military expedition ever attempted across the Atlantic. The Duc d’Anville Expedition, as it was known, was nothing but a failure. Many factors doomed the expedition. However it was a great learning opportunity and aided the French with their new project. Using the knowledge they obtained from the failed expedition the French were able to completely work out a plan for war in North America in less than a month. Not only was the creation of the plan fast, but what it called for seemingly impossible for many. The plan called for twelve thousand soldiers to be brought to New France using seventy two ships by the end of March. Considering that it would take at least two months to cross the Atlantic that required the ships to leave harbor no later than the end of January. However the French were able to accomplish the daunting task through impressive innovation and experience. The fleet set sail on the 25th of January 1757.

The fleet arrived at Louisbourg, the main coastal fort in New France, on 30th of March without major incident. There they were met by their commander, Louis-Joseph de Montcalm. Montcalm was in charge of the entirety of the French armed forces in North America. He was appointed directly by Louis XV. With this massive influx of men Montcalm would be able to implement the offensives he meticulously planned during the winter. The offensives he planned were far-reaching and dynamic. Perhaps the most major plan he created was the Nova Scotia campaign. This campaign called for the French to recapture the old French fort, Fort Beauséjour, which fell in 1755. If the French were able to capture this fort, Louisbourg would have much easier access to the rest of New France and an advance on Halifax could take place. If the French were able to conquer Halifax and the entirety of Nova Scotia by the end of the year an invasion of Newfoundland could be attempted in 1758. In addition Montcalm wanted to capture Fort William Henry. Fort William Henry was incredibly close to the fort Carillion which was still under construction. Breathing room was needed. The remainder of the French troops would try to preserve the land France already captured and would help protect New France from any British aggression.

John Campbell, the 4th Earl of Loudon was restless upon hearing that British intelligence confirmed more than ten thousand French soldiers and a sizeable fleet was coming to North America. Previously he had plans of launching an attack on the New French capital, Quebec, but now he was forced to trash the plan. This would not be a year were he would be able to be on the offensive. He would have to take a defensive posture until more militias could be raised and the British could bring more regulars. But he could not let this problem break him. His career would be judged upon how well British North America faired in 1757. Although he refused to show it; the leader of British North American army was scared.

It took a little bit longer than expected for spring to bring warmth to North America. The French army of eight thousand led by Montcalm himself did not reach Fort Beauséjour until late April. What Montcalm found surprised him. The British completely abandoned the fort and burned it to the ground. While this was certainly unfortunate Montcalm continued his advance. Montcalm was touched by his advance towards Halifax. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of Acadians came out to visit his troops. They saw him as a liberator. Since the conclusion of the Spanish war of Succession in 1713 the Acadians, a people of direct French ancestry, had been under the rule of the British. Montcalm realized that this war needed to be won to ensure the rest of New France would not succumb to the same fate. On the 27th of May he reached the outskirts of Halifax. The name of the ensuing battle would be simply known as the siege of Halifax. Not only did Montcalm have his now seven thousand troops to lay siege (around a thousand troops were required to dispatch minor British outposts and secure the vicinity), but he also had a small fleet for support. A few days earlier a small naval battle took place and the British navy was forced to evacuate. The siege lasted for four grueling weeks, however in the end the British were forced to surrender due to a lack of resources. In the end 500 British died and a staggering 700 Frenchmen. However, upon surrendering, nearly three and a half thousand British regulars become prisoners. By the end of July Nova Scotia was completely subdued and Montcalm began making preparations for the next year.

While the British failed on one front they certainly experienced success on another in 1757. In mid-June a French army of nearly four thousand attempted to take Fort Henry. The French were quite confused when they found the fort empty. Little did they expect some Native Americans informed the British of the impending attack. What resulted was a decisive victory by the British. While both sides had equal numbers, the encirclement by the British resulted in around 500 French fatalities and additional 500 being captured. The British only had 200 men killed and an additional 100 injured. Within a few short weeks the British were able to take advantage of the situation by sieging Fort Carillion. By the end of August it was forced to surrender. These two victories for the British had massive implications. The British had opened up a direct path to the Saint Lawrence River Basin without a single French fort in the way. In 1758 they would have an opportunity to strike Montreal. If they were successful there, it would only be a short walk to Quebec. The British were poised for a comeback.


[1] Blue represents France, Red the British. Please note the borders, even before the war, were heavily disputed.
 
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The second post should be done by tomorrow, showing how the war in North America concludes. This war is about to heat up.
 
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Jeffery Amherst

Opportunity
North American Campaigns Part II

[FONT=&quot]1758 appeared like it was going to be a bleak year for the French. While 1757 was a good year for New France on the battlefield, it was not in the farms. Harvests were quite meager. The result of this was a lack of food for the winter. It did not help that many Native Americans were unable to trade due to rampant small pox epidemics within their respective nations. While nobody starved to death, there was certainly sickness and malnutrition. But this was not an end to the grim news for France. The British blockade of France proper had intensified to the point that no more than 800 troops would be able to sent to New France each month. William Pitt, the wartime political leader of the British, recognized the defeats his colonies suffered in 1757 and committed 2000 red coats a month. In addition to the militias the British were able to raise from their massive colonies the tables appeared to be turning. While in 1757 the French slightly outnumbered the British, they could expect to be massively outnumbered in 1758.

Montcalm realized that he would have to play the game his enemy played last year. The French would have to be on the defensive. He realized the British would most likely attack in three fronts. They would first want to take advantage of their victory at Carillion last year. They were going to march on Montreal. They would also want to take Louisbourg. If they were able to take Louisbourg they would cut off New France from the sea, and thus completely prevent reinforcements. In addition it would allow them to recapture Nova Scotia and secure Newfoundland. It was also likely that the British would try to make a move on the prized Ohio country. Fort Duquesne and Niagara would be at risk.

Jeffery Amherst assumed control of the British armed forces in North America in early 1758. He was a determined man. A determined man with a plan. He wanted to knock the French out of North America by the end of the year. A very bold desire. However perhaps it was a necessity; William Pitt was become angrier by the day because of the never ending British failures in North America. In order to accomplish this daunting task he would have to completely ignore the Ohio country. He would only fight on two fronts. The majority of the naval might he had delegated to him would take part in a siege of Louisbourg planned for July. Brigadier general James Wolfe would lead that offensive. However, in April Jeffrey Amherst would personally depart to the captured fort, fort Carillion, and lead an army of 18,000, the largest army ever assembled in North America by a European power. He would first march and capture Montreal. Then he would take the capital. If he succeeded in his goals he would finally receive the respect and power he deserved.

Montcalm took it upon himself to personally defend Montreal. Realizing that he only had 8,500 men under his command he saw the need for the creation of an elaborate plan. The end result was not pretty. The main concept of the plan was to stall the British. Montcalm and his men would actually immediately launch an advance towards the British army at Montcalm. There they would refuse to engage and only attempt to stall the British as they orchestrated an organized retreat. Once they reached Montreal they would initiate the second phase of the plan. They would not attempt to capture the city. Quite the opposite in fact. They would burn the city to the ground and continue their staged retreat to Quebec. On the way they would sack their own cities as well, leaving nothing for the British. In order to compound the issues for the British, Montcalm also contacted local friendly Native Americans. They agreed to aid the French by attacking the British supply line, making it even harder for the British to advance. Once Montcalm retreated all of the way to Quebec a real battle would fought. He hoped that the British would be weakened to the point where he would triumph. Only time would tell.

Thankfully for Montcalm, the British were not able to launch their advance from fort Carillion until the 22nd of April. Through the stalling tactics he devised it was not until the 29th of June that the British reached the outskirts of Montreal. Because of impressive stalling tactics and constant Native American raiding on the British supply line the British were not within 25km of Montreal until the 19th of August. But even then they didn’t arrive perfectly. Many were sick and everyone was hungry. Jeffery Amherst was furious; he would not let the troubles of his men interfere with his destiny. On the 22nd he started the Siege of Quebec. It was a light siege. While he had dozens of cannons, ammunition was scarce after the first day. Reinforcements and new supplies were few and sparse. However, he was determined to keep up the siege and it lasted for months. However on the 28th very cold weather began to set in and Amherst became ill. He decided to cancel the siege and to withdraw. The British fallback was a disaster. As soon as it became evident the British were retreating Montcalm engaged. The result was catastrophic for the British. Three thousand men died, another six thousand captured. Many of the people who escaped later died on their trek back to British civilization. It was a cold winter and they had no food. Amherst’s body was not found until March by French soldiers; it was covered by a blanket of snow. Apparently the wolves did not even find the determination to eat him.

Not everything went poorly for the British. After a quick siege the British were able to capture Louisbourg. With the capture of the fort they did not only capture four thousand soldiers, but they also cut off New France from sea. Unfortunately for the British however, this was only a minor victory compared to their massive defeat. As the year came to a close both sides mourned their losses.

1759 was a good year for the French. In Late march a fleet sent by France was able to break through the British blockade and recaptured Louisbourg. But that was not the primary purpose of the fleet. Its main purpose was to facilitate the invasion of Newfoundland. Newfoundland was once a part of New France, but the British took it after the conclusion of the war of Spanish Succession in 1713. However, it still had a large amount of French settlers who chose to remain. The fleet and the six thousand men it brought made quick work of the British military detachment that was stationed at St. Johns, the capital of the island.

Other than the conquest of Newfoundland, Montcalm was asked not to take actions that could be considered risky. France was preparing for the final stage of war against the United Kingdom and wanted the situation to be stable. Recognizing this Montcalm directed his army to recapture fort Carillion (by this point mostly abandoned by the British), and to secure the Great lakes and the Saint Lawrence river basin. He correctly assumed that the British would not attempt any large scale offensives, as they were still recovering from their earlier failures. As the easy year passed Montcalm was content knowing that he had protected New France. The war in North America was over. Little did he know, however, that he would soon see the demise of his own country. Even though the war would only last for one more year, it implications would last forever. The sun was setting.


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I made some small edits to the previous posts. Nothing big, there is no reason to reread it. The next post detailing the French invasion of the United Kingdom is taking a little bit longer than I anticipated (and I have been pretty busy.) I hope to have that update soon. Thank you.
 
Hello RyanBrune!

I'm glad to see you have started a new thread! I'm always love to see timelines were France do not screw, but do well and better! :)

Interesting POD... The 7 years war last only one year, but the French and Indian War continued.

How it's the Third Carnatic War conducted ? The commanders are Dupleix and Clive ? I think India it's the place were France should also perform better against English or...

I think that the 7 years war was the last train that France could take for world hegemony. Sill, I do not think that GB can be much downgraded...

Are the number of troops involved as per OTL, or different ?

I look forward to new updates!:D
 
Hello RyanBrune!

I'm glad to see you have started a new thread! I'm always love to see timelines were France do not screw, but do well and better! :)

Interesting POD... The 7 years war last only one year, but the French and Indian War continued.

How it's the Third Carnatic War conducted ? The commanders are Dupleix and Clive ? I think India it's the place were France should also perform better against English or...

I think that the 7 years war was the last train that France could take for world hegemony. Sill, I do not think that GB can be much downgraded...

Are the number of troops involved as per OTL, or different ?

I look forward to new updates!:D

I think you will like this TL. The Third Carnatic War... well the French more or less decided to abandon India during this war and focus their resources in the Americas. The French East India company just is not showing much (massive deficits and what now.) The one sided British victory in India will be touched on in the next post. The French are being able to deploy a lot more troops in North America in this war (due to the absence of a European theater.) I think you will find the last post of this war interesting. I doubt you can predict exactly what will happen. I will say however I am not nice to superpowers. The next update may not come until Sunday unfortunately. I am getting ready to go to school. Thank you for reading and commenting.
 
Hope this TL turns out better than the last few!

Also, unlike the other ones, you seem to be hinting that France is going to be knocked back quite a bit. Makes me wonder if you're getting rid of the United K and France to make way for a third power.
 
Hope this TL turns out better than the last few!

Also, unlike the other ones, you seem to be hinting that France is going to be knocked back quite a bit. Makes me wonder if you're getting rid of the United K and France to make way for a third power.

I don't think anybody is going to be happy about the conclusion of this war. I hope this TL will be awesome. Next update soon.
 
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