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West German Front

The Duke of Brunswick, Hanover government, fully expecting the French to be heading to be reaching city of Hanover this year, had invested very heavily in its defense. The city had become a maze of earthworks and fortification.

Duc de Broglie in charge of the 75000 strong French and German forces knew this all too well and did not want to take on the city without significant additional heavy artillery, which he had requested the prior year. The problem was in waiting for it to arrive, which could take months as much of it new classes of heavy guns, still being refined in France, which would see their first use in combat when Broglie acquired them.

In the meantime, Broglie wanted to advance the line as he could before committing to an assault on Hanover, by having smaller French forces further west occupy the Prussian provinces of Lingen, Minden and Ravensburg which had been become increasingly abandoned by Fredrick in the last two years as he had pulled desperately needed troops to the east.

Broglie began his campaign in late spring, leaving Kassel to garrison forces and crossing the Weser River at Munden, and moving northeast to take control the Hanover provinces of Gottingen and Grubenhagen, and the western portion of the Duchy of Brunswick aiming for the city of Hamlin on the Weser.

Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel; in command of the 38000 strong Anglo-Hanoverian allied army; was expecting Broglie to have a slow go at moving north, but did not expect him to divert and stop at Hamlin. As per Brunswick’s instruction the had French a slow constantly harassed march through strong, but not concentrated resistance as citizens and soldiers repeatedly fought and retreated, living very little behind for the French army forage from. John Manners, Marquess of Granby organized and led frequent Cavalry raids and probes nipping at the edges of the French army, and using their mobility to escape before Brunswick could ever close in on them.

Over three dozen small scale battles and skirmishes occurred during the late spring and summer of 1760, collectively known as the “Weser River Battles”.

Weser River Battles

Brunswick and Granby used a series of scorched earth and guerilla tactics in coordination with cooperative Hanoverian citizens to slow the advance of Broglie’s invasion of Hanover.

Although irritated, as the events and skirmishes wore on, Broglie took a more cautious approach in him movement north, making sure he took control of the Weser River as a means of resupply as he moved north.

Battle Results:
French Forces: ~2500 casualties
(out of a 60,000 strong force)
Allied Forces: ~1000 casualties
(out of about 10000-13000 strong mixed force of soldiers and militia)

Tactical French Victory
Possibly Strategic Allied victory

Aftermath:

Overall Brunswick was not aware that Broglie was intending to wait for heavier artillery from France, and thus would have maintain a slow approach and pause at Hamlin anyway. However by the time Broglie reached Hamlin the morale of his army was low and although the guns had arrived, he opted to make a stand to besiege Hamlin and give his forces a chance to recuperate while other French forces went to occupy the Prussian provinces west of Hanover along the Weser. The delays though did prove to be cause for French hesitancy in besieging the city of Hanover in 1760, as Broglie did not believe he would be able take the city before winter would descend on his besieging forces, amidst a countryside that would probably have been stripped of anything useful.

August 2nd – September 24th: Siege of Hamelin

The French forces finally arrived at Hamlin on August 2nd, and began besieging the city which would finally surrender on September 24th.

Battle Results:
French Forces: ~150 casualties
Allied Forces: ~250 casualties, ~2700 garrison soldiers and militia defenders taken prisoner (not counted among Brunswick’s main Allied offensive army)

September 17th - Battle of Diester Hills

When Hamelin was being besieged, at the insistence of orders to ‘not sit around waiting for the French to arrive’ Brunswick, somewhat undesirable, according to personal letters, brought his army out to attempt to meet the French and relieve the siege only to find them well dug in along the Diester Hills near the town of Brohn in order to defend the besieging forces from just such an attack. Manners managed to sneakily outflank Broglie and hit a the French from the side with heavy casualties, before falling back. Broglie however, after facing serious casualties after a single proving advance on the hills, decided the attack would not be a good idea and retreated his army back to Hanover.

Battle Results:
Allied Forces: ~1500 casualties
French Forces: ~1000 casualties

Clear French Victory

October 1st: Battle of Wennigsen

Although Broglie considered a siege of Hanover this year unlikely, he still sent out a few hundred Light Cavalry forces in pursuit of Brunswick’s army and to probe and scout the Hanover defenses.

This scouting force was ambushed and nearly completely destroyed near the town of Wennigsen.

The French lost 288 to death or capture out of 300 men, and the allied forces lost only 25.

Despite the city of Hanover being only a stone’s throw away, when only a dozen men returned, this most recent setback finalized Broglie’s decision to wait until next year to attempt the siege of Hanover itself.