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The Start of Spring

Britain had been scrambling to raise additional forces in time for spring. They were alarmed at French and Spanish movements but only had rumors, though did know that France was amassing an army in southern France. Spain too had also been moving forces near Portugal and Gibraltar. The assumption had been a siege of Gibraltar, and so the rock and been reinforced and resupplied over the winter. Spies had determined that transports gathered near Toulon, and it was thought that a fleet might need to be sent into the Mediterranean to intercept. However with French fleet strength there and a buildup of French forces on the Flanders coast along with additional transports located there, Parliament feared a possible invasion and would yet again not allow venturing into the Mediterranean.

King George II still fought with Parliament over force deployments to Hanover. He wanted an additional 8000 troops sent to reinforce Hanover before the French would surely attack. Portugal too voiced their concerns and need for assistance if Spanish maneuvers intoned an invasion. Prussia also came hand in hat to request more assistance, money to maintain and recruit new forces, and a request for aid in keeping the French stalled in the west. Fredrick gave up the defense of East Friesia to Hanover and the British, he did not turn the territory over to them, but by spring not a single Prussian soldier was stationed west of the main borders of Brandenburg (not that there were many left to begin with) He effectively gave up the recapture and defense of the currently French occupied provinces to Britain and Hanover as well, at least for the time being.

Eventually a compromise was reached in that 3000 British regulars would be sent to reinforce Brunswick in Hanover, and half a year’s worth of subsidies sent to Fredrick to hold him over until midsummer. Another 5000 British regulars were readied for deployment to Portugal or elsewhere if the need arose.

In Hanover, the Duke of Brunswick had done as much as he could. He recruited additional forces from Hanover, Brunswick and Schamburg-Lippe in an attempt to even the odds against de Broglie and the French, and received the British reinforcements at the last minute. By spring most everyone that could afford to had already evacuated the city of Hanover and fled north including the remaining elements of the government. King George II demands were clear, even if the city of Hanover falls, they were to fight on, and force the French to bleed for every inch of Hanover soil they took.

In light of the serious threat of the fall of Hanover, Pitt wanted to make sure the British could capture something that they could trade back beside New France and began making out plans for a Caribbean campaign. Orders from parliament were sent to Amherst to finish the conquest of New France with all due haste, to then cut expenses as much as possible, and prepare for redeployment of forces to the Caribbean.

In Russia

Loupukin orders were now clear though it took quite a while waiting for Empress Elizabeth’s health to improve to properly receive them. Russia was not exiting the war and he was to return to Berlin and end Fredrick as soon as possible, even if she died prior to having that occur. He still had a problem though after bringing so much of the army home. He could not just let the army sit outside St. Petersberg in winter. The men wanted to return to their families after many years of war. They had thought that the war was over and that was why they had returned to Russia. He had to deal with quelling a possible riot when the soldiers found out the war wasn’t over yet. Over the winter he had to let many of them go home, just so all the firewood and food in the area would not be stripped bare. He then would have to recruit and train replacements in the spring. All of that together would cause a significant delay in any campaigns undertaken this year.

In Prussia

Fredrick looked across his army and saw far too many faces that were either too young or too old for war, but he had to work with what he had. He secured a truce with Sweden and Mecklenburg and hoped Brunswick and Hanover could keep the French at bay in the east so he could focus purely on the Austrians. Though he also could not over extend himself, his manpower was too scarce, but captured guns he had aplenty, so sought to use that as best he could. In a letter Fredrick was quoted as saying “If this trend continues I will have more guns than trained men to use them.” By March, Fredrick had managed to chase the Austrian out of the Principality of Jaur, and was preparing to attack through Schweidnitz again to cut off Austrian supply lines from Bohemia.

Queen Maria’s Decision

On March 1st, French and Spanish diplomats delivered their ultimatum to Queen Maria. Abandon trade and alliance with the British and join the Family Compact in alliance against them, or face a Spanish invasion in seven days’ time. The young Queen did not know what to do. Portugal was not in a state to be at war with anyone Spanish or British. The British were informed immediately, who sent word to London from Lisbon on the fastest ship possible (which would arrive 10 days later.)

Really she did not want to make the decision. A war with Britain came the real risk of losing Brazil, and much needed trade that would help her country recover from the terrible quake. Maria had sent the British off also with the question of how much aid in money and men they might be able to provide. Until she had that answer all her advisers could do was tell her to stall for time. Her husband (and Uncle) did tell her what he father (her husband’s brother) would have done. He would have defied Spain and sided with the British. Economically siding with Britain was probably the better choice, but a very risky one if they lost. In the end, after waiting the full seven days, Queen Maria had her subordinates feign compliance to her other Uncle, the King of Spain’s, demands. The deception only lasted for three days when Spanish officials, incensed at the ruse send word back prompting a Spanish declaration of war and invasion of Portugal on March 12th.

The Ides of March

Only a few days after the Spanish kicked off their invasion of Portugal, on March 15th, de Broglie led the French-West German army out of Hamelin toward Hanover. A newly formed French-Austrian army marched north from Austria toward Silesia, for a rendezvous with Fredrick the Great. Another Franco-Spanish army marched toward Gibraltar while a great fleet departed Toulon to head for the rock as well.

North Franco-Spanish Army at Alameida Led by:
Nicolás de Carvajal y Lancaster; Marquis of Sarriá (SP),
Charles Léonard de Baylenx; Marquis de Poyanne (FR)
French Troops: ~6000
Spanish Troops: ~30000
Total: ~36000

South Franco-Spanish Army at Gibraltar Led by:
Don Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea y Jiménez de Urrea; Count of Aranda (SP),
Philippe Joseph; Comte de Rostaing (FR)
French: ~3000
Spanish: ~12000
Total: ~15000

Anglo-Portuguese Army at Lisbon Led by:
Lobo da Silveira, Don José António; Baron de Alvito, Marshal of Portugal (PR),
John Burgoyne (BR), John Campbell; Earl of Loudon (BR)
British: ~5000
Portuguese: ~8000
Total: ~13,000

Allied West German Army at Hanover Led by:
Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand; Duke of Brunswick (HN/BW),
Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Wilhelm; Count of Schaumburg-Lippe-Bückeburg (SL),
Count Nikolaus Luckner (HN)
John Manners; Marquees of Granby (BR)
British: ~12000
Hanover: ~18000
Schamburg-Lippe: ~9000
Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel: ~2000
Total: ~41000:

French-West German Army:
Led by Duc de Broglie at Hamelin
French: ~55000
Hessen-Darmstadt: ~7000
Wutternburg: ~9000
Total: ~71000:

Mecklenburg-Swedish Army at Stettin & Swedish Pomerania, Led By:
Jakob Albrekt Lantingshausen
Swedish troops: ~12000
Mecklenburg troops: ~8000
Total: ~20000

Prussian Army at Shweidnitz Led by:]
Fredrick the Great
Wilhelm von Seyditz
Heinrich von Manteuffel
Johann von Lehwaldt
Prussian: ~46000

West-Russian Army at Konigsberg (East Prussia) Led by:
Count Villim Vilimovich Fermor
Russian Troops: ~16000 (East Prussian occupation garrison)

Main Russian Army (currently being idle) near St. Petersburg, Led By:
Vasily Lopukhin
Alexander Borissovitch Buturlin
Russian Troops: ~51000

Main Austrian Army in Northern Moravia, Led By:
Leopold Von Daun (AU)
Baron Ernst Gideon Loudon (AU)
Franz Leopold von Nádasdy auf Fogaras (AU)
Louis Charles César Le Tellier; Duc de Estrees (FR)
Austrian Troops: ~40000
Saxon Troops: ~3000
French Troops: ~12000
Total: ~55000