That it is notTo be fair though, being able to beat the Americans in the 1810s isn't exactly a very high bar to clear.
That it is notTo be fair though, being able to beat the Americans in the 1810s isn't exactly a very high bar to clear.
Britons were ecstatic
Britain, meanwhile, eagerly helped finance the massive new armies
Poor Britain. That there was mistrust between Berlin and Vienna, however, was an understatement; the latter in particular was leery of Prussian coziness with St. Petersburg and was constantly on watch for a betrayal. Neither wanted the other to succeed so much so that they would wind up getting the shorter end of the stick in the end,
This is fascinating to meAustria and Prussia both sought simply to, realistically, limit direct French influence over Germany and eliminate the threat on their immediate borders posed by the armies of Saxony, Bavaria, Italy and Warsaw; in the event of unexpectedly robust victories, their aims included retaking lands stripped from them at Pressburg and Tilsit and creating a new German order they could together dominate.
That was sort of the status quo ante; Austria of course had pole position within the HRE but Prussia enjoyed a fair amount of prestige and influence within the Protestant parts of GermanyPoor Britain
Putting all your eggs in a basket and having Prussia & Austria hold it isnt the brightest idea in hindsight isnt it?
This is fascinating to me
Like imagine a bipolar Germany! It'd be so fun
YupThat was sort of the status quo ante; Austria of course had pole position within the HRE but Prussia enjoyed a fair amount of prestige and influence within the Protestant parts of Germany
Wow! What a strategy! The funniest part is that it looks absolutely realistic including the Brits and Austrians trying to be all over the place! 😂Inside the Fifth Coalition
Britons were ecstatic that, at last - and after nearly five years of trying to scrounge up a new anti-Napoleonic Coalition on the continent in the wake of the Peace of Stockholm - armies were being raised to contest French hegemony once again. Their enthusiasm should, in hindsight, have been tempered; for once, the objectives of one of the Coalitions was relatively limited. Austria and Prussia both sought simply to, realistically, limit direct French influence over Germany and eliminate the threat on their immediate borders posed by the armies of Saxony, Bavaria, Italy and Warsaw; in the event of unexpectedly robust victories, their aims included retaking lands stripped from them at Pressburg and Tilsit and creating a new German order they could together dominate. That there was mistrust between Berlin and Vienna, however, was an understatement; the latter in particular was leery of Prussian coziness with St. Petersburg and was constantly on watch for a betrayal. Neither wanted the other to succeed so much so that they would wind up getting the shorter end of the stick in the end, triggering a disastrous lack of coordination and strategizing between the two of them. Prussia's only genuine diplomatic success in the entire war was convincing the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the larger of the Mecklenburg states, to withdraw from the Rheinbund and join the Fifth Coalition; Austria, for its part, mobilized its reformed armies but divided them into three camps for three separate offensives, leaving each one undermanned and eventually securing its own defeat.
Britain, meanwhile, eagerly helped finance the massive new armies raised and then set about debating where it could best involve itself. A regiment was dispatched to Fiume to march alongside the Austrian incursion into Italy; this was more symbolic than anything. Linking up with Prussians and Mecklenburgers would prove difficult, with the Baltic League closing the Kattegat to British ships since 1809. Eventually, Cabinet elected for a two-pronged invasion with the weight of available British soldiers (which, after four years of being bled supporting the pretender Ferdinand in the Spanish Americas, was less than what was likely needed). 40,000 men were to link up with the smaller armies of Savoyard Sardinia and Bourbon Sicily and land in Calabria, creating a second front in Italy near British-controlled shipping lanes; another 45,000 were to go ashore in Walcheren in Holland, aiming to open up yet another front in the conflict, this one close to Napoleon's heartland, and cause trouble in the Low Countries, particularly in the vicinity of Anvers. With 85,000 men committed to the Fifth Coalition, it was the largest expeditionary force raised by Britain yet - and meant drawing the forces in Spanish America down to the bone, even as the guerilla campaigns there between Fernandine supporters and the juntistas who vigorously opposed his imposition over the rightful Charles IV had escalated to the point that even the capital at Mexico was threatened.
Austria, led by Archduke Charles, was fully mobilized by March 22 and began its march along the Danube towards a waiting Bavarian army near Salzburg shortly thereafter; another army crossed into Prussia via Ostrau to link up with a force there to attack the 60,000-man strong army of the Duchy of Warsaw through Lower Silesia. Saxon forces and Prussian armies clashed indecisively at Weimar on April 2; Austrians marched into Venetia on April 3 shoulder to shoulder with the British infantry regiment they had been promised. In Vienna, Emperor Francis waited eagerly for word of Wellington's landing in Calabria and Sir John Pitt's attack into Walcheren; time was of the essence, for the greatest field commander of the age was marching through Germany now to counter, and there was no knowing what traps, tricks or surprises he had up his sleeve this fifth time around...
The attack against Warsaw is their posterior coverage; they know Poniatowski is there and will attack. Russia’s neutrality is a wild card, yes, but not the firm certainty of France’s Polish allies lurking to their east.Wow! What a strategy! The funniest part is that it looks absolutely realistic including the Brits and Austrians trying to be all over the place! 😂
BTW, shouldn’t the Austrians and Prussians be at least a little bit cautious about their posteriors (aka, Eastern borders)?
Anyway, the update is great as usual.
Inside the Fifth Coalition
Britons were ecstatic that, at last - and after nearly five years of trying to scrounge up a new anti-Napoleonic Coalition on the continent in the wake of the Peace of Stockholm - armies were being raised to contest French hegemony once again. Their enthusiasm should, in hindsight, have been tempered; for once, the objectives of one of the Coalitions was relatively limited. Austria and Prussia both sought simply to, realistically, limit direct French influence over Germany and eliminate the threat on their immediate borders posed by the armies of Saxony, Bavaria, Italy and Warsaw; in the event of unexpectedly robust victories, their aims included retaking lands stripped from them at Pressburg and Tilsit and creating a new German order they could together dominate. That there was mistrust between Berlin and Vienna, however, was an understatement; the latter in particular was leery of Prussian coziness with St. Petersburg and was constantly on watch for a betrayal. Neither wanted the other to succeed so much so that they would wind up getting the shorter end of the stick in the end, triggering a disastrous lack of coordination and strategizing between the two of them. Prussia's only genuine diplomatic success in the entire war was convincing the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, the larger of the Mecklenburg states, to withdraw from the Rheinbund and join the Fifth Coalition; Austria, for its part, mobilized its reformed armies but divided them into three camps for three separate offensives, leaving each one undermanned and eventually securing its own defeat.
Britain, meanwhile, eagerly helped finance the massive new armies raised and then set about debating where it could best involve itself. A regiment was dispatched to Fiume to march alongside the Austrian incursion into Italy; this was more symbolic than anything. Linking up with Prussians and Mecklenburgers would prove difficult, with the Baltic League closing the Kattegat to British ships since 1809. Eventually, Cabinet elected for a two-pronged invasion with the weight of available British soldiers (which, after four years of being bled supporting the pretender Ferdinand in the Spanish Americas, was less than what was likely needed). 40,000 men were to link up with the smaller armies of Savoyard Sardinia and Bourbon Sicily and land in Calabria, creating a second front in Italy near British-controlled shipping lanes; another 45,000 were to go ashore in Walcheren in Holland, aiming to open up yet another front in the conflict, this one close to Napoleon's heartland, and cause trouble in the Low Countries, particularly in the vicinity of Anvers. With 85,000 men committed to the Fifth Coalition, it was the largest expeditionary force raised by Britain yet - and meant drawing the forces in Spanish America down to the bone, even as the guerilla campaigns there between Fernandine supporters and the juntistas who vigorously opposed his imposition over the rightful Charles IV had escalated to the point that even the capital at Mexico was threatened.
Austria, led by Archduke Charles, was fully mobilized by March 22 and began its march along the Danube towards a waiting Bavarian army near Salzburg shortly thereafter; another army crossed into Prussia via Ostrau to link up with a force there to attack the 60,000-man strong army of the Duchy of Warsaw through Lower Silesia. Saxon forces and Prussian armies clashed indecisively at Weimar on April 2; Austrians marched into Venetia on April 3 shoulder to shoulder with the British infantry regiment they had been promised. In Vienna, Emperor Francis waited eagerly for word of Wellington's landing in Calabria and Sir John Pitt's attack into Walcheren; time was of the essence, for the greatest field commander of the age was marching through Germany now to counter, and there was no knowing what traps, tricks or surprises he had up his sleeve this fifth time around...
I’d say that the strategy is a set of the holes with the tiny spaces in between. Running in all directions simultaneously with the distances between the theaters so big that the timely help is pretty much unrealistic and targeting the secondary (at best) goals while giving the main enemy a complete freedom of concentration and operations.The attack against Warsaw is their posterior coverage; they know Poniatowski is there and will attack. Russia’s neutrality is a wild card, yes, but not the firm certainty of France’s Polish allies lurking to their east.
That said, there’s huge holes in the strategy indeed
You mean Bernadotte, le Duc de Rome? He will absolutely have a meaningful role in the coming campaigns - I think you’ll be quite pleased with what I have in store for him.I’d say that the strategy is a set of the holes with the tiny spaces in between. Running in all directions simultaneously with a distances between the theaters so big that the timely help is pretty much unrealistic and targeting the secondary (at best) goals while giving the main enemy a complete freedom of concentration and operations.
BTW, taking into an account that the Austrians and Brits are operating in Italy, how about providing my favorite marshal with an opportunity to do something meaningful? He liked independent operations and he is just between the Brits and Austrians. 😉
As a big Bernadotte guy I'm looking forward to seeing him in action in central(ish) Italy.You mean Bernadotte, le Duc de Rome? He will absolutely have a meaningful role in the coming campaigns - I think you’ll be quite pleased with what I have in store for him.
Poor Britain
Putting all your eggs in a basket and having Prussia & Austria hold it isnt the brightest idea in hindsight isnt it?
“Bipolar” as in “bipolar disorder”? 😢This is fascinating to me
Like imagine a bipolar Germany! It'd be so fun
Yup, pretty muchVery close to the pratchettian definition of the self-inflicted wounds.
Precisely“Bipolar” as in “bipolar disorder”? 😢