Here’s a link to Part 1 of this article.

1758 7YW:FG Turn Two: Beginning 1758, the strategic initiative still lay with the Prussians and their superb hard marching professional infantry. With the victory at Rossbach, the appreciative for Prussian support British felt that continuing the fight in Hanover was now feasible. Imagine how a British Player would react to such aid from their Coalition Camp Partner in a game of 7YW:FG  since complete enemy capture of all four Hanover’s Keys at the end of a year will automatically end the game.   

The British Army on the continent, however, was in need of a major refit with new leadership.  Cumberland was replaced and replaced with one of the most talented Generals of the war when Frederick transferred Prince Ferdinand to aid his British ally.  This, along with the British themselves raising a new army in Hanover containing a large influx of British Regular Regiments (card “His Britannic Majesty’s Army”), changed the struggle’s complexion. This Coalition army quickly seized French held territory in Hanover and with “lightning” speed the capable Ferdinand drove the French out of Hanover.  In just six weeks Ferdinand had redrawn the strategic map of Europe.

Prussia’s western flank was now secure, leaving Frederick the task of facing the Russian and Austrian armies as they closed in on Prussia.  Frederick moved against the Austrians and put Olmutz under siege. The siege dragged on and Frederick got reports that the Russians, under their new commander Fermor, were advancing into the very heart of Prussia. This caused Frederick to once again redeploy the main Prussian Army.

Much of the year passed by the time Fredrick was ready to attack the invading Russians, this he did on August 25 at Zorndorf. The Prussian army began with a massive artillery barrage that lasted over two hours. This would have routed many other European armies, but the stolid Russians maintained discipline and even counter attacked the Prussian left. The battle degenerated into a large hand to hand brawl during which neither side gained clear advantage. By nightfall, both armies drew back from each other. The Battle of Zorndorf was over with nothing to show but the dead and dying. The Russians had lost about 19, 000 and the Prussians about 13,000.  Although the Prussians could claim they won the battle, with losses like that, Prussia’s trained troop pool would not be able to long withstand such stress.

Frederick was not given any rest, the Austrians were moving into Saxony and Frederick had to defeat this threat before it invested all Saxony. The two armies met near the Saxon village of Hochkirch, (Bautzen on the game map) on October 14^th. Though significantly outnumbered, Frederick skirmished for some time not realizing the Austrians were mounting a full on attack. The Austrians consequently pushed aside the Prussian army. Losses were light, about 8,000 Austrians and 9,000 Prussians.

The Austrians had hoped for a more decisive outcome and, upon hearing there were more Prussians coming to reinforce Frederick, the Austrians retired to winter quarters in Pirna. The 1758 year ended well for Frederick, Prussia was clear of the Russian army, Silesia was still in Prussian control, and Saxony remained well within the Prussian orbit as well. The great concern for Frederick was that his army, his Nation, was being bled white.

1759 7YW:FG Turn Three: In the beginning of 1759 British/Hanoverian forces under Ferdinand were a bee hive of activity. In April, Ferdinand attacked the French near Frankfurt and Wesel at a village called Bergen. This attack met with no real success and Ferdinand withdrew. The French pursued and after some months forced Ferdinand into battle at Minden. Despite intense fighting, ultimately casualties for Ferdinand were light, whereas for the French, the same could not be said. The French withdrew from this battle demoralized. They obtained favorable conditions on the battlefield, but were unable to achieve the sought for ultimate victory.

The Russians had now fully committed to the war (Card “Russia Fully Commits”) and to the utter defeat of Frederick.  They spent much effort building up forces to drive into the heart of Prussia. The Russians were able to defeat a small Prussian force in Schwibus near the Polish border in July before Frederick turned his attention to attacking, and defeating the Russians. Frederick attacked the Russians at Kunersdorf in August. The Russian army, under the command of Saltikov (a 3-8 Leader in the 7YW:FG game), was concerned about being outflanked and had strategically positioned themselves in good defensible terrain. Saltikov had gone as far as preparing trenches and redoubts in anticipation of Frederick’s attack.

The result was Frederick suffering one of the worst defeats of his military career; a defeat which left the Russians ever so near disputed Saxony. The Prussians suffered about 19,000 casualties, the Russians approximately 15,000. Frederick could ill afford these kinds of losses and appealed for help to Ferdinand in the west. This defeat was not the only bad news for Prussia; the Austrians were able to defeat a small Prussian Army in Saxony and capture Dresden. Frederick was truly starring dire defeat in the face.

That a main Prussian field army to was allowed to remain at large, able to gather strength and fight again, was only due to the lack of cooperation between the Russians and Austrians (each having their own war objectives… and in the 7YW:FG game, the Russians are commanded by the French Player, who, sensing an Imperial Camp victory, could well do things to further their own interests rather than those of the Austrian Player since only a single player can be declared the game’s victor. )

1760 7YW:FG Turn Four: 1760 brought even more disasters to Prussia. A minor Prussian Army was defeated by the Austrians in the Battle of Landshut (in terms of the game, an Austrian Army crossed the Pass into the Prussian Silesian Key Duchy Fortress of Schweidnitz). The French reinvaded Hanover and captured Marburg, and the Swedes, who declared war in 1757, but were finally willing to enter the fray as an active Imperial Camp ally, seized part of Brandenburg-Prussian Pomerania (they would eventually be defeated and compelled to withdraw back to Sweden after a lackluster campaign and overall participation in the war). The campaign season’s Coalition bright spot was the Hanoverians being victorious over the French at the Battle of Warburg (Kassel on the 7YW:FG map).  The British continued their success preventing France from sending troops to aid Austria against Prussia in the east. Now after 4 years of war, the French were no closer to accomplishing a conquest of Hanover then when they started.

The Austrians, advanced unopposed from the south under the command of General Loudon and captured Glatz (now Kłodzko), identified as Neisse on the 7YW:FG map in Silesia.  This was where at the Battle of Liegnitz was fought.  Frederick scored an impressive victory despite being outnumbered three to one. This Battle was fought when Frederick and the fortunes of the Prussian state were at low ebb.  The victory restored Prussian morale and acted as a corresponding dampener to the expectations of the Austrians and Russians in beating Frederick.  It also prevented the Russian and Austrian armies from uniting. Liegnitz restored the confidence of the Prussian army and people in their King.

The Russians under General Saltikov, with Austrian support, briefly occupied Frederick’s capital, Berlin, in October, as well as capturing Schwibus and Kunerfsdorf ; but they could not hold that Prussian territory for long. The end of that year saw Frederick once more victorious, defeating the able Austrian General Daun at the Battle of Torgau (in the 7YW:FG map – the Duchy of Luckau); but the Prussians suffered very heavy casualties and the Austrians retreated in good order.

Although a highly disappointing battle for Frederick, involving appalling losses among his best troops, Torgau’s effect on his enemies was much greater.  The Austrian Chancellor Kaunitz, who engineered the alliance against Frederick, despaired of recovering any part of the lost territories and began to advise obtaining a negotiated peace.  The French court at Versailles equally doubted whether Frederick could be defeated.  Cracks in the Imperial Camp’s resolve were beginning to appear.

1761 7YW:FG Turn Five: In 1761, two French armies, under Marshals, Duc de Broglie and Prince de Soubise met up July 1, intending to force Prince Ferdinand out of Lippstadt. Allied reinforcements under General Spörcken arrived bringing Ferdinand’s forces up to 65,000 while the combined French armies numbered around 90,000. The French were able to form an “Army Group” through use of an “offensive interception”, obtained in the 7YW:FG game through play of the “Damn the Orders” Card Event. 

The allied Prussian-Hanoverian-British forces lined up along a series of hills, with their left anchored by the Lippe River (in the north), and the Ahse River in their center. The French advanced on 15 July, and Broglie’s troops in the north made progress against German troops under Wutginau. The battle of Vellinghausen (The Hanover Duchy of Lippstadt on the game map) was underway. However, British troops under Granby just south of Wutginau held their ground and the French assault stalled. Reinforcements for both sides arrived that night and Ferdinand strengthened his left at the expense of his right. The next morning, Broglie continued his attack on the Allied left, expecting Soubise to attack the weakened Allied right. However, Soubise only ordered a few small actions against the right, due in part that both French commanders were the same rank and reluctant to take orders from the other.

Allied reinforcements soon arrived along the Lippe River and attacked the French flank, halting Broglie’s attack and forcing his men to withdraw. By about noon, the French were in full retreat and the battle was over. News of the French debacle provoked joy in Britain, and led William Pitt to take a much tougher line in ongoing peace negotiations with France. Although defeated, the French still had a significant numerical superiority and committed to continuing their offensive despite increasing political doubts at home.

Frederick’s army in the last stages of the war numbered no more than 100,000 men, most of whom were raw recruits and prisoners of war incapable of the complex maneuvers and rapid marches that allowed Frederick to effectively strike his enemies with fearsome vigor. In terms of the 7YW:FG game, the Prussian player would have invoked one of his “Bottom of the Barrel” measures to bolster a dwindling Trained Troops Pool. To compensate for this, Frederick switched strategy to positional warfare, in which he attempted to wear down his enemies with the use of fortifications.

Two large Russian and Austrian Armies moved against the Prussians in Silesia. Frederick began building a large fortified camp at Bunzelwitz, near Schweidnitz, in August. The fort was heavily protected and the terrain denied the independently advancing Austrians and Russians use of their artillery. Frederick made one tactical error in thinking the Austrians and Russians would not attack his camp. He withdrew most of his force and marched toward Neisse in order to better position for retaining the Silesian Fortresses of Schweidnitz and Breslau . On September 26^th, in his absence, the Austrians seized Schweidnitz.

Frederick spent the rest of 1761 maneuvering his army in an attempt to keep it between the Russian and Austrian Armies and preserve it for future offensive/defensive action. Within weeks, the Austrians captured most of Silesia and liberated most of Saxony. The happy mood in Wien bordered on the euphoric.  In Britain, it was speculated a complete Prussian collapse was imminent.

1762 7YW:FG Turn Six: In1762, the “Miracle of the House of Brandenburg” occurred. On 5 January, the Russian Czarina Elizabeth died. Her Prussophile successor, Peter III, at once recalled Russian armies from Prussia, offered a peace treaty and Alliance with Frederick (the Treaty of Saint Petersburg), and mediated Frederick’s truce with Sweden. With all but Austria removed from the war, Frederick concentrated all his resources on recapturing Saxony and Silesia from Austria. The Battle of Freiberg (or Dresden) was fought on October 29, and was the last great central European battle of the Seven Years’ War. The Austrian army abandoned all their gains of the previous year and withdrew their field Army back to Pirna, their remaining enclave in Saxony.

The last great battle for Hanover was fought on June 24^th. The Battle of Wilhelmsthal, essentially the Hanover Key Duchy depicted on the 7YW:FG map,  was between the Coalition forces of British, Hanover, Brunswick and Hessian troops against the French. Once again, the French threatened Hanover, so the Allies maneuvered around the French, surrounded the invasion force, and forced them to retreat. It was the last major action fought by the British before the Peace of Paris brought an end to the war.

The War’s Outcome

The Seven Year’s War Results: In Europe, almost all territorial boundaries were returned to prewar status. Most of the combatant Nations were close to bankruptcy and their pools of Trained Troops bled out or severely strained. Austria had proven she had vastly improved her military Leadership and quality of armed forces, but when she stood alone, she was still not able to effectively fight and subdue Prussia.

Russia too had proven to all she was a force to be reckoned with. Any further conflicts in Europe would have to consider Russia’s interests. Frederick may have won himself a place in military history by fighting to a draw so many enemies, but it was clear Prussia was no longer militarily “Head and Shoulders” above its neighbors.  Frederick, as the ruler of Prussia, had not secured any new lands from this conflict.   His “Saxony Gamble” had failed: nor had the Prussian King procured through treaties any financial subsidies. He knew, from this point forward, if there were to be further warfare in Europe he would require allies.

France was the clear loser of The Seven Years War. She lost her trading posts in India, she lost New France and all Canada. Her Navy was not up to the task of preventing France from being blockaded by Britain. Last and not least was experiencing her previously vaunted armies, although superior in numbers, being unable to obtain victory over the Anglo-Hanoverians. 

Britain, however, was the clear winner of the struggle. Her leaders were able to focus their resources on achieving winnable objectives: North America was now singularly Britain’s, with the Caribbean and India part of an ever burgeoning Empire. Britain was able to protect Hanover.  The Royal Navy effectively protected and extended Britain’s interests and at the same time foiled France’s and later Spain’s Navy.

Britain’s blue print for victory had clearly shown itself worthy. Britain would continue to refine this approach for all its future conflicts. If not for the financial burdens caused by The Seven Years War, the British Crown might have been able to avoid the North American colonial rebellion of 1775.  In terms of the 7YW:FG game, the Coalition won with the British Player declared sole victor.

Recommended reading list:
The Osprey Essential History is a pretty reasonable summary and the e-book version is really cheap ($1.49), furthermore, once you get to the site there are links to a lot of other goodies for fans of the period: https://ospreypublishing.com/the-seven-years-039-war-ebook

Someone looking for an in-depth history should read Franz Szabo’s The Seven Years War in Europe, 1756-1763: http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Years-War-Europe-1756-1763/dp/0582292727/

and Fred Anderson’s Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766.