Though some areas are still frozen, April marks the beginning of the campaign season of 1757. Throughout the winter of 1756-1757, new drafts have managed to replenish most of the losses suffered by the Prussian army over the last year. Frederick's Elbe Armee has been reinforced to a total number of 80,000 men, including Wilhelm von Preußen's column outside Pirna.
The total strength of the two Austrian armies spotted in Karlsbad and Tabor are currently unknown. The Austro-Saxon force in Karlsbad, apparently still led by Joseph Lucchese, likely comprises approximately 35,000 men. The main army in Tabor could contain anything from 50,000 to 90,000 men, depending on how many of the Austrian reinforcements have reached the front. The Austrians have also placed Leopold Joseph von Daun in command of this army, not Charles of Lorraine as previously expected. Daun is one of the best commanders in the field and will likely perform significantly better than Browne did last year.
On the diplomatic front, the entry of Sweden and (likely) Russia into the war means that the Austrian coalition now effectively surrounds the Kingdom of Prussia. Combined, the forces of Austria and its allies dwarf those available to the Prussian army. To counter these, the minor western German states of Brunswick, Hanover and Hessen have entered the war on the side of Britain and Prussia. Their armies, which number some 50,000 men, are neither as well trained or led as the Prussian army, and will nearly certainly be outnumbered by the French forces they will soon face.
April opens with a very much not unexpected event, namely, the French are invading! Columns of French troops have assembled around Brussels in the Austrian Netherlands and are now crossing the Rhine river towards Hanover. The lone Prussian fortress of Wesel stands in their path and is in a hopeless position, but rather than destroy anything of use to the enemy and evacuate it, the Prussian army decides to raise more militia to reinforce the fortress and have its garrison fight to the last in order to delay the French advance as much as possible.
In response to the Swedish declaration of war, Lehwaldt's forces are pulled back from Kolberg to Stettin, where they will be better able to respond to any invasion by armies coming from Stralsund in Swedish Pomerania. This will put Lehwaldt away from where he can oppose the Russian army, but since the Russians have not yet declared war and will take a lot of time to get through the fortresses in their way when they do, this is probably the most prudent course of action.
In Saxony, Pirna falls to Prince Wilhelm's forces after a brief siege. The small garrison left in the camp, apparently made up mostly of logistics personnel rather than fighting men, surrenders to the Prussian forces after a brief engagement which incurs no Prussian casualties.
Facing two armies and probably superior numbers, Frederick decides to send the entirety of Elbe Armee to the west, attacking and destroying Lucchese's army in Karlsbad before it can join up with Daun. This will allow Daun to march north and lay siege to Prague unopposed, thus quite probably making it the
fifth mistake of the Kingdom of Prussia, but is most likely better than the alternative of facing a combined army of over a hundred thousand men.
Due to poor coordination, Schwerin and Gessler arrive in Karlsbad first and engage the Austro-Saxon army there, finding 40,000 men under the (incompetent) command of Charles of Lorraine, rather than Joseph Lucchese. The First Battle of Karlsbad becomes a draw as the outnumbered Prussians withdraw after having fought the Austrians and Saxons to a standstill; both sides lose nearly 3,000 men.
Ten days later the bulk of Frederick's Elbe Armee crosses the Eger river and initiates the Second Battle of Karlsbad. The Austrians stand their ground and inflict over 4,000 Prussian casualties, but this time the numbers are equal, and they are ultimately overwhelmed, losing 6,000 men and retreating in disarray towards the fortress of Eger under pursuit by Prussian troops.
Meanwhile in Britain, William Pitt is dismissed by King George II. Also, the commander of the Army of Observation arrives in Germany to lead the Hanoverian army against the French, a certain Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, who is probably best known for
killing some Scots once and also happens to be utterly incompetent. God help us.
