The largest wars in the history of mankind in terms of the number of deaths.

The earliest war known to have been excavated took place approximately 14,000 years ago.

It is impossible to calculate the exact number of victims, because in addition to the death of soldiers on the battlefield, there is the death of civilians from the effects of weapons of war, as well as the death of civilians from the consequences of hostilities, for example, from hunger, hypothermia, and diseases.

Below is a list of the largest wars by the number of victims.

The reasons for the wars indicated below are very different, but the number of victims exceeds millions.

1. Nigerian Civil War (Biafra War of Independence). The death toll is over 1,000,000.

The main conflict was between the government forces of Nigeria and the separatists of the Republic of Biafra. The self-proclaimed republic was supported by a number of European states, among them, such as France, Portugal, Spain. Nigeria was supported by England and the USSR. The UN did not recognize the self-proclaimed republic. Weapons and finances were sufficient on both sides. The main victims of the war were the civilian population, who died of starvation and various diseases.

2. Imjin War. The death toll is over 1,000,000.

1592 - 1598. Japan made 2 attempts to invade the Korean Peninsula in 1592 and 1597. Both invasions did not lead to the capture of the territory. The first invasion by Japan involved 220,000 soldiers, several hundred combat and transport ships.

The Korean troops were defeated, but at the end of 1592, China transferred part of the army to Korea, but was defeated; in 1593, China transferred another part of the army, which managed to achieve some success. Peace was made. The second invasion in 1597 was not successful for Japan and in 1598 hostilities were stopped.

3. Iran–Iraq War (death toll: 1 million)

1980-1988 years. The longest war in the 20th century. The war began with the invasion of Iraq on September 22, 1980. The war can be called positional - trench warfare, using small arms. Chemical weapons were widely used in the war. The initiative passed from one side to another, so in 1980 the successful offensive of the Iraqi army was stopped, and in 1981 the initiative passed to the side of Iraq. On August 20, 1988, a truce was signed.

4. Korean War (death toll: 1.2 million)

1950-1953 years. War between North and South Korea. The war began with North Korea's invasion of South Korea. Despite the support of North Korea by the Soviet Union, Stalin opposed the war, because he feared that this conflict could lead to World War 3 and even nuclear war. On July 27, 1953, a ceasefire agreement was signed.

5. Mexican Revolution (death toll between 1,000,000 and 2,000,000)

1910-1917. The revolution fundamentally changed the culture of Mexico and the policies of the government. But at that time the population of Mexico was 15,000,000 people and the losses during the revolution were significant. The prerequisites for the revolution were very different, but as a result of the valuable millions of victims, Mexico strengthened its sovereignty and weakened its dependence on the United States.

6. The conquests of Chuck's army. First half of the 19th century. (death toll 2,000,000 people)

The local ruler Chaka (1787 - 1828) founded the state - KwaZulu. He raised and armed a large army, which conquered disputed territories. The army plundered and ravaged the tribes in the occupied territories. The victims were the local Aboriginal tribes.

7. Goguryeo-Sui wars (death toll 2,000,000)

These wars include a series of wars between the Chinese Sui Empire and the Korean state of Goguryeo. The wars took place on the following dates:

· war of 598

· war of 612

· war of 613

· war of 614

In the end, the Koreans managed to repel the advance of the Chinese troops and win.

The total number of human casualties is much higher because civilian casualties are not taken into account.

8. Wars of religion in France (death toll between 2,000,000 and 4,000,000)

The religious wars in France are also known as the Huguenot wars. Occurred between 1562 and 1598. They arose on religious grounds as a result of a conflict between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots). In 1998, the Edict of Nantes was adopted, which legalized freedom of religion. On August 24, 1572, Catholics staged a mass beating of Protestants, first in Paris, and then throughout France. It happened on the eve of the feast of St. Barthomew, this day went down in history as St. Bartholomew's night, on that day more than 30,000 people died in Paris.

9. Second Congo War (2,400,000 to 5,400,000 dead)

The deadliest war in the history of modern Africa, also known as the African World War and the Great War of Africa. The war lasted from 1998 to 2003, 9 states and more than 20 separate armed groups participated. The main victims of the war are the civilian population, which died due to disease and starvation.

10. Napoleonic Wars (death toll between 3,000,000 and 6,000,000)

The Napoleonic Wars are an armed conflict between France, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, and a number of European states, including Russia. Thanks to Russia, Napoleon's army was defeated. Different sources give different data on the victims, but most scientists believe that the number of victims, including civilians from hunger and epidemics, reaches 5,000,000 people.

11. Thirty Years' War (Death toll between 3,000,000 and 11,500,000)

1618 - 1648. The war began as a conflict between Catholics and Protestants in the crumbling Holy Roman Empire, but a number of other states were gradually drawn into it. The number of victims of the Thirty Years' War, according to most scholars, is 8,000,000 people.

12. Chinese Civil War (death toll 8,000,000)

The Chinese Civil War was fought between forces loyal to the Kuomintang (a political party of the Republic of China) and forces loyal to the Communist Party of China. The war began in 1927 and essentially ended when the main active fighting ceased in 1950. Although historians give the end date of the war as December 22, 1936, the conflict eventually led to the formation of two de facto states, the Republic of China (now known as Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China on the Chinese mainland. During the war, both sides carried out massive atrocities.

13. Russian Civil War (death toll between 7,000,000 and 12,000,000)

1917 - 1922. The struggle for power of various political directions, armed groups. But basically the two largest and most organized forces fought - the Red Army and the White Army. The civil war in Russia is considered the greatest national catastrophe in Europe, in the entire history of its existence. The main victims of the war are the civilian population.

14. Wars led by Tamerlane (number of victims from 8,000,000 to 20,000,000 people)

In the second half of the 14th century, Tamerlane waged cruel, bloody conquests in Western, South, Central Asia, in southern Russia. Tamerlane became the most powerful ruler in the Muslim world, conquering Egypt, Syria and the Ottoman Empire. Historians believe that 5% of the total population of the Earth died at the hands of his soldiers.

15. Dungan uprising (number of victims from 8,000,000 to 20,400,000 people)

1862 - 1869. The Dungan uprising is a war on ethnic and religious grounds between the Han (a Chinese ethnic group originally from East Asia) and Chinese Muslims. At the head of the rebels against the existing government were the spiritual mentors of Xinjiao, who declared jihad unfaithful.

16. Conquest of North and South America (number of victims from 8,400,000 to 148,000,000 people)

1492 - 1691. During the 200 years of colonization of America, tens of millions of the local population were killed by European colonialists. However, there is no exact number of victims, since there are no initial estimates of the original size of the indigenous population of America. The conquest of America is the largest extermination of the indigenous population by other peoples in history.

17. An Lushan rebellion (number of victims from 13,000,000 to 36,000,000 people)

755 - 763 AD Rebellion against the Tang Dynasty. According to scientists, up to two children of the entire population of China could die during this conflict.

18. World War I (18,000,000 casualties)

1914-1918 years. War between groups of states in Europe and their allies. The war claimed 11,000,000 servicemen who died directly during the fighting. 7,000,000 civilians died during the course of the war.

19. Taiping Rebellion (20,000,000 - 30,000,000 casualties)

1850 - 1864. Revolt of peasants in China. The Taiping Rebellion spread throughout China against the Manchu Qing Dynasty. With the support of England and France, the Qing troops brutally suppressed the rebels.

20. Manchu conquest of China (25,000,000 casualties)

1618 - 1683 years. Qing Dynasty war, to conquer territories of the Ming Dynasty.

As a result of long wars and various battles, the Manchu dynasty managed to conquer almost all the strategic territories of China. The war claimed tens of millions of human lives.

21. Sino-Japanese War (25,000,000 - 30,000,000 casualties)

1937 - 1945. War between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. Separate hostilities began in 1931. The war ended with the defeat of Japan with the help of allied forces, mainly the USSR. The United States launched 2 nuclear strikes on Japan, destroying the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. September 9, 1945, the government of the Republic of China accepted the surrender from the commander of Japanese troops in China, General Okamura Yasuji.

22. Wars of the Three Kingdoms (number of victims 36,000,000 - 40,000,000 people)

220-280 AD Not to be confused with war (England, Scotland and Ireland between 1639 and 1651). The war of three states - Wei, Shu and Wu for complete power in China. Each side tried to unite China under its command. The bloodiest period in the history of China, which led to millions of victims.

23. Mongol conquests (number of victims 40,000,000 - 70,000,000 people)

1206 - 1337. Raids across the territories of Asia and Eastern Europe with the formation of the state of the Golden Horde. The raids were distinguished by their cruelty. The Mongols spread the bubonic plague over vast territories, from which people died, not having immunity to this disease.

24. World War II (number of victims 60,000,000 - 85,000,000 people)

The most brutal war in the history of mankind, when people were destroyed on a racial and ethnic basis with the help of technical devices. The extermination of peoples was organized by the rulers of Germany and their allies, led by Hitler. Up to 100,000,000 servicemen fought on the battlefields on both sides. With the decisive role of the USSR, fascist Germany and its allies were defeated.

This topic is relevant, despite the seemingly peaceful time in our country, because in addition to open, bloody wars, there are also latent ones that claim no less lives than during battles with spears, swords, tanks, machine guns, bombs.

So, let's analyze which wars were the largest in terms of the number of victims and the scale of destruction in the entire history of mankind known to us. More than 1 million people were killed in major wars.

About a million and a little more victims were in wars:

Biafran War of Independence (1967-1970), Japanese Invasions of Korea (1592-1598), Siege of Jerusalem (73 AD, First Jewish War episode), Rwandan Genocide (1994), Korean War (1953), etc.

About 2-3 million victims were in the wars: the Chaka conquests (South Africa, 19th century), the Koguryeo-Suu wars (598-614), the Mexican revolution (1910-1920).

Religious wars in France (1568-1598) - claimed the lives of more than 4 million people.

The Huguenot Wars, the French Wars of Religion that were fought at the end of the 16th century, were essentially a confrontation between Catholics and Protestant Hugents.

The Wars of Religion or Huguenots are a series of protracted civil wars between Catholics and Protestants (Huguenots) that tore apart France under the last kings of the Valois dynasty, from 1562 to 1598. The Huguenots were led by the Bourbons (Prince Condé, Henry of Navarre) and Admiral de Coligny, and the Catholics were led by Queen Mother Catherine de Medici and the powerful Giza.

Its neighbors tried to influence the course of events in France - Elizabeth of England supported the Huguenots, and Philip of Spain supported the Catholics. The wars ended with the accession of Henry of Navarre, who converted to Catholicism, to the French throne and the issuance of the compromise Edict of Nantes (1598).

In the 15-16th century in Europe, religion was not just an outlet for those seeking the eternal, religion was the cause of wars, almost the main one, religion divided society into enemies and friends, into friends and foes, was the essence of the monarchy, the main punitive element of the state, with the blessing those who had dignity were married and executed. As we can see, it got to the point that some cut down others just because they had different views on God.

Napoleonic wars (1799-1815) - more than 3.5 million victims.

“The Napoleonic Wars - this name is mainly known for the wars waged by Napoleon I with various states of Europe when he was First Consul and Emperor (November 1799 - June 1815). In a broader sense, this includes both Napoleon's Italian campaign (1796-1797) and his Egyptian expedition (1798-1799), although these (especially the Italian campaign) are usually referred to as the so-called revolutionary wars.

Napoleon created the first French empire, which lasted from 1804 to 1815. Having become, as a result of the coup on 18 Brumaire (November 9, 1799), the first consul of France, Napoleon launched an attack with the aim of conquering the whole of Europe, Italy, Austria, Germany, Prussia, etc. were in the plans.

According to official figures alone, the battles in the warring countries claimed the lives of 2.2-3.6 million soldiers and civilians. Some historians even double these figures. Having failed in the Spanish-Portuguese War, defeated in the war with Russia (1812) - and Napoleon's empire began to crack.

The War of 1812 is depicted only in Russian art in paintings, in world works such as L. Tolstoy’s War and Peace, and Napoleon’s wars have become an inspiration, no matter how cynical it may sound, for many creators around the world.

In terms of the number of victims, the Napoleonic Wars are considered one of the largest and bloodiest.

Second Congo war - 5.4 million victims

« The Second Congolese War (French: Deuxième guerre du Congo), also known as the Great African War (1998-2002), is a war on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in which more than twenty armed groups representing nine states participated.

By 2008, the war and subsequent events had killed 5.4 million people, mostly from disease and starvation, making it one of the bloodiest wars in world history and the deadliest conflict since World War II."

Many historians see the genocide in Rwanda as the beginning of the conflict, then the Tutsi refugees moved to Zaire, then, after the Rwandan Patriotic Front came to power in Rwanda, and some of the Hutu refugees rushed to seek refuge in Zaire, in connection with which in the territory of the former Republic of the Congo (now Zaire ) unfinished war in Rwanda unfolded. Hutu radicals began to use Zaire as a rear for attacks on Rwanda.

Chinese Civil War (1927-1950) - 8 million victims

“Civil War in China (Chinese trad.國共内戰, ex.国共内战, pinyin: guógòng neìzhàn, pall.: gogong neizhan, literally: "internal war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party") - a series of armed conflicts in China between the forces of the Republic of China and the Chinese Communists in 1927 - 1950 (with interruptions).

The war began in 1927 after the Northern Expedition, when, by decision of the right wing of the Kuomintang led by Chiang Kai-shek, the alliance between the Kuomintang and the CPC was broken.

A war that lasted 23 years and claimed millions of lives ... Periods, such as in 1936, when China united in the fight against the Japanese invaders, the battle weakened, but after the completion of the events for which there was rallying, it began again with renewed vigor.

The war continued until 1950, in 1949 the formation of the People's Republic of China was proclaimed in Beijing, and in May 1951, by signing an agreement on the peaceful end of the conflict, the last captured stronghold, Tibet, was liberated.

Thirty Years' War - 11.5 million dead

“The Thirty Years' War is a military conflict for hegemony in the Holy Roman Empire and Europe, which lasted from 1618 to 1648 and affected almost all European countries to one degree or another.

The war began as a religious clash between the Protestants and Catholics of the empire, but then escalated into a fight against Habsburg dominance in Europe. The conflict was the last major religious war in Europe and gave rise to the Westphalian system of international relations.

This war affected all segments of the population - as the story goes, the most affected country is Germany, more than 5 million people died there, the economic, productive system was destroyed, only a century later the country's population began to recover. Sweden and Germany fought.

Civil war in Russia (1917-1922) - 12 million dead (taking into account the accompanying losses - more than 25 million people)

"The Civil War in Russia (October 25 (November 7), 1917 - October 25, 1922 / July 16, 1923) - a series of armed conflicts between various political, ethnic, social groups and state entities on the territory of the former Russian Empire that followed the coming to power of the Bolsheviks as a result of the October Revolution of 1917.

The civil war of the "Reds" and "Whites" was the natural result of the revolution of 1904-1907, also the First World War, ended with the victory of the Bolsheviks.

Perhaps this is one of the most cruel and memorable wars for the Russian people, not only in the 20th century, but in general in history, because the war was fought not with external, foreign enemies, but with Russians ... The population of the homeland was divided into two camps and " interrupted" their own.

The horrors of that era are described in many literary works, captured in rare photos, many legendary films based on the works and that war were shot, the ruthlessness of their own compatriots, blinded by the idea, is amazing. The bodies of the shot people were taken by trucks from the base of the Chekists to the burial places. One of the works banned at that time - Zazubrin's story "Sliver" vividly tells about the revolution - "a beautiful and cruel mistress, powerless, sparingly, rigidly imposing her order of life on us, clearing her way with corpses ... By the way, the author himself - Vladimir Zazubrin - was shot in 1937 for belonging to a sabotage and terrorist organization of the right. The novel was first published only in 1989.

The "Reds" - the Bolsheviks - won. The confrontation between the "reds" and "whites" grew into a bloody massacre, a characteristic feature of the civil war was that the enemy sides achieved their goal exclusively by violent measures.

Historians explain this situation by saying that

“The social and class confrontation that has reached the stage of civil war divides society into “us” and “them”, into “us” and “them”. Enemies and opponents are generally taken out of the sphere of morality at such moments, they are perceived as “subhumans”, who are not subject to universal norms. This is what creates the opportunity to turn immoral terror into terror that is morally justified…”.

Even during the unfinished war, Russia was defeated.

“The territories of Poland, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Western Ukraine, Belarus, the Kars region (in Armenia) and Bessarabia departed from the former Russian Empire. According to experts, the population in the remaining territories barely reached 135 million people.

Since 1914, losses in these territories as a result of wars, epidemics, emigration, and a reduction in the birth rate have amounted to at least 25 million people.

The level of production fell, factories were destroyed, the country was swallowed up by chaos, poverty and devastation.

The number of street children ranged from 4.5 to 7 million people.

"The First World War (July 28, 1914 - November 11, 1918) is one of the largest armed conflicts in the history of mankind."

The actual beginning of the already brewing conflict was the so-called "Sarajevo Murder" on June 28, 1914, when the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who advocated the creation of national autonomies in Austria-Hungary, was killed by a young Serbian terrorist.

“As a result of the military conflict, four empires ceased to exist: Russian, Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and German (although the Weimar Republic that arose instead of Kaiser Germany formally continued to be called the German Empire). The participating countries lost more than 10 million soldiers and about 12 million civilians killed, about 55 million people were injured.

The participants in the war were:

Quadruple Alliance: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria.

Entente: Russia, France, Great Britain.

Allies of the Entente (supported the Entente in the war): USA, Japan, Serbia, Italy (participated in the war on the side of the Entente since 1915, despite being a member of the Triple Alliance), Montenegro, Belgium, Egypt, Portugal, Romania, Greece, Brazil, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Siam, Haiti, Liberia, Panama, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Peru, Uruguay, Ecuador.

In 1919, Germany was forced to sign the Versailles Treaty on the peaceful end of the conflict with the victorious countries.

As a result, Germany lost more, in Russia the First World War led to revolutions, civil war, for all participants - to the liquidation of several empires. For Germany, the defeat in this war led to the collapse of the monarchy, the weakening of economic and territorial positions, the subsequent humiliation led to the Nazis coming to power, who later unleashed the Second World War.

Any war is always not just a conflict, it is the cause of something and the consequence of something, often another war.

Conquests of Tamerlane (Tuesday half of the 14th century) - 20 million dead

Dungan uprising (19th century) - 20.5 million victims

The Qing Dynasty conquered the Ming Dynasty - 25 million dead

Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) - 30 million victims

Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864, China) - 30 million victims

An Lushan Rebellion (755-763, China) - 36 million victims

Mongol conquests (13th century) - 70 million dead

There is evidence that over 138 million people died as a result of the conquest of North and South America (over several centuries).

During the development of the territory of North and South America, that is, from the period of 1491 to 1691, although the actual development began in the 10th century, during all this time more than one hundred million people died in battles with the colonialists and indigenous people.

World War II (1939 - 1945) - 85 million dead

“The Second World War (September 1, 1939 [- September 2, 1945) is a war of two world military-political coalitions, which has become the largest armed conflict in the history of mankind.

It was attended by 62 states out of 73 that existed at that time (80% of the world's population). The fighting took place on the territory of three continents and in the waters of four oceans. This is the only conflict in which nuclear weapons have been used.”

The Second World War, both in terms of the number of victims and the number of participating countries, the scale of destruction, became one of the largest world battles in the history of mankind. It was attended by 72 states, which is 80% of the world's population, military operations were conducted on the territory of 40 states. Human losses - at least 65 million people. The military losses and expenses incurred were colossal.

After the war, the role of Western Europe weakened, the USSR and the USA became the main ones in the world. Nazi and fascist ideologies were recognized as criminal and banned at the Nuremberg trials.

And although more than 70 years have passed since the end of the battles, many Russians know what the Second World War and the Great Patriotic War are.

Perhaps, so many creations of art are not dedicated to any military battle - literary works, masterpieces of cinema, etc. A lot of photographs of the victims of Nazi camps, battles, fragments of the war, soldiers, and the Nazis themselves have been preserved.

A lot of documentation and testimonies of the horrors of those times have been preserved about the inhuman, cruel experiments of the Nazis on prisoners, about gas chambers and tons of victims, about tens of thousands of healthy babies who were born by Russian women in captivity, drowned in a bucket for slops by German guards, about Jews killed during Holocaust…

On the work of the Ves Mir publishing house in the context of counteracting the spread of coronavirus and the implementation of the orders of the Mayor and the Government of Moscow.

The Greatest War in Human History - A Brief History of World War II

The Second World War was the largest, most destructive and bloodiest war known to history. In terms of its scale, it far surpassed all the wars of the past, including the Hundred Years' War of the XIV-XV centuries, the Thirty Years' War of the XVII century, the Napoleonic Wars of the early XIX century. and even the First World War of 1914-1918. The Second World War lasted six years - from 1939 to 1945. It involved 61 states with a total population of 1 billion 700 million people, including all the great powers: Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, the Soviet Union, the United States of America and Japan . Military operations were conducted on the territory of 40 states, on three continents and on all oceans. 110 million people were mobilized in the armies of the warring countries; in addition, tens of millions participated in the resistance movement, in guerrilla warfare, built military fortifications, worked in the military industry. In total, the war drew into its orbit 3/4 of the world's population.

The loss and destruction caused by World War II is unparalleled. They are so large that they cannot even be accurately calculated, but can only be estimated approximately. According to historians, human losses in World War II amounted to at least 50-60 million people. They were at least five times more than the losses in the First World War and more than twice the losses in all the wars of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. The material damage was 12 times greater than in the First World War.

In terms of its gigantic scale and influence on subsequent historical development, the Second World War is the largest event in world history.

Like the First World War, the Second World War was fought for the redivision of the world, territorial acquisitions, sources of raw materials and markets, but unlike the First World War, it also had a clearly expressed ideological content. In World War II, the fascist and anti-fascist coalitions opposed each other. The fascist and militaristic states that unleashed the war sought to enslave other countries, establish their own rules there and achieve world domination. The states of the anti-fascist coalition defended their freedom and independence, as well as the freedom of the countries enslaved by the fascists; fought for the preservation of democratic rights and freedoms. The war on their part had an anti-fascist, liberation character.

One of the manifestations of its liberation character was the national liberation and anti-fascist resistance movement that arose in the occupied countries and in the states of the aggressor bloc. The resistance movement is a characteristic feature and feature of the Second World War.

Many thousands of books and articles have been written about World War II, dozens of films have been made in all countries. The literature on the war is truly boundless; no one is able to read it in its entirety, but the flow of publications does not dry out, because the history of the war is still far from being fully studied, and especially because it is closely connected with the most acute problems of our time. This or that interpretation of wartime events often serves as a historical justification and justification for revising borders and creating new states; for a positive or negative assessment of the role of nations, classes, parties, political regimes and statesmen; it offends national interests and national feelings. Along with serious historical research, a huge number of all kinds of unreliable writings, fabrications and falsifications are published. The true history of the war was overgrown with myths and legends, which were often supported by government propaganda, were widely disseminated and acquired a stable character. Until now, little is known in Russia about the actions of the Anglo-American troops in Africa and the Pacific, and in Britain and especially in the USA they have little idea of ​​the gigantic scale of military operations on the Soviet-German front. It is characteristic that the multi-part Soviet-American documentary film about the Great Patriotic War (which was released in 1978) was given the name "Unknown War" in America, because it is almost unknown to Americans. The same name - "Unknown War" - is also one of the last French works on the history of the Second World War.

As public opinion polls conducted in different countries, including Russia, have shown, generations born in the post-war period sometimes lack the most elementary information about World War II. Often, the respondents do not remember when the war began, why it was fought, who fought with whom. Sometimes they don't even know who Hitler, Roosevelt or Churchill are.

The purpose of this book, intended for the general reader, is to give a general idea of ​​the course and main events of the war. The most controversial issues in the history of the war are discussed in the sections "What are the disputes about?".

Other chapters from this book

• The immediate and most obvious outcome of World War II was gigantic destruction and loss of life. The war devastated entire countries, turned cities and villages into ruins, and led to the death of many millions of people. The largest human losses - 26.6 million people - were...

Beginning in 1756 and ending in 1763, the Seven Years' War involved Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Prussia, Russia, Sweden, and many smaller German states. The fighting took place on all continents except Australia and Antarctica, tens of thousands of soldiers converged in battles.

This conflict began with the breakdown of the established system of diplomatic alliances and ended with a complete change in the balance of power in Europe and the world. It was after the Seven Years' War that Great Britain became "mistress of the seas". It was in this war that the still small Prussia declared itself loudly, having survived in the struggle against the strongest armies of Europe. It was this war that forged the mighty Russian army, which was to win many glorious victories. An overview of the main events of the Seven Years' War is in the new Warspot special project.

background

Lobozice and Pirna

Hastenbeck

Gross-Jägersdorf

Zorndorf

Siege of Madras

Kunersdorf

Lagos and Quiberon

Indian final

Miracle for Prussia

End of the war

Prussian King Frederick the Great
Source: civilization-history.ru

Shortly before the start of the Seven Years' War, the participants in the future conflict were grouped as follows. One traditional alliance was the Austria-England-Russia bloc, involving many small German states. The traditional enemies of the Austrian Habsburgs - the French Bourbons - were "on the other side of the barricades", and for the time being their ally was the king of the young Prussian kingdom Frederick II. However, in the middle of the 18th century, the old system of unions began to burst at the seams. The two-century derby "Austria-France" was fading into history, giving way to more serious and actual confrontations "England-France" in the colonies and "Austria-Prussia" in central Europe. At the same time, the traditional hostility of England and Prussia ceased to be a problem - the interests of Frederick, wholly focused on Europe, and George II, who was looking for the main benefits in the colonies, did not intersect anywhere. Approximately the same can be said about the contradictions between the Bourbons and the Habsburgs - Louis XV strove for the seas, while Maria Theresa strengthened her position in central Europe.

There were other reasons for the process, later called the "Diplomatic Revolution". The English king was at the same time the elector of a small Hanover in the north-west of Germany. The protection of this small piece of land forced him to build his policy on the principle "Whoever defends our Hanover, we are friends with him."

For the time being, Russia played the role of the main defender of Hanover. But with Russia it was not possible to agree on the states with which she was ready to fight for Hanover. As a result, no longer trusting the Russians, in 1756 the English king concluded a similar treaty with Prussia. The true reasons for this, of course, lay deeper: George needed not only a "shield" for the electorate, but also a "sword" in Europe itself, which could fight the enemies of England - primarily France - in Europe, while the British landing forces were taking away the Bourbons have their overseas possessions.

The Anglo-Prussian agreement had the effect of an exploding bomb. In the eyes of European courts, betrayal was committed by both sides - Frederick, who betrayed the traditional ally of France (formally, this was not a betrayal, since the Prussian-French treaty was expiring by that time), and George, who betrayed Russia for the sake of Frederick, whom Elizabeth hated. Even more offended was the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa, a traditional ally of England, who, due to the reformatting of alliances, suddenly became on a par with the impudent one who had taken Silesia from her just eight years ago. As a result, the combination of Great Britain, apparently hoping to create a huge anti-French coalition, suffered a complete collapse. France instantly crossed out two centuries of enmity by agreeing with Austria and signing the Treaty of Versailles on May 1, 1756. At the same time, an active rapprochement between France and Russia began, and the St. Petersburg Union Treaty of Russia and Austria had already existed for ten years - having preserved it, both powers simply changed their common ally from England to France.

The diplomatic revolution that shook Europe culminated in the formation of hitherto unseen alliances: on the one hand, France, Austria and Russia; on the other, England and Prussia. It would seem that the Austro-Russian-French alliance would dominate the continent, because Frederick was left alone against the three great military powers. But the Prussian king himself did not think so, and did not plan to bury himself in advance. His army was numerous, excellently equipped and ready for battle like no other in Europe.

On August 29, 1756, 56,000 Prussian soldiers entered Saxony. The latter barely had time to gather a seventeen thousandth army, which, not seeing the possibility of an effective counterattack, retreated to a fortified camp near Pirna, blocking the enemy's path to Bohemia and relying on the quick arrival of the allied Austrians. On September 9, Frederick II entered defenseless Dresden, the Saxon capital.

The Seven Years' War has begun.

Capitulation of the Saxon army on October 16, 1756
Source: friedrich.uni-trier.de

The rapid occupation of Dresden and the largest Saxon cities and fortresses by the Prussians caused shock in Europe. Frederick was accused of a gross violation of the sovereignty of Saxony, in response he accused Maria Theresa and the Saxon king Augustus III of concluding secret anti-Prussian treaties.

Diplomacy failed to reconcile the opponents, and now the weapon had to speak. The Austrians, who, together with the Saxons, were to fight the Prussian king, reacted promptly. Two armies advanced to the borders of Saxony and Silesia, one of which was blocked by Field Marshal Kurt von Schwerin with an army covering the Silesian land - the Austrians did not dare to attack him. Field Marshal Maximilian Wilhelm von Braun's second Austrian army went to Saxony to relieve the Pirna camp. The Saxon troops at Pirna were already experiencing serious problems: food supplies were not created, and thousands of soldiers began to starve.

Against Brown's forces, Frederick sent General James Keith's Observation Corps, which he then joined himself. On October 1, 1756, 26,000 Prussians and 43,000 Austrians clashed near the town of Lobozice. Having unsuccessfully started the battle, Frederick was still able to turn the tide, and by the evening of October 1, the Austrian army fled. Having lost 3000 people, Frederick won an important battle, and now nothing could save the Saxons. The attempt to unblock the Pirna camp failed for the Austrians, and on October 16, about 18,000 Saxon soldiers with 80 guns capitulated. With his characteristic practicality, Frederick immediately enlisted the prisoners in the Prussian army. This step later went sideways to the Prussian king - the Saxons did not want to serve under the command of the enemy and, at the first opportunity, deserted entire regiments.

Prussian Field Marshal Kurt von Schwerin a minute before his heroic death in the Battle of Prague, May 6, 1757
Source: britishbattles.com

Frederick II spent the rest of 1756 setting up the economy of conquered Saxony, which from now on was to work for the Prussian kingdom and the Prussian army. Meanwhile, the ranks of Prussia's enemies grew. France, which initially occupied a defensive position, decided to fight not only with Great Britain on the seas and in the colonies, but also with Prussia in the German lands. The Sejm of the German States in Regensburg held a trial in absentia of Frederick, deciding to put up a united army against him. The total anti-Prussian forces reached half a million soldiers, so Frederick decided to act quickly. The Austrians did not hesitate either. The defeated Brown again gathered troops near the borders of Saxony, planning in the spring of 1757 to defeat the Prussians in the conquered country. Meanwhile, Frederick's 65,000 soldiers were already marching towards the Austrian borders, in Bohemia. Happiness for Frederick was a sudden personnel reshuffle in the Austrian army - in the midst of preparations, Brown was removed from his post as commander and replaced by the much more cautious Prince Charles of Lorraine. Prussian troops entered Bohemia in four columns, and the first Austrian detachments they met fled.

On May 6, the Prussian columns joined near Prague, and Frederick decided to give battle. The forces of the opponents were approximately equal - about 60,000 people in each of the armies. Having learned from his scouts about the possibility of making a flanking round, Friedrich sent the left wing of Field Marshal Schwerin to attack the Austrians from the flank. The latter, having taken an advantageous position, literally swept away the Prussians with grapeshot fire, and the ranks of the attackers hesitated. Seeing the unrest among the soldiers, the 72-year-old Prussian field marshal accomplished his last feat: with a banner in his hands, he moved against the Austrians, dragging the regiments behind him. The buckshot killed the old commander literally immediately, but the soldiers appreciated the valor - the furious stream of Prussians avenging their commander literally swept away the Austrians. Almost immediately, the commander of the Austrian flank, Field Marshal Brown, was mortally wounded.

Soon the Austrian army was torn in two. Some of the fleeing Austrians, led by Charles of Lorraine, reached Prague and locked themselves in the city, others retreated south in order to join the approaching corps of Field Marshal Leopold von Daun.

The victory was not easy for Frederick - thousands of his veterans were killed and wounded. But the main thing seemed to have been done: the largest army of Austria was for the most part blockaded in Prague with a meager supply of food. It seemed that Frederick could only wait until the hungry enemy army capitulated like the Saxons at Pirna.

Prussian Life Guards Battalion at the Battle of Kolin
Source: hoi2games.ru

After the victory at Prague, Frederick could triumph. Tens of thousands of Austrians locked themselves in a city unsuitable for maintaining such a huge garrison. Surrender or death awaited the besieged - although Field Marshal Down came to their aid, there was little hope for him. This commander did not endure haste and went to help his own for more than a month. In the meantime, Friedrich recaptured the strategically important Mount Zizki from the Austrians and mercilessly shelled the city from artillery from it (180,000 bombs and nuclei fell on Prague in three weeks).

Frederick was also not happy with the siege of Prague - in addition to the Austrians, French and Russians were among his enemies, and their appearance on the borders of Prussia could be expected in the very near future. This, as well as Daun's dangerous maneuvers, prompted Frederick to personally take part in the battle again - leaving the siege army under the command of Field Marshal Keith, the king moved towards the Austrians with a small force. Having poured into his troops along the way the contingent of the Duke of Bevern, he prepared to break the forces of Down. The battle took place on June 18, 1757 near Kolin. Against more than 50,000 Austrians, the Prussian king could only field 33–34,000 of his soldiers. However, he had a very progressive tactic on his side - the so-called "oblique attack". Having grouped his forces on the left flank and taking advantage of the superiority in the training of the cavalry, Frederick planned to crush the enemy's right flank and hit the enemy center from the side. The right flank of the Prussians was supposed to hold down the forces of the left flank of the enemy, without getting involved in a serious battle.

The battle began exactly according to the Prussian plan - the right wing of the Austrian troops was defeated. And then General Christoph Manstein ruined everything. The Prussian commander, who stood on the right wing and was only obliged to hold back the enemy, was carried away by the pursuit of the fleeing Austrians and broke the line of his troops. The Austrians were able to hit the Prussians from several directions, and a counterattack by Daun's cavalry soon followed. The Prussians were overwhelmed and fled, while three-quarters of Frederick's personal guard were killed. The counterattacks of the Prussian cavalry were not successful: the cavalrymen had to attack the enemy in the forehead, heavy fire from muskets and cannons threw them back.

Friedrich ordered to retreat. Under the cover of an almost uninjured right wing, the Prussian army retreated back to Prague, the siege of which had to be lifted. More than 13,000 Prussian veterans died near Kolin, and the grandiose successes of the beginning of the campaign could not be developed. The Prussians had to leave Bohemia ...

Meeting of Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey
Source: interneturok.ru

By the beginning of the 18th century, England and France were already actively settling in India, sharing the legacy of the Mughal empire. European discipline and the latest weapons allowed the natives to dictate their terms - formally, the Indian rulers were independent, but in fact the Europeans did what they wanted with them.

The position of the French in India was not easy. The country's finances were upset, the industry was inferior to the British, and the need to constantly be distracted by continental interests led to little interest in India. At the time of the outbreak of the war, the positions of the parties were as follows: the French controlled the south of the peninsula, the states of the Deccan and had a stronghold of Shandernagor in Bengal. The British had strong positions in the same Bengal and trading posts throughout India.

Oddly enough, it was not the British or the French who started the fighting in the region, but Suraj-ud-Dole, the Nawab of Bengal. Suddenly realizing that the whites control politics in the region, and for some reason he does not interfere with them, the ruler began with the British. In June 1756, the Bengalis captured the main British base in the region - Calcutta. Not without atrocities - 146 whites fell into the so-called "Black Pit" - a cramped room without windows or other openings. The Europeans were forced to spend the night in it, which only 23 people survived - the rest simply suffocated.

The revenge of the British was swift and inevitable. On March 11, 1757, Colonel Robert Clive presented an ultimatum to the governor of Chandernagor, demanding the immediate surrender of the fortress under the pretext of supposedly collaborating with the Nawab. The French refused, and Clive took the city with land and river strikes, eliminating the French presence in the region. In June of that year, Clive "visited" the Nawab in his dominions. At the battle of Plassey, the army of the Bengal ruler, numbering 50-70,000 people, was unable to oppose anything against the detachment of the British and sepoys, numbering only 3,000 people. The Nawab who tried to escape was caught and tortured until he died.

Now all of Bengal was under the control of the British. Clive was enriched by £300,000, and the new Nawab, Mir Jafar, paid him an additional £30,000 annual pension.

Battle of Hastenbeck
Source: mediander.com

Fortune, which favored Friedrich for the first six months of the war, decisively betrayed him after Colin. Having rolled back to Saxony and having lost hope of quickly defeating Austria, the king also faced the French threat. Having crossed the Rhine, the French, under the leadership of Marshal Louis d'Estre, quickly took Wesel, occupied Cleve and East Friesland, passed Westphalia and imposed an indemnity on Hanover.

The French command did not expect great difficulties: Frederick was far away, and only a “hodgepodge” called the Observation Army could resist. A number of small states came out on the side of England and Prussia, whose troops made up this contingent - the army of Hanover, the Hessians, the Brunswicks and others. There were only a few thousand Prussians in the army. The army was commanded by Duke William Augustus of Cumberland, the son of the English King George II.

The battle between the united German troops and the French took place on July 26 at Hastenbeck. The not very successful position of the Observation Army led to the rapid capture of its central battery, which was located on one of the heights - after that, the Duke of Cumberland decided that he had had enough and ordered a retreat. At the same time, Crown Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, who commanded part of the Observation Army, repulsed the battery, and the Hanoverian infantry and cavalry of Colonel Max von Breidenbach hit the French from the rear and took many prisoners and 22 guns. Alas, the English duke found out about the successes of his subordinates too late - in his own opinion, he lost the battle. The French could be considered the winners - even with twice the losses and the absence of a serious advantage even at the final stage of the battle. However, d'Estre did not wait for the fruits of this victory for himself: soon, due to court intrigues, he was replaced by Duke Louis de Richelieu.

On September 8, the Tseven Agreement was signed - in fact, the surrender of the allied forces. Hanover withdrew from the war and was effectively surrendered to the French, and the Observation Army ceased to exist. Many believed that Frederick was doomed - he had no allies on the continent. But at the end of September the Prussian king perked up. George II did not recognize the humiliating conditions of the Tseven agreement, and deprived his son of the post of commander - his place was taken by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, who almost won a victory at Hastenbeck. England confirmed all her obligations to Prussia, and the war continued.

Attack of the Prussian hussars near Gross-Jegersdorf
Source: inpodolsk.ru

Despite the fact that the "Diplomatic Revolution" took Russia by surprise, the Russians' determination to fight Prussia was great. True, not everyone understood the scale of the future war - for example, Chancellor Alexei Bestuzhev-Ryumin believed that the conflict with Friedrich would be a simple sabotage for Austrian money. Such carelessness greatly harmed the preparations for war. As a result, Russia, which had almost the largest army in Europe, managed to start active operations only in the summer of 1757. The main goal of the Russian forces under the command of Field Marshal Stepan Apraksin was East Prussia, which was defended by the corps of the aged Field Marshal Johann von Lewald, numbering only 22–24,000 people.

The battle took place on August 30, 1757 near the village of Gross-Egersdorf, and the appearance of the Prussians turned out to be an unpleasant surprise for Apraksin. The Russian army marched in two columns under the command of Fermor and Lopukhin, the vanguard of Sibilsky moved separately. Having crossed the Pregel River, Lewald advanced towards the Russians and took up convenient positions. Despite the abundance of horse scouts in the Russian army, Apraksin knew absolutely nothing about the location of the enemy, and his troops, who left the Norkitten forest in marching order, were surprised to see the Prussian army already unfolding for battle. The strongest blow of the Prussians hit the vanguard of Lopukhin, his 2nd division was swept from the front and flank, the cavalry of Prince Holstein hit the vanguard and the main forces of Apraksin at the junction, and other Prussian cavalry units pressed the Russian cavalrymen on both flanks. General Lopukhin was mortally wounded - it seemed that defeat was approaching.

Despite the suddenness of the attack, Levald did not show any special tactical talent, there was no flank coverage, and the battle was reduced to a series of strong, but frontal attacks on the Russian troops, deploying in battle formations. At one of the moments of the battle, the Prussian cavalry, breaking through the ranks of the Russian infantry, fell under the dagger fire of the fuzes and artillery and suffered huge losses - happiness began to lean towards the Russians. The situation was finally corrected by the 32-year-old Major General Pyotr Rumyantsev - his reserve of four regiments, without an order from above and in violation of the rules of the then tactics, "leaked" through the forest and hit the rear of the Prussians surrounding the 2nd division. At the same time, the formation of General Sibilsky, who had not previously taken part in the battle, began to move towards the main battlefield: his grenadiers were no longer afraid of the counterattack of the Prussian cavalry, which fell under the buckshot. Realizing that things were bad, Lewald ordered to retreat. In some places, the retreat looked like a flight, but in general, the Prussians managed to leave unchecked, leaving no Russian banners (at the same time, 29 guns became the prey of the winners).

It seemed that the Gross-Egersdorf victory opened the way for the Russians to Koenigsberg...

Battle of Rosbach
Source: tumblr.com

After the victory at Hastenbeck, the French felt they were masters of the situation. Their troops occupied Braunschweig, Wesel, Hanover, invaded the Prussian possessions on the Elbe and robbed them mercilessly.

Frederick could not afford to throw significant forces at the French - troops were needed both in Silesia and in Saxony. On September 7, 1757, the army of Charles of Lorraine attacked the Prussian troops at Moise and defeated the 13,000th corps (its commander Hans von Winterfeld, a close friend of Friedrich, was killed in battle). The Prussian king was threatened with complete defeat. The French commander Prince Soubise had already come to Saxony with 43,000 Franco-Imperial army (the small German states put up their contingents against Prussia, which made up the so-called Imperial Executive Army under the leadership of Generalissimo Joseph of Saxe-Hildburghausen). Against them, the Prussian king managed to put up only 22–23,000 people, so the future battle seemed like an easy warm-up to the French.

The warm-up was not easy: near the village of Rosbach, Frederick took full advantage of the oblique battle formation and high maneuverability of his army, defeating twice the size of the French army in less than two hours. The imperial allies of the French, and previously not distinguished by high combat capability, simply fled. The main reason for the defeat of the French was their inept use of one of the types of column tactics (Folar columns). Half a century later, Napoleon's already practiced column tactics would crush the Prussians at Jena, but now Prussia's western borders were secure.

Attack of the Prussian infantry at the Battle of Leuthen
Source: chrontime.com

While Frederick was crushing the French in the west, things were going very badly in the east. The Austrians, despite numerous stereotypes, turned out to be good warriors - experienced Prussian generals retreated step by step. An ally of the Prussian king, August of Brunswick-Bevernsky, retreated across Silesia under the onslaught of Prince Charles of Lorraine. Schweidnitz was taken, where 6,000 Prussians were taken prisoner, after a fierce battle, Breslau was left - the recently conquered Silesia was slipping out of Prussian hands. Like a meteor, Frederick's small army rushed into Silesia, covering almost 200 km in 12 days. Having united with the corps of Hans von Ziten, the Prussian king decided to give the enemy a fight. Charles of Lorraine was not opposed - his 80,000 people seemed a convincing argument against half the size of the Prussian army.

On December 5, 1757, the armies met near the town of Leuthen. The Austrian commander foresaw Frederick's use of the "oblique attack", but he managed to deceive him. An imitation of a Prussian attack on the right flank prompted Karl to transfer reserves there, while a crushing fist was concentrated against the left flank of the Austrians - and the rebuilding took place directly during the battle. Strategically, Frederick played flawlessly, his troops fell on the flank of the Austrians and pressed him. Neither attempts to create a new stable front nor the counterattacks of the Austrian cavalry were successful. The army of Charles faltered and began to randomly retreat to the rear - to the city of Lissa.

Friedrich's further actions are like the exploits of the heroes of an adventure novel. Instead of enjoying a triumph, the king gathered a small force and at the head of it rode to Lissa in order to take possession of an important bridge that allowed the continuation of the pursuit. Any random bullet could have killed Friedrich, but he decided to take the risk - and won, securing both the capture of the bridge and the surrender of the Austrian headquarters, captured right in the local castle. Charles's army was defeated, 52 banners fell at the feet of Frederick, and his "piggy bank" was replenished with a glorious victory.

Battle of Zorndorf
Source: varvar.ru

After the victory at Gross-Egersdorf, Apraksin's army, weakened by disease, combat losses and lack of supplies, did not go to Koenigsberg. On the contrary, the field marshal led her back to the Russian borders - from the outside, this retreat looked like the flight of the losers. Russian troops abandoned their wounded, burned wagons, and villages, cities and fields were set on fire. The emboldened Prussian commander Lewald organized the pursuit, and as a result, the Russian army ended up behind the Neman, and the campaign of 1757 was failed by it. The Russian Empress Elizabeth did not appreciate Apraksin's talents - he was removed from the post of commander, arrested and died during the investigation. In 1758, the Russians had to start from scratch.

However, it was necessary to start in more favorable conditions than a year earlier: Lewald fought with the Swedes in Pomerania, and there was no one to resist the Russians. Therefore, already on January 22, 1758, Koenigsberg was taken without a fight. The new commander Willim Fermor immediately declared it a Russian city, and East Prussia a Russian province. Later, the cities of Elbing and Thorn were taken - the Russians freely ruled in the Prussian lands.

Meanwhile, Frederick, having won almost all of Silesia from the Austrians, managed to elude the Austrian troops surrounding him and set out to punish the Russians. At the same time, Fermor laid siege to the Prussian fortress of Kustrin, where huge supplies for the Prussian army were stored. The Russians did not take Kustrin, but it did not make Frederick feel better: a fire started in the fortress from the bombardment, the supplies burned down, and as a result, the king got the ruins. Now it became a matter of honor for Frederick to defeat Fermor, and on August 14, 1758, the two armies converged at Zorndorf. The maneuvers of the Prussian troops did their job: the Russian army began the battle, being bypassed from the rear. However, Frederick's famous "oblique attack" failed due to the terrain. This failure of the Prussians was fully compensated by the fact that Fermor removed himself from command almost from the very beginning of the battle, and the Russian soldiers fought without any single plan. The resilience of the Russian troops amazed contemporaries - the grenadiers, who lost the support of the cavalry, having shot all the cartridges, still did not take flight. Having pressed the right wing of the Russian army, Frederick could not achieve more. The battle ended almost in a draw: the Russians lost more men than the Prussians, but remained on the battlefield. Zorndorf became unpleasant news for the Prussian king - the "Russian barbarians" turned out to be a worthy adversary.

Frederick the Great and his army at Hochkirch
Source: art-assorty.ru

Taking advantage of the absence of Friedrich, who fought with the Russians, the Austrian Field Marshal Daun again went on the offensive. Huge armies of the Austrians went to Silesia and Saxony, covered by the brother of the Prussian king, Prince Henry. Soon, Daun decided not to scatter his forces, but also to go to Saxony in order to squeeze the Prussians out of there with the combined power.

On September 10, 1758, Frederick also appeared near Dresden, and the old enemies again stood against each other. While the Prussian army was tensely expecting a battle, Daun calmly sent part of his troops to Silesia, where he laid siege to Oppeln and Neisse. Friedrich was not satisfied with the next loss of Silesia - he decided to drop everything and go to knock out the Austrians from there, and at the same time smash and seize Daun's shops. The latter, seeing the prospect of being left without food, acquired an amazing agility, and when Friedrich approached the village of Hochkirch on October 10, an unprecedented thing opened up to his eyes: the Austrians managed to overtake the Prussians and take an excellent position! Friedrich ordered to set up camp right there, although almost the entire headquarters begged not to do this - the danger was obvious.

At two o'clock in the morning, the Austrian troops went around the enemy, and Laudon's corps was sent to the rear. At five o'clock in the morning, the crackle of shots broke the silence, and the Austrians attacked the sleeping Prussian camp from all sides. Any other army would have been destroyed in an instant, but the famous discipline of the Prussians was at its best this time: in a matter of minutes, people took their places in the battle ranks, and the most stubborn night battle began in the light of fires. The top commanders of the Prussians, Franz of Brunswick and Field Marshal Keith, were killed in the battle. The battle continued after morning. Frederick's military leadership, the stamina and discipline of his soldiers saved the day - the Prussians managed to retreat and not be destroyed. The Prussian army lost 9,000 men killed and wounded, 101 guns, 28 banners and the entire camp.

Fort Saint George in Madras
Source: beeretseq.com

On December 12, 1758, the French commander Thomas Lally launched an attack on Madras. The British managed to prepare well for the defense: the city was defended by 1,700 British and 2,000 sepoys (the French forces were 3,266 Europeans and 4,000 sepoys). On December 14, the French army approached Madras, and the British immediately gave her the "black quarter", fortifying themselves in Fort St. George. Before the operation was completed, the French began a wild robbery (foreseeing it, the British commander Stringer Lawrence left all the stocks of wine in the quarter, which were immediately consumed by the proud Gauls). Hoping that the drunken Frenchman would not be able to fight, Lawrence tried to knock out the enemies with a quick blow, but the French turned out to be warriors anywhere - with heavy losses, the British retreated to the fort. The siege of St. George began, which lasted until February 16, 1759 and did not promise success to the besiegers: due to lack of supplies, the French army was simply starving. A characteristic feature of the siege was ... the mass desertion of the French in the besieged fort. A case is known for certain when 150 people immediately ran over to the British, who fed them and immediately placed them in the ranks of the defenders of the fort.

On February 16, 1759, the sails of the British fleet appeared on the horizon, a landing was made - and the French had to leave.

Charge of the British 37th Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Minden
Source: armytigers.com

In the European theater of the Seven Years' War, the French were definitely out of luck. Having started well and almost having England withdraw from the war on the continent, the proud Gauls had no more success. Appointed commander of the allied army, Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick - a figure undeservedly forgotten in the mass consciousness - beat the French troops with enviable constancy. Even before Zorndorf, he had inflicted a terrible defeat on the French army of Count Clermont at Krefeld and was ready to beat the enemy further. But the numerical superiority remained on the side of the French, and the French commanders again and again drove their soldiers forward. The next battle took place at Minden on August 1, 1759.

The basis of Ferdinand's troops were the troops of Hanover and Hesse, in the same row with which stood 9,000 British. Thus, against 50–60,000 French, the Prince of Brunswick managed to deploy 30–40,000 Germans and British. The French built their troops in an unusual way - the cavalry was not located on the flanks, but in the center, in order to come to the aid of the flanks on occasion.

The battle turned out to be the glory of the English infantry and a miracle unprecedented in the history of modern times: six regiments of English infantry in close formation attacked the French cavalry on whose orders. According to all the laws of tactics, the cavalry should have trampled on the brave men in an instant, but they repulsed the attacks with heavy fire and moved on, destroying squadron after squadron. As a result, the French cavalry ceased to exist as a combat unit, and later the troops of Ferdinand of Brunswick also defeated the French infantry. The inexplicable slowness of the English commander George Sackville, who did not move the cavalry to pursue the fugitives, saved the French from a complete defeat. The Battle of Minden once again buried the intentions of the French to achieve success in the war on the continent and became the day of glory for the British infantry - since then, August 1st has been celebrated in Great Britain as Minden's Day.

Battle of Kunersdorf
Source: runivers.ru

The Russian army began the campaign of 1759 with a new commander, General Pyotr Semyonovich Saltykov, who had not previously become famous for anything. Contrary to expectations, Saltykov proved himself to be a decisive and energetic commander, undertaking a bold march to the Oder, which the Prussians were forced to repel by sending General Wedel's corps against the Russians. Near Palzig, Wedel showed unjustified vehemence, attacking Saltykov's army, which was superior and occupying defensive positions. Having failed in the first attack, Vedel became furious and continued to advance head-on - under artillery and rifle fire. As a result, the Prussian corps was completely defeated, suffered huge losses, and Friedrich himself had to go to Saltykov. Having won, Saltykov connected with the Austrian corps of Laudon.

On August 12, the Battle of Kunersdorf began. Saltykov prepared thoroughly for the battle: the positions of the Russian army were reinforced with field fortifications along the entire front. Nevertheless, Friedrich was a resounding success from the start. Having defeated the Russian left flank on the height of Muhlberg and capturing the guns stationed there, he prepared to strike with his infantry on the flank of the Russians standing on the height of Spitsberg. However, the terrain did not allow for an attack on a wide front: the Prussians crowded into a small patch and lost the advantage of maneuver. At the same time, the regrouped Russian artillery opened heavy fire on them. The Prussians attacked the positions on Svalbard time after time, and rolled back time after time. The Russians fought desperately, did not retreat, and the frantic attacks of the Prussian infantry failed.

Trying to turn the tide of the battle, Friedrich ordered the cavalry to break through the front of the Russian army with a ramming blow, while the infantry attacked Saltykov's positions from the flank. At some point, the cavalry even managed to break through to the top of Spitsberg, but it could not stay there - the cavalrymen were terribly exhausted. In the end, everything was decided by the Russian and Austrian cavalry, which hit the tired Prussians in the rear and flank. Something seemed to break in the perfect mechanism of the Prussian army - a general flight began. Prussian losses amounted to almost 20,000 killed, wounded and captured. Only Friedrich's inhuman energy and the passivity of the Russians and Austrians during the pursuit allowed him to recreate the army and continue resistance. Kunersdorf was the worst defeat of the Prussian army in the Seven Years' War - the day after this battle, Frederick was left with only an unorganized crowd.