Battle Of Lawfeldt, 1747, In The War Of The Austrian Succession

By André Geraque Kiffer

The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748 and was fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic, and the Mediterranean. The Battle of Lawfeldt took place on July 2, 1747, between Tongeren, in modern Belgium, and the Dutch city of Maastricht. Part of the War of the Austrian Succession, a French army of 100,000 under Marshal Saxe defeated an allied (Pragmatic) Habsburg army of 120,000, led by the Duke of Cumberland. In the battle simulation, I will try to correct the flaws presented in the historical analysis, testing improvements in the maneuvers. And then we will prove which maneuver will prevail, both being instructed with the best and maximum effort.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clube de Autores
• Release date: May 3, 2024

Book preview

Battle  of  Lawfeldt,  1747,

in  the  War  of  the Austrian  Succession

A  historical  simulation

André  Geraque  Kiffer

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---  Kiffer,  André  Geraque.

Battle  of  Lawfeldt,  1747,  in  the  War  of  the  Austrian Succession.  A  historical  simulation.  André  Geraque  Kiffer.

Author’s  Edition,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  2024. Bibliography:  106  p.  55  img.  21  cm..

1.  History.  2.  Art  of  War.  3.  Science  of  War.  4.  War Games.  I.  Author.  II.  Title.

ISBN  978-65-01-01772-3

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HISTORICAL  SIMULATION....................................  5

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ADDENDUM...........................................................  9

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REFERENCES.......................................................  1

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As  a  Military  Historian  I  rely  on  a  summary  of  the historical  fact,  I  analyze  and  highlight  the  decisive  factors, before  simulating  hypotheses  what  if…  hypotheses through  a  board  game.  In  the  simulation,  all  possibilities of  the  purpose  of  the  study  are  completed,  when  the  past of  history  is  analyzed  based  on  the  theory  of  the  present and  projected  for  similar  situations  in  the  future.  Since 2010  I  have  published  the  following  series  of  simulations: I.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  Wars  of  the  First  Empires; II.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  Wars  in  Classical  Greece; III.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  Roman  Wars;  IV.  Historical Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Medieval  Era;  V.  Historical Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Modern  Era  (1453  to  1774);  VI. Historical  Simulation  of  Wars  in  the  Age  of  Revolutions (1775  to  1860);  VII.  Historical  Simulation  of  Wars  in  the Industrial  Age  (1861  to  1913);  VIII.  Historical  Simulation of  the  First  World  War;  IX.  Historical  Simulation  of  World War  II;  X.  Historical  Simulation  of  the  Cold  War  (1917  to 1991);  and  XI.  Historical  Simulation  of  Contemporary Wars  (1991  to  ...). Keywords:  History.  Art  of  War.  Science  of  War.  War

Games.

Battle  of  Lawfeldt,  1747.  A  historical  simulation  by  André  Geraque  Kiffer

HISTORICAL  FACT

War  of  the  Austrian  Succession  (1740  to  1748)

It  was  a  European  conflict  that  took  place  between  1740 and  1748  and  was  fought  mainly  in  Central  Europe,  the Austrian  Netherlands,  Italy,  the  Atlantic  and  the Mediterranean.  Related  conflicts  included  the  First  and Second  Silesian  Wars.

Img  1:  Queen  Maria  Theresa  and  Emperor  Francis  I.

Its  pretext  was  Maria  Theresa's  right  to  succeed  her father,  Emperor  Charles  VI,  as  ruler  of  the  Habsburg monarchy.  France,  Prussia  and  Bavaria  saw  this  as  an opportunity  to  challenge  the  power  of  the  Habsburg,  while the  heir  was  supported  by  Great  Britain,  the  Dutch

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Battle  of  Lawfeldt,  1747.  A  historical  simulation  by  André  Geraque  Kiffer

Republic  and  Hanover,  known  collectively  as  the  Pragmatic Alliance.

Img  2:  Europe  in  1738.

As  the  conflict  widened,  it  attracted  other  participants, including  Spain,  Sardinia,  Saxony,  Sweden  and  Russia.  The war  is  spread  across  four  operational  theaters,  Central Europe,  Italy,  the  Austrian  Netherlands  (mostly  present- day  Belgium)  and  the  Maritimes,  dividing  into  three  major conflicts. The  first  involved  Prussia  and  Austria  in  the  Silesian  Wars; second,  Austria  and  Sardinia  defeated  Spanish  attempts  to reconquer  territories  in  northern  Italy;  while  the  third

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Battle  of  Lawfeldt,  1747.  A  historical  simulation  by  André  Geraque  Kiffer

featured  an  increasingly  global  dispute  between  Britain and  France.

Img  3:  Armies  in  1740.

Prussia  occupied  Silesia  in  1740  and  repelled  Austrian efforts  to  recover  it,  although  Austria  and  Sardinia defeated  Spanish  attempts  to  recover  their  territories  in northern  Italy.  France  conquered  most  of  the  Austrian Netherlands  between  1745  and  1748,  giving  it  clear  power on  land,  but  by  1747  a  British  naval  blockade  was damaging  its  trade  and  the  state  was  close  to  bankruptcy. Britain's  victories  at  sea  cemented  its  place  as  the dominant  naval  power.  The  Spanish  were  unable  to recover  Minorca  or  Gibraltar,  ceded  to  Great  Britain  in 1714. The  clearest  victor  was  Prussia,  which  acquired  most  of Silesia  from  Austria,  a  result  that  undermined  the  old Anglo-Austrian  Alliance,  as  Maria  Theresa  deeply  resented Britain's  insistence  on  ceding  Silesia  to  make  peace.

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Battle  of  Lawfeldt,  1747.  A  historical  simulation  by  André  Geraque  Kiffer

The  war  also  demonstrated  the  vulnerability  caused  by  the mainland  of  Hanover,  then  held  in  personal  union  with  the British  Crown,  while  many  British  traders  felt  that  they  had received  little  benefit  from  the  huge  subsidies  paid  to Austria.

Img  4:  Silesia,  part  of  the  Crown  of  Bohemia.

Ultimately,  the  impasse  led  to  the  Treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle (1748),  which  confirmed  Maria  Theresa  in  her  titles  but failed  to  resolve  underlying  tensions  between  the signatories,  many  of  whom  were  unhappy  with  the  terms. The  result  was  a  realignment  known  as  the  Diplomatic Revolution,  in  which  Austria  and  France  ended  the

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Battle  of  Lawfeldt,  1747.  A  historical  simulation  by  André  Geraque  Kiffer

Bourbon-Hapsburg  rivalry  that  had  dominated  European affairs  for  centuries,  while  Prussia  allied  with  Britain, setting  the  stage  for  the  outbreak  of  War  of  the  Seven Years  in  1756.

Img  5:  Europe  in  1748.

Campaign  until  battle

By  the  end  of  1746  most  of  the  belligerents  sought  peace. Maria  Theresa  was  now  safe  on  her  throne. Austria  had  only  acquired  the  Austrian  Netherlands  in 1713  because  neither  the  British