Both sides have used the break in hostilities to make up their losses, which is relatively difficult due to a lack of recruits. Only Belling has managed to do so easily, his name having now become famous, resulting in large numbers of Serbs, Poles, and Hungarians who had deserted from the Russian hussar regiments coming to him. Thus he manages to raise five new squadrons and commences the training of a third hussar battalion.

The campaigning season opens with Belting, who is again on his own, facing the Swedes with his own hussar regiment and two battalions of Hardt's Freikorps; some 1,000 foot, 1,300 horse, and five guns against 15,000 Swedes.

At the beginning of July, Lantinghausen resigns his commission. General Ehrenswardt agrees to take command on the condition that Stockholm refrains from interfering with his decisions.

July 19: The Swedes suddenly launch two columns under Generals Lubecker and Hessenstein across the Trebel at Triebsee and Dammgarten. Ehrenswdrdt himself leads a third column over the Peene at Loitz.

Belling had left standing instructions to his widely stretched outposts for such an eventuality; the left wing is to retire on Malchin, the right on Treptow, both of these places containing large magazines.

After some loss, the left wing reaches Malchin on the 19th. Knobelsdorf with the right wing withdraws from Anklam and arrives in Treptow during the evening, after having force-marched the last forty miles.

July 20: Hessenstein and Lubecker cross the Peene at Verchen. Belling attacks their advanced guard and retards their progress. The Swedish forces only manage to unite two days later at Demmin, whence it proceeds to Vanselow.

Belling dispatches one company with one gun to escort the removal of the Malchin magazines to Havelberg, some 40 kilometers southeast of Wittenberge, and retires with the rump of his force on the 24th to Treptow.

Belling leaves detachments to guard the crossings at Breest and Klempenov and marches on the 25th along the left banks of the Tolensee toward Demmin and purposely remaining in view of the enemy. Shortly before Demmin, he turns around and force-marches out of sight to Friedland, moves over Cavel Pass, and on the 28`h throws the enemy outposts back on Neuendorf.

The Swedes avoid a prepared ambush awaiting them at Spantekow. Belling therefore moves back across Cavel Pass. The enemy's attention is now directed on this area. The rump of the Swedish army moves forward to Daberkow.

July 30: Belting is once again in Treptow. Friedland is occupied by one of his squadrons together with two Freikorps companies and two land squadrons sent to his assistance from Stettin.

During this time, the Swedes attack the crossings at Brook, Klempenov, Breest, and Friedland. All the attacks are repulsed.

Belling immediately moves over Cavel Pass to Spantekow and Thurow. From this position, Knobelsdorf with one company and one squadron attacks the Swedish-held bridge at Jarmen on August 4th, but is thrown back.

August 5: The Swedes renew their attacks on Brook, Klempenov, and Breest. Belling interferes with their rear at Bartow, but apart from giving them a fright, achieves little. He therefore withdraws over Cavel Pass on Friedland.

In the meantime the crossings at Klempenov and Breest have fallen. The Swedes then go on to occupy Treptow and the Ropenacker pass (the river crossing between Schonkamp and Schwanbeck). The Prussian NCO, Schwarzkugel, with ten men has succeeded in denying the crossing at Brook to two enemy battalions.

Knobelsdorf's force marches seventy miles in thirty-six hours to join Belting at Friedland, the joint force attacking on August 6th the Ropenacker pass, where after initially throwing the Swedes back they are forced to fall back in the face of a relief column hurrying up with Hessenstein from Treptow. They retreat to Friedland.

In the meantime, a Swedish column from Demmin is marching on Malchin. Belting fears for his communications with Mecklenberg and hurries forth on August 7th with eight companies of Freikorps Hardt and 900 horse giving Neu Brandenburg a wide berth. He arrives at Malchin (a distance of some seventy miles) to find the Swedes already gone. His cavalry however catches up with them on August 8th, inflicting heavy losses. The 9th of August sees Belling back in Friedland where he assembles his entire force of twelve companies, twelve squadrons, and five guns. With this meager force, he has succeeded in safety evacuating his magazines from Treptow and Malchin while fending off a force of 15,000.

August 13: Ehrenswardt once again takes the offensive in three columns. The first column under Meyerfeld occupies Friedland. The second column under Hessenstein marches over Neu Brandenburg and onto Woldeck. Belling, finding the Swedish position at Friedberg too strong, moves on Hessenstein's column, at which point Hessenstein withdraws across the Cavel Pass. The Prussian cavalry throw themselves on his rear guard, inflicting a loss of five officers and eightyfive men.

Belling, learning of the presence of the third column which is marching on Finkenbruck, marches at once for that place. On August 17th, he beats the Swedes to it causing this column under Major Platen to withdraw back to Anklam. 

August 18: Belling returns to Woldeck and receives the news that Neu Brandenburg has been occupied by a strong Swedish detachment. He sets off and arrives there on the 20`h, at which point he positions a detachment in front of the town and secretly marches around to the rear. However, the Swedish commandant, Stafelburg, learns of this maneuver from a patrol at Hohenzieritz. He breaks out with a loss of forty cavalry and retires on Treptow. On reaching Treptow, Stafelburg picks up reinforcements and marches with 5,500 men back on Neu Brandenburg. Belling quits the town and draws on the enemy advanced guard (consisting of the entire heavy cavalry, two regiments, and some hussar and jager squadrons) into his artillery fire and then attacks with his cavalry, throwing them back in disorder on the main body inflicting 300 casualties. Belling then retires back to Woldeck.

August 21: Belling reorganizes in Woldeck. The Prussians in Stettin detach troops to guard the crossings over the Ucker. Around this time the Swedes raise a light corps under Sprengporten numbering some 2,500 troops. On Belling's request, Herzog von Bevern dispatches two grenadier battalions (Ingersleben and Rotkirch) to Woldeck.

With these reinforcements Belling marches on Neu Brandenburg. Stafelburg, on receiving reports of his approach evacuates the town and falls back on Treptow. Treptow proves too hard a nut to crack, so Belling falls back, sending the two grenadier battalions back to Pasewalk. A little later however, Prussian General Stutterheim arrives on the scene bringing with him four weak battalions and eight heavy guns, causing the Swedes to evacuate Treptow.

Stutterheim places his force at Belling's disposal. Belling, desiring to get one of the river crossing points in his hands, attacks Klempenov on the 31st of August and again on the 1st of September but is repulsed both times. However, he manages to surprise the Swedes at Brook on September 2nd, forcing his way across and causing the Swedes to evacuate Breest and Klempenov.

The Prussian outposts are pushed right up to the Swedish camp at Boldekow. Ehrenswardt launches a double attack in an attempt to rid himself of these unwelcome visitors.

September 4: He dispatches Sprengporten with the Freikorps to Finkenbruck in the hope of intercepting Belling there. Sprengporten takes Ferdinandshof, continues to Rotemuhl, but then returns via the Cavel Pass.

September 4: The second attack is directed against Klempenov. However, this is firmly repulsed.

In the meantime, Stutterheim receives a communique from the Prince of Wurttemberg (facing the Russians) requesting his assistance. Stutterheim accordingly moves to Pragsdorf in order to be near the Ucker.

September 7: Belling gathers his forces at Jatzke. On September 9th, a Swedish patrol sent to observe the proceedings is ambushed and badly cut up.

The newly formed third Hussar Battalion is sent to Wurttemberg's assistance. Stutterheim and his force that initiallZ reach Locknitz follow them on September 15th. As however on September 19 , he prepares to cross the Oder, he receives a communique from Frederick telling him to continue with his task, which is to oppose the Swedes. Unfortunately, his absence has already contributed in no small way to a nasty turn of events for the Prussians, who are left behind to face the Swedes ...

After having sent strong detachments to occupy the Oder Islands with a view to meeting up with the Russians (an event that never happens), Ehrenswardt, who is aware of Stutterheim's absence and the reasons thereof, goes on the offensive with the remaining 11,000 Swedes.

September 16: The Freikorps move forward and occupy Finkenbruck in the evening. General Lubecker with seven battalions and two cavalry regiments proceeds to Jatzke. Ehrenswardt remains in Boldekow with the remainder of the army. ;

With the exception of two companies under Knobelsdorf at Ferdinandshof, Belling's entire force is at Jatzke. The two grenadier battalions belonging to Stettin are stationed at Pasewalk and Torgelow.

Belling throws his cavalry against Lubecker's force who are in the process of moving out from the Jatzke Wood, and hurls them back onto their infantry, thus forcing Lubecker to remain in the wood.

Belling follows through with his much weaker infantry and artillery, but the onset of dusk forces him to fall hack on C'osabroma. The object of his intention, however, is achieved, the Swedish oftenske being brought to a halt in this area. This enables Belling to hurry to the assistance of his right wing.

September 17: The Swedes make an unsuccessful bid to oust the Prussians at Torgelow.

September 18: A weak probe by Lubecker is thrown back by the two companies and two squadrons under Lieutenant Colonel Golz left behind at Cosabroma. On the right wing, Knobelsdorf has been attacked by Sprengporten's Freikorps and forced back towards Pasewalk.

At around the same time a battalion had been sent to occupy Rotemuhl. On September 18th, Belling's advanced guard bumps into it and attacks but is repulsed. Belling has already on the 17th ordered the grenadier battalion at Pasewalk and Knobelsdorf s two companies to move to Rotemuhl.

After their arrival, he circumnavigates Rotemuhl's eastern approaches, keeping out of sight by marching through the surrounding forest in order to attack the village simultaneously from the south. While moving through the forest, they collide with Sprengporten's Freikorps who are advancing from the opposite direction and who proceed to give the Prussians a "run for their money." The Prussians limp away leaving two officers and 200 men dead or wounded and a further 300 as prisoners of the Swedes. This disaster causes Belling to withdraw to a position behind the defiles at Taschenberg.

September 19: Lubecker and Sprengporten have reached Woldeck and Strasburg respectively. Forage parties are sent out, which Belling harasses with a few squadrons that he still keeps stationed west of Pasewalk.

September 22: Belling has to withdraw across the Ucker onto Pasewalk to replace the two grenadier battalions stationed there who have been recalled to Stettin. However, his outposts remain behind at Taschenberg to observe the movements of the enemy.

September 23: Stutterheim reaches Prenzlau, thus enabling Belling to leave Hardt's second battalion to guard Pasewalk and readopt his old position. He is just in time to oppose Sprengporten's countermove ...

The Prussians are forced back by the superior Swedish numbers. But on the eve of September 23rd, they break off and return to Strasburg.

Ehrenswardt, as previously mentioned, in order to assist the Russians, has strengthened his forces on the Oder Islands to a total of 3,000 men. A battalion from Stettin that was posted at Stepenitz hindered joint action. The subsequent weakening of the main army through this detachment was, for Ehrenswardt, grounds enough not to penetrate any deeper into Prussian territory.

Even though the newly raised Freikorps proves to be of good mettle, they can by no means match the Prussian light troops. The more the Swedes hesitate in the field, the more it encourages Belling to action, his hussars penetrating into their rear and holding them in a constant state of anxiety.

At about this time, Ehrenswardt receives the news that General Platen is marching on Pomerania from Silesia. Ehrenswardt, during the previous campaign, had been suddenly attacked in the flank from Stettin. It is probably for this reason that Ehrenswardt secretly withdraws his forces during the night of September 29th to Friedland and Ferdinandshof.

September 20: Dawn sees the Swedes in a very strong tactical position behind the rivers Landgraben and Zarowbach. Their extreme right wing rests on Friedland, their left on Ueckermiinde.

The light troops from Stettin are recalled and Stutterheim is obliged to send a battalion to Schwedt to protect it from the Russians. This weakening of the Prussian army is worsened by the arrival of an additional Swedish infantry and cavalry regiment from the motherland.

Despite this, Ehrenswardt moves back instead of forward. In order to make this at all comprehensible, it is necessary to throw a little light on events in East Pomerania. Here the Prince of Wurttemberg has entrenched himself in an attempt to shield Kolberg from the Russians. Soon, however, he is cut off and surrounded by a vastly superior force. General Platen, who is sent to his aid, manages to hack his way through to him. There follows a bitter struggle to preserve the communication lines with Stettin since the magazine at Kolberg is incapable of supplying so great a number of troops. It seems that hearing of these events near the Oder causes Ehrenswardt to fear for his own security, so instead of marching forwards, he limits himself to reinforcing the Swedish forces occupying the Oder Islands under Hessenstein. Ehrenswardt himself falls back on Anklam with the rump of his army. He is joined on October 10th by the Freikorps arriving from Ferdinandshof.

After the usual pause, the entire Swedish army, apart from the force under Hessenstein occupying the Oder Islands and the garrison at Demmin, retires behind the Ryck-Trebel borderline. The campaign in effect is at an end.

Stutterheim leads his four intact battalions back to rejoin Prince Henry, while Belling moves his headquarters to Dargun. His unceasing harassment eventually causes the Swedes to concede Demmin on December 6th.

The oncoming frosts cause the Swedish flotilla to return in November to Stralsund. Hessenstein quits the Oder Islands in mid-December. However, the Herzog of Mecklenberg's complaints over the Prussian activities in his land cause the Swedes once again to cross the Peene.

December 22: Sprengporten takes Malchin. However, on hearing of the approach of Prinz Eugen, who after the fall of Kolberg on December 16th is ordered by Frederick to take up winter quarters in Mecklenberg, Sprengporten begins to consider retreating. But Belling soon puts an end to this by cutting him off and attempting to take Malchin by storm. Sprengporten, after throwing off numerous assaults, is eventually rescued by Ehrenswardt, who, on January 2, 1762, comes to his relief. The Swedes clear up Mecklenberg and then withdraw behind the Trebel-Peene line, leaving a garrison in Demmin. The Prussians move to their old border positions. April 7th ushers in a cessation of hostilities that is followed on May 22nd by the peace of Hamburg, whereupon Sweden evacuates Demmin and ships its army back home.

Sweden's Role in the Seven Years War A Brief Chronology 1756-1761

1756
1757
1758
1759
1760
1761
Large Maps of Locales (extremely slow: 544K)
Jumbo Maps of Locales (monstrously slow: 974K)

This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com