Proviantmeister 1756

BY HIS MAJESTY'S COMMAND: THE ARMY MUST BE SUPPLIED!

Anno 1756. Prussia stands ready for war!

His Majesty has raised regiments, commissioned cannons and ordered banners to be sewn. The generals demand victories, the artillerymen demand powder, and the soldiers demand bread.

Naturally, each considers his own needs the most important.

And who, we ask, is supposed to provide all of this?

Why, Herr Proviantmeister, that would be you!

In Proviantmeister – 1756, you assume the honourable and rather demanding duty of supplying the Prussian army throughout the Seven Years' War, from 1756 to 1763.

What begins as a responsibility for a single regiment gradually develops into a formidable logistical undertaking. Depots must be stocked, wagons maintained, supply columns dispatched, and provisions delivered to the right place at precisely the right time.

For let it be known: Even the finest army in Europe cannot march on an empty stomach!

WHAT HIS MAJESTY EXPECTS OF YOU

Feed the men and their horses!

Bread, grain, provisions and fodder are consumed day after day. What appears abundant today may be desperately needed tomorrow. Clothing, footwear, gunpowder and lead also demand your attention.

Set the supply columns in motion!

Organise wagons, plan transportation and consider cargo capacity, weight, distances and travel times. Wagons wear down, horses grow tired, and poorly planned deliveries rarely arrive when needed.

Maintain the Royal Depots!

Manage supplies, organise deliveries and decide when depots should be relocated or dissolved. A warehouse filled to the rafters is of little comfort to soldiers starving three days' march away.

Keep everything in working order!

Workshops, repairs and wagon maintenance are as essential to your duties as managing available personnel and supply facilities.

Defy weather, misfortune and the occasional catastrophe!

Rain turns roads into mud, winter complicates supply routes, and unexpected events have an unfortunate habit of ruining even the most excellent plans. Respond to reports from the field and make decisions before minor inconveniences become major disasters.

Rise in the service of His Majesty!

Begin your career serving a regiment and earn greater responsibilities as the confidence of your superiors grows, until the supply of much of the main army rests in your hands.

But beware! Your superiors are unlikely to judge you by your good intentions. They shall judge you by the condition of the troops and their supplies.

WARS ARE NOT WON ON THE BATTLEFIELD ALONE

While cannons thunder and regiments advance, you must fight a very different battle: against empty depots, broken wagons, dreadful roads and the relentless passage of time.

Every decision involves a compromise. Every delivery consumes resources. And every missing supply may have consequences.

Here, victory does not belong to the man who shouts the loudest order to attack, but to the one who ensures the army is actually capable of carrying it out.

The history books shall tell of glorious victories.

The fellow who delivered the bread rarely gets a mention.

It is high time that changed.

Now to your duties, Herr Proviantmeister! His Majesty is not a patient man.