Border Incursion - The Game

Thank you to all who commented on yesterday's post setting up the action at Bierwitz, 1704.

The game was played yesterday and what a great affair it was!

Whilst I did keep a record of every dice roll, I do not want to simply recount all that detail. However, here' is a report on the action...

The Battle

In many ways this scenario allows for the perfect solo game as the Pils Holstein defenders are largely static, allowing them to simply fire away merrily at the approaching attackers. The Cossack cavalry squadrons arrive at random times in random places, so again perfect for solo gaming.

The battle began with a general advance by the Vaubarians. The Cuirassiers on the right were ordered to ascend the hill to their front and station themselves atop the crest to allow for any action required against Cossacks arriving on that flank. The Muller dismounted dragoons were ordered to advance against the Cossack infantry at the farmstead, but to merely engage in a musketry duel. This would keep the Cossacks penned in and protect the left flank of the central infantry thrust against the town.

The assault on the town itself was led by Ratzinga, Grenadiers, and Dremel regiments, with the Leibgarde advancing in support.

On the Vaubarian left, the firefight between the Muller Dragoons and the Cossacks broke out quickly. Initially it went in favour of Muller, surprisingly as the defenders were in cover behind the enclosure walls). This changed over subsequent turns and it was only the morale of the trained regulars that kept them in the fight. They remained in action right till the end, even getting down to 50% casualties. the Cossacks suffered only 25% casualties, but the Vaubarian high command were happy with the state of play as this was a sideshow compared to where the battle would really be won.

In the centre, the Vaubarians advanced to within medium musket range and then the musketry began. The defending Pils Holstein infantry, regiments Wolfsheim and Braunschweig, would be hard pressed to keep the foe at bay, but they had managed to create hard cover barricades on the south-western edge of the town, keeping the Wolfsheim Regt in cover throughout. Whilst some barriers had been erected on the south-eastern edge by the Braunschweig regiment, they were not as substantial and would merely disrupt any chargers, but not confer any advantage in the musketry fight. And so, the Vaubarians struck lucky in this respect as the Grenadiers and Ratzinga regiments created a knuckle of fire against that part of the town. The Braunschweig regiment began to suffer, although concentrating their fire against the Vaubarian grenadiers they did cause many casualties. Ratzinga regiment, as a result, remained unscathed.

Meanwhile, Dremel regiment was starting to come off slightly worse against the Wolfsheim regiment with the latter having the advantage of hard cover. Would the Dremel regiment manage to hold long enough for the other two regiments to break the Braunschweig regiment? Time would tell…

Dicing for arrivals of the various light cavalry squadrons was always going to prove interesting. I deemed that the possibility of arrival should be from turn 3 onwards, with an increasing chance of units arriving each turn. So on turn three a 6 was required for each unit to arrive, then on turn four, a 5 required, and so on. As it turned out, on turn three, the Vaubarian Podolski Hussars arrived, on the Vaubarian left flank on the western edge of the table (again diced for randomly). And lo and behold, one of the Cossack squadrons (the Red Cossacks, so called because of their flag) also arrived on the Pils Holstein right flank, at the north-western table edge.

The inevitable would therefore happen and as the two adversaries spied each other over the open ground to the west of the farmstead, they advanced. Eventually they got to within charge distance and declared their intention!

Podolski first squadron charged, passing their charge test. The second squadron would follow up at a distance to support (after all, it wasn’t yet clear where any other Cossack horse might appear).

The Red Cossacks rolled for their charge test… and failed! They were caught at the halt by the first Podolski squadron who charged home waving their sabres. Of particular disadvantage to the Cossacks was that they would be unable to claim their lance bonus in the first charge round as they were caught stationary.

So it was that Podolski won that first round of melee by taking out two-thirds of the Cossacks for the loss of only one Hussar. However, such is the wonder of light cavalry, despite their irregular (but trained) status, the Cossacks held in an astonishing morale test! Perhaps they were buoyed by the realization that by this time, the second Cossack squadron (the Blue Cossacks) had arrived on table nearby and were ready to come to their aid. With the second Podolski squadron also pouring into the swirling melee anything could happen…

The second round proved disastrous for the Vaubarian Hussars. Was it complacency at thinking they had the fierce duel won? Who knows. But their sabres seemed to slash at thin air this time round. The first squadron was soon forced to retire, while the second squadron held their ground, just. So it was that the Cossacks gradually gained the upper hand in this sector. The melee turned into a bizarre point-to-point pony race as it ebbed and flowed. When the Cossacks thought they had it finally won, with both squadrons of Vaubarian Hussars in flight, all was about to change. But we’ll come to that…

Meanwhile, in the centre, the firefight was starting to turn into a battle of pure attrition. Both sides’ morale held, being trained regulars (and in the case of the Vaubarian Grenadiers, an elite unit). The Vaubarian brigade commander, Schweinsteiger, considered his options. Should the Grenadiers launch a bayonet charge against the severely weakened Braunschweig regiment? As the claret clad Grenadiers fixed bayonets, the Pils Holsteiners decided enough was enough. They had lost over 75% of their number, and a final crashing volley from Ratzinga and the Grenadiers was the last straw… the remains of proud regiment Braunschweig turned about and retired through the town and away over the bridge to the safety of their homeland. They had done their duty, but that was really enough for one day.

With that, Brigadier von Grok, the Pils Holstein commander deemed the battle lost. The Wolfsheim regiment, now standing alone in the town, were depleted and facing 4 enemy battalions, with the Vaubarian Leibgarde arriving fresh. It is rumoured that von Grok himself, decided to leave the final surrender missive to be delivered by an orderly and made his way back across the bridge over the Kleine-Laber to Pils Holstein (in other words sneaked off!) disguised as a merchant.

The town was retaken by a jubilant Vaubarian force.

But how to deal with those pesky Cossack cavalry on the western side of the table?
The Vaubarian Voigts Cuirassier regiment had stood proudly atop the hill at the eastern side of the table for a number of turns, lest there be an unexpected arrival of Cossacks over on that flank. The Vaubarian commander, The Markgraf Karl von Orff, kept them on station just long enough. As things in the centre were just tipping in his favour, he had ordered the Cuirassiers to descend the hill and make their way steadily across the battlefield to the western flank lest the Cossacks make a breakthrough. 

And so, just at the moment where the Cossack cavalry thought they could make such a breakthrough, they saw the Cuirassiers coming across and decided to live to fight another day. They didn’t even hang hung around long enough to provide a screen for their infantry brethren at the farmstead to make their way off table, leaving them to their fate… Those rogues are probably now adorning a Vaubarian prison cell.

And so ended the battle. A hard-fought victory for Vaubarian forces.

The Markgraff was pleased with the alacrity with which the mission was accomplished. It has been suggested that Colonel Podolski might sharpen his sword for the next outing, although he was seen that very evening sampling the delights of Bierwitz, recounting tales of heroism with considerable hyperbole!

Casualty records

Pils Holstein forces:

Commander: Brigadier von Grok

Infantry regiment Wolfsheim -4 casualties

Infantry regiment Braunschweig -17 casualties! In retreat.

Cossack infantry regiment – 3 casualties

Cossack Cavalry squadron (red) – 5 casualties (just one rider remaining!)

Cossack Cavalry squadron (blue) -2 casualties

Vaubarian forces:

Commander: The Markgraf Karl von Orff

Infantry regiment: Leibgarde – untouched.

Infantry regiment: Dremel – 10 casualties

Electoral Grenadier regiment von Rumenigge – 7 casualties

Infantry regiment: Ratzinga – untouched.

Dismounted Dragoon regiment Muller – 8 casualties

Cuirassier regiment: Vogts cuirassiers - untouched

Podolski Hussars sqdn 1 – 4 casualties

Podolski Hussars sqdn 2 – 4 casualties

 

Notes 

Town Buildings: made by Brian Rigelsford, painted by me.

Farmstead: made and painted by Jon Boadle

All terrain by me.

Figures all painted by me, with the exception of the Cossack cavalry which were painted by Dave Woodward.

Flags and basing on all troops by me.The table was 6’x4’ in size.
The rules in use are my own, homegrown set , working title -“Lines of Battle.”

Figures in use: 28mm Front Rank, with the Cossacks being from Wargames Foundry.

For those who have stuck with it, I hope you enjoyed this little action as much as I did.