Found Tacked to a Wall in Ludwigslust, and Neustadt-Glewe, and Fahrbinde, and...

Spring Vacation Is Over - New Battle Report Coming

Our campaign hiatus is at an end and a new battle report is coming.  While I'm working that up your humble corespondent will provide a weather report and some pictures from the battle as a tease.

The weather: The day after the battle on the Dreenkrogener Road the Russians had retreated west then north in the general direction of Schwerin (if you follow the roads) and the Prussians fell back on their base of operations Neustadt-Glewe.  Following a day of re-organization and plotting with allies both sides decided to march, the French marching troops north along the B-106 from Ludwigslust to rendezvous with the Russians near the B-106 & A-24 intersection and the Prussians heading to that same intersection to try and trounce the Russians again before their vexsome French and British allies could intervene.

Both sides marched out into a day of solid and relentless rain which soon soaked the ground and turned roads into mires.  The unrelenting heavy rain made reconnaissance nearly impossible as the scouts took to shelter themselves and those that didn't couldn't hear anything and could only see a few dozen yards.  It also made marching a test of endurance, a test which the Russians and Prussians failed as they found cover, the Russians in the picturesque town of Fahrbinde, north of the B-106 A-24 crossroads and the Prussians north and a bit west of Neustadt-Glewe in the villages of Hohewisch and Kronskamp.  Only the French, a Brigade of Line and the Brigade of Grenadiers, were man enough to keep up the slog for pretty much a full 24 hours before they arrived, soaked and exhausted at a large stone granary just south of the crossroads.

Their arrival was well timed as the Prussians, waiting for the rain to start slacking off in the early morning of the next day, got their sappers working on repairing the A-24 so that when they moved out they were able to move rather briskly along the road.  All was going well for the Prussians, their advance had not been noticed by the cossacks posted as the security screen of the Russians, they being either asleep or more interested in finding something to eat than wandering around in the rain looking for Prussians.  The French had no idea the Prussians were around either until the last moments when the battle actually started.

So the battle was fought after the rain had mostly stopped, the game starting at 6am and lasting until 8pm (game time).  There were rules for the ground being sogged at the start, rules for it gradually drying out, rules for wet powder for the French and the Prussians, and rules for the fatigued French forces as well.  I'll post some pictures below and I'll be writing up an actual battle report as soon as I can manage it.

Battle Along the Dreenkrogener Road

The next battle took place north of Ludwigslust between the forces of the King of Prussia (Commanded by Graf LED von Zeppelin) and the Empress of all the Russias (Lead by Archduke Aleksey of Molchow).  The Russians advancing from their base at Schwerin turned east on the A24 and soon found the Prussians moving west along the same road.  The Russians, encumbered by their large artillery park and slightly let down by the inefficient scouting of their Cossaks, found the strongest position they could and deployed for the soon to be epic Battle of the Dreenkrogener Road.

The battle takes place at the A24 interchange

Battle Plans

As can be see on the above maps the Prussians deployed to attack the Russians which were deployed along the Dreenkrogener Road hiding in the woods and behind the drainage ditch which ran along the edge of the woods adding another layer of protection to their exposed flank.  The Prussians decided to launch an attack that would hit the entire length of the Russian position at as close to the same time as they could manage.

The forces were not equal, the Prussians had the overall larger force with that advantage being in their infantry both numerically and qualitatively.  The Russians had a drastic advantage in artillery and were superior to the Prussian in cavalry including out numbering the Prussian heavy cavalry 8 to 5.

The Prussians entered the map in march column and advanced to the edge or artillery range along the front of the Russian position.  The Russian cavalry remained behind their infantry and artillery lines and left the Prussians to maneuver with out interruption.

The south end of the Russian position.  Due to the 

naval action earlier in the campaign some Russian

Infantry Battalions started the game with damage.

The north end of the position bristling with cannon 

and dour Russian soldats.

The entire Russian position with Duke Aleksy's

imposing presence urging his men to do their Duty

to the Empress!

The Prussian Cavalry Brigade marches along the

drainage ditch.  This ditch would help save the

Russian flank as crossing it in the face of Enemy

Horse was too dangerous to risk.

Prussian infantry columns streaming towards the

Russians.

The Russian commanders say "Bring it!"

A close up on the Russians defending the northern 

woods where the action would start.

The Scissor Stepping Assault Brigade.

They would indeed "bring it" to the Russians.

Even though waiting for night to fall and end the battle, the Russians essentially held their positions for the first half of the game the Prussians were able to advance, deploy out of column, and move to the attack at their own rapid pace.  The action kicked off with the above pictured Brigade deploying to assault the angle at the north end of the Russian position while the rest of the Prussian army advanced as rapidly as they were able.  The attack was not quite simultaneous all along the line as the Prussians intended, the south end of the Prussian attack, delayed by the woods along their approach arrived after the rest of the army.

The view behind the Russian left as seen by the Prussian

Cavalry Bridge.  The Horse Grenadiers and an Elite 

Regiment of Dragoons kept the Prussians from riding 

across the ditch into the rear of the Russian position.

The Assault Brigade in position, the remainder of 

the Prussian army is visible in the background.

The forces enter firing range!

As can be imagined once the Assault Brigade got into position and advanced on the woods they were taken under fire by the Russian Artillery.  This fire was, at long range, mostly ineffective but, once everyone was inside musket range the effectiveness rose dramatically and so did the casualties on both sides.  The fighting at the north end of the map was the bloodiest of the day and both sides would have chances that were missed and unlikely events that would unfold.

The view from the south end of the Russian line. As

you can see the attack at the north end preceded the

attack along the rest of the line but only by 15 to 30 minutes.

The Prussians at the south end of the line maneuver

through the woods, delaying their attack.

Casualties mount in the Assault Brigade.

Things looked like they were going well for the Russians, then one good turn of shooting by the Prussians and one turn of poor morale rolling by the Russians turned the situation on it's head.  The 12pdr battery was driven off along with the front line Russian infantry battalion.  The way was nearly clear for the Prussians to collapse the Russian left and roll up the entire position.

Where have the Russians gone?

The Assault Brigade crosses the ditch and seizes half

of the woods as Russian reinforcements from the center

deploy to hold the south half and form square to help

keep the Prussian Cavalry on the other side of the ditch.

At this point the rest of the Prussian army was getting into the fight, hitting the Russians like a wave moving from north to south.  In the center the Prussian infantry was suffering under withering Russian artillery fire and, in the north, the Russians responded with a devastating turn of fire which ground much of the offensive potential out of the Assault Brigade.

The Russian left sagging back, but holding!

The Prussian Center pummeled by canister as the

Prussian left advances slowly through the woods.

Undeterred by their mounting casualties the Prussian center gamely manuvered to assault the Russian center which had been reduced by both Prussian artillery fire as well as the need to pull battalions out of the line to shore up the Russian left.  Though only the tatters of Battalions the charge went in and drove off or captured some of the Russian artillery which formed the bulk of the Russian center towards the end.

In go the remnants of a Fusilier Battalion!

The Russian center and the determined Prussians 

attacking it.

At about this time the rest of the Prussian army was getting into action with the Russians at the south end of the line.  With darkness approaching and the chance of forcing the Russians to make an Army Morale test the Prussians were indeed "all in" on the attack.  At the north end, after spending hours glaring at each other across the drainage ditch the Prussian Kuirassier even attempted to charge across it, only to be driven back by the Elite Kazan Shock Dragoon Regiment.

Kuirassier driven back across the ditch.  The Dragoons

elect not to follow them.

As night falls the Russians fall back in good order.

The end of the battle leaves two battered armies but

the Prussians hold the field and win the day.

The last turn of the game brought the Russian army to the point where it had to test it's army morale, this is a major point of the Rank and File rules as well as a major point of adjudicating campaign losses.  Duke Aleksey, clutching his favorite d6 in his hand muttered a hopeful prayer.  A one or a two and he was done for!  With his eyes to heaven he rolled his die... a 1!  His army would rout from the field not retreat!  But wait!  Fortunately he had saved his re-roll and, with a more fervent prayer the die was rerolled... a 5!  Though they lost the day and some guns they Russian army would live to fight again and could look back on the casualties they inflicted on the Prussians with a feeling of pride.  Both sides had definitely been in a fight!

First Battle of Ludwigslust

The Austrians advancing from the south, the French moving rapidly in from the West, both their targets the temporal heart of the Demi-Bishophric: Ludwigslust!  Home of the Demi-Bishop in the expansive Super-Palast des Bischofs with it's renown garden featuring the worlds first Stations of the Cross rendered entirely in topiary form, it's famous tennis court, and the unexpected pleasures found in the Massagesalon where the finest Swedish laborers toiled away working only for tips and the knowledge that they were literally doing Gods Work when working on a Demi-Bishop.

High level map of the area

The French, in March Column on the Hamberger Tor road were moving from left to right.  The Austrians, to the south and east, sent their Regiment of Kuirassiers thundering across the field to block the road where it exits from the woods, forcing the French to deploy to drive them off and giving enough time for the Austrian infantry to catch up.  Time was of the essence as dusk was not far off when the battle was joined.

The French column starts deploying

Facing them are Kuirassier on the left and Dragoons on the right

Vice Marshall d'Skelly repeats the mantra "they're not my troops" ou, en francais, "ils ne sont pas mes troupes"

The battle began, who would gain the upper hand?  Would the Austrian heavy horse defeat the leading battalions of the French and cause a cascading rout?  Would the French be able to deploy to see them off and get their column out of the woods before the Austrian infantry and artillery could intervene?  Yes and no...

French Musketeers Brigade deploying in the woods

Strangely under strength Austrian infantry advancing at the double

The brave French Brigadier declares that he will share the fate of his men!

As the dour, stoic, and well armed Kuirassiers ready their charge

The Kuirassier charge in!  The Musketeers fire!  They miss!  The Kuirassier and the Musketeers melee!  Almost no one is hurt!  The Musketeers break and run for the woods!  The Kuirass plow into another battalion!  Again almost no one is hurt and the infantry are driven into the woods!

But more French battalion keep emerging from the woods while the Kuirassier are reforming!  Again they charge!

CHARGE!  Again! And Again!

All this time the shooting gradually wearing them down, the melee always going in their favor but always with a disappointing (for the Austrians) number of sabered and trampled French infantry to show for it.

All this time the French were also deploying a Brigade of Musketeers followed by a Brigade of Grenadiers along the south edge of the woods, building their force to break out and crush the weak Austrian Brigade facing them in the open ground south of the woods.  

The French build up continues in the woods

This engagement was about to begin when, on the flank of the Austrian Brigade, much to the vocal dismay of the Austrian Commander, appeared the nearly exhausted French Dragoon Brigade!

Dour men on exhausted horses

This caused the Austrians to begin contracting their infantry line south of the wood, moving towards their cavalry and their second Brigade of infantry that had also chosen this time to arrive on the field.

Austrian reinforcements arrive!

The French cause the Austrian left to fall back

Night was fast approaching when all the forces were finally on the field and deployed for combat!  The French right attacked out of the woods, the Austrians attacked on their right with Infantry finally up in position to support the Kuirassier and Dragoon Regiments that had been single handedly keeping the French left bottled up in the woods.

Austrian Dragoons take their turn against the French Brigade du Bois!

Followed again by the steadily decreasing numbers of the Kuirassiers

The massed and well ordered French Right moves to the attack

Can the Dragoons hold off all that infantry?

And then... night fell.  The fighting petered out.  The French returned to camp in the woods, the Austrians to the slightly built up area closer towards Ludwigslust.  Both sides licking their wounds and wondering what tomorrow would hold.

It was a fun game, I'm sad that Doug wasn't able to attend to lead his Frenchmen to victory but tomorrow is another day, perhaps another day of bitter fighting for control of the Demi-Bishophric of Ludwigslust-Parchim!

Battle In The Baltic!

The first battle of the campaign was, oddly enough, a naval battle featuring the Russian Imperial Baltic Fleet attempting to escort some leased Swedish troop transports past the Prussians Royal Revenue Service's Import/Export Enforcement Squadron.  The rules were Sails of Glory, a game that I am fond of as it's easy to teach and not completely crazy in results.  The Prussian fleet was comprised of a 32 gun Frigate and four Sloops, the Russian fleet was one 38 gun Frigate, three 32 gun Frigates and four troop transports which were represented by various Ships of the Line (British third rates) which are easy to spot in the pictures.

The Russians had to move the transports diagonally across the table, the Prussians had to do as much damage to them as they could, that damage being taken out on the Russian troops cowering below decks.

I don't have any pictures of the start of the battle but the ones I do have show enough of the action that you should be able to follow along.  The Prussians split their force in two, with the main force (under Revenue Inspector First Class Darko von Franklin) cutting in on the port side of the Russian convoy, and the slightly smaller force (under Senior Customs Officer Second Class Gottfried Kaier) crossing the Russian T and then cutting in on to their starboard.

The Russian Fleet divided into two wings as well, both commanded by the fearsome 4th Cousin Twice Removed of the Czarina Geofundulous McHargski who, ably assisted by your humble correspondent who moved the Swedish transports running for safety, devised a plan that could be called "These Ships Should Have Rams" and proceeded to try and immobilize the Prussians by the expedient of running into them.

von Kaier Cuts In

The battle started poorly for the Prussians as their Sloop Alligator ran into two of the Russian Frigates but, due to spectacular seamanship, the inspiring presence of RIFC von Franklen, and some amazing poor luck by the Russian McHargski refused to strike!

The Alligator Does Her Duty

The battle continued with the Russian fleet gradually pummeling the Prussian Revenue Service into submission, you can see the Swedish transports running the gauntlet of Prussian fire all the while cursing the fate that caused these ships to be the ones leased to the Czarina.

As the battle wains in the distance the Alligator makes for port.

"Double schnapps rations for the crew, bosun!"

At least I had a good time and no one went home mad, so it was a good day all 'round.  What casualties the Prussians managed to do to the Russian troops will have to be seen...