WSS: The Guns of Eichenfeld 1703

 Another Zoom-based test game for my Corporal John rules, with very welcome support and enthusiasm from the Jolly Broom Man - his help and participation are greatly appreciated! Unusually for a test game, everything went very well, and it was a lot of fun. Thanks again JBM.

For starters, here are the scenario notes, courtesy of my guest general.

The Guns of Eichenfeld – Bavaria, 1703

Situation:

The Austrians have assembled a force to storm the market town of Eichenfeld, and from a dug-in position on a low rise two batteries of cannon have begun to bombard the medieval walls from beyond the range of any reply. The Bavarians have belatedly sent a couple of brigades to defend the town and they are now assembling outside it. Austrians have first turn. 4 Command Cards and 2 Combat Cards for each army.

Objectives:

The first to amass 7 victory points is the winner. Victory points are awarded in the normal way, plus the following bonuses:

The Austrians gain 1 VP for knocking a hole in the town walls with their cannon. If no enemy unit is within 2 hexes, the Austrian guns may fire during normal combat at the wall, with 1 die each. For this task, a FLAG roll will be a hit; if a hit is scored, add 2D6 to the accumulated damage to the wall. When the damage eventually reaches 21 the town’s defences have been breached and the VP is awarded.

 

There is no initial cannonade in this scenario.

The Bavarians gain one temporary VP while the town’s defences remain unbroken and one temporary VP for occupying either of the two emplacements on the hill.

Austrian Forces: (FML Hermann-Otto, Graf Limburg-Styrum)

1^st Brigade (Limburg-Styrum)

2 artillery batteries

2 bns IR Baden-Baden

Aufseß Dragoons

 

2^ndBrigade (GM Franz-Michael, Graf von Wirksten)

2 bns IR Gschwind

1 bn IR Alt-Salm*

2 bns IR Thürheim

 

3^rdBrigade (FM Norbert, Herzog von Schlick)

Kürassieren Alt-Hanover*

Kürassieren Cusani

Kürassieren Gronsfeld

Hay’s Scots Dragoons (seconded)

 

Set up:

1^st Brigade - 2 cannon in emplacements. Others anywhere within 1st 4 rows
3^rd Brigade starts deployed anywhere on the 2nd row.
2^nd Brigade arrives on turn 2 in column along any road from the north.

Bavarian forces: (FM Johann-Baptist, Graf von Arco)

 

1^st Brigade (GM Artur von Weichel)

Kürassieren Arco

Kürassieren Weichel

Leibgarde zu Pferd*

Dragoner Monasterol

Dragoner Santini

 

2^nd Brigade (Arco)

1 bn Grenadieren Boismorel

1 bn Leibgrenadieren*

1 bn IR Maffei

1 bn IR Spilberg

1 artillery battery

 

3^rd Brigade (GML Alessandro de Maffei)

2 bns IR Kurprinz

1 bn IR Tattenbach

1 artillery battery

Set up:

1^st Brigade. Anywhere on first row
2^nd Brigade. Anywhere on first row
3^rd Brigade. Arrives in column on south road on turn 2

 

* Units marked with an asterisk in the OOB are elites

 

 

Austrian guns in position in their emplacements - presumably dug the night before; it was impossible to threaten them - maybe a howitzer might have helped, but the Bavarians were thinking in terms of maybe sending some cavalry round the rear...

 

 

General view of the field, from the north-east corner, Austrians attacking from the right of our picture. At this stage both armies were trying to get their late arrivals into position, but meanwhile the cannons had already blown a hole in the old stone wall, so you can see a VP counter in place to record this

 

 

 The Austrian Aufseß Dragoons (Frankischer Kreis) are installed in a little village not far from the walls

 

Bavarians struggling for suitable cards to bring on their 3rd Brigade, on their left

 

 

Austrians start to bring up their cavalry, on the left flank

 

 

Gronsfeld Cuirassiers - this is one of the ex-Eric Knowles units - these boys must have been fighting this war off and on for 50 years

 

 

Bavarian reserve troops get a friendly card to hurry them into the attack

 

General view - both armies developing their attacks (though not in the centre - the Bavarians had no particular appetite to take on the gun batteries!) - still no-one has been injured, as evidenced by the lack of VPs on the table edge

 

 

The Bavarians appeared to have an advantage in cavalry, but things started to go wrong for them quickly; here General Weichel tries to encourage the Arco Cuirassier regiment, who are not enjoying their day

 

At the village, the Bavarians are putting on some pressure

 

 

Fighting on the flanks has the Bavarians 4-3 in the lead at this point

 

Marshal Limburg-Styrum brings up a battalion of the Baden-Baden regiment through the woods

 

So by this stage the Bavarians are looking rather battered on their right flank...

 

 

...and are making heavy weather of the infantry struggle on their left

 

The infantry scrap remained undecided, but, over on the right, the Bavarian Weichel cuirassiers failed a Rally Check, and the Austrians had won 7-5 - a close thing, indeed. The Elector will be furious, and will have to get some insurance quotes for getting that wall repaired