WSS: The Battle of Neues Ritterheim, June 1703

 Busy day today, as I was delighted to welcome my good friend Baron Stryker to take part in my first face-to-face wargame at Chateau Foy for more than two years.

The Baron had to travel by a relay of stagecoaches, so we were under a little pressure to crack on with the action in the available time. Stryker was Prince Eugène, commanding the Imperial troops, and I was Marshal Marsin, in charge of the French. Let's start here with a battlefield map and the OOB:

French Army (Maréchal de France Ferdinand, Comte de Marsin)         
(9 horse; 14 foot; 2 art; 5 leaders)

Vertilly’s Cavalry Brigade [1] (Marquis de Vertilly)

Gendarmérie de France (6 Sqns) (elite)

Régt de Grignan (3 Sqns)

Régt de La Baume (3 Sqns)

Régt de La Vallière (3 Sqns)

De Broglie’s Cavalry Brigade [2] (Marquis de Broglie)

Régt du Mestre de Camp (3 Sqns)

Régt du Roi (3 Sqns)

Régt de Tarnault (3 Sqns)

Dragons de La Vrillière (3 Sqns)

Bligny’s Infantry Brigade [3] (Marquis de Bligny)

Régt de Béarn (2 Bns)

Régt de Champagne (2 Bns)

Régt du Dauphin (2 Bns)

Régt de Languedoc (1 Bn)

1 field battery

De Maulevrier’s Infantry Brigade [4] (Marquis de Maulevrier)

Régt de Navarre (2 Bns)

Régt de Nettancourt (1 Bn)

Régt de Poitou (2 Bns)

Régt de Saintonge (1 Bn)

Régt de Toulouse (1 Bn)

1 field battery

 

Imperial Army (Prince Eugène de Savoie)         
(8 horse; 15 foot; 2 art; 5 leaders)

Niederhammer’s Cavalry Brigade [1] (Generalmajor Graf Niederhammer)

Alt-Hannover Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Cusani Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Gronsfeld Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Aufseß Dragoner (Franconian) (3 Sqns)

Kegel’s Cavalry Brigade [2] (Generalmajor Dieter-Sebastian von Kegel)

Jung-Darmstadt Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Lobkowitz Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Leibregiment zu Pferd (Hessen-Kassel) (3 Sqns)

Spiegel Karabiniere (Hessen-Kassel) (3 Sqns)

Furneburg’s Infantry Brigade [3] (Generalmajor Furst von Furneburg) 

IR Alt-Salm (1 Bn)

IR Gschwind (2 Bns)

IR Palffy (1 Bn)

IR Scharfenstein (2 Bns)

IR Thürheim (2 Bns)

1 field battery

Backer’s Infantry Brigade [4] (Generalmajor Von Backer (Osnabrück)) [3 Bns have battalion guns]

IR Lothringen (3 Bns)

IR Erbprinz (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Leib zu Fuß (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Prinz Wilhelm (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Stückrad (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

1 field battery

 

We started the game at 11am, and Stryker clinched victory with the required 9 Victory Points at close to 3pm, which is good going, allowing for a 45-minute lunch break. Rules in use were my own CJ Lite set - a streamlined version of Corporal John. This was also the first time CJ Lite rules have been used in a f2f game - no problems, I'm pleased to report.

 

Before the soldiers came (and before the dining chairs were taken away), here's a peaceful view of the field, showing the coach road to Landau passing through the village of Sankt Albertus Magnus. Possession of the village was to be worth 1 bonus VP

 

More Tripadvisor stuff - here is the monument to Charlemagne on the south side of the valley...

 

...and here you see the statue of the Saint, with a very fine dunghill at the end of the church. [Merde]

 

First action was the cavalry on the French right [Allied left] squaring up to each other; a lively start, but the ground was not ideal for mounted action, and this quickly bogged down. The units with the red counters attached are the two sections of the Gendarmérie de France, no less, the only elite troops on the table, who performed very disappointingly throughout...

 

...here you see this position from behind the Allied lines, with General von Kegel putting pressure on the French elites

 

This is Furneburg's brigade, preparing to advance

 

Predictably, there was some cavalry activity on the French left also; Niederhammer's Austrian brigade managed to gain the initiative, but this, too, ran out of steam. Here you see the French Régiment du Roi suffering the embarrassment of being forced to take shelter in a kale field, to avoid the Imperial cuirassiers 

 

 

French elite cavalry making very heavy weather of a situation which Vertilly expected to dominate

 

In the French centre, Marshal Marsin (grey coat) brings up the Regt de Nettancourt

 

The infantry engagement in the middle of the battlefield developed into a grim struggle, both sides managing to gain some successes. Furneburg made excellent use of some favourable movement bonuses to bring up his line

 

 

At this stage the Austrians have an impressive line across the centre, but they are getting short of reserves

 

The French took possession of the village very early, but were driven out rather easily - the Austrians made effective use of battalion guns in this particular fight

 

A sight to chill the bones of any commander: Baron Stryker seen looming over the field, photographing his troops' glorious progress for posterity

 

Thus the battle settled into a situation where the Imperial troops had a firm hold on the village, and the two cavalry fights were indecisive...

 

...though the French did manage to lose both their cavalry commanders in quick succession

 

The Gendarmes were still failing to impress anyone...

 

...and Eugène/Stryker won 9-6. No complaints from the opposition - a worthy victor

 

 

A couple of incidental shots; this is the Régiment de Lavallière, on the French right, who spent most of the action in reserve, trying not to block possible retreat routes for their more illustrious colleagues

 

 

The French still had some units in good shape at the end, but they had no opportunity to make a comeback

 

The village is in Imperial hands

 

One of Eugène's Hessian auxiliary units - they didn't do very well; looked nice though

 

Random shot of an Austrian gun - this is a real oldie - 1970s miniatures from the original Eric Knowles collection I purchased in 2019

My thanks to Stryker for his company and courageous disposition; excellent fun!