MOLLWITZ - The End Game

With Frederick II (aka Matthew) having abandoned the field of battle I needed someone else to step in if the battle was going to be played to a finish.  Hastily dispatching a few couriers (emails) seeking someone to take command, I was relieved when an anonymous well-wisher[1] stepped up to take on the mantle of FM Schwerin[2].

We left the battle with the balance sheet tilting increasingly in favour of the Austrians.

Losses after Turn 9:  143 Austrian vs 170 Prussian.

But the large Prussian Army can take more losses (defeat level = 250+) than the Austrians (defeat level = 211+) so it's still all to play for.

Turn 10: and Schwerin takes command, steadying the Prussians and placing his trust in their incomparable infantry.

Schwerin (in red) takes command

And the Austrian response?  Their battered cavalry arm, although still a potent force to be reckoned with, continued to fall-back and reorganise. 

But ... as the Austrian cavalry withdrew the Prussian infantry advanced, the solid ranks of muskets, and bayonets, penning them in to hinder any attempt to intervene elsewhere.

Moving along the line from the cavalry stomping ground, the infantry combat had turned into a slow advance by the Prussians with both sides trading volleys and cannon fire ...

... this was the case both in front of Mollwitz....

... and Gruningen.

Yet again the Prussian artillery performed poorly, but this time the Austrian gunners did not do much better.

The difference this time was having Schwerin in command.  As an experienced professional soldier, he knew this needed gripping and commissioned an immediate investigation into the problem (rules). 

First under inspection is Field Battery nr.1, or what's left of it after being overrun, who had been manhandling their guns forward[3] ...

... then Field Battery nr.2 firing at a range of between 2-3ft[4] ...

... and finally, Field Battery nr. 3, who at least hit the target with one gun[5].

The review confirmed the artillery were applying their training (rules) correctly so the fault can only lie with the ammunition (dice).  This can't be fixed on the battlefield and Schwerin must rely on his infantry to win the day. 

The battle-map for this turn shows how the battle has become one of fire rather than manoeuvre (note the ordered withdrawal of the Prussian II Diesbach IR). 

Losses after Turn 10:  152 Austrian vs 174 Prussian.

NB: as the battle turns more into more of an infantry combat that favours the Prussians, the balance sheet shows the Austrian lead being reduced from 27 to 22.

Turn 11: and Austrian cavalry threw away their scabbards and dug in their spurs in a valiant do or die attempt to break the Prussian infantry before them.  

First, the Prinz Karl dragoon regiment (DR) charged the weakened Field Battery nr.1, but the switch to canister saw the Prussian gun return to form, taking down 3 of the charging figures.  A volley from some of the nearby Max Josef infantry regiment (IR) managed to add one to this total, which was JUST enough to bring the Prinz Karl DR under-strength - and the charge was stopped short.

Phew!  That was close.

Next the Hohenzollern dragoons charged into the Max Josef IR and the Gendarmerie did likewise to Zweibrűcken IR.  

With both Austrian cavalry units badly weakened from their earlier efforts, and both Prussian infantry regiments almost intact this was unlikely to end well.  The cavalry won both mêlées, but the losses from musketry as they charged in tipped the outcome against them in both combats, even though the Zweibrűcken IR panicked and fired too early, at long range.  What's more the heavy losses suffered by the Hohenzollern DR was enough to reduce them to under-strength.

Ominously for the shattered Austrian cavalry, a courier could be seen galloping towards the relatively fresh Prussian Rechburg cuirassier regiment (CR) hovering on their flank.  

Austrian morale probably plummeted even further when their artillery appeared to catch a dose of the 'Prussian disease' ...

... although their howitzer seemed immune.

Elsewhere, the Prussians had temporarily pulled back from attacking Mollwitz, which was promising to be a mutual blood-bath, as the attack on Gruningen (still only a fire-fight) and the destruction of the Austrian cavalry was probably enough to win the day.

Schwerin could now look on his handywork with a growing sense of satisfaction. 

The battle-map below will show why he must've been pleased (NB: units with broken outlines have gone under-strength, i.e. are ineffective).

Losses after Turn 11:  191 Austrian vs 187 Prussian. 

NB: with several cavalry units going understrength (the entire unit is counted as lost when this occurs) the loss ratio has flipped in the Prussians favour and looks likely to stay that way.  The Austrians are now perilously close to their defeat level of 211+.

Turn 12: and as the understrength Austrian cavalry performs the first of their two mandatory retirement moves, the hussar regiments (HRs) are committed to cover their retreat. 

This would seem to be asking too much as the Baranyay hussars hurl themselves on the Prussian infantry ...

... and the Fischer-Baranyay regiment take on the much heavier Rechburg cuirassiers.

Surprisingly both units managed to draw the mêlées, the Baranyay HR because they caught the infantry before they could fire ... 

... and the Fischer-Baranyay HR regiment simply got lucky!

This success in holding back the Prussian advance was somewhat devalued by the Baranyay hussars going under-strength and the overwhelming force facing the Austrians in this part of the field.

The Prussian infantry, having regrouped, resumed their advance on Mollwitz ...

... and engaged the Hungarian Andrassy IR, the resulting casualties sending them under-strength, and un-officered, as the last of their command figures was also eliminated.

The artillery remained a bit hit and miss, with the Austrians still affected by the 'Prussian disease' with some definitely sub-par shooting ...

... but some excellent Prussian practise against the garrison of Mollwitz as they emerged to try and help their comrades.

While none of this was decisive either way, the steady increase in casualties on both sides brought the Austrians ever closer to their defeat level.

The final nail in the coffin was some astounding accurate shooting by the II Erbprinz infantry ...

... that reduced the garrison of Gruningen to a single figure who was promptly swamped in an assault by the I Erbprinz.

With Austrian losses now standing at 247, Neipperg conceded the field and withdrew what remained of gallant army.

Schwerin, by contrast, took a victory lap, riding along the lines to congratulate his troops on a magnificent performance.

Even Frederick showed up to share in the glory, but even he couldn't hide his blushes at the barefaced cheek of it.

And for the record the battle-map at the end looked like this ...

... and the balance sheet like this.

Losses after Turn 12:  236 Austrian vs 203 Prussian.

Post Mortem

I personally thoroughly enjoyed running the game by email despite the Time-Zone issues with the game in the UK and the two players in America and New Zealand (aeebit the latter was replaced by a UK player for the last few turns).  The game lasted 10 days as we only managed two moves a (UK) day on two occasions.

The battle was closer than expected as the Austrians are badly outnumbered, but their aggressive opening delivered a severe check to the Prussians early in the game.  The balance sheet was also favourable for a long time but once the Prussian infantry got into the fight on large numbers the loss ratio quickly flipped to in their favour as can be seen in the chart below.

Well, that's it for now.  I hope you enjoyed the ride.

I have plans to do something similar for Fontenoy but for that I'm hoping to get a few more figures from the new owner of Spencer Smith Miniatures (Wee Wolf Miniatures).

Notes:

[1.]  Truth to tell, in a senior moment I have forgotten who helped me out here.  If by chance you are he and reading this, let me know and I'll amend the post - sorry!

[2.]  In the real battle Frederick left the field to avoid capture when it seemed all was going the Austrian's way, only for Field Marshal Schwerin to rally the Prussian infantry and win the day.  It was pure coincidence that Matthew had to leave the game at this point but it made a really nice link to the real thing.

[3.]  Artillery, if manhandled, can move up to 6" and still have an evens chance of being able fire; I treat an evens chance as needing an even number on a D6, but then I'm a bit odd. 

[4.]  Effectively the score on the 'to hit' D6 is the range in feet at which a target will be hit i.e., a target more than 2ft away but not more than 3ft will be hit on 3+.  I tend to consider this more as a decision by the artillery on whether a target is worth engaging rather than their ability to hit it.  It effectively moderates players' tendency to shoot their guns every turn without regard to effectiveness, ammunition consumption, etc.

[5.]  The score on the D6 thrown for casualties after a hit denotes the number of figures lost.  This total is halved at ranges beyond 2ft and again halved if the target is cavalry, artillery, skirmishers or in cover.  One in every six casualties will be an officer, for fewer than six casualties a D6 is thrown and an officer is included in those lost if the score is less than or equal to the number of casualties.

MOLLWITZ - Frederick's Nerve Cracks

The last post took the action up to the end of Turn 5 as shown below.

 

With the Austrian cavalry having shot its bolt, the Prussian army was now freed up to bring its advantage in infantry and artillery to bear.

Turn 6: and on the Austrian right, their cavalry is rallying back for another attempt on the Prussian left flank before them - a daunting task.

In an attempt to revitalise his cavalry wing, Neipperg, who had relocated to Mollwitz to better manage its defence ...

... dispatched one of his ADCs to rally the remnants of the Batthyányi dragoon regiment (DR) but the numbers rallied back to the colours proved too few to restore the regiment to an effective unit[1].

The reduction in his staff would, from now on, restrict Neipperg to no more than four orders per turn.

Meanwhile, the Hungarian Andrássy infantry regiment (IR) which had advanced to support the cavalry, and in return had been badly handled by the Prussian guns, was now charged by the II Max Josef IR.

The sorely tried Hungarians were unable to withstand this blow and, defeated in the mêlée, forced to rally back for two turns.

Beyond this, the Prussian infantry, a veritable wall of steel, continued its relentless advance towards the waiting Austrian line.

But not without cost, as the Austrian gunners frantically worked their pieces to bring down as many as possible before the inevitable clash.

Unfortunately for Maria Theresa's men, anything the Austrian artillery could do was being more than matched by their opposite numbers.

With the Erbprinz regiment closing in on Gruningen ...

... they now came within musketry of the garrison ensconced within the buildings.

Finally, at the end of the turn, the Prussian battery overrun by the Batthyányi dragoons, or what was left of it, finished rallying ready to rejoin the fight.

The overall situation at this point is shown below. 

Losses after Turn 6:  85 Austrian vs 95 Prussian.

Turn 7: and the newly rallied Prinz Karl DR wasted no time charging the Prussian infantry again.  This was not foolhardy recklessness as the II Max Josef IR were still rallying after defeating the Andrássy IR.

The supporting fire from I Max Josef IR struck the Prinz Karl dragoons on the way in, but supporting fire does not affect mêlée outcome and the dragoons won, albeit with minimal casualties on both sides. 

With Neipperg gripping the defence of Mollwitz, the II Arberg IR was ordered forward to attack the Prussian infantry rather than passively awaiting their attack.  This advance brought them with canister range of the opposing artillery battery, but for once luck favoured the Austrians as battery's dice let them down badly.

They were not so lucky when it came to the muskets of the I Diesbach IR.

Neipperg had clearly realising II Arberg IR would be outmatched had already ordered the I Arberg IR up in support. 

At the same time, the assault on Gruningen had stalled, and become a stationary firefight, as both Erbprinz regiments halted to unleash crushing volleys against the garrison who took heavy losses despite being in cover. 

By the end of the turn the infantry of both sides were starting to get to grips with each other. 

Losses after Turn 7:  104 Austrian vs 129 Prussian.

NB: with the Birkenfeld cuirassiers leaving the table, not to return, the higher casualty rate of the Prussians sees their deficit on the balance sheet to be growing again.

Turn 8: sees the all the Austrian cavalry now rallied (except the Prinz Karl DR) but having second thoughts about dashing themselves to pieces against the formidable array facing them.

The Austrian infantry around Mollwitz continue leading to lead a charmed life when it comes to Prussian canister fire, has the Prussian ammunition been sabotaged?

But if the Austrian cavalry have lost faith in cold steel, their infantry have not, and the II Arberg IR charge the I Diesbach IR. 

Honours were even in the mêlée, but the losses suffered from the Diesbach's defensive fire tipped the result in their favour and resulted in II Arberg going under-strength[2].

Will the II Deutschmeister regiment moving up in support of II Arberg face the same fate?

At the far end of the line the Erbprinz regiments remain locked in a firefight with the garrison of Gruningen, but the garrison is heavily outnumbered and losing badly.

All this leaves the battle-map little changed.

Losses after Turn 8:  136 Austrian vs 158 Prussian.

Despite II Arberg going under-strength the Austrians have maintained a healthy lead over the Prussians.

Turn 9: sees the concerns over possible sabotage of the Prussian artillery approach panic levels as one by one the Prussian artillery batteries underperform.  First, the guns of Field Battery nr.3 each needing 2+ to hit ...

... and then when the successful gun rolls for casualties!

The systematic nature of these failures is brought home when Field Battery nr.2 fires needing 3+ to hit.

By comparison the Austrian artillery seems to be working fine ... 

... and wreaking havoc on the Prussian infantry.

However, Prussian musketry remains effective as the Erbprinz infantry shreds the garrison of Gruningen (building shell removed to show interior and garrison) ...

... while also applying flanking fire to the advancing Austrian infantry.

With the pressure building on Gruningen and fight for Mollwitz in the balance ...

... the battle is clearly reaching a crisis point.  And the big question is will the Austrian cavalry use their superior mobility to intervene and tip fight the balance around Mollwitz in favour of the Austrians?

The battle-map showing this situation as the turn ends is shown below.

Losses after Turn 9:  143 Austrian vs 170 Prussian.

With losses still mounting and the Austrians still pulling further ahead ...

************Breaking News************

With the balance sheet increasingly negative and his artillery inexplicably ineffective Frederick II decides the day is lost and quits the field[3]!

Frederick exits stage right

The official explanation for his departure is that is that he has gone to seek reinforcements and a fresh supply of ammunition for the army.

Can this be the end?

Notes:

[1.]  ADCs may be sent to take command of units that are, or in danger of becoming, under-strength or un-officered.  On arrival they take command, and become part of, the unit and roll a D6 for how many figures rally back to the unit (halved if artillery and doubled if infantry).  Unfortunately for Neipperg, this ADC efforts only recovered 2 figures, not enough for the unit to recover from being under-strength.  

[2.]  Under-strength units are counted as lost so although remnants of the II Arberg IR is still on the table all the figures are added to the Austrian loss total.

[3.]  IIRC the real reason is that Matthew (playing Frederick II by email form New Zealand) had to go away for work for a couple of days and was unable to continue the game.