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]!

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.

MOLLWITZ - The Cavalry Storm

The action had only just kicked off in the last post with plenty of troops in motion but no firing or combat had occurred - see below for a reminder of the situation.

It was clearly going to be a while before the infantry on the two sides got to grips, but a tidal wave of Austrian cavalry was bearing down on the Prussian left wing.  

Turn 2: with charges, followed by normal moves, coming first in the turn.  The green-coated Sibyrskiy Infantry Regiment (IR) took the brunt of the first wave of Austrian cavalry charges, in the form of the Prinz Karl Dragoons and the Baranyay Hussars.  

The Sibyrskiy IR held its nerve, and its fire, to unleash a close range volley at the hussars, but the tension proved too much for those facing the dragoons who let fly at long range.  Despite this[1], two kills were inflicted on each cavalry units.     

Just along from this combat, the Austrian Fischer-Baranyay and Prussian Frangipani Hussar regiments (HRs) clashed in straight swordfight. 

This turn also saw both sides' artillery deploy and add their fire to the mayhem, albeit the Austrians guns ...

... were badly outnumbered by their Prussian opponents.

The losses from this fire were as yet negligible, however the Diesbach IR might not agree. 

After shooting was completed, it was time to resolve the combats.  The first combat saw mixed results, with the Baranyay hussars managing a draw ...

... but as can be seen from the above the Prinz Karl DR have left the fight, they had to rally back after losing their mêlée[2].

The other, all-hussar, mêlée vindicated Frederick's decision to shield his cavalry behind his foot as the Combined Fischer-Baranyay hussars trounced their opponents ...

... who promptly fled to the table-edge but as the losers of a combat they would have to withdraw again the following turn to leave the table and not return.

Elsewhere, the Prussian infantry continued shaking out into a battle-line for the assault on Mollwitz and Gruningen. 

The Austrians were still hastily taking position in and around Gruningen ... 

... but were already well placed to deny Mollwitz to the Prussians.

And so, as the Austrians brought up another wave of cavalry ...

... the second turn ended, with an update to the battle-map for the players to submit their orders for the next turn[3] (NB: dotted lines indicate firing).

With both sides now taking losses, I should point out that the armies will break if they lose more than half their strength in figures.  Thus, the Austrians will break after losing 211 figures, and the larger Prussian army after losing 250 figures.   

Losses after Turn 2:  14 Austrian vs 12 Prussian.

Turn 3: and the Austrian cavalry came on as strong as ever with fresh troops replacing those that had been rebuffed.

In the middle of the above image, the Hohenzollern dragoons (in red) can be seen crashing into the much-tried Sibyrskiy IR while the Baranyay hussars have left the fight to their heavier brethren and opted to fall-back and rally.  Closer to the camera, the Batthyányi dragoons (in blue), had declared a charge but can be seen to have failed to reach their target, the battery to their front.

The Batthyányi DR were severely punished for their reckless advance.

Also, as glimpsed in the distance in the first photo above, the Prussian Rechburg cuirassiers emerged from behind Pamplitz to take over that flank from the fleeing Frangipani hussars.  

Their opponents are none other than the Gendarmerie du Roi ...

... but the much-vaunted Gendarmerie, to their eternal shame, were whipped 6-2!

However, time was up for the Sibyrskiy IR as they lost a very close-fought but almost bloodless combat against Hohenzollern dragoons.

The Sibyrskiy, having fought two consecutive rounds of combat and being defeated now had to rally-back for three turns[4], which would eventually see them leave the field.  The Hohenzollern DR opted to rally-back (as the victors they had the option to rally in place) as with so many guns and muskets nearby they felt discretion was the better part of valour.

Away from the mounted mayhem, the artillery of both sides continued to whittle down the opposition ...

... and two Prussian infantry units stepped out towards Gruningen - see below.

The net result of all this is shown in the battle-map for Turn 3.

Losses after Turn 3:  32 Austrian vs 19 Prussian.

NB: the fleeing Prussian hussars and Sibyrskiy infantry will be lost once they leave the table in next couple of turns so the picture is not as bleak for the Austrians as it might appear.

Turn 4: and with the Austrian cavalry storm starting to blow itself out, Neipperg is left casting around for more squadrons to throw at the stalwart Prussian foot. 

With most of his cavalry committed or rallying, all he can do is push forward The Fischer-Baranyay hussars around Pamplitz but, worryingly, they will not be able to catch the Rechburg cuirassiers before they can rally - see the photo below which also shows the homeward bound Sibyrskiy IR heading towards the table-edge in the top-left corner.

But with Neipperg focused on overseeing his cavalry, the need to also direct the defence of Gruningen (out of command range) sees him forced to do so by courier which will mean the orders will be delayed.

Meanwhile in the ongoing cavalry attack, the Batthyányi dragoons reach the battery this time but only after taking horrendous losses from canister and some nearby infantry - c'est magnifique mais ce n'est pas la guerre[5].

The battery is overrun, but the greatly reduced dragoons are too short of numbers to take out all artillerymen, so the gunners, who luckily still include an officer will be able to rally after two turns and return to their guns.

As the Batthyányi dragoons are living their own Light Brigade moment, the Prussian Birkenfeld cuirassiers charge the Baranyay hussars through the gap in the line vacated by the retreating Sibyrskiy IR.

These fresh shock troops will prove too much for the lightweight hussars who are heavily defeated and forced to rally back.

At the other end of the line the Prussian infantry continue their advance ...

... with more regiments falling into line as they go.

The Austrians brace themselves as their artillery tries to even the odds; in the background a messenger hoves into sight - what will this betoken?

The battle-map for Turn 4 shows the Frangipani hussars leaving the table.

Losses after Turn 4:  48 Austrian vs 45 Prussian.

The losses have almost levelled up and with the Sibyrskiy infantry not yet off table it should get better yet for the Austrians.

Turn 5: and the Austrian cavalry assault is largely spent as the Fischer-Baranyay hussars are crushed by the Rechburg cuirassiers, and the red-clad Hohenzollern dragoons (middle distance) defeat the Birkenfeld cuirassiers who were caught while rallying from their victorious mêlée in the previous turn. 

Also, just visible beyond the Hohenzollern dragoons in the above are the Batthyányi dragoons, who for reasons which may never be known, chose to rally forward (in place) in front of I and II Max Josef IR[6].  The resulting musketry casualties see the Batthyányi dragoons go under-strength[7] and unlikely to take any further part in this battle.  

The Hungarian Andrássy infantry who had been trying to catch up with, and support, the cavalry assault ...

... arrived late, and on the receiving end of some spectacular shooting by the Prussian guns ...

... that saw their front rank shredded by the battery before them.

Elsewhere, the Prussian advantage in artillery was also steadily writing down the II Arberg IR by Mollwitz. 

But the traffic was not all one-way as the Austrian battery was inflicting heavy losses on the I Diesbach infantry ... 

... and their howitzer treated the Prussian guns to some pay-back.

So, as the remnants of the once proud Austrian cavalry fell back ...

... and the Prussian infantry pressed ever closer to Gruningen ...

... turn 5 drew to a close.

Losses after Turn 5:  69 Austrian vs 87 Prussian.

With the Sibyrskiy infantry finally falling off the table, the Prussian losses have leap-frogged their Austrian opponents.  But with Austrian edge in cavalry now largely expended the Prussian advantage infantry and artillery should start to make its presence felt.

To be continued ...

Notes:

[1.]  Casualties are halved when firing at cavalry and again when firing at long range.

[2.]  Casualties from firing at chargers are included in the comparison of casualties to determine the winner of the mêlée.  To win a side must inflict 50% more losses on their opponent that they suffered.  A further house-rule is that zero casualties are treated as 1 casualty for adjudicating the outcome of a mêlée.

[3.]  If anyone wants to see all the orders and individual unit outcomes then they can be provided in an Excel spreadsheet that was sued for the game.

[4.]  After a mêlée, both sides must rally for the number of turns that the mêlée lasted but the loser must rally for one more turn after that.  Units that have not finished rallying may not receive orders and shoot and fight at a disadvantage if attacked.

[5.]  Actually, the full quote is: C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre: c'est de la folie ("It is magnificent, but it is not war: it is madness").

[6.]  My large 80-figure regiments were split into two 40-figure battalions, denoted by the prefix I and II for the first and second battalions.  The first battalions can be identified by the presence of the grenadier company.

[7.]  Units go under-strength when they fall below half strength if infantry or one third strength if cavalry.  Units that are under-strength must withdraw for two full moves (6” if in a town) and may never advance closer to any enemy.