Sadbach

Well, having won the siege of the Sewing Table, we turn lightly now to the long-anticipated struggle at Sadbach.
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In the candlelit tent, Prinz Heinrich cursed and called for another glass of genever, feverishly examining his map (and brushing off the crumbs*). Having ventured so deep into Skyrian territory, it looked like the evil Kirchwasser had trapped him, coming between him and his magazines, and eluding his carefully prepared position behind the mighty Vysehrad**. Well, nothing for it but to force a way the whitecoats, and lunge northeast for home and safety.


Brooding over the inkstained mess, he decided to stand to in front of the village of Sadbach, deploying his dragoons on the right, the cuirassiers, and securing his heavy batteries on the small hill in front of the village. If the Skyrians hang back, his superior mounted arm should be able to smash their cavalry, then expose their flanks.

The morning dawned bright and clear, and the Kruppfalz forces shrugged out into line. On the left, Von Semmel's brigade of cuirassiers hovered nervously, wih Bismarks' infantry covering the hill, Pirchs brigade of foot forming the right, and Lavoissier's Dragoon brigade in close columns covering the far right.

The Pride of Kruppfalz

Von Kirchwasser, however, was disposed to a less supine posture than usual, and was preparing his own attack, with his right wing formed of both his cavalry Brigades (von Riesling and von Traminer), posting his Muenchener allies on the far left under Sylvaner, then Kerensky's Kalugan brigade, with Tokay and Hoch's solid Skyrian brigades filling in between them and the cavalry

The Scowling Skyrian hordes, leering with positively Stollenian malevolence

Heisenberg's artillery company, uncertainly eyeing the village of Sadbach

Before the good Prince could even complete his deployment, the rude Skyrians launched themselves headlong at him. On his left, he saw the Riesling and Traminer cavalry brigades galloping headlong at his rather weaker wing of cavalry. Heinrich cursed vilely***, and dispatched a frantic galloper to transfer the Dragoon brigade behind his lines.

Von Semmel (off) bravely shouting encouragement to his men from the shelter of the infantry

The PAZ reporter narrowly avoiding the hastening Dragoon brigade

While the Dragoons hastened, the first clash of swords roared over the field, with von Riesling leading his brigade (von Kornburg's Kurasserie) in pushing back the Seelhorst regiment, while Seydlitz' Cuirassiers, ably assisted by their escorting horse battery, held the Kurfurst Kurasserie to a bloody draw.

the Kurfurst regiment riding into canister range (top)

In the centre and right, Pirch's infantry brigade thinned out to cover the enormous hole left by the departure of the Dragoons. Pirch somberly regarded the weight of opposition and extruded the Ostergotland regiment, both to cover the Jagers filtering through the woods, and - hopefully - to act as a salient into the flank of the looming masses.

After a brisk exchange, one of the Ostergotland battalions fell back in disorder, but their steady accuracy had severely punished the Jager, who took to their heels, never to recover.

The Ostergotland firefight with the Miskeny Jagern

Brigade Hoch advancing on the Kruppfalz artillery, with one battalion of the Rakoczy regiment repelled by the weight of fire

After a savage passage of swords, the cavalry duel resolved itself - the Seelhorst Cuirassiers fled the field, while the Kurfurst Kurasserie was destroyed by the Seydlitz Cuirassiers, who in turn were taken in flank and driven to headlong flight by Kornberg's Kurasserie and the O'Reilly Dragoons. With the arrival of Lavoissieur at the head of his Dragoon brigade, the situation stabilised somewhat, while the Kerensky and Hoch infantry brigades poised to assail the Kruppfalz lines.

The Skyrian horse, victorious but bloodied, poised to attack the open flank

While the valiant Kalugan regiments followed Kerensky's bravely pointed arm into the assault, the Skyrian horse renewed their attack, with somewhat unfortunate results - Kornberg's Kurasserie falling back from the flailing sabres of the Kalkreuth Dragoons, while the O'Reilly regiment found the canister fire from Fahrenheit's horse artillery too hot to charge into, and refused point blank.  Better success awaited Kerensky's men, however, putting one battalion of the Oldenburg regiment to flight immediately.

The desparate intervention of the Kalkreuth and Bayreuth dragoons (bottom)

The Ostergotland foot duelling with the Rakoczy regiment

On the Krupp right, Pirch had progressed from phlegmatic to sombre to depressed(*4), at the sight of 4 battalions of Skyrians (Tokay) and 4 battalions of Muencheners (Sylvaner) pressing forward undeterred. He glanced with some small tinge of satisfaction at the Ostergotland battalions, who were putting paid to the damn Magyari foot, but - time and distance, time and distance, he muttered - not in time to open a flank and save the rest of his men, he considered.

The Erprinz Regt and the Sobiesky Fusiliers putting up a brave fight against the masses of their opposition

On the left, while the O'Reilly Dragoons were stalled in front of the horse artillery, then shot to pieces, von Riesling put his hat on the point of his sword, and led the Kurasserie in a series of stunning charges, first driving back the Kalkreuth Dragoons in confusion, then smashing the 2nd line, the Bayreuth Dragoons, in their turn.

von Riesling leading Kornburg's Kurasserie in joyous pursuit of the scattered Dragoons

The remnants of Traminers cavalry brigade fleeing the field

The action by the hill became general, with the (Krupp) Oldenburg regiment being crushed fairly quickly, but the 2nd line, Livgarden, put up a stouter resistance to the Kalugan masses. To their right, the Butyrsky Fusiliers exchanged fairly desultory volleys with the advancing Deutschmeister Regiment.

von Riesling clashing with the rallied Dragoons (bottom) while the Krupp lines falter (above)

Over with Pirch's foot, the Erprinz regiment put up a stout resistance, holding off the Skyrians, but after a valiant struggle, numbers proved too much for the Sobiesky foot, and they took to their heels

Last stand of the Erprinz

With his right dissolving, his left shattered, and his centre failing, Heinrich had a final swig of genever, then turned his horse and headed for the bridge, his only consolation being the rallied Dragoons finally destroying the last of the Skyrian horse by attrition, leaving them to cover the rout.

*The food, not his brigadiers!
** A pun on Die Moldau, of course :)
*** His pet daschund , Vilely
*4 Indeed, he'd quite lost his phlegm!

Torn from the Headlines (1)

Well sadly the wargaming table has been subject to a preemptive strike for the last month, and we have been unable to evict the occupying forces (my wife's dressmaking & tailoring, in this case), but campaign activities have progressed somewhat:

In the southeast, the forces Kruppfalz have riposted against Skyrian aggression (rather a pre-emptive riposte, as the Pfalzritter Allgemeine Zeitung reports it). The Skyrians however have rather trapped the intrepid Prinz Heinrich against the banks of the Moldau, and General Kirchwasser is reported to have hosted a magnificent banquet in anticipation of crushing the impudent Electoral forces at Sadbach.

Prince Heinrich was unavailable for comment, but while being refused, the intrepid PAZ reporter did notice a large case of genever being delivered to his tent.

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Far to the west, L'Observateur the bold Marquis de Rohan and his stout Arvergnian troops have joined hands with General Clinton's Colonian forces, and drunk the Moselle thrust their way across the Moselle into the Duchy of Pfalz-Sonderheim, pressing the Butcher of Bakersfields' Icenian forces, and their Teuton allies, back against the defences around the capital, Kleinschweinestallstadt.

Duke Hedwig (the soi-disant Butcher) in return gave a brief interview with Der Spiegel asserting that his position at Goedelesherbach was impervious to any attempt by the Transoceanic Alliance to turn him out of it. After brushing off his newest turquoise demi-jacket, he delivered a mercifully-brief bombastic speech asserting his expected extermination of any such attempt, in his customary quavering contralto, and promised rivers of blood.

So, two battles poised for resolution, and nowhere to play, alas.

Sitzungsaebel

The Arvergnian cavalry has swooped like an overweight eagle* upon a lamb**, catching the might of Kruppfalz on the march. They missed their primary target, the supply wagons, and caught the column just abaft that, with the last of the supply-guard, the venerable Ostergotland infantry, marching away, and the head of the column of rearguard, the 4th Kalkreuth and 5th Bayreuth Dragoons, marching up.

First to arrive was Martell's*** brigade, the Maistre de Camp Generale, and the Allemands Dragoons.

Lavoissier and Der Bayreutern leading the way

As they trotted forward eagerly, the leading regiments of Coirvoissier and von Rieslings' brigades followed up. Meanwhile, as the Ostergotlanders wheeled to face, and the Dragoons hurriedly deployed, the leading element of von Zieten's cuirassier brigade, the 3rd von Seelhorst, hustled up at the canter.

Les Mousquetaires lower left, Kurfurst Kurasserie upper left

Followed by the 6th von Lentulus, as the Bourbons, and Kornberg's Cuirassiers made their advent on the Arvergnian side.

The Arvergnian Dragoon brigade spurred forward quickly, cantering up and readying for a mad gallop into their enemies, ignoring the wheeling infantry on their flank, while von Riesling's brigade started manouevring with a view to overrunning these infantry, prior to galloping after the wagon trains to the northeast

Der Ostergotlandern wheel, ready to pour fire into the flank of les Allemands

Alas for Les Allemands, Colonel Bohrs kept a cool head, and the Ostergotlanders fire was sharp and accurate - a first volley in enfilade, emptying half their saddles. The Bayreuth Dragoons crossed sabres with them briefly, then held their tempers, and their reins, when the Allemands fled for the rear. The Kalkreuth Dragoons had a sharper tussle with the Maistre de Camp Generales, but after a brief exchange of blows, these also deemed it wiser to urgently retire to previously prepared positions.

Meanwhile, von Seelhorst's Kurasserie, disdaining to deploy out of column(4*), trotted up the small rise of Kuhberg only to meet, blade to blade, the wildly galloping Mousquetaires sweeping down from the hillcrest, and fought these to a draw.

On the Krup right, the heroic and somewhat inept(5*) Kornberg led his brigade into a charge directly into the infantry, having failed to find their flank, while the broken dragoons swarming past them caused the Bourbons to check their pace, rather than being entangled and disordered. The final Krup regiment, 8th von Seydlitz Kurasserie, also deployed in support of the Seelhorst Cuirassiers, while the broken Arvergnian dragoons, ignoring the pleas of both Brigadier Martell, and Major General Dubonnet, trotted steadily homewards.

Kornberg seeking conclusions against the infantry on the right

Once their friends had cleaned the way, Les Bourbons trotted forwardto support their brigade-mates, only to encounter the advancing Kalkreuth Dragoons, while the rather-bemused Bayreuth Dragoons wheeled around to menace their open flank.

In the foreground, the Lentulus Cuirassiers form column and start aiming for Kornberg's flank

Meanwhile, poor old Kornberg found the undamaged Ostergotlanders too tough a meat to chew. Although the closing fire was wild and ineffective, the wall of bayonets proved too much for his gallant sabres (*6), and one regiment broke and fled after the first exchange of blows, leaving more than half their men behind. The valiant Kornberg, to add insult to injury, had his horse bayonetted, and his favourite hat seized by a doughty infantryman, so fled afoot, calling his men to rally for another charge.

On the left, the Bayreuth Dragoons delivered their threatened insult to the flank of the Bourbons, but too late to save their sister regiment - both the Kalkreuth and the Bourbons broke and ran: while beside them, the Seydlitz Cuirassiers delivered a charge in fine style, breaking the victorious (but understrength) Mousquetaires

And on the right, Kornbergs' men, reduced to a moiety, finally ran from overwhelming odds.

The final flight of the Arvergnian mounted

Just as the dust was settling from the charges, General Lentulus trotted briefly onto the field of battle, peering around less than soberly and exclaiming, 'Enemy? I see no enemy here!'

Next time I need to make the rolls for arrival a little more difficult to make I think.

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*Apologies to the spirit of Peter Young for the stolen imagery

** A lamb armed with an AK47 mind you...

*** with the advent of reading EvE regularly, I notice that my generals nomenclature has become considerably more bibulous, not to mention comestible!

*4 This is definitely a problem basing in 3s, when the regiments are so small - the 'march column' is only a 3x4, leading to too advantageous a battle formation. I need to think about addressing this.

*5 It seems a bit cruel to condemn him for my ineptitude - I was angling to take the infantry in flank, but hadn't allowed for how relatively quickly a 9" move allows them to wheel