The Engagement at Holzende

Yesterday I had the pleasure of catching up with Graham Hilditch again and after discussing my progress on the Sugar Islands book and his plans for a display we played a short game in what I hope will become come a series of linked battles over the next few months.

Graham has a wonderful collection of figures for many period but his pride and joy are without much doubt his 40mm SYW unit's. I've not really played with 40mm but the detail and variation in the figures together with the realistic proportions gives them something much more than just extra height as I think you will see from the pictures below.

Graham had set up a few units of Prussians and Austrians from his collection and with only a few hours to play I had taken two copies of Jim Purkey's Minden Miniatures SYW rules with both Graham and I played at the Wild Geese get together in June this year. They're well worth checking out if you like a quick game with plenty of ebb and flow.

Graham commanded the Austrians, 2 regiments of foot with a battalion gun, a regiment of Croats and a regiment of Dragoons, supplemented by a single light field piece. I took the advancing Prussians, leading a converged grenadier battalion, infantry regiment with a battalion gun and a fusilier regiment . As we both hope this will be the first in a series of games I have added a little narrative which will give us a theme to fit the games into.

The Austrian troops formed a bridgehead at the small village of Holtzende, just across the river Mosset. Placed on the west side of the road were the Dragoons of Rgt Althann and IR4 Deutchsmeister with the gun in support. Across the village IR3 Carl Lothringen had deployed, tramping the kitchen gardens of the villagers. Beyond them, in the light woods and fields south of the village a battalion of Likaner Croats lay in wait.

Advancing toward them was a small Prussian force hoping to seize the river crossing and unaware that the Austrians had already got there first. It was not until the 2nd Hussars trotted across some open ground that they noticed the Austrians were in possession of Holzende. The grenadiers of battalion 26/13 blundered round the corner of the road and immediately took fire from Croats on either flank and shot from the battalion gun of Carl Lothringen.  They hastily deployed off the road and into line but not before a further volley hit them. This was too much for the surprised Grenadiers, who could see little of the Croats and only the long white line of IR3 deployed and awaiting them, wreathed in smoke from its gun. They turned and scattered back down the road, straight into the horse of Prince Moritz who tore a strip from their commander and sent them to the rear to reform. The advancing fusiliers of Rgt Von Rohr gave them a few catcalls and whistles as they marched past, ready to deploy into the Croat haunted orchards on the Prussian right.

The Prussian Hussars had heard the gunfire and knew the battle had opened. Ahead of them they could see the Dragoons of Althann formed up and decided that they would be the ones to take the battle to their foe, drew sabres and charged. The caught the surprised Dragoons at the halt, but the charge was in haste and poorly formed, the bigger men and horses of the Dragoons gained the upper hand. Although casualties were even the Dragoons remained steady but the Hussars were shaken and forced back in disorder. 

Back in their fields the Prussians had managed to deploy IR14 Von Lehwalt and it began to advance while the Fusiliers of Von Rohr began their advance through the woods on the right. Between them the two regiments drove back the Croats and restored some order to the Prussians. 

On the left however the Austrian Dragoons were not done with the Hussars. Both sides had reformed and when the Dragoon sounded the charge the Hussars galloped toward them. The two sides clashed and again it was the Dragoons who got the upper hand and again the Hussars were sent back. Desperately their commander tried to rally his men but it was not to be and the left the field in some disorder. The Dragoons had moved too far forward however, the Hussars defeat had unmasked the Prussian gun which no fired into the Austrians. Exposed and without support they turned and retired somewhat precipitously toward their own lines.

The crisis point of the battle had now been reached, the Austrians had brought up their second infantry regiment and their cannon and were awaiting the Prussians who were now moving through the wheat fields on the left, having finally cleared the Croats from their path. Von Lehwalt emerged from the crops and opened fire with its battalion gun and fired a volley into Deutschmeister. The Austrians replied causing the Prussians to waver but hold. On the right Von Rohr fired to clear the remaining Likaner Croats, but failed to do so and they remained in place, screening the men of Carl Lothringen from theFusiliers  advance.

The next turn would decide the engagement....

But you'll have to wait because that's all we had time for!

Thanks for the game Graham, look forward to continuing it. Hope you liked the place names!