The Battle of Madling 1753: Part Two - Day One, the Advanced Guards fight for territory

Mur Valley Campaign, 1753

 I hope you have all enjoyed Part One in which I described how I made the terrain and gave a very brief introduction to this, the biggest battle so far in Ken Marshall's Imagi-Nations campaign between the Electoral and the Ducal Armies.

Ken has written a report on each day's play which is presented in normal type below, any comments by me in italics. Photos and captions are mine.

Readers wishing to understand the proceedings in more detail are invited to see the two PDF briefing documents, with orders of battle etc provided to players by Ken and linked here to the "Imaginations Collection" in the right download sidebar

A brief indication of the locations of Electoral defenders at the start, and the main lines of advance for the Ducal Advance Guard brigades

First Day participants: CG, Paul B, Ken, Steve Pearse, Kevin East

"Madling write up

On the Electoral right flank, the thunder of hooves in the morning mist announced the arrival of Brigadier Cartier’s brigade around Lunzen, surprising Kleist’s Grenze regiment garrisoning the village and sending them scurrying into the buildings for defence. 

The Hussars swept on past the buildings towards the nearby woods where they could see the glistening of sunlight on metal, cutting the Grenze off from their supports and leaving them to the follow up Ducal Grenze battalions. (see previous part for photo). They paused to fire a volley before storming in with the bayonet and sending the garrison reeling back, broken, towards Kaindorf and safety. 

The Hussars were brought up short by a volley from Electoral Jager hastily forming up on the northern edge of the woods; they paused and then charged, supported by a second regiment. 

With mayhem erupting on their extreme right flank Kevin and Steve still find an excuse to joke with the cameraman and umpire!

The sounds of firing and sudden arrival of the panicking and broken Grenze started the rest of Kloch’s brigade out of their slumbers around Kaindorf and they rushed to form a defensive line on the Schwedischer Hugel. The artillery were already positioned within the old earthwork and the cavalry moved up alongside them, very conscious of the lack of infantry to hold the line. 

In the woods, the melee between Jager and Hussars ended with both sides breaking off and the Jager withdrawing back towards the Schwedischer Hugel and safety. 

Electoral light troops were quickly ejected from Lunzen hamlet and the nearby woods

Having successfully taken their initial objectives and pushed the Electoral forces back across the table, Cartier’s brigade paused to reform. Unfortunately, their dashing commander had fallen to a stray bullet during the manic advance and it took some time for his deputy to re-establish order and reform his regiments. They were joined by Brigadier Freytag’s brigade moving up in support.

Kevin reveals his cavalry from behind Schwedischer Hill and brings  more reinforcements from the direction of Kaindorf

On the Electoral left, Ducal forces maintained a more controlled advance with Winning’s brigade pushing forward and engaging de Jeney’s brigade in front of Madling. The Anhalt Jager provided a bulwark for the Electoral forces here, preventing Ducal forces from crossing the Lunzenbach immediately in front of Madling and seizing that objective. 

The Anhalt Jagers were armed with rifles and proved a significant obstacle to every Ducal advance on Madling. Here they have caused casualties  already on Ducal Hussars.

Von Stutterheim's breakfast greeting.........

In the dining room of the Rose tavern in Madling, von Stutterheim paused his late breakfast as the crackle of gunfire echoed about the town. Satisfied that what he could hear was not an overenthusiastic piquet clearing their muskets as they came off duty, he directed one of his more senior aides to ride south and summon the nearest infantry in support before returning to his repast. He considered it important not to appear flustered in front of his junior staff and nothing settled the nerves better than a good meal.

.....prompted him to join his Hussars for a splendid view from the central high ground

 

On the Ducal side of the table, Winning’s brigade continued their slow advance but ground to a halt, reluctant to close on the Jager on the opposite bank of the Lunzenbach. It took the arrival of Scheither’s brigade to their left flank to force the line of the stream and they were swiftly across and starting up the high ground between Madling and Kaindorf. 

Above and below: the Ducal advance develops on their left, and in front of Madling gets reinforcements

Tentative Ducal steps across the Lunzenbach bridge but Steve has brought up all his Jagers now. Those red-clad Grenzers at left are Inferior quality and will need all their courage against the riflemen

The Electoral line around the Schwedischer Hugel was saved by the arrival of Schill’s light brigade who were thrown forward into the Ducal left flank. The table descended into a series of cavalry charges and counter charges as various squadrons of electoral and ducal light cavalry were thrown into combat as they sought to gain a minor advantage over their opponents and take the important high ground. Squadron after squadron charged, retired or were wrecked in an orgy of mutual destruction. 

Paul's Ducal Advance Guard Grenzers and Hussars were making good progress against Schwedischer Hugel but Kevin kept counter-attacking (below)

And Steve counter attacks downhill too from the central high ground, while I bring up what I think is a good battalion of Grenadiers to help......but such is the joy of Imagi-nations they turn out to be just normal troops with pretensions of grandeur!

To their right I have a proper battalion of Grenadiers given extra range by their battalion gun, so there is an exchange of gunfire across the Lunzenbach

Throughout the day Steve managed to maintain good positions for his Madling-based field battery to play on the Ducal advance. In the distance my light artillery was unable to register any effect on the mass of light troops around Lunzenbach

Against Schwedischer Hugel things looked hopeful for the Ducal Army. Ducal Grenzers were pursuing their Electoral counterparts over the ridge, forcing Kevin to set up something of a trap on the reverse slope while using his light cavalry desperately to try to keep back the reinforcing Ducal column. (below)

Success for those Electoral Hussars as they send the Ducal squadrons packing, back through the woods.......

.....but not without loss to themselves, causing a flight back up the hill

On the Madling flank Steve got a double move for his Hussar brigade just when it mattered. He was able to outflank my own cavalry. ........

.......and destroy them...........

......but received sufficient hits in return to break the frontal squadron........

......and even a ragged volley from my Grenzers was enough to see off the other one. Phew! At last it looked like there might be a way out towards the objective. But sadly my "ordinary" Grenadiers had started to lose hits - from being penetrated by the fleeing Horse.

When the smoke cleared and the last of the cavalry retired to reform, the Ducal cavalry had done their job and provided the additional space for the infantry to deploy. 

As can be seen from some of the photos, to my relief Steve had pulled back his Jagers towards Madling. Which gave me an excuse to advance up the hill in front and to occupy the little hamlet at the road junction North of Kaindorf

 

The Anhalt Jager had been pushed back into Madling; Scheither’s grenadiers had occupied the north of Kaindorf; a battered Ducal grenadier regiment was in possession of the high ground between Madling and Kaindorf; and the way looked open for Ducal forces to move South. 

Ducal Advance Guard Hussars had been knocked back to reform by the baseline but had a good view of proceedings...........the Scheither Grenadiers threatening weakened Electoral Hussars (below)

On the Schwedischer Hugel, Electoral forces were desperately trying to plug the holes in their line and stop the renewed advance of Cartier’s brigade.

Von Stutterheim watched all this from the courtyard of the Rose with his normal air of unflappability, but he was the only one in the group of Electoral officers to feel that. Amongst his aides, there was a palpable air of despair as they saw the retiring Jager hastily scattering into the buildings about them, and in the distance the flags of Jüngermann’s infantry brigade approaching the Lunzenbach. With only a couple of light infantry regiments available, they didn’t give much hope for electoral chances of holding the town. And if the town and its bridge fell to the ducal forces, that would allow the electoral army on the west bank of the Stronbach to be outflanked. The town must be held.

By now General Schill's Hussars and Jagers had rallied and reformed East of Kaindorf giving Kevin a much needed shot in the arm  

Although he doesn't look it here Kevin was in fact very happy his rallying cavalry came back on in the right place.

Schill's Hussars charged against a Grenze battalion that had penetrated the incomplete electoral defensive line and got too far ahead of its supports. (above) The battalion scattered as the cavalry rode in and went streaming back over the hill. Following up in support, the Electoral Neumann Hussars crashed into a second Grenze battalion and sent them reeling back. The Ducal forces on the right flank had been marching and fighting all day and this last setback was too much for them. They paused their advance.

Even though it was only light, and had suffered " damage" (the red die) this little battery helped to sustain Kevin's defence of Schwedischer Hugel from behind the decrepit remains of the old redoubt

The following sequence shows the complex retaking of Schwedischer Hill mainly by Electoral blue Hussars. This was the last move of the day and Kevin and Paul B had had to go so Steve and I fought it out. But looking at the photos I think neither Ken nor I can recall the sequence of events properly. What I do remember was a very exciting cavalry surge employing the HoW cavalry follow-up rules extensively, and resulting in the complete push back of Ducal forces to the road line. Here a solid line of infantry and artillery, earlier placed by Paul, made further Electoral advance impossible.

About the same time as the preceding photos I'm just trying to edge my Grenadier battalion up the shoulder of the central hill, but fear being outflanked by the Le Noble Freikorps and the rifle fire of the Anhalt Jagers in Madling 

On the Electoral left, von Bohlen’s cavalry brigade was more cautious in their approach, their commander acting with the indecisiveness he was renowned for. Worried that any more delay would cost him control of Madling, von Stutterheim was forced to join von Bohlen and encourage him forward in support of the Le Noble Freikorps, the sole infantry available to fill the gap between Madling and Kaindorf. 

I'm trying here a last gasp endeavour to gain the high ground for the Ducal army and forge onwards towards Kaindorf. The Ducal Hussars have reformed and returned, and in the distance is the encouraging sight of another brigade each of line infantry and heavy cavalry. But those pesky Freikorps Jagers are on my flank

The threat was enough to discourage Ducal light troops from advancing too far ahead of their supporting Grenadiers in the hamlet at D2 and the battlefield settled to an uneasy lull.

More or less the end of the first day's play. I'm contesting the central high ground having lost the toehold on Scwedischer Hugel. Beyond it can be seen Major General Czettritz’s heavy cavalry brigade, and at the right foreground Major General von Bohlen's Dragoon Brigade has also just made an appearance  

With dusk overtaking the battlefield, the troops on both sides took the opportunity to withdraw to defensible positions. Fires were lit and the troops settled down for an uncomfortable night’s sleep amidst the cries of the wounded and the inevitable continuation of the conflict tomorrow. 

The Ducal light troops had succeeded in overwhelming the opposition and pushing forward on their right flank, gaining ground. The Electoral troops had struggled to hold them and it was only with the last couple of turns of the day that the line had stabilised along the Schwedischer Hugel. In the centre, a lack of troops had stopped either side from confidently claiming possession of the high ground and all remained to fight for. On the Electoral left flank Madling was just under their control although heavy pressure could be expected in the morning from the mass of Ducal infantry fast approaching. 

Overnight, both commanders took the opportunity to retire the worst of the damaged regiments and brigades in the knowledge that reinforcements would arrive early enough in the morning. Although both expected enemy reinforcements to appear, they didn’t know where, nor the composition of those reinforcements"

"Translation" of the last paragraph -

Later that evening Ken and I were mulling over how best to take the day's play, after the 8 Moves we'd done, and shape it up for our newcomers on the Sunday to have a good game. Having more or less commanded the whole Ducal advanced forces by day's end I felt qualified to point out the the front lines were about to collapse and they'd fall back through the advancing newcomers. This would be difficult to manage and dissatisfying as well as making the Ducals, in particular, at more of a disadvantage.  I suggested Ken thought of a way to drastically reduce the front line troops while keeping some integrity to the gains made by both sides.

Introducing an artificial "nightfall" was a well tested wargaming ploy (thank you Mr Featherstone) and Ken was happy to be left to come up with the answer. Not an easy job, and I'm in awe of his engineer's perceptiveness in producing an interesting and balanced result so quickly and as well as after a well-oiled meal at "The Butchers Arms". I was in no position to argue but it was with dismay that he completely withdrew my units from the central high ground - admittedly the two key battalions were each on 3 Hits, they would have collapsed at the first attack, which was my original point.

So this is what he ended up with and for clarity I've marked in the front lines

The stage was thus set for Day Two  - coming soon