The Battle of Fernspiel, A SYW Remote Encounter

Continuing the Rejects' run of fictional 18th century remote games, we gathered for another evening of mid century conflict.  This time an meeting engagement between Catherine the Great's Russians and the Prussians of Frederick the Great.

The Russians have been advancing towards Berlin.  Quick to react, Frederick led a Prussian army to intercept it.  With faulty reconnaissance on both sides, the armies collided to the east of the village of Fernspiel.  Unable, or perhaps unwilling, to avoid a clash the troops were quickly deployed.

This is a meeting engagement.  The Prussians have arrived from the north.  Frederick is present on the battlefield.

Two opposing players (Jon for the Prussians and Lee for the Russians) were given the size of forces available, the army lists and a map of the battlefield.  Their job was to construct their armes and deploy ahead of the game.

The map sent to Jon and Lee.  Brown hex are hills, green squares are wooded hexes.
The white boxes are the deployment zones.  The Prussians will deploy in the northern zone.

The Objectives

Simply put, the aim of both armies is to force their opponent to retire.

This will be determined by either player deciding to cede the field when asked what they would do if this battle was part of wider campaign.  Alternatively, once an army point countdown clock has reached zero and an army morale check is failed.

The Armies

The Russians (Lee and Ray) - Red
1st Infantry Brigade: 4 line and a heavy battery
2nd Infantry Brigade: 2 line, 1 grenadier and a medium battery
3rd Infantry Brigade:  2 line, 1 grenadier, a heavy and a medium battery
1st Cavalry Brigade:  2 dragoons
2nd Cavalry Brigade:  2 hussars
Independent units: 1 jagers and 1 cossack

The Prussians (Jonathan and Dan) - Blue
1st Infantry Brigade: 4 line and a medium battery
2nd Infantry Brigade: 1 line, 2 grenadier and a medium battery
3rd Infantry Brigade:  2 line, 1 mercenary, and a heavy battery
1st Cavalry Brigade:  2 dragoons
2nd Cavalry Brigade:  2 cuirassiers
3rd Cavalry Brigade:  1 hussar
Independent units: 1 jagers

Deployment

The two sides constructed and deployed their own forces without knowledge of the other side's dispositions.

The Battle

Both sides knew their armies and deployment.  So, it was agreed that the game started with neither side aware of the type of units opposing them other than that they were infantry, cavalry etc.

The Russian infantry made a general advance onto the southern ridgeline as Frederick consolidated his infantry's position on the northern ridge.  Taking advantage of the Russians in column, the German artillery found their range and began causing casualties.  The King also threw his jagers forward into the small woods between the ridges.  The jagers would prove to be a continual annoyance.  
The Prussian cavalry moved aggressively on the western flank.  Meanwhile, the Russian commanders sought to bring their hussar reserves from east to west to support the dragoons as they started manoeuvring the fast moving cossacks in the opposite direction.

With the Russians swinging their cossacks onto the eastern flank and the infantry moving off the ridge and towards the Prussian flank, the intention of a "right hook" was clear.
Meanwhile, the Prussian cavalry continued to advance.  Whilst the Russian commanders sought to avoid a cavalry clash until their redeployment was complete, their rightmost hussars found themselves within charge range of Frederick's cuirassiers.

Prussian and Russian horse clashed across the stream.  The heavier German cavalry overwhelmed the hussars throwing them back in disarray.

Momentum and wild enthusiasm compelled the cuirassiers to lose control and throw themselves onto the flank of another hussar regiment.

The outcome was swift and deadly as the hurl of sabres cut through and annihilated the Russian light horsemen.

Unable to rein the troopers in, the armoured riders continued their pursuit and finished off the Tsarina's hussars.

On a rules point, Koenig Krieg allows for an exploitation phase following a successful combat phase for those units that charged.  This can be quite dramatic.  It is designed to reflect the disruption, mess and chaos that follows melee before both sides are able to reflect and readjust lines as required.

As the cavalry started engaging on the western flank, cannons and muskets were beginning to cover the battlefield in black smoke.

As the Russian right hook continued to develop, Frederick withdrew his infantry from the ridgeline.  Meanwhile, he advanced the infantry on the other flank.  More and more, gunners and musketeers opened up as casualties mounted.
Seemingly far from the infantry action, the cavalry action was developing.

In the centre, one of the Tsarina's regiments was given the order to assault the hill.

Unfortunately, the Prussian advantages of position and supporting artillery sent the Russians back, reeling from the experience.

On the west four regiments of dragoons hurled themselves at each other.  Brigade commanders from both sides leading by example.

In, what was a close fight, the Prussian riders were forced to retreat.  However, their brigade commander was left died on the field of battle!  The Russian dragoons advanced to be in position to catch the enemy at the first opportunity.

The situation as the cavalry fight for control of the western flank.

Having been subjected to some accurate Russian gunnery, Prussian foot and guns are forced to retire.  However, the Prussian jagers holed up in the woods were causing a lot of nervous tension in the advancing Russian infantry.  So much so, that the commanders were becoming increasingly distracted and focused on destroying them.

As the Prussian cuirassiers turned to threaten the Russian rear, the dragoons moved into position to continue their fight.
Russian infantry was compelled to turn to face the mounted threat.  Their right hook stopped and turned to concentrate on the Prussian jagers.  Regiment after regiment poured fire into the woods but somehow the skirmishers' morale held.  This left the lone cossacks to move behind the Prussian eastern flank.  However, Frederick now put his plan into action.  With the Russians now exposing their right flank, the Prussian infantry marched back over the ridge to position themselves to present the Russian commanders with a horrible sight.  Leaving the Prussian hussars to face the cossacks, Frederick could concentrate his forces against the Russian infantry.
We were reaching the crisis moment of the battle.

On the Russian left, their dragoons crashed into one enemy unit while the other Prussian unit wavered.

With the weight of numbers on their side, the Muscovy dragoons unhorsed and rode down much of their opponent.  With the rightmost dragoons overcome by their victory, the commander lost control of the horsemen and they swept forward.
Fortunately the other dragoons maintained their composure and fell on the wavering Prussian dragoons.

Stunned by the impact, more German riders fell to the Russian sabres and flew back towards their own lines.

On the Russian right flank, they were about to find out what happens when distracted.  The Prussian infantry charged into the Russian flank and front.  The combat was savage and the Russian unit annihilated.

Keeping typical Prussian composure, Frederick's foot exploited the moment and fell onto the unsuspecting flank of the next Russian infantry unit.  With equal brutal efficiency, the Russians were forced to flee, leaving half their comrades dead and wounded behind them.

With the Russian infantry facing enemy to the front and rear, and the cavalry engagement still quite distant and undecided, the position for the Tsarina's army was looking precarious.

At this point, I asked both sides what they would do if this battle was in the context of a wider campaign.  The Russians decided to retire.

Nonetheless, I also consulted the army countdown clocks. 

The Russians had reached zero (minus three in fact!) and were required to take an army morale check anyway.  They rolled... and failed.

So, victory to the Prussians.

Afterthoughts

That was an incredibly entertaining game and a very interesting one to watch.  

Koenig Krieg provides quite a number of decision points and it was a lot of fun to see and hear the players discuss and struggle in their decision making.

There was some titanic cavalry action and the infantry was engaged.  Controlling the initiative was vital, yet also a dilemma.  

Both sides played really well.  However, in my opinion, three critical and related moments may have turned the battle.

1. The pausing and reorienting of the Russian infantry on the right flank to face the jagers in the woods instead of facing forward and/or continuing the right hook.  This decision opened up the infantry flank which Frederick (Jonathan) exploited by moving his infantry over the ridge and into position to charge.

2. Throwing the cossacks into the Prussian rear instead of shielding the Russian infantry flank.

3. The Prussian jagers occupying the small woods between the ridges became a great distraction and took the Russian eye off the bigger picture.  The effort to remove the jagers instead of bypassing them left the Russians vulnerable.

Congratulations to the players for playing so well and making for a great evening.