1759 - the Collossal Combat at Cöstriza - Seven Years War

It was time again to do a fictional battle located somewhere in eastern parts of Prussia, 28mm, Seven Years Rules set, in the Seven Years War. Campbell would play the multitude of the Russian jugger-naught clashing against a fortified hill of Prussians and some helpers of Hessians (Cassel borrowed from my AWI collection) played by me, blocking some retreat route of the Russian army. 

Each had the same amount of guns (only light), cavalry and skirmishers and veterans units, the Russian had 9 regiments of the line while the Prussians had 6, but there were on the hill. Campbell/The Russians had also 5 commands while the Prussian had only 4 but one guaranteed successful each round.

Campbell started and advanced on all fronts ready to take on the "Bunker hill/Borodino" position, as he called it. First it went well for him the horse flanks were clashing back and forth and the centre made good progress. But then slowly I took out his Hussars, then another cavalry unit then some guns, most of the time I was able to "silence" his guns, i.e. I hit his guns and disordered them, which meant that their reduced action could either go on rallying OR re-loading ... in effect making them unable to shoot the next turn.

Then I started to attack with my cuirassiers and had a home run, while he rolled abysmal, the effect was that his right flank became a problem of increasing size. on the other flank I was first successful, but then had to retreat, one unit of hussars wasn't enough to press a flank.

At this time he really made it for the centre to charge in, and to be fair he pushed away / cracked my Hessians brigade and even got on the hill behind the fortified fence routing one Prussian unit. But in the end the right flank was his downfall, by then that flank had completely disintegrated and my cuirassiers and the Black Death Hussars were literally standing right behind his centre - he did the only sensible thing and admitted defeat. If he had not needed his veteran infantry units / reserves to block the flanks, I would have been annihilated in the centre, but thanks god his horse on the flanks collapsed!

Again the rules worked a treat and next time hopefully I will have more Prussians available. ;)

Initial Set up: Russians to the left, Prussians to the right ...

The Prussian left horse flank

The Prussian centre with Hessians at the base of the hill ...

The Russsians centre ... more men ...

The rule set

The first light cavalry clash a Prussian win ...

The Russian centre advances

The left flank shakes ...

and then falls ...

Every where Russian horse on the run!

But the centre stoically firing ...

... and advancing ...

... to shooting range ...

The left flank gets fixed with grenadier veterans

Suddenly the Russian centre attacks

Gets repulsed but not beaten ...

A "silenced" Russian light gun

The centre gets hotter

The Hessians in retreat ...

Fire fights everywhere

The right flank temporarily fixed ...

The left flank gets pushed back again ...

In the centre its all out attack for the Russians

They stand in front of the "real" Prussians now

The centre pressure rises again ...

2 of 3 Russians units are in fights

The flanks are seemingly stable and the centre is charging in

The last Hessian unit flees

And the Russians steadily follow through - stoically

But then both flanks collapse ...

The centre runs out of steam ...

The veteran grenadier unit flees ...

And the Black Hussars have literally no opponent ...

A last push in the centre ... did not bring the necessary results

The Russian admit defeat

The butchers bill: 1 Hessian destroyed 1 Hessian shaken off the table vs 3 Russian cavalry and two infantry and one gun.

A massacre of Mantinea 418 BC

Campbell wanted to play the Spartans, so I decided to refight Mantinea (418BC) in 28mm, Hail Caesar plus some house rules (incl. Phalanges, Hoplitodromos and Osthismus). I played the Athenians under general Laches, while Campbell sought to revenge Brasidias as King Agis II. We fought live on "House Party".

The Spartans are a tough nut to crack in any scenario, but to keep up a complete army in one line and also in Phalanx wasn‘t something automatic even in those days, and might sometimes lead to open gaps, to opportunities to crack that Peleponnesian nut. 

So I had the first turn and half of my army, the centre advanced - hmmm! 

Then Campbell advanced with his army bang to the middle - in one line - in phalanx, just like a piece of cake. hrm, hrm!

Then I lost in two consecutive turns the command and my army did not move out of its disorganised battle formation and left the outmost right flank open - oh shit!

Campbell came, saw and rolled up my moras from one flank to the other. I could just stare and do nothing apart from rolling obviously shitty. I was completely and comprehensively beaten (lost two of my phalanges in turn 2, then 1 in turn 3 and then another in turn 4 and so forth ...)

The game was over before it began, my peltasts were ineffective and surprisingly talken out by spartan helots.  And that before even half of the time (12 turns) were over. I managed to beat the Spartan allied horse unit! A spartan helot peltasts unit and finally one spartan allied hoplite mora - but only after 8 turns!

I was wiped. smashed. comprehensively beaten. It felt like playing chess vs a computer and you‘re out on turn 3. Congratulations Campbell, well earned victory! The tally was Athenians 3 vs Spartans 10!!!

But I enjoyed it nevertheless, I managed to beat the kings guard to force them to retreat ... for one turn...

True, if the Spartans move perfect in line and play very good, it is a hard nut to crack indeed ... and maybe you get cracked instead. ;)

The initial set up

The Peloponnesian line

The Delian line

The King Agis and his elite mora

The Athenian allies

The Spartan army advance - voila!

The Athenians well some do ...

but the flank attack fails ...

All in one line in phalanx apart from ...

the outer right unit ... ouch! two moras lost!

TheAthenian gap in turn 3

The Athenian centre hard pressed

The flank attack ... didn't happen

about to loose another mora

The spartans attack

... lots of Spartans and allies but few Athenians

Turn 3 just two out of 5 moras left

The rest of the Athenian army

The Spartans encircle slowly

Oh and that is my right flank - 1 unit of peltasts

The Spartan attack and the 4th mora gets beaten

Now the Athenian General Laches decides for a last stand

Wave after wave crashed against the Athenian elites

Just two peltast/ cavalry supports to one mora

The battlefield looks very lonely

Again the Spartans are exhausted and getting repulsed

But the Athenians can‘t go one for ever

So the last Spartan attack on turn 9 ... did the trick

The general flees with a unit of peltasts ... his army ...

The Table of losses: left the Spartans, right the Athenians

Athenian stats

Spartan stats