1756 - the battle at Schnücken-Mücken

Again it was time for a fictional battle in the Seven Years War, 28mm with my "Seven Years" rule set, Bart and Alisdair took the side of the Austrians and Saxons while Peter and Campbell took over a small but very elite Prussian force to wipe the firstly very lonesome and outnumbered Saxons. The Austrian army would arrive each turn approximately a brigade and slowly but surely turn the tide of the battle.

The Prussians had to hit fast and hard. Unfortunately they offered me the cavalry brigade on the right flank, that hadn‘t any opponents on horses for the start and could make or break the whole battle. So I charged with my Hussars and Cuirassiers and well ... failed. Just a few hats and mitras were dented, apart from that, I had to withdraw in disorder - ouch! My highlight of complete and utter un-glory-ness (if thats a word) this year!!!

On the other flank, Peter seemingly was rebuffed by Alisdairs cavalry too and so the pincer movement that should have broken the Saxons, instead broke the pincers themselves. Then Campbell rushed forward and poured fire into the Saxon lines. They suffered a lot many Geschwindstücke (fast, light guns) were blown off the place, and further down the line the Saxon brigade began to falter, first shaken and then retreating the whole bulk dangerously near the table edge blocking the incoming Austrians a good entry into the battle... what a drama!

BUT then the closeness needed to shell the Saxons had their price! The Saxons were firing back and the 3 Prussian infantry brigades were shot into submission, first shaken, then one after another even retreating.

As the second Austrian cavalry brigade arrived the forces were even on the flanks, the next turn the German and Hungarian Grenadiers arrived - the tide was slowly turning. The cavalry had fought itself to a stand still and the Austro-Saxons just waited for the artillery brigade to arrive. As that happened, the Prussians were fighting a barrage of an artillery battle with the Austrians for a sort of gun supremacy of the field, some of the Saxon guns were put out of order, but then they were running out of ammunition... doom and gloom (in the background you can hear Siegfrieds funeral march) ...

The last turn (we could play, because we were running out of time) didn‘t bring the big push of for the Saxons to run off the board either, more Austrians arrived, hrmmm! If my cavalry would just be more effective ... 

BUT unit killing wise it was 2 Prussian units vs 4 Austro-Saxon units (2 vs 5 even, as I remembered Alisdair lost a skirmishing unit and told me later)! On the other hand it was clear a continuing of the battle would have brought the imminent defeat of the Prussians. And yes, it is undeniably that this was a very oblique and difficult scenario for the Prussians.

So Campbell and Peter did very well under the circumstances, congratulations! And Bart and Alisdair surley were on the winning lane, congratulations too! The only one who did perform abysmal was probably me with the worst cavalry charge sofar! 

Following that: point-wise a hard earned Prussian scenario - victory, while at the same time the clear tactical victory was at the end on the Austro-Saxon side - I would reckon it was a draw, but as you know history sometimes is never a clear cut, and I imagine there will be different reports on Barts blog and on the SESWC face book page depending on bias. ;)