A couple of weeks ago Andy, Kirk and I wandered down to the Haverfordwest Gaming Club’s annual open day. Last year we put on a small historical SYW refight, the Battle of Clostercamp and this year we decided to do another small SYW action; the Battle of Sanderhausen. My surviving reader might remember that we played this scenario at W.A.S.P. back in June, resulting in a very narrow victory for the French. However, Andy and Kirk hadn’t played it and it’s a fun scenario that can easily be played in a short time, so I dug it out again for the open day.
As usual, the game was played using Tricorn, our mid-18th Century variant of Shako Napoleonic rules. If you want to know the scenario details, follow this link.
Above: As this was a club open day, I’m not ashamed to admit that I slightly changed the geography in a shameless attempt to show off my new fort. The city of Cassel has therefore been moved to where the village of Sanderhausen should be (see the vintage map above)!
Above: The fortress is pure decoration for the purposes of the game, but it does make a rather nice back-drop.
Above: Two of the three battalions of the German Royal-Deux-Ponts Regiment were left behind to guard the lines of retreat through Sanderhausen and Cassel, so here they are garrisoning the ravelin.
Above: Nothing beats a good ravelin in the mornin.
Above: The Duc de Broglie peers at the Hessian positions. “Good news, Sir! Our spies report that the Holy Roman Umpire has left Doug’s Purple Dice of Doom at home!” The Duc nods in satisfaction at this welcome news…
Above: The French infantry deploys in a single line, with the cavalry forming a widely-spaced second line.
Above: I must confess that I forgot to take another photo after giving the Duc (Andy) the option of re-deploying his position batteries; he moved them from the right wing (as shown above) to the left wing, in front of the French battalions.
Above: Two French regiments (Beauvoisis and Rohan-Montbazon) form the left wing, along with the light infantry of the Chasseurs de Fischer and volunteers from the German Bentheim Regiment.
Above: The right wing is formed by three German battalions (from the Royal-Deux-Ponts and Royal-Bavière Regiments) and four Swiss battalions (from the Diesbach and Waldner Regiments), with the flank screened by the skirmishing grenadier companies of the Royal-Deux-Ponts Regiment.
Above: On the heights, Prince Ysenburg (Kirk) affects a deliberate calm and nonchalant air in defiance of the odds arrayed against him as he reads today’s copy of Die Sonne.
Above: Prince Ysenburg’s Hessian army is massively outnumbered, but occupies a strong position on the heights, with its flanks anchored on woodland and the fortified farm of Ellenbach.
Above: Unlike the last game when I had to use Hanoverian regiments as proxies, this time I’d painted enough new Hessian infantry regiments to fill the ranks. The only remaining interlopers are the Schaumburg-Lippe-Bückeburg Regiment standing in for the Invalid Battalion and the Prussian ‘Kleist’ Freikorps-Husaren standing in for the Hessian Husaren-Corps.
Above: The Hessian right flank is anchored on the thickly-wooded bank of the Fulda River and the woods are occupied by the massed grenadiers of the Hessian militia, as well as the Hessian Jäger-Corps and some huntsmen from the militia (yes, I know jäger means ‘hunter’, but these are actual huntsmen, drafted into the militia, not Jäger in the military sense).
Above: The main Hessian line in the open ground is formed by two regular infantry regiments (Ysenburg and Canitz) on the flanks, with two militia regiments (Wurmb and Gundlach) in the centre and a weak battalion of ‘Invalids’ (i.e. pensioned-off veterans) in reserve, with a position battery positioned on the left flank. The massed Hessian cavalry are formed up behind the battery.
Above: On the extreme Hessian left flank, the Ellenbach Farm is garrisoned by the Freywald Militia Regiment, supported by some more militia huntsmen and an unidentified unit of Hanoverian Jäger.
At last the French army starts to move. Broglie has decided to refuse his left, allowing his position guns to soften the Hessian line at long range, while pushing forward aggressively on his right. As the Swiss push their battalion guns forward, the Hanoverian Jäger manage to drop a few of the gunners, but vengeance is swift as a whiff of grapeshot, thickened by fire from the skirmishing Royal-Deux-Ponts Grenadier companies, sweeps away the militia huntsmen and inflicts heavy damage on the Hanoverian Jäger. The Hanoverians immediately fall back, deep into the woods, to reconsider their options.
Above: The French position battery also quickly finds the range and Hessian infantrymen begin to fall to long-range roundshot.
Above: As French shot bounds through the infantry line, some unfortunate cavalrymen and invalids also fall victim to stray rounds.
Above: On the bank of the Fulda, the French chasseurs push forward, seeking prey.
Above: However, the French left wing has not yet been given orders to advance and Colonel Fischer recalls the more impetuous of his men. For now, the light infantry are limited to taunts and cat-calls through the trees.
Above: As the French right wing advances into the copse on the spur above Ellenbach, the Hessian artillery begins to claim victims, but their fire doesn’t seem to be anywhere near as effective as the well-handled French guns.
Above: In a very short time, the Invalids, having suffered a storm of shot actually directed at the first line, decide that they have already done their time in the army and break and run to the rear! The Hessian horse on the left also continue to suffer a steady trickle of casualties from the ‘overs’. Casualties in the main infantry line meanwhile, remain remarkably light.
From his position on the heights, Prince Ysenburg observes the seemingly unsupported advance of the French right wing and decides to intervene with his cavalry. Leaving nothing to chance, Ysenburg sends both of his ADCs over to the left wing, with orders for General Oheimb to attack!
Above: As the Swiss pass through the copse, the blue-coated Royal-Bavière Regiment remains in the open ground and at last begins to suffer heavy casualties from the Hessian guns. The German battalion guns find themselves to be no match for the Hessian gunners and are quickly destroyed. Then, as the Swiss emerge from the copse, they march straight into a hail of canister fire from the Hessian battery, as well as musketry from Ellenbach and rifle-fire from the Hanoverian Jäger!
Then the Hessian cavalry charge…
Above: On the French right flank, nearest to Ellenbach Farm, the Swiss Waldner Regiment fire a devastating volley into the Hessian Husarencorps, but it’s not quite enough to stop them and the regiment’s 1st Battalion is broken. The hussars decide not to push their luck in the face of approaching French cavalry and retire to rally back on the heights. In the centre of the melee, the 1st Battalion of the Swiss Diesbach Regiment manages to beat off the Hessian Prinz Friedrich Dragoons, though their 2nd Battalion, already shredded by canister, is crushed by the Hessian heavy horse!
Above: Having broken the Swiss battalion, the Hessian horse charge on into the 1st Battalion of the Royal-Bavière Regiment. However, the Germans are made of sterner stuff and the Hessians are repulsed! Nevertheless, the heavy losses suffered by the French right wing have gravely sapped the morale of the Swiss and German infantry.
Above: Bavarian jubilation at having repelled the cavalry is short-lived, as the Hessian infantry have just received orders to mount a limited attack. In a move surprising everyone, the Hessian line charges down the hill! The heroic 1st Battalion of the Royal-Bavière Regiment manages to halt the Hessian Canitz Regiment with fire, but the 2nd Battalion is not so lucky and is swept away by the Gundlach Militia.
Above: The Duc de Broglie suddenly realises that he has another German battalion (1st Royal-Deux-Ponts) hiding among the grey coats of his Frenchmen! He contemptuously orders these cowards up the hill to join their doomed comrades! With the Swiss-German assault failing, he also realises that he may have left it to left to commit his left wing! He sends an ADC over to order the French infantry to attack.
Above: The sudden slump in morale doesn’t seem to be bothering the Swiss Diesbach Regiment, which charges and destroys half of the Hessian position guns! At Ellenbach meanwhile, the Swiss battalion guns are making life miserable for the Freywald Militia.
Above: The Swiss may well have bitten off more than they can chew…
Above: The French cavalry, their earlier march to the right flank having been halted by Broglie, mass south of the copse. On the right, the grenadiers of the Royal-Deux-Ponts Regiment are doing remarkably well against the Hanoverian Jäger.
Above: In Ellenbach, the Freywald Militia have suffered some losses from the Swiss battalion guns, but have inflicted a steady trickle of casualties on the passing Swiss battalions and proven themselves to be a very painful thorn in the side of the French attack.
Above: The Hessian cavalry have suffered heavy losses, but are now rallied and have Switzers to their front. General Oheimb orders the charge!
Above: In the woods near Ellenbach, the Hanoverian Jäger are on the point of breaking in the face of the determined enemy grenadiers!
Above: The Swiss Diesbach Regiment pushes its luck and charges the next gun-battery! However, the Hessian heavy horse charge once again, passing through their own gunners to crash into the impertinent Switzers!
Above: The Swiss Diesbach Regiment is crushed and the Hessian horse, having learned their lesson from last time (and with fresh French cavalry approaching), retire to their own lines to rally. In the distance, the remnants of the Swiss Waldner Regiment launch a desperate charge on Ellenbach, but are halted by the defenders’ fire. [NB for some reason we also removed the Hessian battery, but that was a mistake, as they’d been saved by the cavalry!]
Above: With the loss of the Diesbach Regiment, the French right wing have finally had enough and break and run en masse! In the woods, the grenadiers of the Royal-Deux-Ponts Regiment are also forced to withdraw (along with the section of battalion guns) and the Hanoverian Jäger breathe a sigh of relief!
Above: However, the rout of the Swiss-German infantry has now cleared the way for the French cavalry to mount their own attack.
Above: On the French left, the two remaining infantry regiments begin their advance up the slope and at last the French position battery falls silent, masked by the advancing ranks. In the woods, Colonel Fischer finally allows his chasseurs to move forward to engage the Jäger.
Above: The Hessian infantry have suffered some disruption from the incessant French artillery fire, but they calmly wait at the top of the slope for the French to come to them.
Above: Colonel Oheimb stands with his exhausted cavalry and hopes that they can recover some of their strength before the French horse arrive.
Above: Sadly for General Oheimb, the French cavalry are not going to allow him that luxury!
Above: As the French infantry close to musketry range, the French heavy horse charge the Canitz Regiment, on the left flank of the Hessian infantry. The Canitz Regiment manages to hold off the French horse, but the Hessian infantry have no time to catch breath before a second wave of French horsemen charges!
Above: In the woods, the skirmish has intensified; the Hessian militia huntsmen have fled the scene, as have the volunteers from the French Bentheim Regiment. Nevertheless, the Hessian Jäger and the Chasseurs de Fischer continue to slug it out on the bank of the Fulda.
Above: On the eastern flank, the French Nassau Hussars and the Apchon Dragoons are shot to bits as they attempt to pass by the Hanoverian Jäger and Freywald Militia. Seeing easy prey, the Hessian Husarencorps and Prinz Friedrich Dragoons charge down the slope. However, fortune smiles on the French hussars this day, as the Hessian charge turns into a disaster and both Hessian cavalry regiments break and flee the field!
However, French jubilation is soon silenced with the realisation that the Nassau Hussars are completely spent and must retire from the battle. The situation deteriorates even further as the Apchon Dragoons, shot to pieces by the garrison of Ellenbach, also quit the field! By the skin of their teeth, the remaining Hessian and French regiments of horse manage to maintain their composure and remain in the fight.
Above: Our chronicler sadly missed a part of the action here; the first charge by the French infantry was largely halted by fire, but the 2nd Battalion of the Rohan-Montbazon Regiment managed to charge home and break the Wurmb Militia. On the flank meanwhile, the second charge by the French horse was decisively halted on the bayonets of the heroic Canitz Regiment.
It’s now Turn 12… In this scenario’s completely arbitrary time-limit, the French need to break the Hessians by the end of the turn in order to avoid a Hessian victory. Both sides have been weakened, so there’s still everything to play for…
Above: The French charge again! This time, despite flanking fire from the Hessian grenadiers in the wood, all four French infantry battalions manage to charge home on the Ysenburg Regiment (with the buff flag) and the Gundlach Militia (with the dark blue flag).
Above: On the flank, the first brigade of French horse has rallied and now has yet another go at the Canitz Regiment!
Above: The French infantry charge this time, is a complete success! The Hessian infantry fail to halt the charge with firepower and despite their strong position on the hill, are unable to withstand the French onslaught. The earlier loss of the Wurmb Militia, in the very centre of the Hessian line, has crippled Hessian cohesion and the remaining battalions crumble in the face of the solid phalanx of French bayonets!
Above: To everyone’s surprise, the Ysenburg Regiment, being one of the better regular regiments in the Hessian line as well as being the army commander’s own regiment, fails to rally and keeps running! The Gundlach Militia however, retain their honour and manage to rally near Prince Ysenburg’s headquarters. They turn to face the enemy once again.
Above: On the left of the Hessian line however, the incredible Canitz Regiment stands like a stone wall! They’ve beaten off an infantry assault and no fewer than three cavalry charges, despite being exposed at the end of the line (thanks in no small part to the exhausted Hessian heavy horse, who provide vital rear support to the Canitz Regiment, but who dare not launch another charge). This last cavalry charge has ended in disaster for the French horse, who are broken on the wall of bayonets and who are joined in their rout by the rest of the French cavalry division!
Above: At Ellenbach meanwhile, peace descends upon the battlefield.
Above: With the Hessians having lost a large chunk of their army, things could now go horribly wrong for Prince Ysenburg. However, the Prince manages through force of will (and a good die-roll, to be fair) to hold his command together!
The same however, is not true of the Duc De Broglie… With the rest of the army having quit the field, the heroic French infantry division can’t possibly fight on alone and so too, is forced to retreat! The Duc de Broglie must therefore concede defeat to Prince Ysenburg.
So that’s France: 1, Hesse-Cassel: 1! We might have to fight Sanderhausen a third time for the decider.
My thanks to Kirk and Andy for making it such a good (if nail-biting) game and thanks to all at Haverfordwest Gaming Club for their usual warm welcome.
So to the next game… As mentioned last time, our old mate Jase is back from New Zealand for a (No Fit) State Visit to Wales, so we’ll be having a game with him at W.A.S.P. on Tuesday. He’s been itching to play a SYW battle again after all these years, so we’ll be giving the Corbach scenario a test-run. I’m very much looking forward to it! 🙂
Me too!
J
😀
Superb looking game, the table the miniatures are just top notch, quite superb.
Another great game, thank you Mark & Kirk.
See you Tuesday.
Thanks Andy!
That reminds me… I must dig out Doug’s Purple Dice of Doom…
😡
😀
That was a dramatic and gorgeous game! The fort in the background really looks the business, as do your French infantry (I’m working on them right now).
Thanks Jim! More French loveliness to photograph today, as the entire army is going to be deployed for our Corbach game. 🙂
Fantastic battle photos and account! Lovely looking armies. I may bring this battle to my table one day. Good stuff and looks like you have more than one reader left!
Thanks Jonathan. 😉
Splendid game and report! Poor old French this time, though; I’m sure they’d fight better if they had more nicely shaded flags, though… Ha ha. 😉
Note to self – must avoid teasing some people about their flags as it obviously does not go down well… 8-{}
😀 Have you seen my latest post on the LAoW? 😉
Yes, and replied. Lovely looking units and good to see thsoe flags in action again too. 🙂
Oh I missed this earlier! 😀
I approved your message on my phone and intended to reply later, but then forgot.
I’m not saying you’re forgettable or anything… 😉
Ah – that’s all right then. 😉
Cheers,
David.
Hi Mark
Great report, nail biting to the end!
Cheers Paul
Thanks Paul! 🙂
Fantastic 18th century eye candy, lovely to drool over.
Willz.
Thanks Willz! 🙂
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A good scenario and great AAR, Mark.
Thanks Dal! 🙂