As discussed in the last thrilling episode, at W.A.S.P. we’ve recently been back to playing Seven Years War battles using our Tricorn rules (Shako adapted for 18th Century battles) and this is the second battle in our current run.
I covered the scenario for this game in the last instalment, so go have a look if you want to know about the historical background, orders of battle, scenario rules, etc.
By sheer luck, I had all the necessary regiments in my collection for the Allied side except the Hanoverian ‘Busche’ Dragoons (mine are the ‘Breydenbach’ Dragoons, who had light blue facings, while the ‘Busche’ Regiment had dark blue). That said, my Sachsen-Gotha Infantry are wearing the red coats they latterly wore in Hanoverian service from 1759, when they should still be wearing their white coats in this battle (the confusion caused by this unit wearing white stopped the French from firing at them during a critical moment in the battle). On the French side, I had the red-coated Swiss ‘Reding’ Regiment and the blue-coated German ‘La Marck’ Regiment, but had to use proxies for the rest.
The starting situation
Above: Imhoff and his staff watch from the Galgen-Berg, next to a dug-in battery of Hanoverian 6-pounders and the massed grenadiers of a few of his regiments. On Imhoff’s left are the Hanoverian ‘Stoltzenberg’ Regiment in their red coats and the two battalions of Imhoff’s own regiment of Brunswicker infantry.
Above: On the left of the line are Zastrow’s two Hessian regiments; the ‘Toll’ Regiment with orange facings and the ‘Erbprinz’ Regiment with yellow facings. Holding the left flank is the ‘Erbprinz von Sachsen-Gotha’ Regiment in their white (!) coats with green facings. The left is anchored on a fortified Hessian 6-pounder battery.
Above: Imhoff’s only reserve is the Hanoverian ‘Busch’ Regiment of Dragoons.
Above: Chévert’s army appears on the Wesel Road and deploys with some difficulty among the woods, hedgerows and bogs on either side of the road. At the head of the column is Chavigny’s advance-guard, consisting of massed companies of grenadiers, militia, volunteers and two batteries of heavy 12-pounders.
Above: Following close behind is Hamilton’s ‘Brancas’ Brigade, consisting of the ‘Brancas’ (2 bns), ‘Foix’ (1 bn), ‘Royal-Lorraine’ (1 bn) and ‘Périgord’ (1 bn) Regiments. Behind them comes La Marck’s ‘Reding’ Brigade led by the red-coated Swiss ‘Reding’ Regiment (2 bns), then the blue-coated German ‘La Marck’ Regiment (2 bns) and the ‘Royal-Barrois’ Regiment (1 bn).
[NB My battalions are based in line on single bases for ease of play and storage. When they’re marching in column we place MDF arrow-markers next to them, to show the direction of march. It’s not to everyone’s taste, but makes play, setting up and packing away MUCH quicker and easier.]
Above: In reserve is the ‘Du Roy’ Regiment of Dragoons.
Above: While a fierce firefight develops on the Allied left, the Hanoverian battery commander on the right flank waits for a target to come within range of his 6-pounders.
Above: At last the French come within range and the Hanoverian guns open fire.
[I must confess that I had completely forgotten to take any photos for the first few turns of the game. The French heavy artillery had deployed and was pasting the Allied left wing, particularly the dug-in Hessian battery. The French skirmishers and grenadiers had moved to the flank and were doing likewise.]
Above: Somewhat astonishingly, Chévert orders his dragoons to advance through the centre of his line, forming column and marching along a lane that crosses the marshy ground and emerging right in front of the Allied centre! The Allied gunners can hardly believe their luck, but for some reason don’t seem to be able to hit very much!
Above: La Marck’s Brigade on the French left has finally deployed into line, but is making slow progress among the bogs and hedgerows.
Above: Chévert watches the progress of the battle. His heavy artillery has now softened up the Allied left and so he orders Hamilton’s Brigade and the ‘Du Roy’ Dragoons to attack.
Above: On the French right flank, Chavigny’s advance guard is making a nuisance of itself.
Above: Zastrow’s Allied left wing is holding its position, though has suffered some losses from the effective French artillery. His own gunners have achieved very little in reply.
Above: Just as the ‘Du Roy’ Dragoons emerge from the hedgerows and shake out into line, the Hessian ‘Toll’ Regiment is disordered by an effective flurry of 12-pounder roundshot!
Above: Imhoff watches in frustration as the Allied artillery persistently fail to hit or even disrupt the deployment of the French dragoons in the centre of the battlefield!
Above: The long frontage of the Allied line means that large gaps have opened up between battalions and the Hessians are therefore a juicy target for French cavalry. However, the French dragoons are more used to fighting on foot than on horseback, so aren’t the ideal tool for the job, but they charge anyway. The Hessians ready themselves and manage to dress their ranks, but have continued to suffer casualties from the extremely effective French artillery.
Above: On the Allied left flank, the Hessian battery has at last been driven off by a combination of 12-pounder fire and the musketry of the militia, grenadiers and volunteers. They now turn their attention to the ‘Erbprinz von Sachsen-Gotha’ Regiment.
Above: Hamilton’s Brigade pushes beyond the hedgerows in a deep formation. The ‘Foix’ Regiment in the foreground, has formed column and is marching to the right, in order to circumvent the pond in front of them.
Above: La Marck’s Brigade continues to make slow progress through the swamps and hedgerows on the left.
Above: As their fire is masked by Hamilton’s infantry, the French 12-pounders turn their attention to the Allied right wing.
Above: There definitely seems to be something wrong with the Allied gunpowder, as the ‘Toll’ Regiment’s volley completely fails to do anything to the charging dragoons! The Hessians make a brave stand, but are completely swept away by the French horsemen. Urge on by their Colonel, le Comte de Scey, the dragoons charge on into the Hessian ‘Erbprinz’ Regiment.
Above: Dismayed by the collapse of the ‘Toll’ Regiment, the men of the ‘Erbprinz’ Regiment are in no mood to stand and fight. They too, flee for the safety of the woods. With two of his three battalions and his supporting battery gone, Zastrow cannot persuade the men of Sachsen-Gotha to fight on alone and they also break and run!
Above: With the road to Rees now almost completely undefended, the only hope for the Allies is the ‘Busche’ Dragoons. With the French dragoons milling about in some disorder to his front, Colonel von Busche orders his dragoons to draw their swords and then orders them to advance at the trot…
Above: Hamilton’s Brigade continues to deploy, but thanks to the advance guard, artillery and dragoons, they suddenly have no enemy infantry to fight! Nevertheless, they continue their deployment; as the ‘Foix’ Regiment continues to flank right, the ‘Royal-Lorraine’ Regiment leads the column, the ‘Périgord’ Regiment deploys on the left and the two battalions of the ‘Brancas’ Regiment bring up the rear.
Above: Another view of the French right wing.
Above: Accelerating to a canter and then a full-blooded charge, the ‘Busche’ Dragoons smash into their French counterparts. Thirsty for revenge, the Hanoverians give no quarter and the blown ‘Du Roy’ Dragoons are swept from the field!
Above: With little left to lose, Colonel von Busche decides to press on and charges the ‘Périgord’ Regiment, which is fairly vulnerable on the left of Hamilton’s column. However, the ‘Périgord’ Regiment are made of sterner stuff and swiftly turn the tables on the over-confident Hanoverian dragoons as they calmly halt and deliver a devastating volley.
Above: As men and horses tumble in the face of such fire, the Hanoverian dragoons deliver a very ragged charge against the French line and are utterly defeated! The shocked survivors flee the field and Colonel von Busche is unable to stop the stampede.
Above: In the meantime, La Marck continues his plod through the hedgerows and wonders what all the noise is…
Above: With the destruction of the Hanoverian dragoons, the morale of Imhoff’s corps completely collapses!
[In game terms, the loss of the dragoons and the Hessian army battery in addition to Zastrow’s Brigade meant that the army’s morale losses had JUST edged over 50%, so it was endex.]
Above: With completely impassable lakes, rivers and swamps to their rear, Imhoff’s men will have to attempt to run the gauntlet along the road to Rees.
Above: However, Chavigny and Hamilton are now masters of the road and will make the Allies pay…
So all in all, a complete bloody disaster for Imhoff… As discussed in the scenario, the players felt that the scenario was balanced and only the fickle hand of Fate was to blame for this absolute drubbing… Well the French would say that and the Allies were possibly being diplomatic! 😉 Personally I’d recommend going with the suggested balancing options; beef up the Allied infantry to MR 5 and then also downgrade La Marck’s infantry to MR 3 (this last option would have made absolutely no difference in this game, as La Marck never got into action).
More SYW action to come, with a scenario and game-report for the Battle of Wittenberg.
