This presentsed an opportunity for a SYW game. Four of my pals have signed on. My thought is Lobositz.
What I intended was NOT to announce to all which battle it will be as the foundation of the real battle was that Frederick thought he was attacking a rear guard until the fog lifted to reveal the entire Austrian army.
Two of my pals commanded the Prussians with the following orders:
Your mission is to defeat the Austrian rear guard as quickly as possible in order to cross the Elbe River and defeat the Austrians.
The other two were the Austrian commanders, ordered to: Hold the Prussians for 8 Game Turns & withdraw in good order.
Although I prefer to take a side, I've decided to umpire as this is the only way you can duplicate the surprise factor & not make it look as if I'm stacking the cards in my favour. Of course, once the game begins, I will be strictly neutral & just facilitate the game play. I'm sure my pals will enjoy the battle.
The game turned out very well. TBH I got so involved I didn't take an entirely coherant set of photos but this is what I remembered to snap.
The battlefield:
Terrain was on the side of the Austrians with the swampy ground between the villages of Sellowitz & Lobositz being a real challenge:
As per the real battle, the Prussians entered in march formation & only seeing part of the Austrian army (the majority were concealed by fog) thought it a mere rear guard to be brushed aside.
On Turn 2, I placed the hidden Austrians on the table. The Prussian commanders were surprised but not dismayed.
Frederick, cheering the troops on:
Unlike the real Frederick's plan, The Prussians mounted a pincer attack on the all important road to Pirna:
.
Although trying to ignore the Grenzer posted on the Lobosch hill, the Croats made a nuisance of themselves:
Much like the historical Lobositz, the Prussian cavalry was roughly handled, several regiments fleeing the field:
The Austrian cavalry, not without loss, triumphed:
Having delayed the Prussians for those vital 8 Game Turns, the Austrians withdrew:
Like many wargames, this was a work in progress. You'll notice that I had to use French SYW artillery as I don't have nearly enough Austrian gunners & that O'Donell's Cuirassiers have a squadron of empty horses (3 figures to modify from various Zvevda sets).
Still an enjoyable re-fight of one of the more important battles of the SYW. My friends commanded their respective armies with great skill, good humour & a definite appreciation of the finer points of C18th military strategy.
donald
Moderator
