A Full and Proper Relation of the Late Battle at the Town of Pilsen in Bohemia

It was not until late in the day that the forces of the King of Prussia were able to bring to battle the army of the Duke of Arenburg. While Arenberg had sought to find the most advantageous ground he could, the battle took place in a gently sloping valley marked only by the presence of a small (but picturesque) village, in which the duke established his headquarters.

The Austrians held the center of the valley with a force of infantry (4 musketeer and 1 grenadier brigades) commanded by the redoubtable Haddick. On the right flank were two brigades of cuirassiers led by Lutzow and on the left were cuirassiers and dragoons commanded by Berlichtingen. Across the valley, they saw the blue-clad regiments of Prussia: musketeers in the center, artillery to their right and fusiliers and grenadiers to their left. On the far Prussian right wing were several columns of dragoons.

Quickly seizing the initiative, the Duke of Arenberg dispatched his heavy cavalry to fall upon the Prussian foot, who were still advancing in march columns. The white-clad riders burst through one regiment after another, slashing and hacking as the vaunted veterans of Frederick fled in terror. Musketeers, grenadiers, even the Garde Regiment of the King himself were put to ignominious flight.

But Prussian trianing saved the day. Quickly deploying into line, the supporting regiments poured fire into the ranks of the Hapsburg horsemen, who quickly pulled back. On the Austrian left, they did not pull back fast enough, for the Prussian dragoons fell on them, breaking the regiments as they retired from their victory. On the right, the Austrian horse, unchallenged by enemy cavalry, withdrew to the far flank of the advancing Prussian foot, beginning a movement to envelop them.

Then, as the Prussian dragoons followed up their victory by defeating the small force of Austrian dragoons, and as their foot rolled forward, redressing its lines, the Austrian center sprang into action. Perhaps Haddick sought to save his mounted comrades; perhaps he was stung by the glory of their victory and jealously sought his own. In either case, the Duke of Arenberg swore several choice oaths when he saw that his base, the strong, deep center he had planned to hold his position with, had begun rushing forward and was hurrying to attack the foe. The outnumbered Austrians converged on the center of the Prussian line, hoping to take advantage of the confusion their remaining cavalry were causing in the Prussian left.

One Prussian fusilier corps was overthrown, though Prussian grenadiers showed great fortitude in beating of an Austrian cuirassier attack on the rear of one of their lines. Three Austrian infantry formations were shattered as they ran into the buzz-saw of Prussian musketry. Despite heroic charges led by General Haddick himself, only one more Prussian unit was defeated before the Austrian center was rendered neuter by the devastating volleys of Frederick's men. Haller's regiment was slain to a man, and as the Prussian dragoons began encircling the Austrian's left, the grenadiers of von Salm, Neipperg, and Gaisbruck formed square and sold their lives dearly, fighting the foot to their front and the horsemen to their back. Dragged by his aides from the field, the Duke of Arenberg joined Lutzow's cuirassiers as they extricated themselves from the Prussian rear and began finding their way up the road to Beraum in the growing darkness.




The game started on Turn 4 and lasted through Turn 7 (11 pulses altogether), at which point the remaining Austrian units voluntarily left the table, with no pursuit by the Prussians possible due to the late hour. Both armies took break tests after Turn 6, but neither failed. Final strengths after Recovery, Cadre Collection, and Convergence were:

Austria: Arenberg (commander); Haddick, Lutzow, Berlichtingen (subcommanders); Cuirassier1 (7SP), Cuirassier2 (1SP). They lost 1 unit of cuirassiers, 1 unit of dragoons, 4 of musketeers, and 1 of grenadiers.

Prussia: Frederick (commander); Winterfeld, Ziethen, Tielcke, Forcade, Schmettau (subcommanders); Dragoon1 (7SP), Grenadier1 (8SP), Grenadier2 (6SP), Musketeer1 (7SP), Musketeer2 (5SP), Fusilier1 (4SP), Artillery1, Artillery2. They lost 2 units of dragoons (in consolidation--one should have been lost pre-game from attrition), 1 of guard, 1 of grenadiers, 1 of fusiliers, 2 of musketeers (plus one that was eliminated pre-game due to attrition losses).

battle at Pilsen

A full report will follow, but a brief notice here records the defeat of Arenberg by Frederick and the Prussian capture of Pilsen. There was no pursuit, as the lengthening shadows of night prevented it, so the defeat is not "Decisive", but the Austrians were thoroughly mauled, losing most of their infantry. However, severe blows to the Prussian force, especially an early attack by the wings of cuirassiers which routed several brigades of Prussian foot, leave Frederick's army much weaker than it had been.

update on coming battles

Browne attempts to maneuver the Imperial army away as Schwerin leads his Prussians east, but the Generalfeldmarschal is unable to get away in time. That battle will take place starting in the Early Morning of an Overcast day (that game starts on Turn 1 and its Basic Length is 6 turns).

Arenberg spends his maneuvering time finding just the right time and place. He does not attempt to evade, but his battle (also taking place in Overcast weather) does not start until Afternoon (presumably he burned up Frederick's time with feints and advance guard work). That game will also be Basic Length 6, but it starts on Turn 4.

Erratum

I realised today that I neglected to take into account the possibility that the Austrian armies contacted by the Prussian advance might evade.

While the reasons they might not do so are obvious (in the case of Arenberg's army at Pilsen in particular) and the chances of success not great (in both cases, the Prussian forces are led by Great commanders, while Browne is Good and Arenberg only Average), it is still quite possible

So I'm checking with the Hofkriegsrat and will update here once a "yea" or "nay" has been obtained.

After the preliminaries, down to the bloody work of battle!

The armies of Austria and Prussia spent April like fencers maneuvering to find an advantage. Now, like a latterday Jarnac or Chevalier de St Georges, the Prussians strike, burying the tip of their rapier in the living body of their foe.

First, Frederick's inexorable march through the Erzgebirge brings his army (minus a few more stragglers) to the gates of Pilsen. There, by the banks of the Moldau, they meet the army of the Duke of Arenberg. A mighty battle will doubtless determine the fate of western Bohemia.

In the east of the province, the wily Koenigsegg circles around the Prussian armies to the west, marching through Niemes to Gabel. But while a force under Prinz Heinrich remains in Münchengrätz, a large force marched east through Gitschina and met the Imperial army of Browne near Koeniggraz. Here also a bloody affair will doubtless claim the lives of many brave soldiers.

Meanwhile, Prinz Karl in Prague and Prinz Moritz and his Prussians in Karbitz hold their ground, waiting and watching each other warily. As the sounds of battle begin to rage in the east and west of them, the soldiers of the two central armies sharpen their swords, polish their muskets, groom their steeds, and wait for orders to move towards action and glory.

April showers bring May... battles?

As the divisions of Prinz Heirich and FM Schwerin were being combined into a single command under the latter (in the Prussian Army, at least, experience outranks the blood royal), Austrian irregular attacks stepped up, causing losses in the invader's ranks.

At the same time, patrol clashes took place further west in Bohemia, as Frederick attempted (unsuccessfully) to scout the western and central Austrian forces.

Dances with Prussians

The armies are on the march! Violations of the Bohemian frontier reported! Prussians pillaging peasants! Full report to follow from our Special Correspondent!

The flood of northern blue swept over the hills of the borderland late in April. Maurice, having relocated to Dresden, took but a brief respite from marching before throwing his force swiftly down the road to Pirna and thence seizing the town of Karbitz, halting to rest beneath the spire of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.

Frederick, chasing Arenberg, marched swiftly through the mountains and into the city of Saaz, where his troops had a wary reception from the German, but Catholic, population.

Further east, a tidy minuet took place. The armies of Prince Henry and FM Schwerin converged on Münchengrätz (the former through Reichenberg, the latter by way of Tratenau and Turnau), seeking to bring Koenigsegg to battle.

But the wary Koenigsegg had already retired on Jungbunzlau, leaving his enemies grasping at the dusty air of his passage.

Frederick led his men on a swift and bold march through the mountains, but after his passage and that of Arenberg before him, those sandstone hills will surely become known as die RäuberHügel from all the desperate deserters and broken men who fill the hollows and glens. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of men have fallen away from the colours during the passage of those two mighty armies and haunt the backcountry, looking for opportunities to fall upon helpless travelers and seize their goods.

April II: feints and jabs

The Prussian and Austrian armies continue trying to complete their operational picture of the battlefield. This time the action is moving east. Prussian patrols drive off an Austrian attempt to raid Zittau. At the same time, patrols of black-clad hussars are foiled in their attempts to scout the Austrian positions around Reichenberg.

However, Hapsburg spies do achieve some intelligence. It seems that the Prussian force based in Zittau is commanded by none other than Prinz Heinrich, detailed to take over command of the central front from Brunswick Bevern. [Josh had originally assigned him here, but I neglected to note that his generalship rank places him in command and to label the force appropriately.]

April I: maneuvering like two cautious boxers

As the Kolin campaign gets underway, the two opponents are clearly trying to get each other's measure, moving carefully to avoid giving away anything while seeking to gain the best position from which to strike.

On the Prussian side this is manifested by cautious redeployment. The army of Prince Maurice, recently mauled by Austrian irregulars, shifts west to Dresden, a move popular with both rank and file and their officers, who welcome a visit to the cultured and refined capital of Saxony. On the road, they pass blue-coated columns marching the other way, as King Frederick takes his own command westward to take station in Freiberg.

The Austrian army of FML Charles, Duke of Arenberg, satisfied with its spoiling attack on the army of Prince Maurice, marched back from the frontier through Saaz to the depot at Pilsen. The roads over Rip Mountainare still cold and wet with the remains of winter's snows, and the army suffered some straggling as they passed through the inhospitable Elbsandsteingebirge.

All other forces remained in their previous positions. No cities are under siege, and no battles took place, so we move on to April II.

April I: raids and recon

April, it is said, is the cruelest month. This is certainly true for the Prussian troops stationed at Freiberg, who are woken from their sleep one night by the sound of musket fire. In some cases, the dazed troops stumble out of tents and barns, trying to assemble into their units, only to be cut down by the curved sabres of Austrian pandours or gutted by bayonets wielded by fiercely mustachioed grenzers. A brutal surprise attack on the army of Prince Maurice of Anhalt-Dessau by light troops of the Imperial Army is beaten off, but only with heavy losses.

Perhaps the newly-raised regiments of Prussian light troops might have been able to detect this attack and foil it before it happened, but they seem to have been far away, trying to reconnoiter the lines of the Kaiserlich und Königlich forces under Königsegg at Reichenberg. Still raw and uncertain at this new form of warfare, however, the Prussian scouts are beaten off by the Austrian screening forces.

rules amendments

Since the rules are unclear or give options or are not fully PBEM-enabled in a few places, I will amend them in a few places for the purposes of this playing. I'll publish those changes here and on the blog. As questions come up that require clarification, I will answer them offline if they are asked offline, but I will also publish the answers here so everyone has the same basic information.

Sequence of Play

Since we are playing this by email/blog, I will ask each player to submit raid/recon orders to me privately. I'll resolve those, send them the results, and let everyone know where the action took place. After that, each side can send movement orders, and I will resolve those and any attrition. If there are army encounters, I will let the players know, with the option for evasion. If a battle results, we can either use the quick resolution method or hold it until our next club game night for a full battle.

If commander in chief players (CINCs) recruit extra players, the CINC can allocate to their subordinates whatever role they would like. If they make a subordinate their head of scouts, that player will send me their side's raid/recon orders and I will send the results to them directly (not to the CINC). If a subordinate player is assigned command of an army, I will take movement/evasion/battle orders from that player only; the CINC cannot override them and will not be informed directly of the results unless the CINC accompanies that army in person.

If players are given detached commands in this way, I would request that CINCs NOT communicate directly with their subordinates; emails (orders, queries, etc.) should go through me so that I can inflict friction (delays, lost messages) on the players. Obviously, this is on the honour system, since I can't see what emails the players may exchange, but it would make thigns more fun and realistic for everyone.

17.0 Raids and Recon
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If he had chosen to recon that army, then a successful die roll allows him to see that army’s roster. The snooping player may look at it, but not take notes or write anything down! [Obviously I am modifying this, since this is PBEM--a successful die roll will produce an almost accurate OB for the force in question.]
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Special Scenario Rule: Depots
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Alternatively, a player may use the depot to prevent any attrition rolls for one army in a campaign turn, if his army’s move that turn started, ended, or passed through the friendly-owned depot. This provision cannot be used to immunize an army from the effect of raids; even if an army exhausts a depot for that turn to avoid other attrition rolls, a successful raid will always cause an attrition roll.