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).
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