Pages

Saturday, February 8, 2020

Kunersdorf - BatRep 2 Pt 1

After considering the outcome of the First Battle of Kunersdorf (see BatRep: Kunersdorf), the battle was awarded an historical outcome and reset.  Fighting had been fierce in the first battle and cavalry casualties murderous.  The Russian position on the Muhlberg was collapsing but the main Russian positions remained strong.  While the Russian Observation Corps on the Muhlberg was isolated and trapped, Frederick's weakened army was in no condition to follow-up with renewed attacks.
Early positions around the Muhlberg
Even with a replication of the historical battle in miniature neither Jake (Russian) nor I (Prussian) were satisfied with the outcome.  We both counted missed opportunities in the battle.  Could different approaches to the fighting at Kunersdorf yield different results.  Determined to find out, we set to work.
Prussian cavalry negotiates the wetlands
 to break out onto the plain
While bringing the Prussian cavalry under Wurttemberg and Platen on the Prussian left proved indecisive in Game 1 and I wanted to avoid such wastage in Game 2, I fell into the same trap.  With no room to maneuver or bring the might of the Prussian left to bear against the Muhlberg, the Prussian cavalry, once again, threads its way through the lakes and marshes around Kunersdorf.  Repeating the same thing and expecting a different result is crazy, right?
Prussian cavalry taking artillery fire from the heights
As the Left-wing Prussian cavalry picks its way across the waterways, the main Prussian Army lurches into action.  While Finck works his way across the stream on the Prussian right with his large command, Hulsen's First Line of Prussian infantry advances on the waiting Russian Observation Corps entrenched upon the Muhlberg.
Prussians advance on the Muhlberg
As if on the parade ground, Wedel's Prussian infantry forms up into serried ranks of regiments and marches toward the neck of the Muhlberg position.  The noose already looks to be closing around the Russians on the Muhlberg.  Will the Observation Corps be pocketed a second time? 
Prussians envelope the Muhlberg
Casualties begin to mount straight away as the Prussians approach within musketry range.  Will any Prussians remain to carry this formidable position?  Unlike in the prior game, Prussian artillery sees some success in counter battery fire against the Russian batteries masked by their earthworks.
Initial attacks on the Muhlberg
The main Russian Army is not waiting for the Muhlberg to be overwhelmed without succor.  Perhaps uncharacteristically of the Russian lumbering behemoth, the entire Russian Army begins to flow toward the hot spot of battle.  The Observation Corps will need to buy time before any assistance can arrive.
The Russians marching to the rescue
Back on the Muhlberg, the first Prussian attacks go in.  To hinder these Prussian closing attacks, the Russians set fire to the abatis.  Still the Prussians continue, circumventing the blazing abatis where possible to close within close musketry range at several points.
Attacking the Muhlberg
On the far side of the Muhlberg, Schorlemmer's Prussian cavalry move to cut off Russian reinforcements from reaching their already beleaguered comrades.  With the Russian battery situated in the northwest point of the Mulhberg suffering casualties, the abatis is set alight as the battery limbers and withdraws.  Slowed by having to cross the stream, the advance of Schenkendorff's grenadiers is slowed even further when faced with the burning abatis. 
Prussians continue their envelopment
To fill the void left by the Russian battery, Observation Corps grenadiers step up to man the defenses.  Their defensive stand may be short-lived, though, as enemy artillery fire and musketry converge upon their position.
Russians begin to waver
Taking musketry and artillery fire from two fronts, the grenadiers quickly accumulate three hits and begin to waver.  If not for the burning abatis to their front, the grenadiers may be forced to the rear as well.  
Pressure mounts
Despite having a smoldering wall of smoke masking the enemy, the grenadiers pull back from the defenses to rally.  Their absence is immediately filled by a regiment of musketeers.  Also having suffered enough to feel the effects, the battery on the east side of the embankment limbers and withdraws. 
Getting hot on the Muhlberg!
As the envelopment of the Muhlberg continues and the defenders feel more pressure from this constriction and the possibility of reduced avenues of escape, the Prussian left negotiates the marshland and begins to fan out to form a bridgehead. 
Prussian break out onto the plain
Under continuous bombardment from the guns on the heights, the Prussian cavalry deploys to form a buffer for infantry deployment behind.  As the long lines of infantry march through the wetlands, more cavalry await their turn to cross. Thus far, the only enemy harassment has been from the artillery on the distant heights.  Perhaps the Prussian will successfully deploy south of Kunersdorf unchecked?
Bridgehead forms
Looking up from his work guiding cavalry regiments into position, Platen is shocked to see the forces deploying against his small wing.  Facing a half dozen cavalry regiments and nearly a dozen regiments of infantry, the Prussian left may be in for a hard fight.  Along the ridgeline, long lines of Russians can be seen marching towards the Muhlberg.  Will these troops arrive in time to bolster the defenders' resolve to stand?
The enemy awaits
With the noose tightening upon the defenders on the Muhlberg and the Russian right massing against a growing Prussian bridgehead, time is right for a break in the action.

While Prussian and Russian battle plans sought change from the first battle, the terrain channeled the battle plans over familiar ground.  Having attempted to restrain the Prussians from becoming engaged on the far side of the marsh, that restraint failed.  Terrain dictated strategy.  The Prussians crossed over to the plain beyond to gain some breathing room.  The situation at this point in the battle closely resembles the situation seen in Game 1.  The major difference is that neither side has yet committed the large cavalry formations to battle.  In Game 1 cavalry casualties were horrendous.  Thus far in Game 2, no cavalry has been lost in high-stakes charges and counter charges.

The Russian Observation Corps, hunkered down on the Muhlberg, seems to be bracing for assault with the expectation that help is on the way.  Can Frederick destroy the Observation Corps before reinforcements arrive?  Can the Observation Corps hold out?  Can the Observation Corps affect an orderly withdrawal to prevent encirclement?  Is a huge cavalry battle imminent on the Prussian left?
     
To be continued...   

52 comments:

  1. Very impressive, Jonathan. Wargaming at its finest.

    ReplyDelete
  2. An exciting re-fight Jonathan. Is this pre- or post-injury? I was almost going to suggest a few weeks ago that you could write down the orders and ask your wife to move the units if you were still laid-up, which would also introduce an interesting fog-of-war element. Not something I would suggest to my wife however, as I'm quite sure I'd be told what I can do with my orders given that we have quite differing views regarding the chain of command.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed the battle report! This game was fought pre-injury. I recall the battle being fought on a Sunday in early January and I broke my leg the following Friday. No gaming at the game table for me. Standing at the table is not possible yet.

      You make a good suggestion but my wife would likely respond similarly after she quit laughing.

      Delete
    2. And you would probably be some comments about the lengths some people will go to to get out of sweeping snow from the path...even though doing that is what caused the issue in the first place! Great report Jonathan.

      Delete
    3. Somehow, I managed to inadvertently delete Mr. Strachan's reply on Secret Societies. Here it is:

      No, but I think there is some secret social media page through which wargames spouses communicate...

      Delete
  3. A fine collection on the table. Interesting to see the cavalry holding off after previous experience, who will blink first? Is the relationship between the significant terrain feature, army deployment and rules working together to bring a sort of subliminal scripting of how the fight will loosely play out (assuming an averaging of dice rolls), making the replay similar? This is where I find the differences in rule sets to be fascinating.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Norm! It is a large collection yet half of my Prussians and nearly all of the my Austrians remain in box.

      You bring up a very good point about situational gaming. Given the constricting terrain which naturally channels attacks/maneuvers and the historical deployments, the miniatures battle recreationist can see why or how the historical situation could come about. If the rules used are a good representation of the systems at work then duplicating the historical outcome ought to be possible if not probable.

      I, too, am fascinated by games that provide greater insight into why a particular battle may have played out as it did.

      My insight and understanding of Kunersdorf has been greatly enhanced by my study and game play.

      Delete
  4. Fascinating refight Jonathan! Looking forward to the conclusion but I think it’s fair to say it’ll probably go Russia’s way again - the terrain and odds seem too far stacked against the Prussians.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mike! As historically, the odds certainly seem to favor the Russians in this one.

      Delete
  5. Great looking game Jonathan. You have a splendid collection of Seven Years War figures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Paul! The Russians are on loan from a buddy (the Russian player in this game). The collection is large, for sure.

      Delete
  6. Super looking game and an interesting contrast with the previous game so far, the similarities being especially noticeable!
    Best Iain

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! So far the maneuvers are very similar to the first game although I am afraid the Russian is much more animated this time around. They are being quite aggressive!

      Delete
  7. I keep meaning to tell you how much I like the way you use smaller buildings in these battles. It is almost like a video game where the things that don't matter are smaller so they don't interfere. I never would have thought of it but it's a brilliant way of allowing the big battles without taking an entire room

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Aaron! I tend to equate building size to ground scale. For games, like this, having one BMU equal to one regiment, 6mm buildings take up a footprint more in line with the ground scale. I have always done this and, for me, it works. Glad to see that you approve!

      Delete
  8. The burning of the abatis is an interesting ploy...makes perfect sense but I never thought about it before. Did you house rule the effects?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Superb looking game. Look forward to the conclusion

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great looking and reading report Jonathan!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wonderful looking 7YW game, splendid terrain and armies...I would not have liked to be on the hill!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Much appreciated, Phil! I would not enjoy being on that hill either!

      Delete
  12. Looking forward to second part, you are both very hesitant in committing the cavalry after the first game! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mark! In the first battle, cavalry casualties wee quite high. Maybe we learned our lesson but who knows?

      Delete
  13. Great looking game and interesting to see that despite intentions, both commanders have been forced to follow similar manoeuvres to the first game. Look forward to part two.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Keith! Indeed, despite our desire to try a different approach, the Prussians were channeled into a similar situation. The terrain really dictates the strategy.

      Delete
  14. Fascinating replay! Great looking game and very tense action. Can’t wait to see how it plays out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very pleased to see you enjoyed the replay. Hopefully, Part 2 will meet your expectations.

      Thank you so much!

      Delete
  15. This is a tantalising pause in the action and can't wait to see how it pans out. One of the joys of wargaming is that you can often gain a greater understanding of why battles turned out the way they did, when you re-fight them. I've certainly found this with Bloody Big Battles and the Austro-Prussian and Franco-Prussian Wars.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cutting the battle report short at this point seemed a reasonable breaking point in the action. Making BatReps too long tends to make the action more difficult to follow (and write!).

      Steve, you nailed one of the joys I derive from wargaming too. Learning something in the exercise is important. Many may say, "it is just a game" but if done properly, insight into the battle and commanders' approaches and intentions can surface.

      Delete
    2. I couldn't agree more Jonathan.

      Delete
  16. A very enjoyable report Jonathan...
    Here’s to the next instalment.

    All the best. Aly

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed the BatRep thus far, Aly! I really enjoyed your recent trip to Edinburgh Castle.

      Delete
  17. Outstanding Battle Report yet again, Jonathan. I cannot wait to see the result!

    ReplyDelete
  18. It's great to see you gaming again this battle. As always very nicely written. More thoughts about the game itself, when you finished the battle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I look forward to reading your thoughts.

      Delete
    2. The right Timing seems to be crucial for Russian success. A fine retreat with the enemy on your heels never is an easy move (as we saw it at Pfaffenhofen and some other games of mine as well). I will check now your 2nd part with excitement.

      Delete
    3. Quite right! I bagged the Observation Corps in Game 1 but some of them slipped out in Game 2.

      Delete
  19. Another excellent looking game Jonathan! Curious to see how it ends.

    Christopher

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Christopher! You won’t have too long to wait but it needs writing first,

      Delete
  20. A most entertaining report Jonathan. Can't wait for part two. It's interesting what is dictated by the terrain/scenario more broadly and what can be changed in a/subsequent refight(s) isn't it? I'll be interested to see whether you are both too cautious with your cavalry this time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, James! What we discover is that constricting terrain is, well, constricting! Though my plan as the Prussian commander was to try a different approach in a Game 2, the terrain and force composition are thwarting those plans. We have husbanded our cavalry more carefully in this battle than in the last. With this care continue? Stay tuned.

      Delete
  21. An excellent battle report and a cliffhanger.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Great job and I’m enjoying these refights of historical battles and I agree that part of the fun comes from understanding the battle and historical decisions better. As you said, terrain dictates the tactics so it’s not surprising that things unfold along historical lines but that’s part of the fun. Yet small changes in tactics and of course lucky die rolls could lead to big changes. Keep u the good work and the healing. 😀

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Stew! You comments, as always, much appreciated.

      In big battles as this, luck tends to even out over the course of a game. While a lucky roll might have significant effect in a small game, in a huge game, there is time and resources to recover and dampen that effect.

      Even my attempts to change strategy have been pushed back toward history.

      Delete
  23. I suppose I should have read this before I read part 2. Great start to the battle.

    ReplyDelete