Friday, March 11, 2022

Combat of Moys, A Battle Report

Combat of Moys, 18 June 1757

Beginning as a series of emails with David (from Not by Appointment blog), in which he expressed a curiosity and interest in giving remote gaming a try, plans evolved into the recreation of a full blown, historical SYW battle.

Since I had not played Honours of War (HoW) in a few years and David was unfamiliar with the rules at all (and remote gaming), I originally suggested we step off on this new adventure with a smaller action. 

Asking for possible battles to refight, David immediately fired off a suggestion with the Combat of Moys.  Perfect, I thought.  A "Combat" is typically smaller than a "Battle" so this should fit the criteria nicely.  Digging into the OB and accounts of the battle, I quickly discovered that Moys was definitely more than what I would consider a "combat"!  With 32,000 Austrians against about 14,000 Prussians, Moys would produce a respectably sized battle. 

While most of my previous HoW battles have been fought at the scale of one infantry BMU on the table equals two field battalions, for Moys, I opted to drop the scale to one infantry BMU equals one infantry battalion.  As soon seen, this scaling produces a rather larger battle with masses of troops on the table.

Battlefield and initial army dispositions
View from behind Austrian lines
View behind Prussian lines
Austrian army arrayed in four battle lines
 with grenadiers converged on left.
Austrian army on parade.
Prussians on Der Langer Berg
Prussian grenadiers in the Jackelsberg redoubt
Prussian grenadiers in Ober-Moys.
Palffy's Austrian Grenz and hussars on the left.
View from behind Forgach's fourth Austrian line.
View of battlefield from south.

With David having a copy of Honours of War in hand and scenario details produced, we were ready to give it a try.  David chose to play the attacking Austrians.  David made a good choice since the more static and defending Prussians would provide less action on my part as I juggled GM and stage production duties.

The Austrian commander would be awarded objective points for capturing the Jackelsberg and the three parts of the village Moys.  The Prussians could slip out with a victory if they could hold Der Langer Berg for twelve turns before their army broke.  Why twelve turns?  For the first playing of the scenario, twelve turns seemed a good starting point and benchmark for later games.  Of course, if either army breaks, the battle is over. 

Prussian battle plan

As Prussian commander, Winterfeldt, my plan was to offer up a forward defense.  I hoped to contain the Austrians in the natural chokepoints between
(1) the pond and Moys (and Rothwasser) in the center.
(2) the stream and the pond on the left.
(3) the Rothwasser on the right.
If not contain the Austrians, at least slow then down to make an advance difficult.  When the situation warrants, withdraw back to Der Langer Berg and prepare for a final defense.  Unfortunately, Winterfeldt begins the game off table in Gorlitz and will not arrive to command until Turn 3.

What was the Austrian plan?  Attack more than likely!  

How did David's initial introduction to HoW and remote gaming play out?  Did the Prussian plan bring victory?  Please read on to find out.
David's view from Austrian webcam
Austrians form up smartly and ready to step off!
Prussian infantry descend from Der Langer Berg
as Austrian grenadiers prepare
to assault the Jackelsberg.
Long range artillery softens up the defenders.
Austrian grenadiers climb the Jackelsberg
and take the guns!
Bitter fighting in the redoubt
as the Austrians attack from two fronts.
Zieten's cavalry form up in the distance.
The two cavalry wings clash!
Many of the Austrian horse fall back to recover
but many of the Prussians are damaged as well.
Forgache's brigade is left in reserve.
Prussian grenadiers are ejected from the Jackelsberg!
The White Menace marches forward in the distance.
Having been ejected from the redoubt,
Bevern tries to rally his grenadiers.
Winterfeldt arrives to encourage his men.
With artillery out of range,
the Austrian commander orders the guns limbered. 
Seeing no space to deploy,
Forgach begins a long flank march. 
Overhead Austrian webcam view.
Overhead view of continuing flank march.
Prussian grenadiers attack to retake the Jackelsberg.
Austrian cavalry fall back on the right
 as Austrian infantry advances to stop pursuit.
Austrian cavalry are wearing down
while Prussian cavalry stand ready to exploit.
Prussians hold the chokepoints exactly as planned.
All quiet on the Austrian left.
My view of the action with Big Screen in background
 and grenz in the foreground
showing view from one of the webcams.
Austrian musketry is deadly.
Prussians fall back in disarray
both from the center and Jackelsberg.
Austrian heavy artillery makes it way to the front.
The Prussian line wavers.
Those guns look big!
Firefight continues at the foot of the Jackelsberg.
Prussian grenadiers are not giving up
 but not making progress either.
Progress?  The Prussians are repulsed again!
Austrian guns unlimber and pound the Prussian infantry.
The Prussians reel back.
The center is breaking.
As a last hope, Kleist sends in his grenadiers
against the Austrian right.
The Prussians are overwhelmed by musketry
and fall back.
The battle is over.
Prussian Dead Pile.
Austrian Dead Pile.
It is all over but the crying.  The Austrians force the Prussian army to break!

Well done, David! 

After about seven hours of play (with breaks) over two gaming sessions, the Austrians emerge victorious.  History repeats.

Casualties as seen from the two Dead Piles are completely lopsided.  I am at a loss for words as to how this happened.  While the Prussians lost the Jackelsberg early on, I figured the Austrian advance had been contained at the chokepoints.  Until it wasn't!  The Prussian Army remained intact for eleven turns.

Great job by David in both commanding the Austrians to victory and in tackling remote gaming.  This was another very enjoyable and rewarding battle recreation.  Great fun, actually!

Looking forward to giving Moys another try.

I may keep the SYW armies out on the gaming table for a while longer, I think.

56 comments:

  1. Superb looking game and an interesting battle

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    1. Thanks, Neil! Glad you enjoyed the battle account.

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  2. A big battle for remote play, but what a splendid spectacle that shows you collection very nicely. Superb look.

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    1. Big battle, for sure, and first time for HoW, my SYW armies, and David in a remote game!

      Thanks for the complimentary comment, Norm.

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  3. My efforts pale into insignificance in contrast. Great looking game, and good choice of rules.

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    1. You are much too hard on yourself, George. Your games are superb. Glad you like the look of the game and approve of rules’ choice.

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  4. What a cracking game and Huzzah! for the 'White Menace';). Everything looked really good and some interesting terrain and narrow frontage to fight over. I'm surprised at the very one-sided victory, given how tough the Prussians can be to defeat. Hopefully David enjoyed himself and I'm sure he did:).

    Certainly a scenario that bears re-playing I think to try some other options for the Prussian defence. Were the Prussians able to occupy Moys and Neider-Moys? As BUA's and on the Austrian flank, they might have slowed the advance down a bit as they can be quite tough to take or at least hold out for a turn or two and whittle down the attackers.

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    1. Thank you, Steve! Good to see that you enjoyed the battle report. As you say, it was a cracking game.

      I was surprised at the one-sidedness too but well, one cannot fight the tape (or history). David put on an impressive display of firepower and literally shot my poor Prussians to shreds. We will know if David enjoyed himself if he asks for another game...

      Thanks for your probing questions on the Prussian defense too. The Prussians could occupy Moys and Neider-Moys. There were grenadiers near Moys but the Prussian Army broke before there was a need for defense at the villages.

      The Prussians lost a lot of cavalry and suffered greatly from having retiring units disrupt units in their path of retreat. Five of my units lost were cavalry. Very bad!

      I need to have a good think on how better to defend this position.

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  5. Superb game Jonathan and very well done to David.

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    1. Thank you very much, Ray! David will be pleased to see your congratulations.

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    2. Thanks, Ray! I think all the credit should go to those heroic Austrian troops who made it all possible by their courage and sacrifice (the grenadiers suffered very badly in taking and holding the Jackelsberg). Even "dithering" general Pallfy and his grenzers on the left flank were on their mettle and did remarkably well...

      Cheers,

      David.

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    3. Hmmm. The account of Palffy's rabble hussars seeing off Prussia's finest hussars somehow missed the dispatch back to HQ...

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  6. It certainly is a bit more than a £combat£ Jon - looks stunning. I think you may be being a bit harsh on yourself - taking on 32000 men with only 14000 is always going to be a pretty big ask - and you nearly pulled it off, if you got to turn 11 of the 12 required for Prussian victory! Could you have pulled the infantry centre back a bit earlier and perhaps sacrificed all the cavalry to hold up the Austrians for another couple of turns maybe?

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    1. Yeah, bigger than a 'combat' to me too!

      Good point on pulling the infantry back sooner at the expense of sacrificing the cavalry. Heck, I pretty much sacrificed the cavalry anyway!

      The 12 turns was simply a number I pulled out as a 'reasonable' in which to obtain a decision. Your suggestion might, indeed, be fruitful but then I may consider increasing the number of turns.

      I appreciate your thoughtfulness in your response on tactics.

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  7. That is a spectacular looking game, you have my utmost admiration for hosting a battle that large.

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  8. Thanks very much, Jon. Great to read your account and see all the pictures. I very much enjoyed myself, although it was pretty challenging working out what to do with so many troops to command. I have not fought a wargame for longer than I care to remember... Luckily for me the Austrians rose to the challenge and really helped me out; I can imagine a lot of grizzled veterans were saying to each other that they had to show this tyro general how it's done! :-) The rules I thought elegant and pretty easy to grasp - simple but not simplistic. The remote gaming went well, I thought, although I was itching to handle some actual troops on a physical layout and that lack of tactile pleasure was the one thing missing! Your help and guidance was excellent and yes, I am raring to have another go. :-) So, thank you very much again for a most enjoyable experience.

    Cheers,

    David.

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    1. Hi David! Whew! Relieved to see that you enjoyed the game too! Given the large size of the battle, I thought the remote aspect of the game went quite well.

      You guided the Austrians with skill and your leadership kept your army's marksmanship high. Gosh, my casualties were frightful even before your guns came onto line!

      For me, the fight was great fun and you a terrific opponent. We will do it again.

      Please try to find a battle where the Prussians are not so badly outnumbered.

      You are welcome!

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    2. Thank you, Jon. :-) I'm looking through my SYW books to find something rather more balanced for next time - although I need to take into account the inherent advantages the Prussians have, of course...

      Cheers,

      David.

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    3. Excellent! I should look for a next battle too.

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  9. You can easily tell that is a SYW game from the distance shots. That redoubt looked like it was going to be a tough nut to crack so it was a bit of a surprise when it fell early in the piece. I suppose there are only so many troops who can actively engage in the defence no matter how many are packed in there.

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    1. I thought the redoubt might hold out longer too, but the defenders were outnumbered 7:2 against. The first Austrian grenadier battalion to reach the ramparts was repulsed with heavy losses. The supporting battalions along with the attacks from a second direction overwhelmed the defenders. My artillery performed badly.

      When you look at the battlefield, the Jackelsberg is really very isolated and unsupported positioned so far in advance of the Prussian line. I could not get reinforcements up into the redoubt before Austrians were climbing over the earthworks in great numbers. Perhaps I should have held the second grenadier battalion back in reserve on the Jackelsberg prepared to counterattack? Something to consider next time.

      Thanks for your insights, Lawrence!

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  10. Great looking game and congrats for the Austrians!
    Best

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    1. Thank you, Michal! The Austrian commander, David, thanks you too!

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    2. Yes, indeed, thank you, Michal. :-)

      Cheers,

      David.

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  11. Spectacular and superb report Jonathan, with most impressive Austrian lines of battle!!

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    1. Happy you are pleased with the display! Thank you!

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  12. Wow. What an epic and inspiring battle report. What's not to love about those lines of cavalry and infantry engaging. Well done to all involved.

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    1. Thank you, Richard! The long lines and multiple ranks of battalions and squadrons make for an impressive sight, don’t they?

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  13. It is always a great view with such noble sight as kall these Austrians and Prussians on table. Impressions of waves of white coated infantry are always enjoyable.

    David did a great job with the attack, and you mounted a very creditable defense. Great result....Hopefully we'll see a rematch between you both.

    Your remote gaming ideas are standing the test of time. There are so many examples up now of this approach on your blog, hats off to your efforts. Thanks Jonthan.

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    1. Glad you appreciate the panoply of this battle, Joe! Your kind words are always encouraging and motivating especially on remote gaming.

      David did a great job on the attack and kept hammering away all across the battlefield until my outnumbered Prussians had had enough.

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  14. Fantastic looking game, thanks for posting the SYW eye candy.


    Willz.

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  15. Fantastic-looking game, Jonathan, love to see SYW on the table. How are you finding HoW compared to some of the other options?

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    1. Thanks, Markus! Since the publication of HoW back in 2015, I do not recall playing anything else. To me, HoW simply works.

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  16. No shame in losing that Jon., but no pushover for the Austrians. What a great looking action. Well done to both of you.

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    1. No shame in being bettered by a worthy opponent, for sure. The battle was most enjoyable and gave David a chance to return to the gaming table after a long time away.

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  17. An impressive looking battle and a fine AAR!

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  18. With 4 battle lines and 7 hours of playtime that definitely counts more than a combat!
    Great set up and AAR. I agree that’s it probably easier to run the game while playing a more static defense.
    This makes a great introduction to remote gaming. 😀

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    1. Yes, definitely more than a combat in my book too!
      Thanks for your encouragement!

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  19. Fine storytelling with an impressive number of photos.

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    1. A picture is worth a 1,000 words.

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    2. I'm very glad for two reasons:
      - to see you using HoW again
      - that the Austrians won although I'm often leading the French ;-) .
      David did very nicely and I'm a bit jealous. I can imagine that it's a great experience to play with such a gamer like David. Congratulations!

      I'm very excited to read about the lessons you learned from the game and how you will do different in your next game. It was very close.

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    3. Yes, getting the SYW armies back out onto the table was a long time coming. Hopefully, more SYW work in the future.

      I am still working on scheduling the second playing of Moys. We will see if I have learned any lessons from the first Prussian defeat.

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  20. A fine piece of work which deserves all the complimentary comments. Great wargaming!

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  21. Quite impressive! I have been reading more on the SYW, particularly Charles Grant's books and Christopher Duffy's history of the Austrian Army. This I might like to try sometime, especially if you are running another remote SYW game one of these days.

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    1. Jennifer, this was a large game for a two-player remote game. David came through admirably AND with a victory!

      Good to see you are fostering and interest in one of the 'classic' wargaming periods.

      While I still plan on getting one more game of Moys into the books, I must clear off the table and move on to another topic soon. I hear rumblings from my long-time Hittite opponent that he is ready to return to playtesting his Biblical rules.

      After that, I foresee a return to SYW with an anniversary recreation of Mollwitz in mid-April. If that sounds interesting, let me know. Pick up a copy of Honours of War if you can.

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    2. Will do! Would love to try Mollwitz.

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  22. Quite the endeavour Jon. So many units and such a long game too. Well done for keeping track well enough to post up such a comprehensive report sir.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it! What I do not remember precisely, I make up!

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  23. That was a grand, magnificent looking game Jonathan!
    Regards, James

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