Monday, April 18, 2022

Mollwitz, A Near Run Thing

Romer's cavalry wing

Hot on the heels of the 10 April remote battle recounted in Mollwitz, A Battle Report, the table was reset and my Austrian opponent replaced.  Rather than having Chris at the helm of the Austrian Army, David (Not by Appointment) would pick up the reins in an 11 April contest. 

Would Chris' decisive Austrian victory on the field of Mollwitz represent a harbinger of things to come or was Chris' victory a fluke?  Is an Austrian victory at Mollwitz a repeatable event or a singular outcome?  We would put both of hypotheses to the test.

As a reminder, the armies were deployed as in the photo below:

Initial deployments
With a reminder of troop attributes and victory conditions, the two armies poised for battle step off in their attempt to secure a victory.
View of battle from the south

Overhead view of battlefield from Prussian line. 
Prussian lines
Prussian lines
At the sound of the cannon, both armies lurch into motion.  With great briskness, Austrian cavalry enjoy double moves across the battlefield.  While Romer advances smartly upon the Austrian left, Berlichingen in command of the Austrian right cavalry wing crosses the stream and engages the Prussian left cavalry wing.  The Prussian infantry in the center advances toward the enemy and Mollwitz at a measured pace.  Neither dithering Prussian cavalry commander moves.  
Early maneuvers
Prussian emerge from the woods
Unable to respond in a timely fashion, enemy cavalry are upon the Prussian hussars.  Outnumbered in both quantity and quality, the hussars are sent packing back toward the village. 
Prussian hussars are driven off.
This early success prompts Berlichingen to spur his horsemen on.  They collide with the rest of the Prussian left wing.  The Left Wing is overwhelmed but not without loss to Berlichingen's command.
Collision on the Prussian left
while the Prussian infantry march slowly forward.
On the Prussian right, Romer and his large cavalry wing crashes into Schulenburg's cavalry wing.  Again, outclassed in all ways, Schulenburg and his Prussian horsemen are driven back in great disarray.
Cavalries collide!
Schulenburg is driven back.
Not aware of the Austrian cavalry success on the wings and seeing Prussian infantry bear down, Neipperg orders his infantry to retrograde back.  Forward and back.  At least they are getting some exercise before the fight!
Neipperg orders infantry back to Mollwitz

where they await the Prussians.
Situation as Prussian cavalry wings reel back.
Having dispatched the Prussian left wing, Berlichingen crosses the stream to make his way toward the Prussian soft underbelly.  In the far distance, he sees Prussian cavalry being driven back by Romer.  The battle looks well in hand!  Frederick disagrees!  The battle looks lost and he abandons his army.  Schwerin takes over in command.
Berlichingen crosses back over the stream.
Schulenburg narrowly escapes capture.
Perhaps the battle is not yet lost?

As the Austrian cavalry wings meet with encouraging success, the real strength of the Prussian army marches on.  The objective?  Mollwitz and the destruction of the Austrian infantry.  Firefights erupt as the distance between the two forces decreases.  
The Prussians close upon Mollwitz.
Long-range firefight develops.
As the distance closes, casualties mount.  Neipperg orders Harrach to skirt the village and try to get onto the Prussian flank.  The poorly trained Austrian infantry positioned in front of Mollwitz are being battered.  They begin to waver and retire.
Harrach attempts to outflank the Prussians at Mollwitz.
Prussian grenadiers storm Mollwitz.
Fighting at Mollwitz.
Seeing the Austrians being shoved out of Mollwitz, Schwerin redoubles his efforts to take the village and destroy the white coated infantry.  Austrian regiments are fleeing the battlefield by the handfuls.  Mollwitz is within grasp. 
Prussians converge upon Mollwitz.
While success looks assured at Molllwitz, the concern that Schwerin faces is that his army is nearing a breaking point.  With Prussian cavalry having abandoned the field, only token resistance faces the Austrian cavalry as they turn back to the battlefield.

The race to win the battle is on.  Can Neipperg mop up the units lingering in the Prussian rear while inflicting enough damage upon the Prussian infantry at Mollwitz before the defenders are overwhelmed?
Austrians cling to Mollwitz.
Romer threatens Prussian guns
Berlichingen threatens Prussian guns.
The answer is yes!

While David may look more relieved (in the screenshot below) than joyous, both Prussian guns are lost and another Prussian infantry regiment is scattered in the attack upon Mollwitz.   
David and his Austrians are victorious!
The Austrians just cling onto Mollwitz long enough to see the Prussian army break and claim a close victory.

As David, said, "it was a near run thing."

Another fun and exciting contest on the fields of Mollwitz.  Again, the strategy boils down to whether the Austrian cavalry can defeat the Prussian cavalry before the Prussian infantry can reach Mollwitz.  For the second game in a row, the Austrian army does just that.

Thanks, David!  

Oh, David proved that Chris' earlier victory was no fluke.

59 comments:

  1. Excellent report, and a Huzzah to the Austrian cav!

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    1. Thanks, Greg! Well, I am not going to cheer the Austrian cavalry!

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  2. Was that as nail biting as it reads? Good AAR.

    And congratulations to David!

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    1. The battle result was quite close. Had the Prussians been able to either take Molltwitz before the Prussians broke or caused three more Austrian infantry regiments to scatter, the balance would have tipped in Prussia's favor. As it was, one Austrian infantry was on four hits and reforming so really only needed to knock out two Austrian units.

      Yes, congratulations to David!

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    2. Thank you! And yes, it was indeed nail biting right to the end! :-)

      Cheers,

      David.

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  3. Excellent report--seems the Austrians are having a bit of a good run against the tough grain that are the Prussians (both in these two SYW results and skipping to 1866 in my last game).

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    1. Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the report.
      The Prussians have been up against it these last few games. Time to turn the tables, I think!

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  4. Another Austrian success, well done David!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thank you, Iain and Jon. :-) But it was very close run indeed so it might easily have been three cheers for Jon...

      Cheers,
      David.

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  5. I guess the takeaway from this second Austrian success is how incredible tag actual Prussiab victory was in real life! What do you think are the main differences between your two games and the actual battle? Is it the speed of thAustrian cavalry advance and victory, the relative slowness of the Prussian infantry it the tenacity of the Austrian infantry in hanging in to Mollwitz?

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    1. Keith, you have been paying attention. Very good!

      Besides the obvious that I am not such a good general, the other main takeaways are that the Austrians moved quicker than expected, the Prussians moved more slowly than expected (gosh, I had so many failed activations), and the poorly trained Austrian infantry shot much better than expected. They were taking lumps out of the Prussian infantry! Embarrassing!

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    2. I do try to pay attention....and bare in mind, this was about 540am here in NZ , hence the numerous typos I did not spot before pressing Publish! So if you had rolled a few double moves and the Austrian cavalry had been a bit slower, the Priussians may still have come out on top? Maybe a third replay could include the Prussian cavalry attempting to avoid the fatal early clashes, perhaps by withdrawing to the centre, behind the infantries muskets??

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    3. Yes. Had the Prussians responded more quickly and the Austrians less so, the result may have been overturned. Both Prussian cavalry commanders are rated as Dithering. They proved that in spades. Turn after turn, they made no move due to failed activations. They were both struck were they began.

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    4. In the actual battle the Austrian left wing cavalry, which had been doing so well, seem to have been stymied by the loss of their commander Romer who was felled by a Prussian cavalryman with his pistol. Luckily for the Austrians in our battle that did not happen!

      Cheers,

      David.

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  6. Excellent. Might try to break out the 6mm for some SYW this summer.

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    1. Thanks! I would enjoy seeing your 6mm SYW back out on the table again.

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  7. Another enjoyable battle report and a second victory for the Austrians

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  8. That was an exciting read, and one of the closest AARs I have read. What caused Frederick to quit the battlefield?

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it, Lawrence!

      Frederick abandoned the battlefield historically when he thought the battle lost so I figured he ought to have the same opportunity. Once Prussian casualties reached a certain point, Frederick began rolling to see if he departs. He did. The problem this time (and the game before), Schwerin was not able to salvage the battle as his historical counterpart did.

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    2. Actually, Marshall Schwerin thought that the battle was going south after the cavalry battle on the Prussian right wing, so he urged the king to leave the field. Fredrick never forgave Schwerin for that.

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    3. Thanks, Jim. I simplified the situation.
      Would the King have felt the same toward Schwerin had the battle been lost?

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  9. A very good report to a hard fought game. You track the table so well.
    Maybe next feed you will prevail.

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  10. Another great looking battle Gents!
    Best regards

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  11. A close run thing indeed! In both games, and in others I've seen, it does come down to can the Austrian cavalry defeat the Prussians quickly enough, to then turn on the Prussian infantry. Likewise can the Prussians close with the Austrian infantry before this happens?

    It seems that some failed activiations and some Austrian tenacity helped them hang on long enough at Mollwitz to claim a closely fought win.

    Excellent stuff and well done to David for another Austrian win.

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    1. Steve, you sum up the situation perfectly. Can the Austrian cavalry defeat the Prussian cavalry and turn against the Prussian infantry before the Prussian infantry steamroller the weaker, Austrian infantry. This presents an interesting challenge for both players.

      The Prussians failed many an activation early on but began to perform better once Freddie left the field.

      Both Chris and David played to the situation and their army’s strength in both games.

      Thank you!

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    2. Thanks, Steve. I was actually rather dithery (I did say I'm not a natural cavalry commander!) after seeing off the Prussian cavalry wings. I really did not wish to commit the Austrian cavalry to an attack on the intact Prussian infantry; in reality and in the rules such attacks rarely go well for the cavalry. I did long for some good heavy artillery so I could knock chunks out of the Prussian infantry and soften them up for an attack by my cavalry!

      Cheers,

      David.

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  12. Another great looking game Jon and close indeed. I love the fact that the cavalry have some space to be able to move. Mollwitz is definitely on the cards in the future 👍

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  13. Well staged refight Johnathan. Perhaps you can do a report of your findings about the rules. As I mentioned I used Honours of War but abandoned them. I think basically because the Prussians were just too damned good.I spent most of my time rallying my Austrians when I could and not enough time playing the actual game.

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    1. Thank you, Robbie! Perhaps it is time to revisit my impressions of HoW?

      The Prussians may have advantages but I continue to get historical or near historical results in almost every game. In battles in which the Prussians lose, typically lose. In battles they won, they often win.

      Battle management with respect to rallying is an important part of the game. One who succeeds there can win the day.

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    2. Robbie, I don’t think that I’ve ever won an HoW game as the Prussian commander. 😂

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    3. In my experience refighting historical battles, the Prussians tend to lose more than win.

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    4. That's odd, as the Prussian advantages - +1 in fire and move initiative plus no penalties for formation changing - always seem a bit intimidating to the opposition, well, they did to me anyway! Certainly introduces a level of twitchiness to the game... ;-)

      Cheers,

      David.

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    5. I guess I should qualify that! I have been playing many battles where the Prussians historically lost.

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  14. Brilliant report Jonathan. Well, that was a nail biting experience. Rather closer than the last battle. Is it easier for the cavalry to gain the extra movements/actions to move so quickly and decisively?

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    1. Much appreciated, Richard! The quicker movement is predicated upon the general’s rating. For the Austrians, Romer was rated as Dashing so he was much more likely to get a double move. Both Prussian cavalry generals were rated as Dithering. They are much more likely to do nothing which they did repeatedly!

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  15. Great report, Jonathan. Beautiful lines of troops and a tense finale. What better advertisement for wargaming could a person want (apart, perhaps, from a Prussian victory!)?

    Most enjoyable. Cheers, Aaron

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    1. Aaron, glad you enjoyed the battle report! Yes, a Prussian victory would have been nice but I am a good host!

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  16. Excellent report and photos, Jonathan. It's really amazing to see the linear formations of the infantry - as well as the sweeping movements of the cavalry.

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    1. Thanks for your encouragement, Dean! This is the period of linear warfare after all. We should expect nothing less!

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  17. Excellent AAR, and fantastic 18th century eye candy.


    Willz.

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  18. It’s really fun to se the same battles refought with slight differences and I think an unique opportunity to really put a scenario through its paces. Benefits of a dedicated set up no doubt. A fun read and a fun game. Good job! 😀

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    1. I enjoy refighting the same battle multiple times. I think it provides some insight.

      Glad you enjoyed the battle report, Stew!

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  19. Another great report Jonathan, it was a close game.

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  20. Another grand game and bad day on the field for the Prussians. Keeping ones troops rallied seems to be the key there.

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    1. Phil, it was a grand day even for the losing Prussians!

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  21. Thanks very much, Jon; a splendid report on our battle. It certainly seems to have been a much nearer run thing than your previous battle of Mollwitz. It is essential to keep the rather flakey Austrian infantry out of the clutches of the much superior Prussian infantry for as long as possible so the Austrian cavalry can do their bit destroying the Prussian cavalry and any other Prussian units they can lay their swords on. The half moves because of the snow did make movement a bit frustrating - but then again it also slowed the Prussian infantry down at first. The absence of Frederick was rather a blow to the Austrians, curiously, as his replacement Schwerin was a superior "dashing" commander in Honours of War and so was able to speed up the Prussian infantry advance with a fair number of double moves. I'm naturally a plodding general, preferring good solid infantry and guns to cavalry, so I was well out of my "comfort zone" commanding this Austrian army. But it was good to see the Austrians win again, even if only on points and not decisively!

    Thanks again for an interesting experience!

    Cheers,

    David.

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    1. Thank you, David! Our contest was much closer than the battle with Chris. Still not sure how I lost so badly in the first game. Good to get you out of your comfort zone and commanding huge cavalry formations. I hope that the "interesting experience" was also fun. It was for me!

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    2. If I am to be absolutely honest, it was far more interesting than fun! ;-) I did spend a fair bit of the game longing for some really solid infantry and some heavy guns... Next time, I do hope that wish will come true! :-)

      Cheers,

      David.

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    3. OK. Next time, better infantry and some guns for you!

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    4. Great! Thanks. :-)

      Cheers,

      David.

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  22. Unfortunately I had to much to do in the last weeks and therefore I'm late here. I like your stile to give the same battle a go again. Fine table and good gaming by David too.

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