The Battle of Passditz

Ah, at long last the hills, towns and woods of the previously paper-only surroundings of Spitzburg; now finally made 3-D on a tabletop as the armies draw together...

Approaching up to the east of the Rotebauern (rendered here in a home-made card cut-out), the Aschenbach line progressed neatly and as per the plan - damn their machine-like efficiency! Anyway, Von Hentsch was kept well aware of developments by his Hussars reporting on their approach from the nearby windmill, so he quickly realised his left flank was in line for attack, even as it was anchored on the small marsh area next to his hill. Strong as the position was however, he moved his reserve regiments of IR1 (Pilsen's Grenadiers) and IR7 (Von Stiegl) to the threatened sector.

Von Krumper struck fast, rushing his columns of march ahead even as Von Kleintrink deployed to drive off his opposite number - General Kohl on his small hillock.

Von Hentsch watched as the blue line approached at a steeper and steeper angle, nearly pulling perpendicular with his own, until the marsh stopped them and compelled a redeployment. It came fast enough, as the Bluecoats wheeled left out of column and into line, unfolding smoothly into a classic oblique order attack - Even in far-off Prussia, surely Frederick II himself would have been proud!

Cannons boomed and thumped, as regiments closed on each other. To the east, the sound of hoofbeats and yelling foretold that Von Kleintrink had yet again performed a feat of arms. The Cuirassiers and dragoons of General Kohl's wing were sent crashing back into headlong flight by the indomitable Aschenbach cavalry, but thankfully the situation stabilised as the horsemen - which included the crack troopers of KR2 (Schrodinger's Cuirassiers) - rallied to their officers and reformed around the Ost Bauernhof.

On the main line at the Grosser Hugel, the oblique line came on with the Hirschburger Grenadiers and the IR1 Fuss-Garde leading the way - the elite troops of the Aschenbach force. A battery of Luftberg artillery was caught in the flank and the crews fled in chaos, shortly before the main line was reached. IR8 (Schrammel) was the flank regiment, and it gave the Fuss-Garde a decent run of things - first holding them off with musketry, but then the bluecoats closed to short-range and smashed the regiment apart. The grenadiers pressed on through the wreckage to crest the hill, but then the reserves Von Hentsch had rushed up fell on the breakthrough. While the next regiment in line, IR2 (Doppler), fought the Fuss-garde head to head, the reserve IR7 (Von Stiegl) hit them in the flank and enfiladed their line. When the Fuss-Garde's support regiment of IR2 (Von Klink) tried to rush up and aid them, the dreaded whitecoat grenadiers von Pilsen came out of the smoke and fell on them. The Garde and von Klink's men took to their heels - the flanking attack had been outflanked in turn!

Shaken by the failure of the army's crack troops, the whole contest hung in the balance. Galloping up and down the wavering lines, Von Krumper steadied the men and ordered the Hirschburgers and regiment IR4 (v. Hoffmann) to turn and face the unexpected counterattack.

Seeing the climax approach, ever-dependable Von Kleintrink launched his tired troopers on at the reforming enemy horse by the Ost Bauernhof, smashing the recovering line's flank and forcing the isolated Schrodinger's regiment to hold out alone.

Each army was now within one base-loss of it's breaking point, which made the infantry clash critical. Seeing he was outnumbered and at risk of being overlapped if the Luftberg lines could form in greater length, Von Krumper ordered the regiments of Hirschburgers and IR4 to attack at once, taking on IR7 and the Pilsen grenadiers respectively. Grenadier fought line infantry and line infantry fought grenadier, as the last desperate throw of the dice played out!

The seizure of the initiative turned out to have been critical - by storming on, the Aschenbach grenadiers smashed IR7 Von Stiegl's exhausted men with the sudden advance, which left the Pilsen grenadiers outflanked and isolated by the marsh. Seeing the Grenadiers on their flank as they fought against von Hoffmann's men, they routed to safety.

With that, it was over. The Luftberg army had lost half it's artillery, a third of it's cavalry, and now a third of it's infantry was broken up and useless. Von Hentsch knew it was a lost cause, and began to disengage. Realising the battle was over in an Aschenbach victory, Von Krumper prudently allowed his chivalrous opponent to withdraw.