Fighting Retreat, Part 1

As the wagon-train set out, Ludwig’s escort was initially deployed in a semi-circle, covering the wagons from every direction except north. The vanguard was strengthened with Croats and Hungarians, plus the cavalry under General Van Der Dijk formed a screen all along the southern face.

No sooner was the column underway than the Aschenbach force under General Kleintrink was spotted, coming over the hills directly south of the column. They approached with Kleintrink at the forefront surrounded by his cavalry, followed by Von Zaub bringing up the infantry support in marching columns. Scorning any thought of outpacing them to block their escape, Kleintrink ordered a direct charge headlong at the escort, to scatter the rival cavalry.

Von Fleiger’s Dragoons and Kurbitz’s Cuirassiers galloped forward and clashed with their opposite numbers, respectively Klimt’s Cuirassiers and Raab’s Dragoons. The combat was speedy and brutal, with both armies’ infantry rushing to position behind the melee of horsemen. The combat was largely inconclusive, with the Cuirassiers generally having the upper hand over Dragoons, and Von Kleintrink possessed of a deathwish as ever and heroically threw himself into combat to encourage them on. However the Luftberg line took the impact and the Aschenbach horsemen were forced back to reform, galloping back between the columns of oncoming infantry.

At this point, it was honours even. Each cavalry force had been bloodied, but as attacker it naturally fell to Kleintrink to recoil from the contact and reform, but he took this somewhat badly – his cavalry had swept the field at Passditz, and now they were denied?

On the Luftberg side, Ludwig was busily forming his infantry into a single line to resist the oncoming blue force, while his wagons moved further along the road and off his flank. The obvious move was for the enemy to attack with his quick-firing infantry, pin the Luftberg force in place, and then use his cavalry to flank the whole contest and pick off the wagons. Ludwig’s own cavalry was inert, thanks to Van Der Dijk’s failure to grasp the urgency of the situation and pull back. Then – salvation! The Aschenbach cavalry reformed and came back head-on. Kleintrink’s blood was up and he refused any option but headlong attack.

Will Ludwig survive against the most notorious of the Aschenbach commanders? Will the Aschenbach cavalry ever be beaten in the field? Can the fragile Luftberg infantry line hold against the dreaded Aschenbach musketry? All will be revealed in the next post!