As I was using Blucher I could have refought the whole battle on my 6' gaming table using the Blucher scale of one unit representing a brigade. However I did this a few weeks ago and thought I preferred the idea of seeing 5 regiments of cuirassiers and 2 dragoons facing of against 4 cuirassiers and 4 dragoons with another 12 regiments in reserve. The sight of 28 cavalry regiments (bases) was just going to be much more fun than 10 brigade (bases).
I don't a big enough table to fight the battle at 1 base per battalion scale but the south end of the battle field was the interesting end anyway. I therefore went with about 40 units per side representing the south end of the battlefield. Click here for the unit list.
As I was playing solo I decided to use some Blucher Solo rules which were recommended to me on the Blucher Facebook site. The called for me to play the defending side and to keep to my half of the battle field while the AI ran the attackers, Prussians in this case.
The AI divided the battlefield in to three sections (right, centre and left). My choice would have been to start the attack with the Prussian left flank however the AI opted to lead the attack with the Prussian right flank. (Sorry about the shadow in the picture, it was a sunny day.)
Twelve battalions of Prussians marched forward, flags flying and drum beating...straight in to the teeth of the waiting Austrian volleys.
The Austrian resistance was strong and the AI called for a general retreat and the Prussians came back worse for wear.
The AI's next plan was a central assault which did ok but wasn't going to win the battle. The Austrian cuirassiers bounced off the Prussian Musketeers a few times but wore themselves out.
The centre attach wasn't getting very far until the Prussian reserves arrive on their left flank. Forty squadrons of Hussars and five squadrons of dragoons (9 units).
The Austrian right flank cavalry were just about to get worried when the Austrian reserves turned up on the same flank and a huge cavalry battle ensured. About 26 cavalry regements, roughly 130 squadrons.
The Austrians just managed to win. Mainly due to the Prussian cavalry reserve being mostly hussars (light cavalry). If the Prussian's had battle cavalry the outcome would have been different. As it was the Austrians managed to drive off the Prussian hussars and shake their infantry out into a line.
Meanwhile the AI decided that things were not going well in the centre and rather than call a retreat it had a new infantry battalion appear in the centre and a cuirassier regiment appear on the flank of the Austrian forces in the centre. (Must have been hidden in the smoke).
Alas too little, too late and the game had reached turn 30 and therefore the end of the day. The Austrians won as the Prussians were not able to defeat them. Yay for me! But wait the battle was in June, there would have been more daylight...I decided to fight on 5 more turns. Which was not good news for the flanked Austrian troops in the centre.
The battalion in the bottom of the picture below is an Austrian musketeer battalion hit in the front and flank by two Prussian cuirassier regiments!
The battle went down hill very quickly after that, from the Austrian point of view. The entire centre was smashed and the battle field split into two. It was at this point that I realised the Prussians has won in the last turn by taking the Austrian army to their break point.
In the view of the south end of the battle field below you can see the Prussian left flank and Austrian right were still battling on although with heavy casualties but the centre is bare except for Prussian units.
I had been defeated by an AI! How sad to be unable to win a solo game :)
