OHW Scenario 15. Sort of.

I painted quite a few Imperial/Austrian units over the last month or so to use with my Ottoman project. My intention was that I'd also use them for games in Eugene's campaigns against the French during the WSS. Over the next week or so we're heading into some heavy DBA territory so I thought it would be good to squeeze in a quick game in the WSS beforehand. And get my new toys out on the table. 

For rules I went back to the pre "Tricorn and Bonnet" and "Tricorn and Turban" iteration of "Va t'en guerre", which was called "From Pike to Bayonet". For this game rather than just let the two sides run at each other I went to Neil Thomas' OHW scenario book and chose "Fortified Defence". This is loosely based on Fontenoy and features an attack on a pair of fortified villages. I doubled the number of units from his set up so everyone would have something to do.

This is the set up from behind the Austrian lines. They're attacking. The French have two infantry units in each village, which can't leave. Otherwise the set up for each side is player choice. The French can come three squares in, and the Austrians two. The Austrians have a reserve Division off table, but the catch is that they have to withdraw EVERYTHING they have on the table in order to deploy it. This will be significant.

Chris and Tim took on Steve and Phil. The initial deployment saw some serious thought and discussion. 

The Austrians have the initiative and the first turn.

Phil tries a mixed approach. He sends one battalion in as an attack column, whilst the other remains in line and engages in a firefight. The column is strikingly successful, driving their opponents from the front of the village at bayonet point. The musketry causes a hit. It has just occurred to me that I've had those Airfix cottages for more than 50 years. That's the original paint work too. 

French turn, and they launch a couple of cavalry charges, on the grounds that if they don't then Phil will next turn. They drive back the infantry, who will break in the subsequent morale test. The double backed cavalry in the centre will also lose and be forced backwards.

Chris sneaks his dragoons into the wood, and dismounts them, ready to enfilade any attacks on his village.

Steve decides to clear them out, and sends an attack column crashing through the woods, disordering his men in the process. Chris' dragoons scramble into place to resist them. The melee is hard fought but indecisive.

The French cavalry have smashed a big hole in the centre of the Imperialist line. Things had not gone well for them on the dice rolling front.

Steve throws one of his battalions at Chris' village, but it is a piecemeal attack. This is because the diversion that Chris set up with his dragoons has drawn off not one but two of Steve's infantry battalions.

His attack goes in hard, and drives the defenders back. His problem will be that he has nothing to keep the other defending unit occupied. I predict bad things happening for the Austrians.

Two of Steve's infantry battalions have combined to drive the dragoons from the wood. It has been hard fought.

Finally Chris' dragoons break and rush off to mount their horses. Steve has lost one of his battalions too, and the other has been badly mauled in the exchange. Chris had a big grin on his face.

Longshot of what's happening. Phil is consolidating his position round the far village. He's broken one unit of defenders, and now has a 2:1 opportunity on the other.

Which is the opposite to what Steve has. He's driven one defending unit out of the village, but he's now isolated, and is forced to form square (okay, so it looks like a triangle).

Chris then counter attacks with his other battalion in the village.

This drives Steve's men out of the village, just as Phil was about to consolidate his position in the other.

A debate now ensued amongst the Austrians. The terms for allowing the reserves on are that you have to withdraw all of the other units you have in play. Steve was quite keen for this to happen. Phil, having achieved his objective, less so. My feeling is that Steve was probably right. The French didn't have enough left to reoccupy the far village. They'd recover their pursuing cavalry in the next turn or two, it's true, but apart from one battalion all of their units were pretty cut up. The arrival of a fresh eight battalions of infantry and four regiments of cavalry would have been unstoppable.

However, Phil got his way and the game was declared a draw and we all had a cup of coffee. Except for me. 

I had tea.