The Viereckstal Campaign. Chapter 3

 ...in which we conclude the opening engagement.

Picking up where we left off, Von Trapp's Tattemberg forces are slowly grinding forward against the better-led if weaker forces of Gallia. The Gallians are defending a farm and cattle pens as a rearguard. Von Trapp is under orders to break through as a diversion from and a possible reinforcement to a larger attack taking place to the west.

Below we can see the small armies manoeuvring. The Tattembergers are advancing from the south (right hand side) and have driven the Gallians out of the cattle pen atop the ridge and are in control of the farm.

Major Mantelwenden of the Gallian Sechshugel Regiment (germanic troops fighting under the flag of Gallia) was conducting a cautions retreat with each of his two wings of infantry moving back in turn while other delivered musket volleys to provide cover. Each flank of the regiment was covered by skirmishers of the Chasseurs du Poulet, under Captain Lacrosse. To the left of this position was a squadron of the Dragoons d'Baguette, temporarily under the command of Sous-Captain Laforge, an ADC from brigade staff. 

Von Trapp's own musketeers trudged forward very slowly in the centre, but there was more alacritous activity by the light infantry and jager companies on each flank. Opposing the Gallian dragoons were squadrons of the Tattemberg Schwarzwald Dragoons and Gelbvogel Hussars, the latter having taken significant losses earlier in the engagement, under Baron Von Weinachtsbrucke.

On the eastern fringe of the battlefield, both cavalry commanders were itching to engage, but cautions of the risk this presented. Eventually the dam of patience and restraint cracked, and it was Laforge who took the initiative despite being outnumbered. Seeing the the Gelbvogel Hussars had advanced a little further than the Schwarzbergers, he charged the yellow-clad light cavalry with the full force of his own green-jacketed dragoons. 

The fighting was fierce and the result close, but the dice gods favoured Laforge. The already fragile hussars broke and were destroyed by the pursuing Baguettes, who galloped straight past the Shwarzberg Dragoons to rally and reform in the Tattemberg rear. 

This abrupt change in the balance of the battle could not be ignored. Von Trapp repositioned his right-hand jager company to face the horsemen and divided his musketeers to send off a company to join those jager on the right. Meanwhile Mantelwenden's infantry had reformed a coherent line using the stone walls of the northern cattle pen.

There was no way that Von Trapp could allow an enemy cavalry unit to operate unopposed in his rear. Von Weinachtsbrucke turned the Schwarzberg Dragoons around but before he could do more Laforge and the Dragoons d'Baguette came racing back into action, sabres swinging.

Again the action was fierce, bloody and close. Again fortune favoured Laforge's audacity. The Tattemberg cavalry were routed and the Baguettes raced through to return to guard Manetlwenden's left flank, back where they started, buoyed by their stunning success but having taken losses of their own.

In brief moments the attackers found their cavalry advantage had evaporated. Their only chance of success now lay in assertive action by their infantry. Both jager companies proved their worth, one firing into the rear of the retreating dragoon and the other sniping at the infantry in the cattle pen. Even the capable Gallian officers were fining it hard to keep their men in good order and more permanent stamina losses were beginning to accrue.

Both wings of the Hahnchinabun light infantry began to converge on the defending infantry, moving in advance of the musketeers. Musket volleys rived intense and casualties on both sides mounted rapidly but were not sufficient to stop the action.

The right wing of the Sechhugel regiment was driven back by a particularly fierce light infantry charge but quite remarkably rallied from their rout on the very next turn. 

As this was happening, the other light infantry company launched a last-gasp charge into the Sechshugel right wing. They were driven back in rout, but has done enough damage that the defenders dissolved into a rout of their own on the very next turn.

With this last turn of events Mantelwenden decided he had done enough and began to withdraw more actively from the battlefield. Von Trapp was unable to prevent this as his routed cavalry were (hopefully) rallying far to the south and his light infantry had taken heavy losses. He opted to consolidate around the farm, dismantle the roadblock and compose his dispatch to high command. 

This must be weighed as a victory to the Gallian defenders. Von Trapp clearly failed to break through and had not proven enough of a threat to be likely to draw in more Gallians from their brigades around Vierecksbrucke and Flaschendorf.

I'll sum up by thoughts on the wargaming aspects next week before attention moved across the campaign map to the assault on Flaschendorf and its critical bridge over the Schwachwasser. Let's hope Tattemberg can find some more able tacticians or this may be a short campaign!