The Seven Years War, Die Kriegskunst, 28mm

AS I was coming in late from the London plane, I was little more than an observer in this Seven Years War game. It was fought out between Dougie and “Dax” on a small 6×4 table game to give Dax an idea of the rules. Dax supplied the Austrians, and Dougie the Prussians. An Austrian advanced guard was holding the crossing over the River March near Littau in Moravia, as part of the manoeuvring going on during the Olmütz campaign of 1758. A Prussian advanced guard was also sent to secure the crossing, and the two sides forces met just south of the river, in an area dominated by a long, low hill. The Austrians had two cavalry regiments and an infantry battalion on the hill, while other troops were marching to the sound of the guns.The Prussian advance guard consisted of a hussar brigade of two regiments, and three battalions of grenadiers. Both players began rolling for reinforcements a few turns into the game, and for several turns these rolls were equally unlucky. For the time being at least, the commanders would have to rely on the troops they had already.The Prussians moved forward and charged the Austrian cavalry. On the left the 8th (Von Seydlitz) Hussars were comprehensively trounced by the Austrian 7th (Schmerzing) Cuirassiers. They rallied – briefly – but the Austrians were on a roll, and the Prussian regiment was swept from the table. Next to them the Austrian 8th (Sachsen-Gotha) Dragoons met the Prussian 1st (von Szkeley) Hussars – the green ones. This time the Austrians came of worst, and were pushed back. The Austrians still held on though, and the melee ground on for several turns, with both sides taking heavy casualties.The Prussian grenadiers tried next, grinding forward to take on the sole battalion of Austrian infantry, from IR9 (Los Rios). The first Prussian unit was held, and by that time the threat posed by the victorious Austrian cuirassiers forced the rest to halt, to protect themselves from this new threat. At that crucial moment both sides rolled for reinforcements for the sixth time. It had been getting easier each turn, and now it was “anything but a 1”. Dougie commanding the Prussians duly rolled a “1”, while Dax rolled a “6”. On came another three battalions of Austrian foot, and another regiment of cavalry. That was when Dougie called it a day, and pulled back his battered force. The Austrians held the crossing, and therefore their army could dictate the course of the next stage of the campaign.It was a fun little battle, and a useful refresher with the rules. We’re in the process of modifying them, and so trying out different situations, and looking for ways to improve the mechanisms. This means we need to play a few of these little games, and soon we might solicit help from you the readers of this site, to try out a few of our new ideas.

The Pru

Tags: Die Kriegskunst