Thursday 7 April 2016

Paltzig continued


This is a very short post is an AAR of the second night's play (fought on 30th March) of the Paltzig 1759 scenario. We left the action with the Prussians exceeding all expectations and pressing their attack on the southern flank of the Russian army but with the Russians still massively outnumbering the Prussians and forming a new line just south of Paltzig. The game was in the balance.



I have to report an unbelievable reversal of history. Peter (Prussian) just couldn't stop winning initiative and rolling high combat dice. The Russians couldn't manage a single noteworthy volley. 

The Prussians pressed home their attack with unerring precision from the start. It wasn't long before the Russian position began to collapse with their troops retreating to the rear areas in a constant stream. At the end of the battle the Prussians had somehow managed superior numbers, not just locally, but overall. 


The position at the end of the game. The Prussian line is intact and rolling the Russians up. 

At the end of the battle, the lost unit count said it all: Including four units of Cossacks (three of which were voluntarily withdrawn off table) the Russians lost twenty seven units, the Prussians had lost just three and most of their 'heroic' units were completely intact. 

Major morale failure was inevitable for the Russians and so we finished the game before working through to it - the Russians, who started with sixty four morale chips had none left and the Prussians, who started with just thirty six, still had sixteen.

If we replayed this game a hundred times I don't think the Prussians could do better. I still can't quite get over the enormity of the Prussian victory. Reversing history in such a lop sided battle is one thing, but to do it like this is simply astounding: A very, very memorable result! 

2 comments:

Der Alte Fritz said...

The young, athletic and stupid Wedel just became great captain general of history

Gonsalvo said...

"on a given Day"... as they say. Sometimes the dice gods are whatever are just with you, and you can do little wrong, nd your opponent little right. Push every advantage and be bold, and enjoy it, because it may not happen again for a long, long time!

Surely a game that will be remembered for a long time!