Friday 7 August 2015

The big meeting engagement - part 2

This post is an AAR of the meeting engagement scenario featuring the whole of my SYW Russian and Prussian collection. Both forces are arriving piecemeal, marching to the sound of the guns.

At the end of the second night much of the forces have arrived. Each side only has another dozen units to arrive. The action has been sporadic, flaring up in different parts of the field before dying down again.

 Most of the action during the evening's play took place around the village on the Russian left. Much of the effort has been concentrated here, and more troops are still arriving into the 'cauldron'.
In the centre, after the action around the mill was resolved - the speculative Prussian attack was repulsed - the action has been confined to long range artillery fire.
Somehow, the Prussian cuirassier were held at the stream by some very feisty cossacks - they persistently beat D10 and D12 rolls with their D4s, even succeeding in forcing the Garde du Corps from the field - losing heart the Prussians withdrew. 

Having done so, Russian infantry advanced unopposed. The Cossacks,just in shot on the distant right, have pinned the Prussian cuirassier in position - avery morale victory to the Russians.
 As the evening came to a close, the Russian cavalry, that had been somewhat pinned to the hill on which they had initially deployed, were forced to advance by the entry of the Observation Corps. 

Will they charge the Prussian heavy gun line?
 The OC have arrived just in time. The Russians are running out of infantry on their left.
 The action around the left most village has denuded both forces. The Russians have held, but are now outnumbered 2:1 here.
They have taken plenty of Prussians with them, including IR 15 the Garde. 

Both units of newly painted Garde have been routed in their first action without making any significant impact: isn't that always the way of new war game troops!
In the centre, the Prussians have plenty of infantry. They have not pressed their numerical advantage on the lightly held Russian centre. Perhaps it was the mere presence of the Russian cavalry.

The Russians and Prussians still have two more commands to arrive.

More action  next week.