The battlefield:
Terrain was on the side of the Austrians with the swampy ground between the villages of Sellowitz & Lobositz being a real challenge:
As per the real battle, the Prussians entered in march formation & only seeing part of the Austrian army (the majority were concealed by fog) thought it a mere rear guard to be brushed aside.
On Turn 2, I placed the hidden Austrians on the table. The Prussian commanders were surprised but not dismayed.
Frederick, cheering the troops on:
Unlike the real Frederick's plan, The Prussians mounted a pincer attack on the all important road to Pirna:
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Although trying to ignore the Grenzer posted on the Lobosch hill, the Croats made a nuisance of themselves:
Much like the historical Lobositz, the Prussian cavalry was roughly handled, several regiments fleeing the field:
The Austrian cavalry, not without loss, triumphed:
Having delayed the Prussians for those vital 8 Game Turns, the Austrians withdrew:
Like many wargames, this was a work in progress. You'll notice that I had to use French SYW artillery as I don't have nearly enough Austrian gunners & that O'Donell's Cuirassiers have a squadron of empty horses (3 figures to modify from various Zvevda sets).
Still an enjoyable re-fight of one of the more important battles of the SYW. My friends commanded their respective armies with great skill, good humour & a definite appreciation of the finer points of C18th military strategy.
donald
