Bohemia 1757 Campaign

For your Wargames Wittering
User avatar
RMD
Grizzly Madam
Posts: 3574
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2017 3:06 pm
Contact:

Bohemia 1757 Campaign

Post by RMD »

As mentioned in another thread, we're doing a small campaign based on Fred The Big's invasion of Bohemia in 1757 (which historically led to the Battles of Prague and Kolin). The original germ of the campaign was the 'Bohemian Blitzkrieg' campaign from a Warfare in the Age of Reason supplement, but I've changed almost everything in it.

Thus far it's been fairly uneventful and both sides have been pretty cautious in their approach. Frederick is advancing by small columns of 12-20,000 men apiece on a broad front, whereas the Austrians have largely been content to gather their forces near Prague. I'm not going to go into too much detail here, as the players might be reading!

Turn 1: Fred splits his large army at Dresden into three - two columns head south and east respectively, while he retains the third column at Dresden. Another force remains stationary at Zittau. Three more Prussian columns meanwhile, descend from Silesia in the east.

Browne's large Austrian army falls back from Budin to Welwarn, while another remains resolutely stationary at Koniggratz. A third force however, mounts a demonstration toward Zittau.

Image

Turn 2: The bolder of the Austrian armies has detected the force approaching from Dresden, so has hastily beaten a retreat to Liebenau; a wise move, as the approaching force combines with the Zittau garrison and advances on the freshly-vacated Austrian position. Frederick meanwhile brings his corps eastward from Dresden, hoping to cut off the Austrian retreat. The southerly Prussian column advances to Lobositz, picking up another Prussian column along the way, which has arrived from the west. Nothing much else happens, except that the main Austrian army has been considerably reinforced and is now commanded by the Prince of Lorraine.

Image

Turn 3: Frederick advances to cut off the Austrian retreat, hoping that his subordinates will join him... They sit on their arses and Fred's 18,000 now have to fight a battle against 28,000 at Munchengratz... However, Fred does have all his Guards and his heavy artillery reserve with him...

Image

The wily Austrian commander manages to out-manoeuvre Frederick and force him to fight on ground of his choosing. A confident Frederick accepts battle...

Here's the setup for tonight's game.

The Prussians have 3x Cuirassier Regts, 2x Dragoon Regts, 1x Elite Hussar Regt, 4x Infantry Bns, 2x Elite Infantry Bns, 2x Grenadier Bns, 4x Guard Bns, 1x Light Battery, 3x Heavy Batteries and battalion guns.

The Austrians have 4x Cuirassier Regts, 2x Dragoon Regts, 2x Hussar Regts, 17x Infantry Bns, 2x Grenadier Bns, 1x Croat Bn, 3x Light Batteries, 2x Heavy Batteries and battalion guns.

Image
User avatar
Spanner
Gaynor
Posts: 1160
Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2021 6:02 pm
Location: NSW south coast

Re: Bohemia 1757 Campaign

Post by Spanner »

I think Fred is going to be unpleasant to his subordinate in Kratzau. The Austrians have the advantage in numbers, but the Prussian infantry has the quality- if the dice gods don't decide to be funny. It looks like a good battle in the offing, Mark.
If "The System" is the answer, who asked such a bloody stupid question?
User avatar
BaronVonWreckedoften
Grizzly Madam
Posts: 9262
Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2017 5:32 pm
Location: The wilds of Surrey

Re: Bohemia 1757 Campaign

Post by BaronVonWreckedoften »

What is it about the thought of RMD "going all Bohemian" that disturbs me.....?

(Sounds like an excellent project.)
Kein Plan überlebt den ersten Kontakt mit den Würfeln. (No plan survives the first contact with the dice.)
Baron Mannshed von Wreckedoften, First Sea Lord of the Bavarian Admiralty.
Willz the Wargamer
Gaynor
Posts: 1558
Joined: Tue May 21, 2019 8:29 pm
Location: Devon

Re: Bohemia 1757 Campaign

Post by Willz the Wargamer »

Smart looking games, give me the eye candy :) .


Willz.
ochoin
Gaynor
Posts: 1639
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:52 am
Location: Brisvegas

Re: Bohemia 1757 Campaign

Post by ochoin »

I look forward to hearing how the battle went.

What rules are you using....(just joking).

donald
Etranger
Jezebel
Posts: 2494
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:10 am
Location: The Athens of the South

Re: Bohemia 1757 Campaign

Post by Etranger »

BaronVonWreckedoften wrote: Sat May 07, 2022 6:27 am What is it about the thought of RMD "going all Bohemian" that disturbs me.....?

(Sounds like an excellent project.)
Image

Another casualty of the 1960's and bad acid ....
valleyboy
Jezebel
Posts: 2789
Joined: Tue Sep 12, 2017 9:22 pm

Re: Bohemia 1757 Campaign

Post by valleyboy »

This looks really interesting
John Rich
Loose Virgin
Posts: 55
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2020 9:13 pm
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: Bohemia 1757 Campaign

Post by John Rich »

Good post, mind if I ask what the table size is ?
User avatar
RMD
Grizzly Madam
Posts: 3574
Joined: Sun Sep 17, 2017 3:06 pm
Contact:

Re: Bohemia 1757 Campaign

Post by RMD »

Cheers fellas! Well as anticipated by Dal, the Austrian strength was largely cancelled out by the Prussian quality and honours were largely even.

Despite having a good defensive position atop the steep-sided Fickmuhlberg, Konigsegg decided to go for an immediate attack before his guns had had a chance to soften up the opposition. The Austrian infantry struggled to make headway through the soft terrain of the spring crops and were hammered by the Prussian artillery, eventually being forced to withdraw. However, the Austrian cavalry, despite initial setbacks, swept the Prussian horse from the field, though was unable to exploit this small victory.

As night fell, the King of Prussia decided to cut his losses and slipped away back to Niemes, untroubled by pursuit, but leaving the Austrians masters of the field. Casualties were roughly even at around 3,000 per side.

A full report on the blog later.

The table was 6x5 feet. The map doesn't match that ratio, purely because I wasn't sure what sizes the tables are at our new club venue.
User avatar
BaronVonWreckedoften
Grizzly Madam
Posts: 9262
Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2017 5:32 pm
Location: The wilds of Surrey

Re: Bohemia 1757 Campaign

Post by BaronVonWreckedoften »

RMD wrote: Sun May 08, 2022 3:24 pm Despite having a good defensive position atop the steep-sided Fickmuhlberg, Konigsegg decided to go for an immediate attack before his guns had had a chance to soften up the opposition.
He sounds like a typical wargamer - put him in the most impregnable defensive position ever devised and he will leave it, slog his way through the most inhospitable terrain, and attempt to assault an enemy that is bigger and better than him.
Kein Plan überlebt den ersten Kontakt mit den Würfeln. (No plan survives the first contact with the dice.)
Baron Mannshed von Wreckedoften, First Sea Lord of the Bavarian Admiralty.
Post Reply