New Kriegspiel Blog

I have started a blog in which I have will develop as a Kriegspiel blog, the intention is to develop it into all things Kriegspiel so on that basis I will welcome all advise and links you may feel others would benefit from.

I have started with my own system, the odd thing was I have my system in a series of charts totaling 2 pages, it came a rude shock when I had to write the rules that explained the charts and ended up with a 8 page novel.

I enjoy the Kriegspiel system very much, to me it adds icing to a wargame and definitely defines campaigns into something extraordinary. I would recommend to all trying out a kriegspiel campaign or battle.

I have split my system into The Strategic game and the Battle game. Were I to run a local kriegspiel Campaign game I would use the Campaign rules in a PBEM system where I would send maps and reports via the web but when battles are to be fought they are done so on the table.
However when I run a international PBEM campaign game then I would include the battle system in which players receive the strategic reports and maps, as well as the tactical maps in which they lay down their orders.
In the course of a large battle I would be bouncing back reports and queries as to changing situations until the battle is resolved.

In time I will be including a Players invitation list where you can send in your details if you wish to play in a kriegspiel game or run one. Please do not limit your interests to my own system as I know there are others out there that are most likely far better, the idea is to build a community of like minded people who can get together over the web to fight battles and chat on common issues.

The Blog will include a forum that you can join and chat till your hearts content.

The link to the new Blog site is

My Kriegspiel Blog.

The report on the Battle of Bukersdorf

A Summary of events that lead to the Batlle of Bukersdorf.

The Battle that was to become known as the THE BATTLE OF BUKERSDORF was to be the climatic battle that would hopefully bring an end to the war that has been on going between the Herzogtum von Rechburg and the Duchy of Bergatonia.

It was a war that had begun with a surprise attack on the Rechurg by the Forces of Bergatonia led personally by Duke Rupert, who was also known internationally as the “Mad Duke”. The initial attack was beaten back by Rechburg Milita supported by Rechburg Regular Cavalry. After the initial attacks and their comprehensive defeats Duke Rupert withdrew from Rechburg and placed his forces in “Winter Quarters”.

For the Rechburgians however they were forced into another onflict this time in a winter war in Ulrichstein, a small Bishopric on their Western Borders. A rebellion had broken out by the protestants of Ulrichstein after their Catholic Imperial ruler Bishop der Plonk instigated a series of repressive actions against the protestants of his small realm. The protestants pleaded to Herzog Constantine the ruler of Rechburg and a strong supporter of the protestant movement.

The Herzog responded by sending his regular army both units that had been involved just a month before against Bergatonia as well as units that were preparing for “Winter Quarters” in Rechburg itself.

The Imperial Hapburgian Emperor was forced to send a force to support Bishop der Plonk hence the War of Ulrichstein commenced.

The Battles of the war in Ulrichstein have been recorded elsewhere in these chronicles, but suffice to say Rechburg emerged victorious in Ulrichstein mainly due to the fact that a rebellion broke out within the Imperial Hapburgian Empire. Distracted by this rebellion the Emperor decided it was prudent to settle the Ulrichstein issue even if it was ended with what amounted to a surrender of the Ulrichstein, so great was the threat of the rebellion that was growing against his Imperial rule.

(See the story of the Hapburgian-Wartenburg Rebellion which is still on going on in these chronicles.)

Having settled the Ulrichstein issue the Rechburgian forces were rushed back to the Bergatonia border in the expectation that the Mad Duke may be tempted to strike once again while Rechburg was distarcted in Ulrichstein.

Meanwhile in Bergatonia the Duke Rupert had issues of his own, with both the Franconian and the Iberian Empires both trying to convince the Duke to join their own factions. The Duke was inclined to align with the Iberians who had supported him from the beginning of his reign, but they were isolated from his lands by Franconia. Thus in the end it was agreed that Franconia would support Bergatonia and they sent an expeditionary force to join Duke Rupert.

The Iberians not content to become second fiddle in the Imperial politics decided to launch a naval landing against Rechburg or one of its allies, this Iberian maritime initiative was thwarted in a naval action fought mainly by the fleets of the Britannic navy and the Iberian Navy, the result was a defeat to the Iberians who fled into Franconian ports for shelter. The Iberian troops on board were landed in Franconia and after some heated discussions it was decided that once they were reorganised they could join in the War against Rechburg.

However King Jean I of Franconia was determined that it would be his forces who would strike first in Bergatonia, thus once his army was victorious Duke Rupert would be convinced one way or another to become a Franconian “puppet” state.

Thus the Franconian Force under General Alexis Schnellendorf was assembled and began marching to Bergatonia.

Meanwhile back in Rechburg the diplomatic machinations of Franconia and Iberia had not gone unnoticed, the Herzog realised that if he didnt strike immediately he would eventually face attack on his own lands, not only by Bergatonian forces but also by either or both Franconian or Iberian armies as well.

One event that had occurred that greatly eased the situation for Rechburg was the Duchy of Neider that was once an ally to the Iberian Empire had deserted the Iberians and became allied to Britannia and Rechburg.

There had been concerns which were later confirmed that the Iberian force that had been forced to land prematurely in Franconia due to their defeat at sea, would now march on Neider and “liberate” their former ally.

This decision had two immediate effects, first it meant the Iberian army would not be marching on Rechburg and secondly it brought Britannia firmly into the land war.

The Britannic Government reluctantly decided to send a force to Neider, if it wasnt required there it would march and join the Rechburgians.

Since the Britannic forces arrived in the Duchy of Neider the Iberians had still not moved from the point where they disembarked, much to the annoyance of both the Franconians who were forced to supply them while they slowly reformed and the Bergatonians who still hoped they would march to assist them.

Herzog Constantine decided that with all these forces moving and concentrating on his southern borders that it would not be wise to wait for them and fight on Rechburgian territory. He therefore ordered both his sons Prince Wilhelm and Prince Leopold to take the Rechburg Army into Bergatonia and try and defeat the Bergatonians before the Franconians arrived.

The first battle between the invading Rechburg army and the Bergatonians was fought near Ostawald, the Bergatonians were defeated but not before inflicting considerable losses on the Rechburgians.

The Bergatonian army fled back to their capital of New Madrid, just as the Franconian army was arriving in the city at the same time.

Meanwhile back at Ostawald the Rechburgians were forced to reform before they commenced their march on New Madrid. They received intelligence reports that the Franconian army had just arrived in the Bergatonian capital and it was not a pleasing prospect to Prince Wilhelm the Rechburg commander that he may soon face a joint Bergatonian-Franconian army, a prospect he had hoped to avoid.

However Prince Wilhelm was not aware that following the battle of Ostawald that most of the Bergatonian army had disintegrated and at most there were only two Infantry brigades that were effective at this time and one of them was only newly raised militia.

He was informed however that the Britannic army had crossed into Bergatonia from Neider, the Brittanic general suggested they both march and join at New Madrid where they would face the Bergatonians and Franconians either in open battle or a siege of the city.

The Franconian General Alexis Schellendorf had meanwhile decided that he would march out of the capital and do battle with the Rechburgians, he convinced Duke Rupert to remain in New Madrid and reorganise and recruit a new army. Fatefully he was not aware that the Britannic army was marching on New Madrid even as he left the city to face the Rechburgians. He was not aquainted with this fact until two days later just as he was about to face the Rechburgians. Now General Schellendorf realised he had no or little choice, he must defeat the Rechburgians and then race back to join Duke Rupert in New Madrid before the britannic army arrived there.

The Battle.

The Battle began with the Franconian army marching onto the field of battle on the secondary road that ran down the western side of the battlefield, that is the road that ran from Long Ridge down to the road junction south of Belinka Hill.

General Scnellendorf positioned himself on the southern edge of Long Ridge and waited for his army to march on behind him. Just in front of him the two Franconian medium artillery battalions were unlimbering.

He had ordered the 12^th Brigade to march east behind Long ridge, they were to move towards Bukersdorf Hamlet, placing that village on their right flank before moving south to attack West Belinda wood, they would have support of the Bergatonian Heavy cavalry which included a Veteran Cuirassier regiment.

The 10^th Brigade would move over Long ridge through Gustov orchards and attack East Belinda woods.

The 11^th Brigade would march south down the secondary road, it would assist the 10^th brigade by protecting the 10th's western flank but it primary duty was to hold the western flank, it would have the support of Franconian Light cavalry brigade and two artillery Batteries.

In reserve was the one Bergatonian Guard battalion rated as veteran.

Prince Wilhelm commander of the Rechburg Army positioned himself on Dupont ridge almost directly oppositie his opponent on Long ridge.

Though the Rechburg army consisted of only two brigades they were in effect two very strong units, each the equivalent of two Franconian Brigades.

The 3^rd Brigade would hold the Rechburgian left flank which included both Belinda woods while the 4^th Brigade pushed up the Rechburgian centre and right flank.

Though the 3^rd Brigade which had the Elite Jager Battalion attached was under the command of General Wilhelm Hebelstreight it and the 2^nd Light cavalry Brigade with the Horse Artillery attached would be under the overall command of Prince Leopold.

While the 4^th Brigade was under the command of old but reliable General Thadden it and the 3^rd Light cavalry Brigade would be under the control of Prince Wilhelm who also held the Rechburgian reserve of two veteran battalions. Also under command of Prince Leopold and in position on Dupont ridge were the two Medium artillery Batteries.

The Battle

The battle started with artillery fire, the Franconian batteries began firing at extreme range on the 25^th Battalion as it moved over Dupont ridge (15^th Regt, 4^th brigade), despite the range the fire was effective and damaging the, by the time the battalion was back on the valley floor in front of Dupont ridge it had lost over 100 men in combined and sustained artillery fire.

The Begatonian Heavy Cavalry were moving around the east side of Bayonne Orchards with the Brecker ridge on their right flank., in the distance in front of them they had their first view of the enemy as the Rechburgian Leopold Uhlans emerged on the road that ran between the Belinda woods, however at this stage they were simply too far away to engage.

Of more immediate concern to the Franconians was the Rechburgian Mohein Dragoon Regiment (400) which was in front of Dupont ridge. The Franconian 17^th Light dragoons (700) launched an immediate attack on them and in the ensuring melee inflicted almost 200 casualties to 100 of their own, the Rechburg Dragoons were forced back in disorder, the Franconian Regiment quickly withdrew as well as it began to attract fire from nearby Rechburgian infantry as well as the artillery.

Meanwhile back mear Belinda woods the Rechberg Uhlans finally had emerged from the road between the woods and formed line as the rest of the cavalry brigade formed up behind them.

Also emerging from the road between the woods was the first of the infantry, led by the Elite Guard Jagers who were making directly for Gustov Orchards.

The Bergatonian Cuirassiers (700) having now moved into range charged the Uhlans (600) but the melee was a draw both regiments losing almost 100 men and both withdrew apart in good order, still facing each other.

The 2^nd Bergatonian heavy cavlary Regiment (400) attacked the Leeds Hussars (700)but were driven back after losing around 100 men to 50 casualties suffered by the Hussars.

At this point there was a short lull as the infantry of both armies were still marching into position, after the initial cavalry engagements the cavalry drew apart and the artillery on both sides settled into a counter battery duel, the Rechburgians soon gaining an early advantage inflicting serious losses on one of the Bergatonian batteries.



Rechburg Infantry (left) advance on Long Ridge



However it was not to long before the infantry of both sides began to become engaged, the first engagements would be around the area of east Belinda woods and the Gustov Orchards.

The Rechburg Guard Jagers ran into the Franconian Jagers who were in position in the orchard, a sharp exchange of fire (though initially ineffective for both sides) started what was to be a long day for the Guard jagers.

The Rechburg 29^th jagers (700) were coming around the western edge of West belinda Woods, they were screening the leading elements of the adancing 3^rd Brigade.

They came under fire from the Franconian 13^th battalion (700) (10^th bde), in the firefight the 29^th jagers lost over 100 men, the 13^th lost 50.

The Franconian 11^th battalion (700) (10^th bde) also initiated a firefight in the same region, their targets were the 40^th Rechburg battalion, this battalion had intended to skirt around the eastern flank of East belinda woods to avoid the traffic jam on the road that ran through those woods, instead in moved into the fore front of the Franconian attack of 10^th brigade. The 40^th Battalion lost 150 men in next to no time, the Franconian Battalion lost just under 100 men. The 40^th stopped in position in some disorder, sudden stop was to cause considerable confusion amongst the following battalions of 4^th brigade.

General Schnellendorf observing the check in the Rechburg advance sent dispatch riders down to the units on the valley floor ordering them to push forward with more urgency.

Meanwhile just south of Gustov orchards the Rechburg Guard Jagers were finally starting to make way against the Franconian 17^th Jager battalion which were still defending the orchard.

In the on going firefight the Rechburg Jagers had inflicted a further 200 casualties on the 17^th, and 50 on the supporting 14^th battalion (700 ) (11^th bde). Remarkably despite the heavy losses the 17^th Franconian Jagers held on determinably in the orchard.

Just a few hundred yards to the west of the Guard Jagers another cavalry engagement was about to occur. The Bergatonian Cuirasiers once more determined to charge the Rechburg Uhlans, the Rechburgians had not had a great time in Bergatonia having suffered in the battle near Ostawald and now they were determined to show they were worthy of the title Leopolds Uhlans.

The ensuring charge and melee saw the Cuirassiers soundly beaten in the charge, there were a number of contributing factors to their defeat including losses from the Rechburg Horse Battery which had conviently just deployed on Belinda peak and fired its initial salvo at the charging cuirassiers.

Following the Melee the Cuirassiers lost 150 men and were routed, while the Leopold Uhlans had lost 50 men and remained victorious, the cheering from the lancers could be heard over the rattling of nearby musketry.

The Cuirassier rout unnerved the already shaken Franconian 17^th Jagers and they also fled from the orchard which they had so valiantly been defending, their rout in turn unneerved the 11^th battalion which was forming up behind the jagers in the orchard, they in turn became quite disordered and required considerable effort to reorganise.

Meanwhile pressure was building on both flanks, it was pressure from opposing sides. In the West the Rechburg Cavalry were now dominant, having seen both Bergatonian cavalry Regiments routed from the field of battle and being supported by the Horse artillery one could be forgiven to expect the Franconian right flank to collapse. In fact the reverse occurred, the Franconian infantry of the 10^th brigade displayed no fear of the Rechburg Cavalry in fact their behaviour was soon to become almost contemptous of the enemy cavalry, equally they seemed to ignore the ineffectual artillery fire from the Horse battery, they simply continued to advance in perfect order.

Major General Lavellette commander of the 10^th Franconian bBigade had honed his Brigade's training to a fine point, there was no greater time to show the result of those months he had spent preparing his men, it was with great pride as he watched them adavance on the Rechburg cavalry, who even made several attempts to intimidate with with feigned charges, despite this they still advanced and the Rechburg cavalry started taking losses from the musketry fire from the 10^th battalions.

The Uhlans attempted a charge on a square of the 12^th battalion but were defeated and forced back in disorder.

This unexpected aggression on behalf of the Franconian 10^th brigade now checked the Rechburg cavalry dominance, Prince Leopold was forced to draw infantry from the attack on Gustov orchards to screen his left flank.

Meanwhile on the western outskirts of West Belinda woods we left the Rechburg 40^th battlion in some disorder after a firefight with the Franconians. As already mentioned General Schellendorf

having seen this check and the resulting compacting of Rechburg units following behind the 40^th ordered greater efforts of the 10^th and 11^th brigades.

The Franconian 17^th light Dragoons advanced from the shelter of Long ridge and threatened the right flank of the Rechburg advance. The 9^th Battalion (700) (3^rd Bde) formed square expecting to receive a charge, but much to their delight the Rechburg Mohain Dragoons had returned to the fight and thundered past the 9^th as they launched themselves at the 17^th.

The two cavalry Regiments crashed into each other just in front of the 9^th battalion's square however despite the ferociousness of the melee neither side gained an advantage and eventually both withdrew in disorder, both having equal losses of approximately 50 men.

The Rechburg Infantry having seen the Franconian cavalry pushed back now advanced on Long ridge. Elements of the Franconian 10^th brigade which was also responsible for holding Gustov Orchards were by now in great disorder having lost one Battalion to rout, another was severly shaken and now a third battalion became shaken from fire from Rechburg infantry and artillery fire. The sister regiment to the Mohain dragoons, the Van hessen Dragoons (600) now made an appearance on the field of battle. They had been on the southern outskirts of West Belinda woods and having seen the Mohain regiment forced back they were ordered to advance and replace them. Their manouvres through the tightly compacted Rechburg regiments finally brought them out in front of the shaken Franconian 13^th battalion, they charged and broke the 13^th, but they in turn suffered severe losses when they were fired on with canister from the Franconian artillery on the Long Ridge behind the 13^th. The Van Hessens had been in battle for about 20 minutes in which they routed one enemy battalion and then routed themselves with 300 casualties from the Franconian artillery fire.

The Rechburg artillery now had a significant breakthrough in the duel with the Franconian artillery, they completely disabled one battery and started inflicting losses on the remaining one, despite this the Franconian gunners continued to fight their guns

The Rechburg battalions of the 4^th Brigade now advanced directly on Long ridge, as they neared the ridge General Schellendorf ordered his reserve the Bergatonian Guard battalion to adavance down the ridge to stop the advance, they were supported by the 16^th battalion and the 14^th battalion which had been moved over from Gustov orchards.

There was now a climatic series of charges and counter charges on the valley floor below Long Ridge. The Bergatonian guards were initially succesful, but it was in their success that they finally saw their undoing as they advanced too deeply into the Rechburg line. The supporting Franconian battalions were unable to move forward and as a result the Bergatonians became isolated , they were eventully forced back in great disorder having suffered 400 casualties. It should be noted that in their maddened charge into the Rechburg ranks the Bergatonian guard inflicted severe losses on several Rechburg battalions including 150 men on the veteran Rechburg 7^th battalion which was forced back in disorder.

The Franconian advance in this area now faltered, as their were no reserves to reknew the attacks and the battalions that remained were exhausted and depleted.

Over on the Franconian Right flank fate or luck also began to take a sudden and fatal turn against the Franconians.

The Franconian 13^th battalion moved into Bukersdorf hamlet, but was suffering from artillery fire from the Horse Battery which had moved down from Belinda Peak. The 20^th Franconian battalion then advanced on the Rechburg HA battery which limbered and moved out of reach, the 20^th were instead counter charged by the Rechburg 26^th battalion, the 26^th attack was unsuccessful and they were repulsed after suffering 150 casualties while the Franconian battalion suffered less than 50 men.

The 19^th battalion now moved up to support the 20^th and it was this brazen move in front of the Rechburg Uhlans which was their undoing.

In discussians following the battle it was determined that the battalions of the 10^th brigade were becoming over confident, even contemptous in their regard for the performance of the Rechburg cavalry (not totally unwarrented), however this over confidence was the undoing of the 19^th battalion. As they moved forward they were charged by the Uhlans, the 19^th Battalion decided to face the Uhlans in line and see them off with musketry fire, sadly for the 19^th their musketry was less than effective and in an instant they lost 300 men as the Lancers rode over them, the 19^th routed from the field. The 20^th were caught up in this rout and they too fled the field, thus the Franconian right flank was in tatters, the 13^th Battalion was isolated on Bukesdorf hamlet, the Gustov orchards were now under control of the Rechurgians.

General Schnellenburg finally faced the inevitable his right flank had collapsed and his central attack was exhausted thus there was little left to do but withdraw the Rechburgian army was too depleted and exhausted to mount an effective pursuit.

Observations
One of the reasons why Franconia suffered 50% casualties in its infantry was the determination that they would fight to the end and in fact that is very much how the battle ended. The Franconian army fought until it was not able to hold its positions, merely because so many of its units were so low in strength and morale that the slightest bad event near them would send one or two units racing to the rear.
The Franconians could have withdrawn at anytime up until towards the very end, but General Schellendorf was not going to let go.
The saga of the Franconian 10th brigade caused a few moments of laughter as it pushed back the Rechburg cavalry, one of its battalions eb\eb tried to pursue a Horse artillery battery as it fled,  however as we saw the moments of Franconian martial joy were eclipsed by the over exhuberance of some of the Battalions.
There were so many charges and counter charges between battalions to the west of Belinda woods I could only touch on the whole generally and highlighted the contacts that had some sort of flow on effect. All infantry in this battle fought magnificently, the Rechburg Guard Jager suffered more casualties in this battle than it has done in the two previous engagments. The VBranconian Jagers held on in the orchard despite a gruelling fire from the Rechburg jagers and other units.

The Bergatonian Guard battalion seemed to live a charmed life as it hacked its way into the Rechburg attack, sadly the supporting Franconian battalions were already too weak to assist it, but despite losing 400 men and being repulsed, at the end it was still standing as a rear guard.

Special mention should also be paid to the Rechburg artillery, they were totally effective in this battle, unlike their performances in previous battles. They destroyed 1 battery and inflicted severe damage on another, they were also largely responsible for stoppong the Bergatonian guard as it counter charged the Rechburg advance.

What will happen following this battle will take some sorting out, first I will be doing some national morale checks as it is now the end of the campaign month, I am guessing Bergatonia is going to go very close to the Fiasco zone which could very well mean revolts against Duke Rupert and the Franconians.
One thing is certain despite the heavy losses suffered by rechburg in this campaign, its national morale will be soaring having won 3 major engagements as well as a host of positive diplomatic events in the last two months.

So much will depend on (a) will the people continue to support the Duke and the Franconians, and if so are the Franconians willing or even able to continue in the defense of Bergatonia, especially given that the Britannic army which is fresh and a totally veteran army will be present at the next battle.

Casualty Statistics

Franconian/Bergatonian Losses

Infantry = 1580 POW, 1260 Wounded, 1260 Dead

Light Cavalry = 30 POW, 60 Wounded, 60 dead

Heavy Cavalry = 150 POW, 300 Wounded, 300 Dead.

Artillery = 9 Guns.

Rechburg Losses

Infantry = 550 POW,1100 Wounded, 1100 Dead.

Cavalry = 120 POW, 240 Wounded, 240 Dead

Artillery = Negligible losses.- Wounded only

The Battle of Bukesdorf

What follows is a preamble to a battle that is being fought at the moment, the AAR will follow in a day or so once it has been completed.

Battle of Bukesdorf

Ironically the Battle of Bukesdorf was a battle both opposing commanders wanted to fight, but probably neither expected nor wanted to fight it there near Bukesdorf. The Bukesdorf region was a mess thick woods, hedges and hills, not the ideal country to attack an enemy in; and though neither commander realised it both the Rechburgians and the Franconian/Bergatonian armies were on the offensive.

The Franconian General Alexis Schnellendorf had been advised as recently as yesterday that the Rechburgians were still at least a day’s march away. The last reports suggested they were still recovering from the battle of Ostwald, though the Bergatonian Liaison officer that had brought the intelligence report had also suggested that perhaps the Rechburgians were waiting for the Britannic Army to join up with them. It was after all a reasonable proposition General Schnellendorf thought, the Rechburgian army had been in continuous battles for over a year; both against Imperial troops in Ulrichstein and more recently against the Bergatonions. They had not been given the chance to rest their army throughout the winter, instead they had were forced to hurriedly transfer the army from Ulrichstein to Bergatonia for fear that Duke Rupert ruler of Bergatonia may renew his offensive against Rechburg. However having completed the movement in remarkable time and condition the Rechburgians had themselves opted to gain the initiative and launched their own offensive against Bergatonia. In the early spring they had surprised the Bergatonions by attacking them near Ostwald, though the Bergatonions were defeated it had been a gruelling battle and both armies suffered considerably, it was clear even back then the Rechburgian army was noticeably weaker in numbers than the previous year, though it was amply clear their increased experience levels made up for the lack of strength.

Given that their numbers were in fact considerably less than the previous year it was reasonable to assume that their units might be further worn down by the recent battle of Ostwald. Therefore perhaps the Bergatonian Liaison officer was correct and the Rechburgians were waiting to link up with the Britannic troops. Schnellendorf hoped not because with the vastly experienced Rechburg Army joined by the Britannic veteran army would make a formidable force for him to contend with.  

 Instead he was woken early this morning with news that the Britannic army was not marching to join the Rechburgians, they were in fact moving further sou- west and marching directly on the Bergatonian capital of New Madrid.

The General had quickly dressed and summoned his commanders and staff, while he was waiting for them all to arrive, the Bergatonian Liaison officer Major Cadoudal  brought in further troubling news.

Over night the Franconian patrols had seen the fires of a large army a few miles to the north and this morning Rechburgian piquets had been sighted on Belinka Hill only 10 miles from his headquarters.

General Schnellendorf looked at the Bergatonian Major with disbelief,

“Are you telling me Major that we have been camped here all night only some 10 miles from the enemy army, the same enemy army that only yesterday you told me was some 30 miles away from us. Not only that you imbecile you only now tell me they are just down the road from us.”

General Schnellendorf’s aide Colonel Kemp had just returned with his staff and commanders, he heard the General yelling at someone so decided for the moment to wait outside, it was well known throughout the Franconian army that the General had fierce some temper and it was prudent not to be drawn into the fracas.

Everyone outside could hear the General yelling at Major Cadoudal who was at the moment beginning to tremble under the verbal barrage being unleashed on him.

“So pray tell me Major while your piquets were watching the awe inspiring sights of the enemy fires on the night sky, why didn’t someone think to come and invite me to go have a look as well, perhaps you thought I wouldn’t be interested in the wonders of the twinkling of fires glistening on a summers night sky, or perhaps you didn’t think I might want to know the enemy were damned near camping on my front door. No it seems you decided to wait, and here it is now damn near daylight and I now can expect the bloody Rechburgians for breakfast.”

“But your Excellency” Major Cadoudal stammered, “ I have only minutes ago received the new reports myself, I came to you as soon as I had them from the patrols”.

“So you stayed back here in the comforts of the headquarters, not bothering to go out and check the piquets yourself, to ensure that the army was adequately screened”.

The General paused for a moment,

“Major are you a relative of the Duke?”

“No my general,” the nervous Major answered.

“Then are you a friend of his?”

“No General, sadly I am not”.

“Hmm then major you are in a particularly depressing spot, I will be forwarding a report on your performance to the Duke and I can assure you it will not be favourable, now I suggest Major that in the coming battle you go and get yourself heroically killed, that is likely the only way you will escape the Dukes wrath; for now you are dismissed.”

As the major was about to leave he turned and said,

“General I may not be well connected as you suggest, but remember just one thing; my job is to be your liaison officer, those piquets that failed in their job were Franconian Light Cavalry, not Bergatonian. The officers that failed to report to you were Franconian not Bergatonian. I merely brought the reports to your attention, not because it was my job too; but because some of your own officers failed too. As you have suggested I too will be forwarding my reports to the Duke, and Sir it may well be you who will need high connections.”

With that he saluted and left, as he departed the tent he hesitated as he saw the collection of Franconian officers waiting outside, all of whom would have heard the exchange, he saluted them and continued back to his own tent.

Colonel Kemp lead the officers into General Schnellendorf’s command tent, inside the red faced General stood there obviously fuming with anger. He turned to Colonel Kemp,

“You will send a guard to Major Cadoudal and have him arrested for being a Rechburg spy, it is clear to me that he has deliberately sabotaged the chain of command in order to aid the enemy”.

He then took the Colonel my the elbow and drew him aside from the others and whispered,

“Colonel, I wouldn't be surprised he may try to escape, in which case I expect him to be shot”.

The Colonel looked at his General, realising his meaning he simply nodded and left.

The General then turned to his commanders smiling,

“Gentlemen, come to the map table if you would please, it seems we have a battle to fight today, but by god I hope it is not anywhere near here.”

Some 20 minutes or so later while the plans were being discussed all in the tent heard a distant shot, despite the enquiring glances all knew what the significance of what that single shot meant, moments later the Colonel returned and simply nodded to the General; who continued  issuing his orders.

Meanwhile the Bergatonian courier Major Cadoudal had urgently sent to the Duke back in New Madrid rode hard with the secret dispatch which reported the failings of the Franconian Command and also that he expected to be arrested or killed within the day.

Their attention was drawn back to the map, by the General  tapping the map table.

“Now Gentlemen this is how I intend to deal with the Rechburgian whelp”.

The Rechburg Army

Prince Wilhelm was a worried man, he had hoped to be closer to New Madrid when he meet the enemy, and ideally the Bergatonions anf their allies the Franconians would have chosen a battle on the outskirts of the capital, that way at least he would have been joined by the Brittanic troops. However his wishes were not to be, the Franconian General had clearly decided to push out and seek battle away from the Bergatonian city.

Strategically that favoured the Rechburgians because it meant the Britannic troops should have an unopposed march on the Capital. Reports indicated that Duke Rupert was in command in the city and that all he had was a bunch of conscripts and one battle worn Brigade of regular troops.

However tactically it was not good news for him because it meant the Rechburgians were to have a battle in the Bukesdorf region which seemed to be nothing but a collection of farms, woods, forests, trees and every manner of obstacles that nature and man could throw in front of an army.

Perhaps it was ideal defensive terrain for him but the Prince Wilhelm could not take for granted that the Franconian General would oblige by attacking him, in fact he could at this very moment be slipping away and making for New Madrid, and if that was the case then he would have a Rechburg saber in his back all the way back down the road.

The early reports from patrols seemed to indicated that the Franconian army was not on the main Ostwald – New Madrid road but on a secondary road that join the main road south of a hamlet called Bukesdorf. In fact his piquets up on the ridge before him were watching enemy scouts in the hills and woods opposite them, the problem was were they an advance guard or rear guard. Prince Wilhelm and his younger brother Prince Leopold rode up the gentle slopes of Belinda Hill to gauge the situation for themselves.

“Well Leo it I’m hoping the Franconians are going to oblige you with the battle you have been nagging me about, if the patrol reports are correct then they have stayed in place the whole night, but at the moment all we have before us are his piquets, so I damned if I know what’s beyond those hills and woods. I think we will need to push the cavalry through that mess and test the waters so to speak.”

Prince Wilhelm had just finished speaking when both he and Leopold in the same instant saw dust rising in the distant, and almost as one they reached for their telescopes.

“Good God” Leopold muttered, “They look like they are in a hurry Willy.”

“Yes and praise be to god they are hurrying towards us and not away.”

Wilhelm smiled to himself, Leopold never ceased to amaze him or his father when it came to battle, the young quiet man become quite a different character when he caught the scent of battle.

“Yes well that may be Willy” Leopold said as he turned and watched the Rechburg army approaching behind him; “But first we have to get our army here and deployed before the Franconian does”.

Observations

Both commanders were right to be wary of the Bukesdorf region as a battlefield, it consisted of a number of heavy woods and a few orchards. A number of high hedges limited visibility and would slow the approach or attacks of units as they advance over them.

Both Bukesdorf Hamlet and Bilinka farm would make ideal defensive positions, but they were either too far to the rear or too far away to be of any real tactical use.

The limited visibility will likely restrict artillery to firing between ridges and on units on the valley floor as they deploy, however once battle commences the terrain and the close proximity of enemy units will serious limit the use of artillery.

Similarly with Cavalry, there are avenues that cavalry can use, but again they have terrain nearby where infantry could shelter in.

It is clear this will be an infantry battle, and both armies are quite equal in that arm.

Rechburg as more infantry units, but many of there units are battle damaged thus are smaller than there Franconian equivalents. In fact in manpower the Rechburgians only have 500 more Infantry than the Franconians, where the real advantage lay for the Rechburgian was in the quality of the infantry, they had 4 veteran Battalions and 1 Elite Jager Battalion where as the Franconian army only had 1 veteran battalion.

In Cavalry again the Rechburg units outnumbered the Franconians, but the Rechburgians only had light cavalry and some of the regiments were at half strength and all were regular, whereas the Franconians had a heavy Cavalry Brigade which included a regiment of Veteran Cuirassiers. They also had two Light Cavalry Regiments.

Wartenburg Campaign at the end of the 2nd week

Following the Battle of Hister the Wartenburg forces have withdrawn both west and north, at this stage the Hapburgians have not followed up, it is believed they are reorganising their units following the battle.

In the north a Wartenburg/Franconian Cavalry Reconnaissance in force has located some Vandahalla forces around Oschatz, this is most likely the force that has encouraged the Nor East Wartenburg  area to reclaim King Leopold of Hapburgia as their own. This revolt within a revolt does not bode well for King Konstantin who is leading his realm in a revolt against the Hapburgian Empire.

No doubt in the next week or so the Hapburgian King will begin his move on the Wartenburg rebels and their Franconian allies.

A meeting Engagement

A meeting Engagement near the Bergatonian Capital

Prince Leopold

Both the Rechburg and Bergatonian Armies advanced on the same day, both hoping to catch the other before they were prepared.

2 days after the armies left their respective bivouacs Prince Leopold was told that a Brittanic Infantry Brigade was at Bimberfeld, he could he decided stop and wait for them to join him and in fact was in the process of doing so when his first patrols reported that they had seen a joint Bergatonian-Franconia force advancing towards them.

Realising battle was imminent all Prince Leopold could do was send a dispatch rider to urge the Brittanic troops to advance directly on New Madrid while he pinned their army on the Ostwald-New Madrid road.

Franconian General Alexis Schnellendorf

General Alexis Schnellendorf was a little surprised to run up against Rechburg units so close to New Madrid, his first reaction was to withdraw back on to the Bergatonian Capital, however he then realised his army was now  two days away from the city and the Rechburgians only a few hours from his present position.

His current position was not suitable for a battle and he was advised that there was a better position further along the road, the real question would be who would get there first.

Later in the day he received reports from Duke Rupert that a Brittanic Army had been seen near Bimberfeld, he was relieved that he had insisted that Duke Rupert stay behind in New Madrid with 2 brigades of Infantry, it was unlikely the Brittanic troops would reach New Madrid before he dealt with the Rechburgian whelp, once he had done that then both he and Rupert could deal with the Brittanic army.

Rechburg and Bergatonia consider their next moves.

Near the Capital of Bergatonia

Franconian General Alexis Schnellendorf sat on his horse watching the Bergatonian army reorganising itself after having just marched back from the battle of Ostwald, there was no doubt in the General’s mind he was looking at a defeated army.

It must be admitted he thought to himself, that they had fought very bravely, however despite their bravery their army had been defeated. The General pondered the real value of some of the units he was watching they have twice been in battle and twice they have been defeated.

Duke Rupert rode up beside him, he quickly glanced at the Franconian and instantly he knew what the General was thinking.

“Yes Alexis they are a mess, but we will whip them back into shape, they will be ready soon. He pointed to a Guards battalion that was currently marching by,

“Look at them Alexis; they look like they are on parade, damn good men there”

The General nodded, “Aye sire they do look like a fine body of men, it’s a shame the rest were not as well presented as your Guard.”

“Well my friend” Duke Rupert said “If the damn Rechburgians will stay away for another week we will be ready to face them, especially with your new units.”

“Well Sire that’s the thing,” General Schnellendorf replied. “I am concerned why the Rechburgians are not already here, pushing their swords into our backs why the army is so disorganised.”

Rupert nodded, and then added “Well I am guessing they were as equally battered as my own army and are taking their own time to reorganise.”

The General reached into his pocket and taking out a small tin, he extracted a piece of snuff and inserted it into his nose, the exploding sneeze was considerable,

“Oh god that’s damn good stuff” he said offering some to the Duke.

Duke Rupert declined, smiling to himself he watched the General dry the tears from his eyes.

“Sire at the risk of sounding indelicate, I don’t think the Rechburgians were that badly hurt in the battle, at least not from what I observed before I left with the rearguard. I believe they are waiting for reinforcements, and if so that could create a huge problem for us.”

The Duke nodded his head in disagreement

“No Alexis you are wrong, I know where most of the Rechburgian units are, and they just don’t have the additional men to reinforce their army here.”

“That maybe so sire, but we have reports that Neider and Hollandaise have joined the Rechburgian- Brittanic alliance, we know the Brittanic Government has sent a brigade to Hollandaise and the last reports I read said they were heading to the Rechburgian border, which to me sounds like they are marching to join the Rechburgians at Ostwald. If that is true, we can assume the Brittanic Brigade wont be alone, most likely they will have Neider and Hollandaise contingents as well.”

Duke Rupert smiled at his Franconian friend,

“Why my dear Alexis I do believe you are more worried about your own men than my army. If the Rechburgian are being reinforced, then apart from your army there is little I can do for a week. But in that time I can reorganise the army and prepare defences around the capital, we will beat them then.”

“Sire I disagree, if they are waiting for reinforcements, it is because they feel inadequate to win against what we have here, now that little snippet already gives us an advantage if we take advantage of it quickly.

What I suggest sire, is I take my Division and those of yours that are not in bad shape and whip the Rechburgians before their reinforcements arrive, if we do that then we can defeat them in detail. Whereas sire if we sit and wait in your capital, you risk losing your Duchy, with their new reinforced army the Rechburgians can simply besiege us and ravage your country, how long do you think you will retain the affections and loyalty of your people if their homes and fields are being plundered, while we sit cooped up in New Madrid.”

Duke Rupert did not take kindly to being told what he should or should not do, but in his heart he knew the Franconian was right, if he sat on the defensive he lost all hope of regaining the initiative, especially if the General was right about the Rechburgian allied reinforcements.

“Very well Alexis, I agree, give me a few hours and I will sort out the units that are in condition to march with you, the others I will use to prepare defences back here as a last resort.”

“Nay sire, rather than prepare defences, the ones I leave behind with you, get them back into shape amalgamate the weaker units and send them forward, because once we beat the Rechburgian whelp we will need to go and kick their own damn houses down ourselves In fact I have already written to King Juan requesting another division so we can deal with Neider as well.”

Duke Rupert smiled to himself, “Yes Alexis excellent, I like the idea of squeezing the life out of that damned traitorous Neider bastard with my own hands. Yes indeed my dear friend, I will rebuild a new Bergatonian army to march and join you, together we will write a new history in Europia heh.”

“Yes well sire, first just let us win the next battle before we go writing anything”.

“Very well, come with me back to my tent and we will see what we can take from my army to join yours. When do you intend to march?”

The General looked at Rupert, “Well tomorrow sire if I can, the sooner the better”.

“Tomorrow, good god that could be a problem for some of my units, they are weary Alexis.”

“Well then let them rest tomorrow, we will march the day after, but no later sire”.

“Indeed Alexis no later, they will be ready the morning one day from now, or I will want to know why.”

General Schnellendorf nodded, though he didn’t want to waste a single hour he knew the Duke was right, the Bergatonions will need at least a day to recover.

“Thank you sire, now what can you spare me for my move on Ostwald.”

Near Ostwald

The Rechburgian Prince Leopold sat in his tent, he had spent the last few days reorganising his army and waiting for messages from Rechburg. The appearance of the Franconian Army had thrown an unexpected problem into the mix for Leopold to consider.

He had written to his father enquiring whether the Brittanic Brigade on the Rechburgian-Hollandaise border would be joining him, but the answer had still not come back suggesting there was considerable diplomatic wrangling going on, but for Leopold it was now getting to the point of being too late, he needed to decide his next step.

On their own he had no doubts he could finish the Bergatonions off, but now they were reinforced by a fresh army which suggests they may have as many as 10 new Battalions and a couple of Cavalry regiments, then that was entirely new problem.

Leopold had hoped the Franconians would march against him, but the reports from spies and deserters suggested that Duke Rupert would prepare the defences of his capital, possibly against a direct assault or more likely a siege.

A siege was another problem for Leopold, he didn’t have s siege train and he only had medium artillery, so it was likely to be a long issue, and with Franconia able to send more reinforcements Leopold was worried that his numbers were inadequate.

His only real chance was to move now, strike the enemy before they had prepared their defences fully, he realised he had dallied around Ostwald to long; it was time to move on New Madrid.

Battle of Hister

King Konstantin rode into Hister at the head of his entourage; already the town was a hive of activity with the soldiers of the 3^rd Brigade preparing the village for defence, busy loop holing walls and barricading the main roads and alley ways.

Behind him a few miles away the rest of his army was marching quickly to join him, already looking back he could see the dust clouds approaching from the west, however as he looked to the east he saw even more dust clouds coming towards him.

He dismounted in the village square where he noticed a large gathering of his officers, amongst them was General Wrede commander of the 3^rd Brigade as well as his old friends General Romer commander of the 2^nd Infantry division and the cavalry Brigade General Jeschonnek.

“Well Gentlemen a fine day for a scrap what?”

Konstantin espied a church with a tall tower, he noticed that already up in the tower men were preparing it for defence.

“I should think we need to go up yonder and have a look around, come Gentlemen follow me.”

From the church belfry there was a panoramic view of the area around Hister, the country side was generally open with a few significant ridges and slopes and one or two woods, not ideal country for a defending  force that is likely to be heavily outnumbered.

It was clear that with the forces available his army would not be able to defend here for very long, not that was intention anyway.

As he swung his telescope around to the east, watching the approaching cloud he noticed some Hapburgian cavalry already taking station on Grosser Hill and Manerheim Ridge.

“Gentlemen it seems the enemy have arrived”.

                                                               The Hister Battlefield

The King then noticed two of his own Light Cavalry regiments were moving down from Granner Ridge heading for the Hapburgians on Grosser Hill.

Konstantin turned to General Jeschonnek,

“What the hell are they doing, who ordered them to advance?”

The General was just as puzzled as his King, “I don’t know Sire, I will get them recalled immediately”

“Yes do that general and when you find out who ordered them forward I want them dismissed from the army immediately, now go before it’s too late and get them back.”

The General spoke to one of his aides who immediately gathered a bugler and another trooper and the three men raced after the Light cavalry.

The Hapburgian Light Cavalry had been watching the Wartenburg regiments coming off the ridge before them, Colonel Piesser the Regimental commander ordered forward the Horse battery he had on the reverse slope. He also noticed coming from the village three riders riding for all they were worth,

The Hapburgian Colonel turned to his aide

“Well I am guessing someone is in for a right rollicking.”

Even from up on Grosser Hill they could hear the Wartenburg bugler playing the “recall” for all his life was worth.

Colonel Piesser looked to the battery commander, but the Battery Commander Captain Briel simply shook his head,

“Sorry Sir they are not in range yet”

“Very well, we will have to see if we can entice them to come just a little closer.”

He turned to his aide once more,

“Charles we will move to the bottom of the ridge, if the Wartenburgers are tempted and come into range, the guns may fire, but once you see us moving forward in the charge for god sake hold the battery fire I sure as hell will not appreciate being shot up the backside my own guns.”

The Colonel then lead the 1^st cavalry Regiment down the forward slope of Grosser Hill. The two Wartenburg Cavalry Regiments seemed to be ready to accept the challenge, but at the last moment someone must have heard the bugler, because both Regiments came to the halt and then started to move back to Granner ridge.

 Colonel Piesser cursed to himself, he was tempted to launch a charge after them but was mindful of his own orders, he was to screen the deployment of the Hapburgian army as it deployed, not to become involved in personal side issues.

Leaving the Regiment in place at the foot of the ridge he returned to the crest to continue watching, the enemy deployment and his own army as it was now entering the battlefield.

Back in Hister King Konstantin had come down from the church tower; one of his staff had laid a map out on a table, his staff and unit commanders gathered around.

“Right then Gentlemen, time is off the essence as you can all clearly see the bloody Hapburgians have arrived already, they must have damn well run to get here so soon. Now then let me make one thing clear to you all, we are not here to defend or die; we are here to delay and make the bloody Hapburgians die. We are delaying the enemy, buying time for our allies to get closer and every day we can delay is a day’s march closer they will be.”

He looked around the men,

“Gentlemen there are two elements that will make or break us today, they are timing and discipline. As unit commanders you must resist the temptation to get stuck in to the enemy that is unless I order otherwise.

You may threaten to attack, but unless you are certain you can easily disengage do not become involved in a General melee. The idea is to fire, cause casualties and then move out. The Cavalry may find it necessary to charge but only as a last resort, and again I remind you, if you do charge make sure you can disengage quite safely, if you lose your units in pointless general melees fight to the death and make sure you don’t come back. I want officers who know how to obey and control their men; I have no time for glory hunters or self patronizing bastards who think of their own honour over my orders.”

Konstantin looked behind him and was pleased to see the rest of his army arriving.

“Right then Gentlemen, let’s get down to deployments.

General Wrede, your 3^rd brigade will hold the village and hedge line to the south, you will hold the village at all costs and you are the one command that will remain in place for as long as possible. There will come a time that the rest of the army starts to withdraw away from the village, when that happens you are to leave the minimum garrison and make sure you leave with your command, do you understand me General, when it is time to pull back you will designate a rear guard commander, you will not stay.”

General Wrede nodded reluctantly, “Yes Sire.”

”General Romer you will place your Infantry Division north of the village, 4^th  Brigade to cover the gap between the village and Kliener Woods, General you will ensure the enemy do not take the woods before we are ready to withdraw, if necessary you can withdraw via the Velachill road, so make sure you do not get cut off.

The 5^th Brigade, which are your Conscripts will be deployed south of the village, but clearly we can not just yet rely on them to be steady, but the experience will help toughen them, so long as you keep them under tight control.”

General Romer nodded his head, “You can rely on the 2^nd Division Sire.”

“Oh I do General, just as I rely on all of you to do your duty, now off to your commands:

The Battle

The Wartenburg moves up into position, the medium artillery is already engaging the Hapburgians.

                                         Map of the Southern Flank of Hister

General Wrede was given 2x9pdr Batteries and a 6pdr HA battery  to help in the defence of the village, with the instructions they were not to be allowed to be captured.

Both 9pdr batteries were deployed to the front of the village while the HA artillery battery was placed on its northern flank.

King Ferdinand

Ferdinand waited impatiently for his army to arrive, his plan was simplicity itself, he would pin as many Wartenburg units as possible into the defence of the village.

He would use the 1^st Light Cavalry Division to swing south via Granner Ridge with the aim of taking the bridge crossing the Wiener River and thereby cutting of the Wartenburg retreat to the west.

On the northern flank the 4^th Infantry Division with 2^nd Cavalry Division in support would take Kliener Woods thus cutting the Wartenburg retreat to the north, meanwhile the 2^nd and 3^rd Divisions would take the village and the hedges to the south.

The attack began with 3^rd Foot brigade (3^rd Div) and the 1^st Foot Brigade (2^nd Div) advancing directly on Hister village.

 To the south the 1^st and 2^nd Light Horse regiments cautiously began their advance on Granner ridge; they suspected the Wartenburg Cavalry that had been seen on the ridge was still there but on the reverse slope.

On the northern flank the 4^th Division was still in the process of forming up, having been delayed in the long march to the battle.

Part of the Hapburgian army moves up to the attack.

                                             Map of the Northern Flank of Hister

As the two Hapburgian Brigades advanced on Hister, the Wartenburg artillery began a very effective fire on them, in particular the 5 battalions of the 3^rd Foot Brigade suffered heavily (it has been estimated the five battalions between them lost 400 men in the many attacks on the village that day). By the time 1^st Battalion and 2^nd battalions (5^th Bde) were within a 100 yards of the village both Battalions were in disarray and unable to advance further, they lost a further 200 men in futile attacks on the northern outskirts of Hister, General Kuntzel commander of the Brigade was seriously wounded and would be out of action for 6 weeks.

The 3^rd Battalion (1^st Foot Bde) suffered heavily from the Horse Artillery battery, the battalion commander attempted to charge the guns but the battalion was halted and then routed back.

The Wartenburg Horse artillery fire in the faces of the 3rd battalion, the 3rd routed from the field.

The 4^th & 5^th Battalions valiantly charged the village but were repulsed and withdrew in disorder, they were to return to attack the northern outskirts of Hister in no less than 3 more separate attacks, each time they were forced back.

South of the village the Hapburgian 9^th Imperial Brigade advanced on the southern outskirts of Hister, the 9th Brigade was unique in that prior to this war it had been a Wartenburg Brigade, however its officers and men remained loyal to the Hapburgian King and crossed the border to rejoin the Hapburgian army when King Konstantin declared he was rebelling against Hapburgia; so in effect in the south it was Wartenburg against Wartenburg.

The first attacks by the 9^th Bde were just as unsuccessful as the in the northern parts of the village, however after a rousing speech by the Brigade Commander his men regained their strength and courage went back into the attack, finally successfully taking the southern outskirts of Hister, that attack alone costing approximately 100 casualties.

Further south the cavalry battle was about to open up, as the two Hapburgian cavalry regiments approached Granner Ridge the leading Hapburgian Regiment which was the 1^st LC regiment was attacked by the 2^nd Wartenburg Light Cavalry regiment and it suffered over 100 men and was routed back, (the 2^nd Regt routed from the battlefield to take no further part in the battle).

 The following Hapburgian Regiment (3rd Dragoons) halted in disorder,  however they soon recovered their morale and rejoined the battle.

The Wartenburg Light Cavalry suffered no casualties and returned to the ridge. However now the 3^rd and 4^th Hapburgian (2^nd Light Bde/1^st LC Div) moved forward. The Hapburgian Cavalry commander also brought forward a HA battery which began firing on the Wartenburg Cavalry, forcing them back over the Crest of the ridge.

The Wartenburg cavalry decided it was now prudent to pull back to the next ridge line on Welsea Ridge, the Heavy Cavalry Brigade that had been there now moved over to Grossweig ridge as a central reserve. The Hapburgian Artillery now began firing on the Wartenburg Battalions behind the hedge lines they would in the course of the afternoon inflicted a 100 casualties on the battalion holding the hedge lines.

The Hapburgian 2^nd light Cavalry Brigade moved on to Granner ridge, it was joined by the 6^th Heavy Cavalry Brigade The Wartenburg cavalry now withdrew back to a half way point between Hister and the bridge over the Wiener River. It was clear now that the greater numbers of Hapburgian cavalry swarming around the southern flank would eventually cut the road to the bridge. King Konstantin noticed General Wrede had already started pully units out of Hiser, these included the two medium artillery batteries.

The Hapburgian Cavalry are beginning to move past the Hister Village while the Infantry attacks continue on the village itself.

On the northern Flank the 4^th Infantry Division sent the 5^th Foot Bde(4^th Div) and the 4^th Light Cavalry Brigade (2^nd LC Division)  to attack the Wartenburg forces to the south of Kliener woods and the 6^th Foot Bde with 3^rd LC Bde (2^nd LC Division) to attack those forces on the northern outskirts of the Kliener woods.

The 5th Hapburgian Foot Brigade moves around Kliener woods trying to cut the Northern escape route, meanwhile the struggle in the village continues.

As mentioned earlier the 4^th Infantry Division was late in forming up for the attack, so while they were advancing towards the woods many of the men in the 5^th Foot Bde were unnerved by the intense battle for Hister village.

The 4^th Light Cavalry Bde came under fire from the same HA Batt that had been supporting the defence of the village; however it had since been withdrawn to cover the northern escape route. It caught the 4^th LC Bde in a deadly fire which caused the 2 Regiments in the brigade to halt their advance; the 5^th regiment suffered 50 casualties in a matter of minutes. The Brigade Commander ordered the Brigade to attack the Battery which they did and captured the guns, but in doing so they lost a further 100 men to canister fire.

The 4th cavalry Brigade moments before it launched its charge on the Horse Artillery Battery.

The 6^th foot Brigade launched an attack into Kliener woods, they pushed the Jagers back and the Wartenburg Brigade commander General Archenholtz was killed.

Another view of the Hapburgians sweeping around the village, the Hapburgians occupied the section of village on the right and the Wartenburg troops held the southern or left side of the village until the end of the battle.

From this point the Northern attack stalled, merely because it was getting late in the day and the men were exhausted from a week’s long hard marching, this hesitation allowed the 4^th Wartenburg Infantry Brigade covered by the 3^rd Hussars to withdraw down the northern road unmolested.

Meanwhile General Wrede seeing the Hapburgian Cavalry moving around his southern flank and the 4^th Foot Brigade moving around his northern flank decided it was time to thin out even more of  his garrison remaining in the northern part of Hister. He had already withdrawn 2 battalions, he now sent the 3^rd Battalion to run helter skelter back down the road to the bridge leaving the 4^th Battalion as a rearguard. Elements of this battalion did escape but 400 men were taken prisoner when they finally surrendered the town at the end of the battle.

The approaches to the bridge were covered by the Wartenburg medium artillery batteries and 2 Light Cavalry regiments supported by 2 Heavy Cavalry Regiments.

 The Wartenburg heavy cavalry overwatch the retreat back along the road to the bridge.

King Konstantin saw little point in forcing the bridge, he ordered forward his own artillery and he would use them to blast the enemy away from the river line, however this cautious approach allowed the Wartenburgers to withdraw unmolested.

Battle Casualties

Wartenburg lost 355 Infantry killed or seriously wounded and 177 with light wounds which would likely return to the colours in a week, they also lost 634 men captured (which Included the 400 captured in the village) and a battery of Horse artillery was taken.

Hapburgia lost 272 Infantry killed or seriously wounded; they had 528 with light wounds whom would return to the colours within a week. They also lost 338 Cavalry killed seriously wounded and 462 with Light wounds that would return to the colours within a week.

The Wartenburg army was forced to seperate in the retreat, once section of the army moved north while the remainder moved east. The Hapburgians spent the night at Hister reorganising before continuing their advance.