Sunday, April 10, 2016

Battle of Mollwitz - Final Preparations

WE were not able to start our refight today, the 275th anniversary of the opening battle of the War of the Austrian Succession, but at least we did make the final pre-battle arrangements.
Firstly, my opponent exercised his choice to sink his identity in that of King Frederick and the Prussians. A strange decision for a huge Francophile? Not when you consider that for centuries it was the Hapsburgs of Austria, rather than a far-eastern province of the German-speaking lands, that was France's chief continental enemy.
That settled, we made our three allowed adjustments to the initial starting positions.
I withdrew the Austrian hussar screen and placed the squadron in the second line where it could be a reserve and support the front-line Deutschmeister Foot, moving the Marquis de Prie-Turinetti Foot and Karl von Lothringen Foot to make room.

The Nagy-Károly Hussars have taken their position in the centre of the Austrian second line
Frederick decided to extend the right flank of his front line so his grenadiers could take up firing order. The von Buddenbrock Cuirassiers moved to the right to make room for this and the von Leps Foot, with the figure of Frederick in attendance, moved out from behind the massed Prussian guns.
Because only three units may be moved in pre-battle adjustments, Frederick was unable to unravel his second line where one battalion of von Glasenapp Foot had to remain out of firing order.

The rearranged Prussian right flank

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