Refighting The Battle Of Dettingen (part two)

The allied generals, or at least King George and his Hanoverian commanders, decided their only hope was to force their way through Dettingen.
They must have considered turning around and attacking the smaller French force assembling in Aschaffenburg, but success there would still have left them cut off from their supply lines to Flanders.
With the wooded mountains to the north impassable, as is the Main River to the south, Dettingen was truly the only option, short of surrendering.
But it would take time to organise an assault on Dettingen, and there was a danger the army would be attacked from behind from the troops in Aschaffenburg.
Accordingly, a small but powerful force was detached to keep a watch on Aschaffenburg, while the rest of the army prepared for a frontal attack on the main French force under the Duke of Gramont.

Pragmatic rear … Britain's Royal Foot (nearest the Main), an Austrian howitzer and Hanover's von Zastrow foot

Eyes front … the main Pragmatic force, with in the frontline (south to north) the King's Own Horse, The Buffs, a Royal Artillery 9pdr gun, Hanoverian von Klinkowström Foot and Austrian Liechtenstein Dragoons. Behind them (south to north) are Hanoverian von Aldeleben Dragoons, Austrian Prinz von Hildburghausen Foot, King George and Austrian Prié-Turinetti Foot

It is surely no exaggeration to say the fate of much of Europe was at stake.
The total loss of the Pragmatic army would be bad enough, but if the king of the country that was largely financing the allied war effort were to be captured into the bargain, the result would be catastrophic for the balance of power.

The whole battlefield … from behind the French lines at Dettingen

But, just as the perfect mousetrap is yet to be invented, so too no battleplan can be foolproof.
And in June 1743 the biggest fool turned out to be the Duke of Gramont who, apparently impatient at the slowness of the allied advance, ordered his troops to pre-empt it by launching their own attack.
This was in direct defiance of orders from his uncle, the Duke of Noailles - orders which, according to one source, were given no less than three times.
Some have tried to excuse Gramont by saying his men attacked without orders. But he is said to have explained his actions by saying he thought it had taken so long for his men to cross the pontoon bridges and occupy Dettingen, that most of the Pragmatic army had escaped and he was only facing the rearguard
At any event, the French attack was launched with gusto, helped by the inexperience and allegedly poor training of the British cavalry on the left flank.
But the attack was soon thrown back, and a general rout ensued in which many casualties were suffered when one of the pontoon bridges collapsed under the weight of too many fleeing Frenchmen.
King George and his troops had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat … or rather the French had grabbed defeat from the jaws of almost-certain victory.
(Next: the refight)