Refighting Wissembourg/Weissenburg (part five)

TURN 11

Overview from behind the French lines at the start of turn 11

My rolls for reinforcements bring on to the table a unit of Bavarian lancers for 1st Corps.

My troops continue advancing towards the heights, with one unit occupying Wissembourg. This unit opens fire on the French infantry on the Geisberg and, despite having moved and the target being behind cover, scores a hit, which means the compulsory loss of a strength point.

Douay's gun misses, and so do the infantry next to them (the infantry on the Vogelsberg, behind the sand-coloured emplacement, are still out of range), but he is able to activate the dragoons, who charge my most advanced, and very isolated, infantry in the flank. However, Douay rolls a 1 in the subsequent melee, which, despite +1 modifiers for attacking in the flank and for being cavalry fighting infantry, is not enough to score a hit. The infantry, much more reasonably, also fail to be effective.

After 11 turns the Germans have lost 11SP and three units, the French 5SP and one unit.

TURN 12

No German reinforcements arrive this turn.

I continue advancing and firing, where possible, against the heights. The unit in Wissembourg, following up their success last turn, again inflict a hit on the defenders of the Geisberg. Douay could let his unit drop back a square but, presumably fearing his artillery is about to get overrun, accepts the loss of a second strength point. The only other unit able to fire is infantry at the foot of the heights, but they make no impression on the French artillerymen.

In the second round of the cavalry-v-infantry melee, the dragoons, although no longer getting a bonus for attacking in the flank, score a hit, which means a forced loss of a strength point for the Prussian infantry.

Douay's gun scores a hit on my infantry, and I accept the loss of a strength point. His unit on the Vogelsberg moves east along the ridge to support the Geisberg infantry. Both infantry units open fire, with the the unit that moved scoring a hit on my infantry, and I again accept the loss of a strength point.

The dragoons inflict another hit in the melee, and I have to accept another SP loss.

German ranks are starting to noticeably thin

After 12 turns the Germans have lost 15SP and three units, the French 6SP and one unit.

TURN 13

I receive another unit of reinforcements - infantry for 1st Corps.

My units keep advancing, and the infantry at the foot of the heights score a hit on the French artillery, with Douay accepting the SP loss.

In the melee the sole remaining Prussian infantryman, an officer, rolls a 6 against the cavalry's 1. There are -1 modifiers for being understrength and for being infantry fighting cavalry, but it is enough for a hit, which is resolved as the compulsory loss of an SP.

Douay's gun rolls a 4, but the only modifier is a -1 for being French Imperial artillery and so no hit is scored. His infantry inflict one hit, which is resolved as the loss of an SP.

In the melee my Prussian officer again inflicts a compulsory SP loss, thus eliminating the dragoons.

After 13 turns the Germans have lost 16SP and three units, the French 9SP and two units.

This dramatic turn seems to have turned the tide against the French, who will lose the battle if they suffer another SP loss

In fact, with defeat now inevitable, my opponent concedes.

(To be continued)

Refighting Wissembourg/Weissenburg (part four)

Overview from the south-west at the end of turn seven - the French position on the heights is unchallenged, but the zouaves in Wissembourg are unlikely to hold out much longer

TURN EIGHT

My most successful rolling for reinforcements - a unit of infantry for 1st Corps and a unit of Prussian uhlans for 2nd Corps.

My artillery is still masked but I am able to activate all my other on-table troops, ordering two units of infantry to turn away from the town and instead aim for the heights.

Prussian infantry prepare to ford the Lauter

I still have two infantry units able to fire at Wissembourg, and they score a hit, but Douay is again able to ignore it by rolling a high enough die (a 6 in fact) for resolution. Another unit is able to fire at the dragoons, but a -1 modifier for having moved that turn means it misses.

Douay's artillery at last finds the range of my infantry, scoring a hit that cannot be negated by withdrawing.

The dragoons pull back behind the easternmost heights and so out of harm from Prussian rifle fire.

Zouave firing from the town narrowly fails to score a hit (Douay rolls a 4 but suffers a -1 modifier as the unit is understrength).

After eight turns the Germans have lost 8SP and three units, the French 3SP.

TURN NINE

2nd Corps received more reinforcements, this time an infantry unit.

I do not know why I had not thought of this before, but I activated the 1st Corps gun and advanced it in the hope it can play a role in capturing the heights.

Menwhile I had three infantry units able to fire at Wissembourg, and between them they scored two hits. Douay was able to negate one with his roll to resolve the hit, but the other was fatal, laying low the last of the zouaves.

Wissembourg has been emptied of French troops, and the first Prussian infantry are fording the Lauter

Douay's gun again scored a hit, and again I was forced to remove a strength point from an infantry unit. He had no other moves to make as the infantry next to his artillery is just out of range of the Prussian infantry.

After nine turns the Germans have lost 9SP and three units, the French 4SP and one unit.

TURN 10

Another infantry unit from 1st Corps arrives on the battlefield - the 3rd Garde-Regiment zu Fuss, no less - and a gun from 2nd Corps.

I advance on the heights as much as possible, with two infantry units able to fire, albeit unsuccessfully, at the French artillery.

A race against time as the Prussians approach the heights

Douay's gun again scores a hit on my infantry, causing the loss of a strength point. He is unable to activate his dragoons, which is a missed opportunity as he could have charged my leading unit in the flank. His infantry on the Geisberg, which has the green emplacement, scores a hit on my infantry, causing another strength point to be lost (the unit had nowhere to withdraw to even if I had wanted to do so).

After 10 turns the Germans have lost 11SP and three units, the French 4SP and one unit.

(To be continued)

Refighting Wissembourg/Weissenburg (part three)

TURN FIVE

The situation at the start of the turn

I again fail to receive any reinforcements.

My gun scores a hit on the defenders of Wissembourg, and Douay rolls a 1 when resolving it, meaning the zouaves lose a second strength point.

I advance those units that are active and not in firing range, which means all bar two of 2nd Corps' infantry units, which each rolled a 1. Infantry rifle fire directed at Wissembourg proves ineffective.

Between the heights and the wood my unit of Bavarian chevaulegers is one square short of being able to intervene in the cavalry melee, which ends when my unit of Brunswick hussars suffers a second hit, which means losing a strength point as there is nowhere to retreat. The hussars are therefore eliminated.

Looking from the south halfway through turn five after the hussars have been destroyed

Douay's gun fires at the 3rd Corps infantry attacking the town, but miss.

His dragoons fail to activate, meaning their left flank remains exposed to a possible charge next turn from my unit of Bavarian chevaulegers.

The zouaves fire at the much-depleted unit of 1st Corps infantry, but miss.

After five turns the Germans have lost 5SP and one unit, the French 2SP.

TURN SIX

At last some Prussian reinforcements arrive - a unit of 3rd Corps infantry.

My 1st Corps gun fails to score a hit on the Wissembourg garrison, but the Bavarian chevaulegers are able to charge the French dragoons in the flank.

All my infantry units are able to advance, but the two already within rife range of the town again stand still and fire, but again unsuccessfully.

In the cavalry melee my chevaulegers, although outnumbered, make good their flanking advantage by inflicting a hit while not suffering one in return. Douay rolls a 4 for resolving the hit, and chooses to have the dragoons fall back a square. We decide this would be directly away from the Bavarians, rather than backwards from the direction they were facing, and would end with the dragoons now facing their enemy.

Douay's gun again fails to score a hit.

The zouaves fire at the 1st Corps infantry and roll a 4, which would normally be a hit, but the zouaves suffer a -1 modifier for having fewer than three strength points.

His dragoons charge my unit of chevaulegers, but neither of us manage to score a hit.

The cavalry melee continues in the foreground, while in the distance Prussian infantry close in on Wissembourg

TURN SEVEN

No more German reinforcements arrive this turn.

My gun is partially masked by Prussian infantry and so has to fire at the western side of Wissembourg, but it scores a hit on the defenders, although without destroying the fortifications in that part of town. Douay's resolution roll means the zouaves have to lose a strength point, reducing them to just 1SP.

After movement I have four infantry units within firing range of the town, including two that had moved that turn and so would suffer a -1 modifier. However only one unit scores a hit, and Douay is able to ignore it under the special rules for Wissembourg by rolling a 4 for resolution.

The cavalry melee again results in no casualties.

It is looking desperate for the defenders of Wissembourg, unless General Douay sends a unit from the heights to bolster their numbers (my opponent explained after the battle that he thought of doing this but felt any such unit would soon be overwhelmed, hastening a French defeat) 

Douay's gun again misses but the gallant zouaves score a hit on the 1st Corps infantry, which loses its last remaining strength point. There is a further setback for the German cause when the French dragoons destroy the remaining strength point of the Bavarian chevaulegers.

After seven turns the Germans have lost 7SP and three units, the French 3SP.

(To be continued)