Scenario: Intercepting enemy reinforcements

Premise:

You have moved repositioned the army to shorten the supply chain and allow reinforcements to reach you sooner. The enemy advance guard shadows your movement and days later your spies have reported their main army have moved forward. Knowing enemy supplies and reinforcements will travel further, you have devised a plan to intercept an enemy column. A successful raid will set the enemy off balance and delay their campaign efforts.

The Forces:

A mobile brigade, consisting of two regiments of cavalry and two units of jaegers, are assigned the task to engage the column of reinforcements. Spies have reported one such column of brigade strength have departed and will reach the enemy camp in six days’ time.  

 

Test one.

Marching in column, four French battalions are stretched astride a road running the centre of the board. A die cast determines the distance between battalions and the position of the commanding officer.

Behind the wheat fields, Hanoverian cavalry has deployed in to line screened by a unit of jaegers. The movement has not gone unnoticed and two French battalions move off road to form a line.

Forming a line has taken longer than expected (raw troops) and they are overrun by the Breidenbach cavalry. Despite their lack of training, the French offer stiff resistance prompting Breidenbach to pass through and rally further back.

The second French battalion, occupied by the jaegers to their front, were not able to respond to the German cavalry bearing down on their flank.

The rapidity of the attack and loss of half the brigade stunned their commander to call for the remaining battalions to save themselves.

 

Test two.

New terrain was set up for test number two and to balance the game somewhat, the attacking force were reduced by a unit of jaegers.

The ensuing conflict developed in a similar pattern, but this time two French battalions were able to form line. Poor shooting and a subsequent mell put both battalions to rout. The French did inflict casualties.

Observations

Despite the reduction of the attacker’s force, the tests ended similarly. Three of the four battalions were raw troops escorted by one trained unit. Their placement at the rear of the column would serve as a deterrent against desertion (prevalent during the period), nonetheless, their placement in the middle or at the head of the column would certainly improve their situation.