Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Age of the Big Battalions => Topic started by: DintheDin on July 21, 2019, 03:31:47 PM
-
The War of Polish Succession (1733-35).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Polish_Succession
https://www.revolvy.com/page/War-of-the-Polish-Succession?cr=1
It was a major European war sparked by a Polish civil war after the death of Augustus II.
Elector Augustus the Strong of Saxony had become king in 1697, with the backing of Austria and Russia.
In 1705, during the Great Northern War, Charles XII of Sweden deposed Augustus and installed Stanisław I as king. After Charles' defeat by Russia at Poltava in 1709, Stanisław fled to France, and Augustus was restored. In 1725, Stanisław's daughter Maria married King Louis XV of France.
Stanisław Leszczyński
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Leszczy%C5%84ski
was one of the two claimants of the throne and When Augustus died in 1733, Stanisław sought to regain the Polish throne with the help of French support for his candidacy.
After travelling to Warsaw in disguise, he was elected king of Poland by an overwhelming majority of the Diet.
However, before his coronation, Russia and Austria, fearing Stanisław would unite Poland in the Swedish-French alliance, invaded the country to annul his election. Stanisław was once more deposed, and, under Russian pressure, a small minority in the Diet elected the Saxon elector Frederick Augustus II to the Polish throne as Augustus III.
Stanisław retreated to the city of Danzig (Gdańsk) to wait for French assistance, which did not come.
...and here our story starts:
The battle of Sobieszewo, 1733 (fiction)
A what-if situation
For months was brewing in my mind the idea to play a Polish Succession battle in Polish soil, but it is true that there happened some minor engagements, the main theaters of battle were in Germany and Italy.
The scenario:
1733. The Saxons and Russians are sieging Stanisław at Gdansk.
The Prince Eugene of Savoy had recommended to the Austrian emperor to have an aggressive stance against France, but failed.
While a war between France and Austria has not yet been declared (fiction), King Louis organises an expedition to aid his father-in-law:
A contingent of French troops, together with subsidized Bavarian troops lands near Gdansk to relieve the siege.
-
The battle of Sobieszewo
French a Bavarian troops disembark at Sobieszewo, a few miles from Gdansk.
Leszczinski with his retinue and some peasantry loyal to him joins them.
They meet Saxon infantry entrenched in front of a farm complex, their flanks protected by Polish Winged Hussars, Pancerni, Dragoons and Cossacks.
The battle was played with Honours of War rules, using the Marlburian playsheet.
Panos Pap took the Saxon-Polish and I played with Leszczynski and the Franco-Bavarians.
-
The supporters of Stanisław Leszczyński
The disposition of troops:
Stanisław set his camp near the sea.
The camp is defended by two units of peasants with polearms and one with obsolete muskets.
They have some old age heavy cannon.
The French hold the center, the front infantry rank of grenadiers.
To the right of the French, the Bavarian infantry.
They came willy-nilly to this expedition, their commander dithering and they have already one hit to mark a degree of disorganization and unwillingness to fight.
The right wing is composed by two regiments of Bavarian cuirassiers and one inferior regiment of French Hussars.
An arrow near the bridge... Somebody is bound to come...
-
The supporters of Frederick Augustus II
The disposition of troops:
The Saxon-Polish had more cavalry on their left and right flanks, consisted of Winged Hussars, Pancerni, mounted and dismounted Polish Dragoons and Cossacks.
Four Saxon battalions were entrenched in the center with one medium field artillery battery and a howitzer battery.
-
The command of the French army was given to Dindin d'Antoin, comte de Millefeuille.
We can see him conferring with his aide, Monsieur de Sangfroid.
We cannot tell much about his strategic wits.
And about his encyclopedic knowledge, neither.
-
We can say that Leszczynski's Polish show more determination and willingness to fight
-
French and Bavarians arrayed for battle
-
The Saxon-Polish order of battle
-
Victory conditions:
Franco-Bavarians: Break the enemy or make three out of four Saxon battalions retreat from their entrenchments.
Saxon-Polish: Break the enemy or take the Polish camp, or kill Leszczynski.
Rounds: 10
(On round 4, with a throw of 5+ enter two Swedish infantry battalions from the bridge. They will surely enter on round 6)
Some slight amendments were needed, to reflect the use of Winged Hussars and mounted fire.
-
On round two and Polish dismounted dragoons are attacking the camp.
More of them are clashing with the Winged Hussars of Leszczynski's retinue.
-
The French tactics are a fine example for any military book...
-
...they send their best grenadier battalions to attack the Saxon entrenchments.
They meet stiff resistance, especially by their commander, Pan von Pappchen who throws 4s and 5s seamlessly... lol
-
Both flanks of the French infantry are threatened by cavalry.
Bavarian infantry and cavalry come forward.
-
Lesczynski's retinue of elite Winged Hussars falls on the Dragoons, supported by Pancerni.
They are unlucky. Although of better quality and with the battle odds favoring them, they receive 5 hits and die on the spot.
Their adversaries retreat with 4 hits to reform.
-
The French infantry fight, fight fight…
...and fall back to reform
-
The battle rages, but Sangfroid remains cool...
-
The camp is harassed by dismounted dragoon skirmishers.
If the peasants take four hits, they will disperse!
The old cannons score some hits, but not enough to send their tormentors away...
Meanwhile, Leszczynski orders his remaining Pancerni retinue to fall back to avoid encirclement.
They receive flanking fire from a Cossack pulk.
-
At the right wing, Bavarian infantry and cavalry fight bravely...
-
While the French grenadiers continue reforming, the Winged Hussars annihilate one French battalion of the second line
-
Also the Bavarians take losses.
Von Pappchen's dice are relentlessly impeccable! :D
-
The French manage to form a steady line.
Leszczynski continues falling back, near his camp
-
This Polish cavalry seems invincible!
French and Bavarian infantry are attacked frontally and overwhelmed!
-
The Saxon Old Guard sends a withering volley and one more French line battalion is dissolving!
Only the small battalion of French converged grenadiers defend well and make a Hussar pulk to retreat
-
Also a Bavarian battalion send a Hussar pulk to retreat, but themselves are done for...
-
Turn 6 and the Swedes arrive, crossing the bridge of Martwa Wisla river!
Shadows of their former glorious Poltava selves, they are only two mere poor infantry battalions.
Until the end of the battle they didn't even manage to deploy and send at least one volley!
This is why we did never learn a single thing about the Swedish intervention in the War of Polish Succession lol
-
The Bavarian converged Grenadiers manage to hold the Polish cavalry for a while...
...they take three hits, but the Pancerni are done for!
-
Lesczczynski is risking to be encircled!
His camp is defending well and still holding!
His armed peasants fire and dissolve some dragoons...
But his Pancerni lose the battle, and he himself, almost to be killed!
He has to flee...
-
The Saxons walk out of their entrenchments and advance against the remains of the French infantry!
-
Pancerni take the French grenadiers at the flank!
-
While the last sunrays fall, the Franco-Bavarian army is in shambles...
-
The Polish camp held...
...while the Saxon infantry continue marching triumphantly...
-
Your Eighteenth Century Battles are always GLORIOUS affairs with masses of BEAUTIFULLY painted miniature warriors. This game raised the standard to an even higher level. WONDERFULLY INSPIRING!
-
Your Eighteenth Century Battles are always GLORIOUS affairs with masses of BEAUTIFULLY painted miniature warriors. This game raised the standard to an even higher level. WONDERFULLY INSPIRING!
Thank you for taking the time to read and your so kind reply!
I'm always happy to share a full battle report!
-
what a wonderful game! The AAR was great. A feast for the eyes! I love the scenery and the beautiful figures. I wish I were with you...
-
Marvelous stuff! And I am glad that Sangfroid kept his cool. ;)
-
what a wonderful game! The AAR was great. A feast for the eyes! I love the scenery and the beautiful figures. I wish I were with you...
Ah my friend!
It was a pity that you were in vacations, it was a spectacular game and Panos Pap a so seasoned wargamer who grasped the rules in the air!
It was very interesting that we played with the Marlburian tables, the infantry and artillery fire is weaker and the frontal cavalry attacks more dangerous!
I'm sure that if we replay the Charles Grant's Infantry vs Cavalry scenario transferring it to this period, the results would favor the cavalry side!
-
Marvelous stuff! And I am glad that Sangfroid kept his cool. ;)
Thank you! It was an exciting battle, based on a strange scenario :D
Yes, Monsieur de Sangfroid kept his cool 8)
He had enough listening to Dindin's vanity, Comte de Millefeuille was a real windbag!
But, as you'll see, leaving him to serve somewhere else, was not very helpful for his career lol
-
Assessment of the game:
Panos Pap is a formidable opponent and played the Saxon-Polish in a very aggressive way.
My Franco-Bavarians with Leszczynski were quite unlucky, as my first thrusts with the three French grenadier battalions and a large Winged Hussars regiment, all superior, met a wall of 4s and 5s and were done for or retreated to reform.
On the seventh round I had already lost 7 units to Panos three, all Leszczynki's guard perished and he had to flee, so it was useless for the Franco-Bavarians to fight further and we called it a day.
-
Glad to see the much-maligned Saxons chalk up a victory.
That table is gorgeous, I'll have to work doubly hard to offer up something comparable next time I set up a game. Always raising the bar, Din!
Aris K.
-
Glad to see the much-maligned Saxons chalk up a victory.
That table is gorgeous, I'll have to work doubly hard to offer up something comparable next time I set up a game. Always raising the bar, Din!
Aris K.
Hi pal!
A fiction game was needed to see the Saxons win, although I estimate them highly, as you know I have TYW and SYW and Nap Saxons...
As for the bar, I'm ageing and it is more and more difficult to limbo dance, so I raise it a bit, so just to crouch passing under lol
-
Now THAT is an idea for a command stand!
Aris K.
-
Beautiful table and figs. And a nice AAR.
But I have a question. Were Winged Hussars and armored Pancerni still being used
in the 1730s? Is there somewhere I can read up on this?
-
Beautiful table and figs. And a nice AAR.
But I have a question. Were Winged Hussars and armored Pancerni still being used
in the 1730s? Is there somewhere I can read up on this?
Very unlikely...
-
Beautiful table and figs. And a nice AAR.
But I have a question. Were Winged Hussars and armored Pancerni still being used
in the 1730s? Is there somewhere I can read up on this?
Thank you for your good words!
@Pan Marek @AdamPHayes
As I said in the introduction of this thread, the battle was completely fictional, I just wanted to give my Winged Hussars the opportunity to take some fresh air :)
About the decline of the Winged Hussars, please read this small article: The Hussars were abolished by the Sejm in 1775.
https://about-history.com/the-golden-age-of-the-winged-hussars/
The decline of the Hussars
With the development of firearms and artillery, by the beginning of the 17th century, heavy cavalry began to disappear from the composition of the Western European armies. The reformed armies of Western European states successfully opposed the hussars, and when they clashed with them, the hussars became an ineffective anachronism. In August 1622, under the Mitau, the hussars could not even launch an attack, pressed by the fire of the Swedish musketeers and gunners.
Similar scenes were repeated in 1626 under Anger, under Dirschau (1627), and during the Flood (1655-1658). However, the Ukrainian Cossacks struck the most tangible blow to the hussars. The hussars could not counterpose them to the tactics of the walking-city and squall gunfire.
At the beginning of the XVIII century, the Commonwealth was drawn into the Northern War. The Polish army was faced with an excellent Swedish army. The very first general battle of Klischev in 1702 revealed the advantage of the Swedes – the Polish cavalry unit, half of which were winged hussars, was stopped by artificial obstacles (Spanish goats). The commander of the Polish army, the hetman coroner Jerome Lubomirsky ordered the retreat from the battlefield.
The Polish and Ukrainian plain landscape and the need to fight with the Turks, Tatars and Russians for a long time extended the use of hussars. But in the end, in 1775, the Seym decided to abolish the hussar. Winged hussars were replaced by more efficient, mobile and lightly armed Polish lancers.
-
Now THAT is an idea for a command stand!
Aris K.
A subjugated general, perhaps, Aris? lol
This was a custom of the Ancient Romans, to pass their defeated enemies under the yoke.
Sub iugum ---> subjugate
Some fellow players deserve that, from time to time ;)
-
, was stopped by artificial obstacles (Spanish goats).
They sound fun, I wonder what they looked like?
-
They sound fun, I wonder what they looked like?
They must have been like chevaux de frise.
Please look at this article:
https://about-history.com/the-tactics-of-the-hussars-and-their-weaknesses/
Opposition to hussars
Given the widespread Hussars on the battlefields of Europe for several centuries, the opponents of the Commonwealth had to develop various tactics to counter attack the hussar mouths and banners. Basically, opponents of the Hussars used various engineering structures:
“Pig feathers” – short rams, driven into the ground at an angle a few steps ahead of the infantry front and directed towards the enemy; chains stretched between stakes;
” Spanish goats ” – horizontal beams installed in front of and parallel to the infantry front, in which (forming goats) sharpened poles of the same length are inserted, at an angle of 90 degrees between each other. Other names for this design are “Spanish Horseman”, “Spancaster”, “ Slingshot ”, “Ostrost”, “Sharp Outpost”. The constructions were light and easily carried by infantry from place to place;
“Mare” is a construction made of wood, in the style of “Spanish goats”, however, a whole tree was used, the branches of which were shortened to an equal length and sharpened.
Carts interconnected by chains;
trenches , redoubts , ditches and wolf holes – were dug out secretly on the night before the battle;
“ Garlic ” – forged iron “hedgehogs”, which were pushed against the ground by three spikes, and the fourth spike stuck up vertically. This design was not visible to riders. Each infantryman could have a few garlics and secretly scatter them ahead of the ranks.