Battle of Bischof Bridge

A New Battlefield

You may notice something different when you see the pictures of the battlefield. It is much larger. As I mentioned last month, I obtained a new table, giving me more gaming room. To take advantage, I made a a felt battle mat that is 12 by 18 inches, with a 1 inch square grid.

A Problem of Heights

I just noticed a slight issue in these photos. The hills blend in with the base battle mat. The hills are made of cork board that was painted so they contrasted with my earlier cork battle mat. But now those same hills blend in. I'll have to make them even darker so they stand out.

Battle Set-Up

I decided to do a straight-up scenario, with the battle proceeding until one side broke. I randomly determined terrain and forces.

The armies are comprised as follows:

• Redgrave (top) - 4 infantry, 1 artillery, 1 skirmishers
• Bluderia (bottom) - 3 infantry, 1 cavalry, 1 artillery

Initial set-up. Note that both sides have strong forces on the west side of the river.

My initial intention was to concentrate the forces nearer the center at start, but I decided to use the whole board. As a result, the forces come on in scattered sub-groups.

After Action Report

Feeling confident after his subordinate's recent victory, General Hogwaffe orders his Bluderian army forward in a final confrontation with Redgrave.

The Bluderian army is scattered. Hogwaffe orders his subordinates to concentrate on the village of Dingelheim (top center). However, they discover Redgravian forces there. The left engages while the cavalry advances on a raid.

The left wing overruns some Redgravian infantry, but the cavalry gets wiped out.

At this point, our intrepid war correspondent lost his sketch pad. My phone battery died.

A written account will have to suffice.

Hogwaffe ordered his forces to converge on Bischof Bridge. They arrived first and seemed about to rout the Redgravians on the left. But General Spengler arrived on the scene and ordered the troops at Dingelheim to advance.

The lines formed to the east of the bridge. Bluderian attacks wore down their adversaries, but Redgrave held on.

Then the Bluderian left flank broke, followed soon after by the right. Suddenly, the center found itself under attack by four Redgravian infantry. It held on for a bit, but was then forced to retreat, which turned into a general rout.

Technically, the infantry survived, but given the odds against them, I decided to throw in the towel at this point.

Aftermath

With this defeat, Hogwaffe was forced to retreat from the Empire. Spengler advanced to the capital, which ensured that a pro-Redgravian candidate was selected to the Imperial throne. Once again, King Henrik's ambitions have been thwarted.