Bloody meeting at the nameless hill - verinen kohtaaminen nimettömällä kukkulalla BFaS AAR

After getting disappointing reports from the meetingengagement at the Mill and Pigsty both Swedish and Polish generals requested better information from their Colonels, who after short reorganization set out to scout a better route for the main army.

Both forces were again at 12 FP, This time I used Wallachians as standard, and instead had two banners of elite cossacks in a squadron of 6 bases. My dragoons at this time were ordered to work as two combanies of 3 bases. The Swede had let go of his armour and with the FP saved bought more bases of Reiters.

For special effect the Swede got unexpected reinforcements, I terrain for which I added a nasty little swamp to Swedish deployment zone, as close to the objective field as allowed by the rules. The Objectyives this time were top of the hill in center, enclosed field and a house closer to Polish deploymentzone.

Polish deployment: from the front company of dragoons, colonel, squadron of elite cossacks, banner of pancerny, banner of wallachians and in the background, far on the right flank squadron of cossacks and a company of dragoons under eyes of major Blankenhagen.

Kohteet, kukkula vasemmalla ja talo etualalla. Rakuunakomppania tiedusteluedun suomalla liikkeellä kohdetalon seinustalla. Taustalla eversti,  kahden eliittikasakkakomppanian eskadroona, pancerny lippue ja valakialaislippue käärmelipun kanssa. Kaukana taustalla kasakkaeskadroona, rakuunakomppania ja majuri.

The Swedish deployment: outside the picture  on the left a banner of veteran reiters, lieutenant colonel Brahe, banner of veteran arquebusreiters, colonel, veteranreiters, squadron of dragoons and banner of reiters with major Kniephausen

Ruotsalainen deployment - kuvan rajan vasemmalla puolella vielä neljän basen lippue veteraanireitereita. Vasemmalta everstiluutnantti, veteraani arkebuusireiterit, eversti veteraanireiterit, 2 komppaniaa rakuunoita yhtenä 4 alustan eskadroonana ja 3 alustan vahvuinen kansalliseten reitereiden lippue.  Suon edessä kohde pelto.

Round 1 Poles have intiative - I march my cossacks as far as they go, followed by dragoons. Wallachians followed by pancerni push forward in center, cossacks on left flank of the centre hill march forward and company of dragoons hole up in the target house. After movement wallachians, dragoonsin the house and cossacks  fire, causing some casualties while arquebusreiters return fire.

Kierros 1 puolalaiset syöksyvät marssitahtia koko rintaman leveydeltä eteenpäin.Molemmin puolin avataan tuli karbiineilla ja jousilla. Pistoolimiehet purevat kynsiään.

Round 2 Swede wins the initiative and gives all his troops able charge orders. On my right cossack squadron meets reiters with Blankenhagen attached. Both sides dragoons dismount on the side of the field to exchange fire. In the centre Wallachians break off when threatened by reiters charge and pancerny meet reiters in wild open order charge. Beyond the hill dragoons start defending the house and elite cossacksquadron is forced to countercharge two banners of veteran reiters. Getting shot by two banners while charging they lose a base and fail their morale test, cravnely withdrawing before contact. Reiters pursue and force the unit to flight. Uh - six bases of elite cossacks my strongest unit, in flight, on round two. Luckily in the centre the pancerny with their spears first put to flight the numerically superior reiters and then in pursuit annihilate them. Dragoons exchange fire with minor casualties for both sides. And on the right Blankenhagen and the cossacks force the national reiterbanner to retreat with bloody nose.
At the end of turn unexpected reinforcements effect brings banner of reiters back to the field. All the targets have been scouted by both combatants.

Kierros 2 oikea sivusta: rakuunat jalkautuneina, kasakat lyömässä reiterit, taustalla pancernyt iskevät veteraaneja vastapalloon. Kuvan ulkopuolella eliittikasakat ovat saamassa lyijymyrkytystä.

Round three - My Elite cossacks flee the table. Swedish reiters on that edge get orders to move and turn towards their left - my right flank. Shot by dragoons in the house has no effect what so ever. Wallachians ride towards the Swedish dragoons. Blankenhagen with cossacks charges Kniepahausen and his cossacks who break, flee and are cut down in pursuit. (That 20/+20 movement of Polish cavalry is just deadly - in pursuit.)
Swedish dragoons fire a salvo that scares my dragoons to disorganized withdrawl from the field edge. The wallachian missile fire on the other hand makes them flee. Pancerny banner already weakened countercharges the returning reiter banner. Pancerny lose a banner and outnumbered 2-1 succumb to the iron discipline of the Swedes - turning into flight.

Kasakat ovat lahdanneet laidalla pyörineet reiterit, molempien rakuunat ovat vetäytyneet ja pancernin rippeet ratsastavat täyttä karkua lipettiin. Kierroksen kolme loppu.

On round four I decided to cut my losses and moved all my remainin troops to leftmost edge of the field. To get some more casualties to enemy my remaining cossacks and colonel fired at the fleeing dragoons. On the other hand my pancerny fled the whole length of new enemy front and got shot into kingdom come.

Kierroksen 4 loppu Pancernyt on tapettu pakoretken päätteeksi karbiinitulella. Kasakat tyhjentävät karbiinit ja nuoliviint rakuunoihin, samalla kun valakialaiset ja rakuunat suorittavat taktista vetäytymistä.

Round fivnothing significant happened I moved my colonel and cossacks to other side of the swamp, wallachians tried to harass fleeing dragoons with no effect. Swedes just moved closer and reorganized their losses. Seeing that Swedes could charge the wallachians at the last turn I put 4 command chits to the last initietive roll - and win with natural 1 against natural 1.

End result - draw. I had slightly less casualties in killed but more fled to make up for the numbers. Both scouted all objectives and caused heavy casualties to other. Fast and deadly encounter with two armies engaging aggressively. On my left my enemy won by stacking the numbers - allowed by my over aggressive march on the first move. My victories on the left and centre can be partly accounted to nice dice for once. So lessons for me - refuse to engage when not having local superiority, and work harder to get it - my strong groups acted in singles my opponents in pair.