News from Ober-Schweinsberg

Ober-Schweingau Herald (loyal to Asgar) - With mid-February snows still upon the ground, and armies retired to winter quarters as is common for the season, the town of Unter-Schweingau was chosen to be the meeting place for the great nobles loyal to our rightful Landgrave in a council to prepare for the coming spring. A peaceful town, Unter-Schweingau is well known as a favored in along the trade routes through the pass in which it lies, just across the river from our own fair city. However, that peace was shattered by invasion less than a fortnight ago, as the forces of Prince Arnold determined to disrupt and capture our honored Council, dispatching several brigades under the Polish immigrant Generalmajor Wlodzimierz Borowczyk, once a trusted officer of the Landgraviate.

We are pleased to report that Generalmajor Schweiger and his forces of Asgar were quick to respond and managed to extract the council members from the town to safety despite attack by a superior force. A valiant fighting withdrawal has brought the Council members to safety behind the firm wall of the Schweingau river, upon which our lines now rest. Though we celebrate this victory with joy, there yet remains a measure of sadness in our hearts, for the victory was not won except with great cost. A great many casualties and prisoners were left behind, particularly the loss of Brigadier Murnau and almost the entirety of his cavalry brigade, who are reported to have fallen in brave and furious charges to defend our noble Council. Shame, too, must fall upon some. The 8th Line regiment, having been shattered in two consecutive battles, has reportedly been taken out of the line in disgrace, having proven itself unworthy of the Prince it serves. More heinous than the failure of the 8th, however, is the defection of those blackguard foreigners of Shannon's regiment, who have deserted their rightful Prince and sullied the name of their once fine regiment. Let them return unto their original lands ere they meet us in battle, for we shall surely cut them down like the vile dogs they are for their treachery.

Vergoldeten Bulletin (loyal to Hesse-Engelburg) - Christmas passed quietly in Vergoldeten, a peaceful Christmas unmarred by war. After being so recently threatened with great bloodshed, we owe our thanks to the good rulers of Hesse-Engelburg for their kind dealings and the protection we enjoy with their troops wintering about our fair city. Trade continues to flow, and the new year looks bright with joy and increase. We of Vergoldeten extend our sincere condolences to those of our kindred who have lost loved ones in the recent fighting, and our hopes for a peaceful resolution to the civil war that has befallen the Landgraviate.

Yet More Notes

The motto on Arnold's banners, Maior Natu, is (supposed to be at least) the Latin for "First Born". This is a reference to Arnold being the firstborn twin by a small margin, which makes his primary claim to the throne as eldest son.

The Margarethe and Franka Dragoon regiments are named after Prince Asgar's daughters. Thus, our aggressive Brigadier Murnau could find his career adversely affected were he to get them destroyed ingloriously. Glorious destruction is, of course, an entirely different matter. The dividing line between glorious and inglorious is, naturally, at the whims of Prince Asgar. :>

Note the presence of a Kinski Hussars in Asgar's forces, and a Brigadier Kinski in Arnold's forces. These two commanders are likely related. This is a common happening in civil wars.

Shannon's Irish Guards and the Von Trotta Horse Grenadiers from Asgar's force and the Schwarze Eber Fusiliers from Arnold's are all former Guards regiments under the deceased Landgrave.

Uniforms and flags for Battle of Unter-Schweingau

Rather than try to load them all into a post, I've put the uniforms and flags into an online gallery viewable at this link: http://www.musterthetroops.com/BattleofUnter-Schweingau/view.html.

Missing: Unter-Schweingau militia
Extra: Van Ackeren Cuirassiers, Asgar's army

The Van Ackeren unit will not be present at the battle, but I threw them into the gallery since I had an image for them.

The two forces combined at this point total 10 brigades, with 17 battalions of infantry, 25 squadrons of cavalry, and 8 guns on the field. Here's the order of battle for the troops, including commander initiative/command radius as rolled by Jeff:

Arnold’s Forces
=======================
C-in-C: Generalmajor Wlodzimierz Borowczyk (Polish immigrant) – Steady, Initiative 2, Command 11”

Jagers: Schlöndorff Jagers – 420 men, Trained

Black Brigade - Brigadier Max Färberböck – Steady, Initiative 1, Command 9”/6”
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Schwarze Eber Fusiliers – 510 men (90 gren), Veteran
Emmerich Musketeers – 510 men (90 gren), Trained
Potente Musketeers – 510 men (90 gren), Trained

Kinski Brigade - Brigadier Werner Kinski – Political, Initiative 1, Command 8”/5”
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Riefenstahl Musketeers – 510 men (90 gren), Veteran
Tykwer Musketeers – 510 men (90 gren), Trained
Belgischer Musketeers – 510 men (90 gren), Raw (Belgian raw recruits, ex-POWs)

French Brigade - Brigadier Jean-Louis d'Civeyrac – Aggressive, Initiative 1, Command 11”/7”
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Grenadiers d’Civeyrac – 480 men, Veteran
Leterrier Musketeers – 600 men, Veteran

Muldowney Heavy Cavalry Brigade - Brigadier Sean Muldowney – Aggressive, Initiative 2, Command 8”/5” (Irish immigrant)
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Von Praunheim Cuirassiers – 3 sqdns, 360 men, Elite
Lubitsch Dragoons – 2 sqdns, 240 men, Trained
Lamarr Dragoons – 3 sqdns, 360 men, Raw

Light Cavalry Brigade - Brigadier Hans Andress – Political, Initiative 1, Command 15”/10”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bandauer Hussars – 3 sqdns, 360 men, Veteran
Puchalski Lancers – 2 sqdns, 240 men, Trained (Polish immigrants)

Artillery
-------------
1 x 12pdr
3 x 3pdr

Asgar’s Forces
==================
C-in-C: Generalmajor Peter Schweiger – Aggressive, Initiative 2, Command 10”

Town Garrison/Council Escort – Brigadier Wolfgang Storch – Cautious, Initiative 1, Command 10”/5”
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Unter-Schweingau Militia – 360 men, Raw
Dieterlestadt Grenadiers – 420 men, Veteran

3rd Infantry Brigade - Brigadier Wim Gronenborn – Veteran, Initiative 1, Command 12”/7”
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Shannon’s Irish Guard – 660 men, Elite (Guards unit, Irishmen)
7th Line – 600 men (60 gren), Trained
8th Line – 600 men (60 gren), Raw

2nd Infantry Brigade – Brigadier Roland Kruger – Political, Initiative 2, Command 11”/7”
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2nd Line – 600 men (60 gren), Veteran
5th Line – 600 men (60 gren), Trained
6th Line – 600 men (60 gren), Trained

Murnau Heavy Cavalry Brigade - Brigadier Klaus Murnau – Aggressive, Initiative 1, Command 11”/7”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Von Trotta Horse Grenadiers – 3 sqdns, 360 men, Elite (Guards unit)
Margarethe Dragoons – 2 sqdns, 240 men, Veteran
Franka Dragoons – 2 sqdns, 240 men, Veteran

Light Cavalry Brigade - Brigadier Sebastian Boll – Aggressive, Initiative 1, Command 10”/7”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kinski Hussars – 2 sqdns, 240 men, Trained
Hippler Hussars – 3 sqdns, 360 men, Trained

Artillery
----------------
1 x 6pdr
3 x 3pdr

Some more thoughts on Unter-Schweingau

Those not in the habit of reading comments should read the ones on the sketch map post beneath this one. Lots of exchange of information going on there.

While I didn't start out that way, I've found some story growing as I've been making up the forces for these. The majority of the best cavalry seem to have followed Asgar, while the majority of the better infantry seem to have gone with Arnold. This theory is based on the concentration of high-grade heavy cavalry in Asgar's army, and the possibility that the numbering of some of the line regiments represents hasty recruiting to fil in gaps as much of the senior infantry units went to Arnold.

Eventually, these theories will probably spawn more storyline.

Landgraviate Council to Meet...Trouble Expected

Rumors spreading from the Landgrave of Ober-Schweinsberg speak of the impending meeting of the council loyal to Prince Asgar, one of the competing brothers engaged in civil war over their deceased father's throne. The Landgraviate continues to be divided over the issue of succession, with each Prince having been crowned Landgrave by different bishops and supported by their own government structures.

Speculation runs high that this gathering of Asgar's Council will draw the attention of Prince Arnold, and that an expedition may be mounted despite the winter season to arrest the Council members. Already, some residents are reported to be leaving the small town of Unter-Schweingau in anticipation of bloodshed, while others stay, the mayor having called the town's militia to arms. As of yet, there is no word of the Council's arrival in the town, and rumors differ as to the exact date planned for the meeting.

It is thought that any move by Arnold's wintering forces will result in a battle of some size, as one of Asgar's divisions lies in winter quarters across the river from the town, and would likely be called upon to defend the town.

(and yes, this is a background post for the proxy battle I'm working up to be played out by Murdock's group)

A Formal Proclamation

See the Hesse-Engelburg blog for details....

Vergoldeten - Arnold vs Asgar

To the South of Vergoldeten....

As the column of purple and black moved forward, the men of the Black Brigade of Prince Arnold's force sang their favorite marching song of late, the mingling of their voices rising on the air as the afternoon sun continued to ward off some of the season's chill. Their boots tramped a rhythm upon the roadway, while afar the handful of mounted scouts could be seen appearing and disappearing over the hills or into the woods, returning with reports and then vanishing again.

With Vergoldeten in distant view, the men of the Black Brigade wheeled efficiently into battle line each in turn, advancing to the beat of drums and the cries of their officers and NCOs. In the distance, they could hear the sounds of similar actions the other side of the hills they now advanced towards, and the first stray crackles of scattered fire as the scouts of Arnold met the scouts of Asgar, the thin screen driving off the enemy scouts to prevent their advance beyond the hill.

Meanwhile, to the west, Brigadier Wim Gronenborn of Asgar's force worked to get his own troops into battle line to face the expected engagement, and hurry them into motion towards the hill that had quickly become the decisive point of the field. The undulations of terrain and the eagerness of Shannon's Irish Guard on his right were beginning to separate his line out into a slight echelon, the leftmost battalion lagging behind.

Fortune was not with Asgar's forces this day, as the Black Brigade topped the rise in excellent order, disciplined troops opening up volley fire upon the still advancing troops of Asgar. With the 7th Musketeers on the left lagging slightly behind, the 8th in the center were to take the brunt of the opening volleys from both the Emerich and Potente Musketeers, while Shannon's Irish Guard traded volleys with the elite Schwarze Eber Fusiliers on the right. The advance was checked, and under the withering fire of two full battalions, the 8th stalled, wavered, and finally broke in disarray, leaving a gap in Gronenborn's lines that the 7th was proving still too sluggish to fill. There was hope at least on his right, as Shannon's regiment continued to hold their ground against the Schwarze Eber.

Elated with his initial success, Brigadier Färberböck of the Black Brigade pushed his musketeers forward, bringing the lagging 7th under threat at last. As Brigadier Gronenborn moved in to whip the 7th into action, Shannon's regiment shined as they executed a wheeling movement under fire, closing the gap with the 7th on their own and again engaging the Emerich Musketeers from their new position. This seemed to give the 7th strength, an opening volley from their guns giving the Potente Musketeers something to consider.

Meanwhile, the sound of heavy firing to the North forced the commander of Asgar's forces to consider his position, and the potential of finding further enemies approaching his resilient but weakened command. Discretion, it is said, is the better part of valor. With Shannon's regiment suffering mounting casualties and the Schwarze Eber Fusiliers shifting position to threaten their flank, Gronenborn assessed the situation and gave the order to withdraw, conceding the field to the Black Brigade. For his part, Färberböck was content to claim the field and shift his forces northwards towards the town, his scouts already alerting him to the even larger battle shaping up to the north....

Prince Arnold's Black Brigade at Vergoldeten

Uniforms of the forces loyal to Prince Arnold at the battle.

Schwarze Eber Fusiliers
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Emmerich Musketeers
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Potente Musketeers
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Vergoldeten Convergence

As feared, the 11th of November saw the clash of arms upon the fields surrounding the once peaceful town of Vergoldeten. And indeed, the battle was more than the residents expected. Those who had not yet chosen to depart in the face of the approaching storm found themselves with no safe direction to make their escape, as four armies converged upon the town from separate directions.

To the south, the quarreling Princes Asgar and Arnold proved to have fielded roughly equal forces. Fighting for Prince Arnold were the men of the Black Brigade, led by Brigadier Max Färberböck, long considered one of the finest officers produced by Ober-Schweinsberg, perhaps even one of the finest on the continent. The veteran Schwarze Eber Fusiliers anchor the brigade alongside the crisply trained but little bloodied battalions of the Emmerich Musketeers and the Potente Musketeers.

Arrayed against these units were Asgar's Third Brigade, anchored on the elite warriors of Shannon's Irish Guard, a unit formerly tasked with guarding the Landgrave's winter palace and maintaining the security of the southern borders of Ober-Schweinsberg. The veteran 7th Line and less experienced 8th Line finished out the brigade, which was commanded by the veteran Brigadier Wim Gronenborn.

Meanwhile, residents of the northernmost part of the city had an even larger spectactle before them as the forces of Hesse-Engelburg and Bad Nachtschwein clashed. The Bad Nachtschwein force was observed to be as large as those committed by both Princes put together, perhaps a preparation for the possible need to fight both formations. Under the experienced hand of Generalmajor Klaus Vilsmaier, Bad Nachtschwein had dispatched their 2nd and 4th brigades, the former composed of troops raised from the League cities, while the latter was made up entirely of mercenary Freikorps troops.

Commanded by Brigadier Jacob Vilsmaier, the 4th Brigade would not find itself handicapped by a mere political appointee, though the Brigadier in question was the younger brother of his commanding officer. Indeed, Jacob is well regarded as the better of the two, and many predict will eclipse his older brother if given the chance. The anchor of the 4th Brigade are the experienced mercenaries of Freikorps O'Toole, Irish expatriates who have served in many wars and localized conflicts. While not regarded as highly as Shannon's Irish Guard, they are still a veteran unit with not only experience but ranks swollen to unusual size by their exceptional pay rate. In sharp contrast to O'Toole is its brigade mate, Freikorps Schütte. A sadly more typical Freikorps, Schütte was formed largely from deserters and former prisoners of war and was not expected to accomplish much more than providing a garrison battalion for the town after the fight.

Meanwhile, the 2nd Brigade under Brigadier Arnold Wenders were raw formations, well trained but saddled with a distinctly lackluster commander whose position was owed largely to his connections amongst the ruling families of the League. The Gebühren Eber Grenadiers were recruited from among the finest families of the League, and equipped with lavish uniforms to match their patron's wealth. No less well equipped was their sister formation, the Fassbinder Musketeers. Unbloodied before the battle, they were expected to perform well.

Perhaps the largest surprise for all concerned, however, was the size of the force committed by Hesse-Engelburg. Generalmajor Count Manfred von Waffenschmidt led three brigades into battle to the north of the town, their course taking them on an intercept approach to meet the Bad Nachtschwein troops well outside the town.

The brigade of Brigadier Werner Heintzen led the line of march, consisting of the newly formed Sumpflöwen Musketeers backed up by the veteran troops of the Lintzer Musketeers, who already bore upon their standard the first battle honor of the Ober-Schweinsberg conflict.

Second in the line was the brigade of Brigadier Rudolf Richter, comprising the Niederwiesen Musketeers and the Grauerhimmel Fusiliers. Both units were well regarded, with a mixture of men of good heritage and no small number of men with prior experience of battle.

Intended primarily as a reserve formation for committment if needed, the brigade of Brigadier Franz Linkmeyer counted an additional two battalions. The first battalion was the well-regarded von Platzen Grenadiers, resplendent in their uniforms of black and red that gave significant contrast to the gray coats of the musketeer and fusilier units. No less colorful were their companion unit, the Schottische Windhunde Musketeers, the "Scottish Greyhounds" of Baron Keith MacArthur in their kilts and bonnets.