Summer Battle at the Bünz river 1761/2011

French regiment La Couronne advancing in the foreground, assisted by the Mousquetaires du Roi, the Gens d´Armes Bourguignons, the infantery regiments Auvergne and Orléans.

The long expected moment of the big family wargame arrived last sunday and we met in my sister´s house in Switzerland, near the river Bünz. It was a great highlight to see again all relatives and to roll out then the battlefield on the floor and place the armies.
This were the allies: France and Prussia vs. Russia and Sweden. Saxony was not involved in this battle.
The opponents were inequal in weapons and manpower:
The more infantry vs. the statical power of artillery.

France and Prussia were the mobile part with more infantry but less artillery:
11 infantry reg., 7 cavalery reg, 5 16-pounders, 3 24-pd-mortars - totally 375 men

Russia and Sweden had a big artillery fraction, but less infantry:
9 infantery reg, 7 cavalery reg., 9 16-pounders and 7 24-pd-mortars - totally 330 men

Will the difference of 10% more manpower be equal to the big advantage of artillery fire?

I have to introduce our army disposition: we played with our old Prince August figures, in combination with NMZ figures, Sash+Saber and Matthias-Manske.
As you can see at the pics, its a great, mixed ensemble of figures! I could animate my younger brother Felix to start wargaming 3 weeks ago -  he leads now the small swedish corps of P.A.-figures.

r.a. 700 men rolled out at the beginning of the battle, in addition 60 men at the artilery.

To say it immediately: there were a lot of intensive discussions...

The opening was an aggressive attack of the french infantry in the center against russian grenadeers and hussars. It was supported by a long-during, heavy artillery-fire. The french used the pikeneers from the Spanish War of Succession in the first rank and could in this way hold the russians on distance... for a while.

Heavy fire from french cannons gave the sound to the first attack

On the opposite:  russian hussars of the Slobodskii regiment, flanked by the 1st grenadeer regiment and some ulans - also visible: the blue-yellow swedish corps

On the right flank, the prussian regiments No 1, 13, 18, 34 and 49 prepared a second attack against the russian infantry. They should be assisted of the brown hussars No 6 "Fleischhacker". Unfortunately the russians positioned 4 heavy mortars directly behind the first rank, so it would be a kamikaze-like movement to attack them.

Prussians had to wait till the artillery could destroy from distance mortars and reduce the infantry power - a long-during fire began, but over 3 hours, it was no movement on the right flank.

Russian Manske-Linegrenadeers and Permskii regiment under prussian menacement. 

In the center, a counter-attack by the russian cavalery against the french center initiate a bloody fight between the french main-army and the russian right wing: this fight killed in the following 3 hours 5 french infantry regiments and 1 cavalery regiment, on the russian side 3 infantry regiment, 2 cavalery regiments and 5 12-pounders. It was the most cruel part of the battle.

The russian "contre-attaque" against the heart of the french killed r.a 240 men...

Russians kept the fortified "Geschützstellung" with mortars and bombed on the french center.

French and Prussians were concentrated to destroy the ennemy´s artillery hegemony by heavy and perpetual artillery fire. They kept the cavalery in the second and third rank to protect them against bombardements. They were needed for the finale coup.

Then, after the bloody fight in the center, prussians and french cavalery comes together in the right center and were united.

Cavalery attacks in the right center.

The cavalery´s hammer of 2 prussian Cuirassier reg. and 2 french Cuirassier reg. came down upon the russian and swedish center: this attack was so heavy that the whole russian and swedish cavalery were killed - the prussian Cuirassiers took advantage of their supreme tactical manoeuvres and the power of weapons and discipline. The majority of them also also died during this attack - but it was final beat for victory and the end for the ennemy - great Prussians!

Preparing the cavalery´s attack: french Cuirassiers du Roi, prussian Hussars and Cuirassiers.

Now, the way was open for the prussian right flank to purge the rest of the swedish and russian infantry.

After this attack the russian General Apraxin had no more protection by his troops - he had to flie - but where to go? The french Mousquetaires du Roi came from the left side, the prussian Cuirassiers from the right....

The end of the battle: General Apraxin (from Matthias-Manske) in the center left couldn´t move in any direction - some russian dragoons (foreground) came too late: french Mousquetaires (left) and prussian cavalery (background) came closer and closer...
The russian General gave up...

The map of the battle:
A french light attack against the russian light cavalery
B Attack of the russian center and right flank against the heart of the french lines. Prussian infantry moves in a bow to cut the russian lines.
C The finale cavalery´s attack by prussians cuirassiers and french support. They prosecuted and enclosed  the General Apraxin (red square) at the end of the battle

green: russians; yellow: swedishs; blue: prussians; lightblue: french; black: artillery