Minden - the game

The previous couple of days have seen a bout of real life intervene but I did manage to do some supplementary reading* and a bit more thinking about the scenario. I also revisited the orders of battle. On a pure count of the infantry units the French massively outnumbered the allies 84 to 48, but the headcount, although in favour of the French, was more like 4:3. Accordingly, I reduced the number of French units on the table.

* i.e. skimming through the Coward of Minden by Piers Mackesy and Stuart Reid's the Battle of Minden 1759: the Impossible Victory.

To get my thoughts in order I wrote out the key timeline from the French night march to the battle starting in earnest. In the end I decided to start the game at around 07:00 when the main French batteries opened up in the centre. Historically Broglie did very little on the French right but rather than allow myself complete free reign to change this I diced each turn to see if his wing could advance. A 6 on a D6 on turn 1 would allow it, with successively more chance each subsequent turn. Sackville wouldn't arrive at Hartum towards the right rear of the Allied line until 08:00 - i.e. after 4 turns. Every other command was allowed to move straight away. Another constraint placed on Sackville was to give him a -1 on any attempt to change orders (formation, direction etc.) just to replicate his questioning of orders.

A reminder of the initial dispositions. Hartum is off to the left of the map level with Hahlen. Although the key to the map says it is the position at 06:30, the account in Kronoskaf says the French were still getting into their formations between 07:00 and 08:00. The truth is probably a lot more fluid than shown on a map.

So the game kicked off with the French moving first, on the rationale that they opened fire on the advancing British column in the centre once it was in close range. The pictures below show the situation after every couple of turns.

A couple of turns in and Spörcken's first brigade has taken some casualties and has been replaced by the second line whereupon it was charged by a brigade of French cavalry. The result followed historical precedent with the French sent packing. Off camera Anhalt's small brigade of pickets is battling it out with  Guerchy's men in Hahlen. The action at Hahlen continued for most of the game in isolation.

Two turns later and Spörcken has been backed up by Imhoff and cavalry from Wangenheim's wing. Three French cavalry brigades have been repulsed.

Another view of the allied centre

After turn 6. Action has been frenetic in the centre. Most of the French cavalry brigades have been repulsed including the elites of the Gendarmerie and Carabiniers.

Turn 8 and the French cavalry continues to charge Spörcken's British and Hanoverian column with very little positive result. Pretty much following historical precedent. 

Anhalt (in the distance) fight over the enclosures at Hahlen. Meanwhile Sackville's column has arrived on the scene (beyond the trees).

Things have not been silent on the French right. Broglie's grenadiers have sacrificed themselves assaulting Wangenheim's defences. But in the process they have routed the allied battery.

Turn 10. Contades, French C-inC has taken the bit between his teeth, rode over to Broglie's wing and taken command of his cavalry and marched them over to the centre where he has seen an opportunity to roll up the allies' flank.

Close up of the fight in the centre. Prussian dragoons face off against French cavalry.

At the same time Sackville's cavalry charge into the French outside Hahlen. Saxon infantry in the foreground form up to block any breakthroughs. The Saxons were an army in exile, fighting with the French after their defeat by the Prussians 3 years earlier and then falling out with their Austrian allies.

Then on turn 12 we see the first major breakthrough.  The French centre collapses. [In game terms the 'wing' fell to half strength and failed a wing morale test].

Then in turn 14 in a further dramatic development, the allied right wing fails a wing morale test. Sackville's cavalry, Anhalt's pickets and Spörcken and Scheele's infantry have all had enough. Then a combination of Imhoff's infantry and Wangenheim's cavalry attack Broglie's cavalry under Contades, and the French rout. In the chaos the French commander is overthrown and disappears in the dust clouds thrown up by the fleeing squadrons. This tips Broglie's corps over the edge. 

The Saxons stand victorious north of Hahlen. They can see no enemy in front of them through the smoke in the centre of the battlefield. Has Ferdniand's army dissolved?

Beyond the clouds of smoke, Imhoff's infantry stand firm. Ferdinand, down one wing passes the army morale test.
[Note: I'd forgotten before I got the figures out that I had run out of 'grass' before I could finish the Hessians and that I had since bought a packet. That's another job to add to the list.]

Wangenheim's grenadiers watch Broglie's infantry flood back to Minden. The Saxons and remaining French on the left are in danger of being cut off from the bridges and retire from the field hastily but in good order. [Two wings down, the French fail their army morale test].

It was very close in the end. Very, very close. It really could have gone either way. Honestly it came down to the luck of the dice. I might have to try this again as the board is set up. If I was inclined to do a bit more work, I would start the game at an earlier point. That might take a bit more thinking than a straight line em up re-fight.

Minden - setting up

Wargaming returns to the Schloß. But I'm a bit late to the party with this. Minden Day (1 August) was last Friday. I was reminded of it when I noticed a new episode of the podcast Prime & Load dedicated to the battle - a very informative listen it was too. In between chores at the weekend I dug out some maps available on the internet and played around with the orientation until I got the area I wanted scaled to meet a 180 x 100 cm table.

Then I dug out an order of battle based on the one given in Kronoskaf, and tweaked it slightly to suit Twilight of the Sun Kings rules. After work today it didn't take long to set-up the table. I'll probably play the game Tuesday evening.

First stage of the mapping process was to download various historical and modern representations (the Royal Collections, Kronoskaf and Wiki). I limited my area to the area covered by the lines of battle in typical representations so it could fit on the table size above. Then I dipped into an online mapping tool and turned the orientation so I could get the minimal amount of dead space on the table. As a battle, there wasn't anything really in the way of open flanks, with the east bounded by the Weser river, the south by marshes and the rival forces were spread across an imaginary diagonal line between these two barriers. Actually, they were approximately lined up in an L formation, but you get my drift hopefully. On the modern map I measured out an area which scaled down to my table with the ground scale I use for the rules. This was to get the approximate location of the various villages (woods seem to have been removed). This map helped me place the built up areas.

The blue rectangle shows the table area. The map has been turned anticlockwise slightly so the top is NNE

Following this, using the map on Kronoskaf I was able to place the woods which played a part in the manoeuvrings and excuses made by Sackville (the British cavalry commander later court-martialled for his failings on the day).

Finally I was going to use the map below from Wiki to lay-out the troops - the units shown accord with the order of battle on Kronoskaf. At the last minute I thought I might introduce a bit more uncertainty in proceedings and wind the clock back to a bit before the armies reached those positions.

Based on the German General Staff history of the SYW.

Apart from Wangenheim's corps in the north east, I pulled all the columns from both armies back. The idea is to do a bit of dice rolling to determine when the various French columns cross the Bastau (off map to the south). And then dice for when the allies hear that the French have crossed the Bastau. 

First a bit of historical context that will hopefully explain my thinking on the arrival of the columns. Ferdinand of Brunswick's plan was to lure the French into battle by posting Wangenheim off to the north, with a significant gap between him and the main army. Then when the French advanced north from Minden, Ferdinand's columns would sweep down on the French flank. It did not quite work out that way. Firstly, very strong winds muffled the movement of the French on the night of 31st July-1st August. Secondly, the French were not stupid. Whilst Broglie was despatched on the French right to deal with Wangenheim, the bulk of Contades' army was to provide over on his left. Thirdly, not all of Ferdinand's columns got off to a prompt start when given their orders. Sackville in command of the British *and some Hanoverian) cavalry was dilatory.  This sluggish start was later compounded when Sackville failed to take advantage of the French retreat.

View from behind the French. The town of Minden would be off to the bottom left.

Ferdinand's columns, minus Sackville. I will move these back a bit to start.

Sackville way, way back

The view from beyond the Bastau, looking north-ish.