Possible Campaign Idea

Progress on my list of jobs has slowed right down in recent weeks. In odd moments I've clipped off old flags and stuck on new ones. So far I have given all French infantry units with 2 flags a Colonel's Colour (a white cross on a white background, I kid you not*). The Ordonnance Colours are the colours with colours. I'll get round to those, but it's slow and fiddly. I'll still have to paint on the cavalry colours and ones for the Swiss (very tricky as shown in this link: Wittmer regimental Ordonnance ) and the Irish. The Irish ones are a bit simpler than the Swiss. And then I have the Reichsarmee to do.

If I'm to get a New Year campaign in, as per the previous two years, I need to get some plans made. And in the process skip from task 8 to task 14 on the list.

Tentative Order	Job
1	Finish river pieces
2	Check stock of magnetic paper and bases
4	Paint houses
3	Order storage boxes
5	Paint walls
6	Paint and base trees
7	Rebase Greeks and Persians
8	Flag SYW figures (French priority)
9	Try Alala!
10	Try Siege Works rules
11	Paint wagons and gun teams
12	Decide what to do with SYW odds and sods
13	Paint petard crews etc
14	Prepare New Year Campaign
15	Paint sheep
16	Paint pack animals
17	Paint villagers (6 and 10mm)
18	Make fortress
19	Ottoman painting guide
20	Order Irregular Ottoman army
21	Paint Ottomans
22	Run ECW siege campaign
23	Make AWI boats
24	Maybe rebase some Romans
25	Build & paint sailing ships

Previous years campaigns can be seen here The War of the Austrian Succession in Europe and here The War of the Austrian Succession in Italy

I was stuck for ideas. After the WAS the obvious one is the SYW. Too obvious really. And a bit samey. I could go for another period* or narrow down the scope. I thought briefly of the Low Countries in the War of the Austrian Succession and then I listened to the Prime and Load podcast on the Battle of Kesselsdorf. I've refought the battle a couple of times (here for example) but the brief campaign that it was part of intrigues me.

* I thought of doing an ECW campaign 4+ years ago. But that would be too long a game for the holiday period.

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The campaign in Saxony in late 1745 was relatively short. The campaign didn't really kick off until late November and it was, for once, all over by Christmas. The Austrian and Saxon allies had been plotting to invade Brandenburg and bring the Prussians to their knees. Frederick wanted to pounce first, but held back for fear of triggering the Saxon-Russian defensive alliance. The Russians weren't involved in the War of the Austrian Succession (except right at the end, when they sent an army to Germany) but were bound to take up arms against an aggressor (most likely Prussia?) who invaded Saxony. However, Frederick of Prussia knew that there was a proviso in the Saxon-Russian agreement that would nullify the invasion clause. If Saxon neutrality was infringed before any invasion of the country took place, Russia would not come to Saxony's aid. Frederick also knew that Austria was planning to feed troops through Saxony to join the invasion of Brandenburg. He just had to wait for the Austrians to cross the border then he could launch his pre-emptive strike from two directions confident that the Russians would not get involved. Frederick would strike from Silesia in the east, and Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau from the west.

In rough terms, each of the two Prussian armies were equal in size to the Saxon field army. The Saxons had the help of a small Austrian corps transferred from the war against French, and over the border in Bohemia there was an Austrian army under Prince Charles of Lorraine. Frederick wanted Leopold to attack quickly and keep up the pressure on the Saxons. The Saxons intended to play for time until the Austrians arrived in theatre. The Saxon fortresses were not very well maintained, and were garrisoned by poorly trained and poorly armed troops. In the actual campaign the Saxons did not intend to try to hold onto places like Leipzig or Dresden for long if they came under siege. Leopold was more of a classic 18th century commander than Frederick, and was keen to ensure his force was adequately supplied and its supply lines protected. Frederick was less concerned about such matters.

So this seems to set-up some intriguing possibilities:

• The speed of Leopold's advance: how much time will be spent securing supply lines.
• The speed of Charles' advance and its possible interception by Frederick.
• How adept Saxon field commander Rutowski would be in foiling and delaying the Prussians.

I've dusted off my copy of Querengässer's book on Kesselsdorf to read the account of the campaign and I will make notes on the sizes and composition of forces, as far as it allows. Also. I'll note any key decision points and dice for options to be taken by the respective commanders. Then I'll draft some simple movement and supply guides and a campaign map. Previous New Year campaigns used stands of figures as tokens for large formations and a hexed battle cloth as the basis of the map. Battles were highly abstracted affairs. This time I'm thinking of conducting the campaign on a map, with any battles played out as traditional tabletop figures wargames. That is the state of my thinking at present.