Saxony 1745 - Campaign Moves from 25th November to 13th December

From the campaign diary for today's moves.

25th November

Frederick takes Görlitz. Leopold receives the order to invade Saxony.

Contact between Buchner and Ziethen north of Zittau at Leube by the Lausitzer-Neisse. Ziethen routs the Saxons (see previous post).

Up north Grünne inches closer to Berlin.

26th November

Grünne is now on the outskirts of Berlin when he gets news of Frederick’s incursion from Silesia. He spends a day re-organising his supplies and resting his troops for the march back south.

Charles retreats into Bohemia.

Diemer reaches Leipzig.

27th November

Frederick marches to Zittau (rolled a 5: 1,2 = Weissenberg, 3-6 = Zittau).

Grünne reaches Königswesterhausen.

28th and 29th November

Not much happens other than Grünne marching via Trebbin to Jüteborg

30th November

Frederick despatches Lehwaldt to Meissen (rolled a 6 on 27th to determine which day Lehwaldt leaves the main army).

Leopold leaves Halle and arrives at Schkeuditz. Diced to see if Renard and Diemer stand and fight. The Saxons have a slight numerical advantage in infantry but are inferior in cavalry and are outgunned. 1-4 retreat, 5,6 retreat. Rolled a 5 but the -1 for S-W still being in command, urging caution). Renard and Diemer retreat on the Torgau route to Dresden (1-4 via shorter Grimma route, 5,6 via Torgau).

Grünne reaches Luckau.

1st December

Leopold arrives before Leipzig and calls for it to surrender. Frederick remains at Zittau ensuring Charles has well and truly passed through the mountains into Bohemia.

Grünne rests at Luckau after 4 days of marching.

Lehwaldt arrives at Bautzen.

The end of a hard day's marching on the sandy soils of the Brandenburg-Saxon border lands for Grünne's Austrian force. The Sun sets early in December.

2nd December

Leipzig surrenders to Leopold.

Lehwaldt arrives at Königswartha.

Renard and Diemer reach Riesa on their march to Dresden

Frederick marches to Löbau but leaves Ziethen with 20 squadrons of hussars to watch Zittau.

Grünne reaches Übigau.

3rd December

Renard and Diemer join together Meissen, just one march short of Dresden. Meanwhile Grünne reaches Grossenhain.

Hearing that the Austrians are heading down from Brandenburg and the Saxons control Meissen, Lehwaldt remains at Königswartha, not wishing to get trapped (i.e.I rolled a 1 when a 3-6 would have resulted in an advance to contact Grünne).

Leopold collects the abandoned Saxon stores at Leipzig. Frederick reaches Bautzen. Zithen edges up to Löbau, having left strong patrols in the pass south of Zittau.

4th December

Leopold leaves Leipzig for Torgau.

Grünne crosses the Elbe Meissen. Diemer and Renard reunite with Rutowski at Dresden giving them a force of 45 s, 4 pulks of uhlans, 22 heavy guns and 31 battalions, excluding Grünne’s 8000 Austrians.

Ziethen joins Frederick at Bautzen. Lehwaldt moves forward to Grossenhain.

5th-7th December

A quiet few days generally. Leopold marches into Torgau on 5th and spends the next day organising supplies. On the 7th the Old Dessauer (Leopold) arrives at Riesa

8th December

Grünne blows up the bridge over the Elbe and leaves Meissen to avoid being caught by the superior forces of Leopold. Leopold enters the town after the Austrians have left. Lehwaldt arrives at the Elbe opposite Meissen.

9th December

The bridge demolition has been bungled in Grünne’s rush. Repairs can be effected within a day. (i.e. I diced for the effectiveness of the charges, and as in the historical case, the bridge can be repaired quickly).

Grünne joins with the combined Saxon army at Dresden. The Austrians and Saxons hold a council of war in the Saxon capital and elect to target Leopold first before tackling Frederick (History repeats itself on a roll of 3!). Frederick decides to take the northern route to Dresden via Meissen rather than risk a contested crossing of the Elbe.

10th December

Lehwaldt finally crosses the Elbe and joins Leopold.

11th December

Leopold's combined force advances on Dresden. Rutowski opts to wait for the Austrians. Frederick at arrives Grossenhain, just one march from the Elbe at Meissen.

12th December

Frederick reaches Meissen.
 Meanwhile in Dresden, Sachsen-Weissenfels is removed as effective commander-in-chief by the Elector-King.

Emboldened by having his fetters removed, Rutowski decides to march out to confront Leopold before the two Prussian armies can concentrate.

13th December

As Charles re-enters Saxony at Königstein (just two marches from Dresden), Leopold and Rutowski fight the Battle of Plauen.

The area southwest of Dresden. The distance from Plauen in the northeast of the map to Eckersdorf in the southwest is about 1 German Mile or c 4.7 English Miles. Part of the battlefield of the historical battle of Kesselsdorf can be seen at the top left (Kesselsdorf right at the edge below Zöllmen).

Campaign map on 13th December before the Battle of Plauen