The second action of the Summer 1603 was based around the Danish invasion of Poland. The Danes, in command of the Baltic, landed in Pomerelia, This was the result of long-standing Muscovite diplomacy in setting everyone on their borders against each other. The Danes had moved inland, and local Polish forces rallied against them.
Being local forces, the Poles were drawn randomly. This gave me a slight headache, as I drew 5 bases of winged hussars. Firstly, as local forces, I was doubtful that nearly half the army would consist of hussars, and secondly, I only have 4 bases. Another draw was called for, which turned up an army of 3 winged hussars, 2 pancerni, 4 light horse, and 3 shot, which felt a bit more realistic. The Danes, being a field army, had 5 cuirassiers, 1 mounted arquebusier, 2 pike, and 4 shot. I suspected that this might be an interesting mix of armies for the action, the Polish advantage in cavalry offset by the fact that a lot of them were light horse, and the Danish advantage in foot being narrowed by the quantities of Polish shot.
The terrain was a bit tricky, as well. Aside from the road, the Danes got the interesting bits, which also gave them a slight deployment problem.
Above, the Danes are to the left, their rearmost infantry regiment on the top of a hill, the foremost on the lower slopes. Their real problem is the wood, which has left their left wing cuirassiers looking a bit isolated. The Poles deployed with the winged hussars nearest the camera, covered by some light horse, and the pancerni on the other wing. The shot were in the centre, also with light horse.
The plan for the Danes was to stand generally on the defensive and let the enemy come to them, especially the foot up a hill, where I reckoned they would be able to stand against the Polish horse. The Poles aimed to get their foot into action against the Danish front regiment, where they reckoned a firepower advantage would tell. Despite the appearances, I did not think the Polish cavalry advantage was that great, so I needed the light horse to create some disorder, or preferably attrition, before the heavies could go in.
Sort of predictably, the wings turned into a very cagey affair, with neither side willing to commit or move into charge range. Given the evenness of the cavalry match-up, this seemed fair enough, and the light horse on both wings was engaged to try to create an advantage. In the centre, the Polish shot have closed in and are starting a musketry duel with the front Danish regiment.
A few moves later, and the situation on the Danish right, nearest the camera, is largely unchanged. On their left, however, the Polish light horse have succeeded, against the odds, in routing one of the cuirassier bases. The other is being withdrawn to the centre to avoid further losses. In the centre, the Danes have abandoned their defensive posture and attacked the Polish forces down the hill, with some success, although not decisively as yet.
It started to get a wee bit complicated. The Danish foot started to rout their foes, while the Polish general, sensing an opportunity, started to position a base of hussars to take them in flank. Seeing the risk, the Danes started their second regiment moving up. Meanwhile, the victorious Polish right has started to turn in towards the centre in the hope of further discomforting the Danish foot.
The above is a shot from above and behind the Danish rear. More of the Polish foot has been routed in the top left. The base of hussars we noticed last shot has charged the victorious Danish foot in flank and routed them (the Danish general survived), except for the left-hand shot base, which was charged and routed by the Polish right-wing pancerni. On the Danish right, both sides are still watching each other closely, while the light horse duel.
While great swathes of both armies flee, the battle developed around the second Danish foot regiment. The remaining Polish shot, now led by the general, attacked, not entirely successfully. Meanwhile, the Danish left wing cavalry, now in the centre, charged one of the pancerni bases pursuing some Danish shot and routed it. On the Polish left, things are still a bit static, while the Polish right-wing light horse trots around seeking a target.
Eventually, getting a bit desperate, the Polish left, although outnumbered, charged. One base of cuirassiers was routed, while the second base of hussars was repelled. As seen. The infantry fight was resolved by the Danish general turning a base of pikes onto the flank of the Poles, routing them, and also getting the general. Ouch.
Both sides were required to make morale rolls, however. The Poles were 10 points down and rolled for a withdrawal. The Danes were also 10 points down and rolled a withdrawal. Scattered and exhausted, both forces drew apart.
I suspect I made a few mistakes with both sides in this game. The Pole relied too much, as it turned out, on their shot. These did well but were never going to take out 6 bases of Danish infantry. They could also have made better use of their pancerni, once it was freed from their right. It was unnecessary to have both bases charge the lone Danish shot base they routed, and it left them vulnerable behind Danish lines. The final charge of the hussars could have gone better, but did, ultimately, I suppose, get them the draw.
The Danes were perhaps a bit too cautious. They probably did not need to deploy their left wing beyond the woods, although I was concerned about being outflanked. This was a correct worry, as they were, but it was not a serious as I thought it might be. They were also probably too slow to move the second regiment of foot up, which might have led to the unnecessary loss of the first regiment. Things to ponder, tactically, anyway.
Strategically, the draw means that the Danes are clinging to a toehold on the north coast of Poland, but the remains of the army desperately need reinforcements. The Polish field armies are, of course, currently employed in the Crimea, so it is quite a long march to restore the position in the north. We shall see what happens next….
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