The battle begins .at Tipplebruder ....

yes, this is text ... and just the moment of the beginning of the shooting phase of the game ...
I've got the pictures on disk, but I've got to get them on my confuser and then load them up here so that's going to take a week or so .... and so I'm going to start with these text files and then make a photo-journalism type report when the pictures are ready to upload ....


TIPPLE BRUDER BATTLE REPORT

Orders of Battle:

Alliance Forces:

Count Hans Trunkenbold von Misthaufen (2) commanding:

Brigade Maurice: (Dchy Grand Fenwick / Wittenburg)

IB Oberst v.Feldmouse: 24 @ (5) (red) (includes Tipplebruder militia)
Batttery V. Schweeky: 3 x 4 lb (Includes Tipplebruder guns)
-----
Hauptman Willhelm Streiker (1) (Hesse-Engleburg)
Garde du Corps Prinzessin Gertrude: 10 @ (7) + 1 marksmanship (pink)

Brigade v.Bruin
Brig. Ernst v. Bruin (0) (Saxe - Bearstein)
IR Lowenbrau : 24 @ (4) (red)
Grenadiers : 16 @ (6)
Battery : 1 x 9 lbr ; 2 x 3 lbr.
Freikorps Misthaufen: 24 @ (5) (blue)

Brigade Pferdschnauzen (0): (Actually led by the Hit Man)
Hussars composite: 18 @ (7)
Wstrasowo Dragoons : 24 @ (6)

Ranger Brigade:
Hauptman Sontag (1)
Composite Jagers: 12 @ (6) Skirmish, Rifle
Croats Misthaufen : 12 @ (4) Skirmish
Jagers Misthaufen: 16 @ (6) Skirmish, Rifle

Reserves:
Hit Man (Mieczyslaw ) (?)
from Soweiter League -- (Stanley McLaurel (1) )
-- Saxe-Urquhart 86th Highlanders : --24 figs, (6)
– Saxe-Bearstein / IR v. Urquell : 30 (-stragglers = 24) @ (5) (red)
– Wojskowo Piechota : 30 @ (7) (Late die, after deployment moves) (blue)







STAGONIAN FORCES: (white)

Major General Karl von Drednoz (1)

CR-1 von Kirschstein Kuirassier (500 x elite) – 20 figs, (8)

-- Brigadier Yves d'Amours (2)
Stagonian DR-9 Dragoons -- (4 x 125) = 500
Stagonian DR-10 Dragoons -- (2 x 125) = 250
30 figs, (6)
Icelauf Jagers (raw)
Blut Jagers (raw) --
12 figs, (5)

-- Brigadier Heinrich von Kroll (1)

IR-1 von Hirschbock (elite) -- Grenadiers : 24 figs, (7)
IR-2 du Breiz (veteran) -- 24 figs, (5)
IR-4 du Lepps (veteran) – 20 figs, (5)
IR-6 De Marmier (raw) -- 24 figs, (4)

-- Brigadier Lothar Oppenkopf (0)

IR-5 O'Duffy (veteran) -- 24 figs, (5)
IR-7 von Gruber (raw) -- 16 figs, (4)
IR-9 von Krinkle (raw) -- 20 figs, (4)
IR-10 St. Cyr (veteran) -- 20 figs, (5)

ARTILLERY (all veteran) --

Stagonia – 2 x 9 lb medium guns
Stagonia – 2 x 3 lb

(Item: due to available models, Alliance batteries are rolling 4 dice per stand while Stagonia is rolling 6 dice per stand) {Didn’t help much, though. Edie still out rolled my batteries every turn!}





Situation report, 10 AM

Stagonian forces driven in the picquets and skirmishers of the grungy Alliance back almost two miles, when they rallied on the Convent of St. Mary Hildegaard Kunnagunde of the Holy Rose Water. Even though Gen. Drednoz tried to enthuse his men with accounts of the plunder and virgins contained inside its stout stone walls, it proved impossible to bring enough force to bear through the bogs around the convent which were under continuous shell fire from the Tipplebruder forces. In the middle of January, however, an ice storm and hard freeze enabled the Stagonian artillery to be brought forward at night and placed close to the convent walls. Meanwhile Stagonian engineers braved the frigid waters of a minor stream to throw more bridges across the small stream between the Stagonian main force and the convent.

Gen. Drednoz had noticed that the Alliance forces were split .... a large force was guarding the egress of the highway from the forested hills (the Misthaufen Jaegers and Croats), and had formed a strong point around a country inn at the crossroads of the country path (Brigade v. Bruin) that Drednoz was using to advance in the flat lands and the highway. Another strong point had been established covering the bridgehead at Tipplebruder (Brigade Maurice), while the Alliance cavalry seemed to be held back in reserve.. The center of the Alliance line, however, appeared but weakly held, though the standard of Count Trunkenbold could be seen there.

Stagonian plans:
Drednoz thus ordered his Jaegers to make a demonstration on the highway approach in the hills in order to fix as many forces on that flank as possible. These small battalions were combined and performed outstanding service, holding almost twice their numbers in the hills during most f the battle. Their efforts were aided by the rumors of strange cavalry in the mountains which had been slyly planted in his foe’s army Meanwhile, he directed Brigadiers v Kroll and Oppenkopf to first clear the convent and then use their first line to pin the forces in either stronghold while their second line was to advance and seize the road between those two points. After this, Gen. Drednoz hoped to bring his superior cavalry force to bear to drive off the Alliance cavalry and force the isolated strong points to yield.

Tipplebruder plans:
Count Trunkenbold hoped to draw the Stagonians onto his barriers, where his infantry could decimate them with musketry. He anticipated the Stagonian drive into the middle but felt that with most of the enemy forces tied up on the strong points, his cavalry would be sufficient to drive them back across the highway. Furthermore, the Count was aware that while there was mysterious cavalry in the mountains, two more infantry battalions of high repute were rushing to the field to aid him. Thus he counted on his own light troops to hold the junction of the mountain path long enough that the inn strong point could redeploy to prevent the strangers from overrunning his lines. Further, on the shoulders of the gap, he had posted two small but elite battalions, and had ordered McLaurel to bring his highlanders into position there.
The only ticklish point was how long the composite jaegers could hold the convent, and thus buy time for the reinforcements to arrive on the field. Meanwhile, the Count dispatched Hauptman Streiker to the roadblock held by his own light infantry to see if any further intelligence on the strange cavalry could be gathered.