With the indecisive first action of the war, on the outskirts of Pfungzig, the forces of Baron Kastor Leitdorf retired back inside the town, while the vanguard of Hardenburg's marines returned to re-group with the rest of the column. Both sides having re-grouped Kastor set out to engage the advancing Hardenburgers. The two armies met just outside Pfungzig, ready to fight for the fate of the town.
For this battle we used Pike and Shotte rules, using the Pavia armylists the represent our Imperial armies. The armylists were as follows
The Hardenburg Marines
- Seneschal Pietr, grandmaster of the knights of the Black Bear, General of Hardenburg - CinC
Knights' Brigade - Chaplain of Ursun - Brigadier
- Knights of the Black Bear - gendarmes
- Knights of the Black Bear - gendarmes
- Knights of the Black Bear - gendarmes
Household Brigade - Captain Karayagin the Kislevite - Brigadier
- Greatswords - gallowglass
- Greatswords - gallowglass
- Outriders - reiters
- Outriders - reiters
- Hellblaster volley gun - medium artillery
Militia Brigade - Warrior priest Yann the Bold - Brigadier
- City spearmen - pikemen
- City handgunners - arquebusiers
- Averlander rural peasants - militia
- Averlander rural peasants - militia
- Rocket battery - light artillery
Averlanders under Baron Kastor Leitdorf
- Baron Kastor Leitdorf on Griffon - CinC & mounted men at arms
Knights Brigade - mounted captain - Brigadier
- Knights of the Blazing Sun - gendarmes
- Knights of the Blazing Sun - gendarmes
- Knights of the Blazing Sun - gendarmes
Heavy Infantry Brigade - Raimund Leitdorf (Kastor's Nephew) - Brigadier
- Greatswords - gallowglass
- Spearmen - pikemen
- Halbediers - pikemen
- Fire wizard - medium artillery
Swords Brigade - Leitdorf (Kastor's brother and Raimund's father) - Brigadier
- Swordsmen - Swordsmen
- Swordsmen - Swordsmen
- Crossbowmen - arquebusiers
- City garrison - militia
- Saker gun - heavy artillery
- Battle wizard - heavy artillery
The battle started with a general Hardenburg advance. The Black Bear knights advanced towards their opposites while the greatswords moved to take up positions in the centre. The Hellblaster opened fire on the heavy infantry brigade, but the long range shots missed their targets.
On the right the spearmen advanced into the orchard, while the handgunners made their way up to the wall around the fields. On the otherside of the fields, the rural peasants miss interpreted Yann's orders to support the spearmen, instead advancing up their left towards the enemy artillery.
On the left the knights of the Blazing Sun moved towards the Black Bears, so that an imminent clash seemed inevitable.
With the Hardenburg militia advancing through the orchard, the Leitdorfs' swordsmen marched forward into the fields, while the crossbowmen raced half way across the fields. To their right Kator's gun fired on the rebellious Averlander peasantry.
Yann's brigade continued their advance into the fields, the spearmen entering the orchard, as the peasants moved forward. Finding their rockets out of range, Bernardo Belletto (Hardenburg's master of experimental artillery) supervised the rocket crew in moving their battery forward.
Lowering their lances and raising their hammers, the knights of the Black Bear charged forwards, the knights of the Blazing sun moving forwards to counter charge them. The two lines clashed in a crash of metal, while the second line of Black Bear knights and a unit of Outriders, from the household brigade, supported the fight.
The fight, which had seemed so in the Black Bears' favour, ended in a rather unexpected fashion. The unit on the Blazing Suns' right smashed the opposing Black Bears out of the way and made contact with their supporting unit, throwing them back too. However by this point they had taken so many casualties that they themselves had to put back too. In their centre however the Blazing Suns were thrown back by the Black Bears who beat them again and pushed them straight back beyond the woods.
The fight left both sides with heavy casualties, but the Black Bears were much worse off than had been expected. The Blazing Suns' counter-charge had been more or less a success.
With the centre unit of the Black Bears so far forwards, the Blazing Suns, lead by their brigade commander, moved in for the kill.
In the fields the fight had also started. Leitdorf's swordsmen dashed across the cropfields and into contact with the gandgunners, taking closing fire from the Hardenburgers. As the troops advanced the Averlander battle wizard brought down a blast on the spearmen in the orchard.
Having surrounded the Black Bears' lead unit, the Blazing Suns destroyed the group, sending any survivors packing.
Having recovered from Leitdorf's counter attack, the greatswords began to push forwards in the centre (Karayagin personally leading them, having rallied the unit after it took a blast from the fire wizard). On the left the Outriders made a wild charge into the Knights of the Blazing Sun, while the Hellblaster opened fire on their commander's unit, disordering them.
With their brave charge the Outriders sent the knights packing, though they themselves broke as a consequence. The Black Bears slowly began to advance forwards again, while the Blazing Suns reeled from their recent blows.
Approaching the Pfungzig garrison, the Averlander rebels charged forward. The peasant supporters of Leitdorf and Von Alptraum clashed in a fierce combat (for which both sides received the 'bad war' rules), but the townsmen had the best of it and broke the rural peasants.
By some incredible feat of combat the handgunners, having been forced back by the Swordsmen in the previous round of combat, stood firm as the Swordsmen charged again and somehow managed to break them in the fight!
But meanwhile, in the orchard, the other unit of Swordsmen had charged into contact with the Hardenburger spearmen (now personally lead by Yann the Bold), supported by the Pfungzig militia. The fight appeared as if it would be one-sided, but all was still to fight for on the right.
On the left the Blazing Suns had reformed on the left of Reimund's heavy infantry brigade. In an attempt to dislodge them a unit of the Prince's greatswords and the lead Black Bears charged their position. The Blazing Suns counter-charged the Black Bears, but the Black Bears smashed apart the unit, sending the knights into flight.
The greatswords too achieved success, breaking apart the Averlander spearmen, and coming face to face with the last Knights of the Blazing Sun.
In a feat of defiance, the spearmen under Yann in the orchard, somehow managed to break the opposing swordsmen, sending them running back through the ranks of the Pfungzig militia. By a remarkable fortune the assault by the swordsmen units on the right had been beaten off by the Hardenburg city troops.
With the last round of bloodshed, the army of Hardenburg seemed to have the upper hand.
However, with the greatswords now forward and exposed, the knights and Averlander halbediers charged in. The prince's guards were flanked and broken, however the casualties sustained by the knights were enough to send them from the field too!
Charging into the fray, Kator Leitdorf on his griffon, swooped down into the approaching outriders, ripping apart the unit! But would it be enough to close the gap...
At this point the battle ended, and losses were considered.
Pietr had lost 1 unit of knights, 2 of outriders, 1 of greatswords and 1 of Averlander rebels, while Kastor had lost 3 units of knights, and their brigade commander, 2 of swordsmen and 1 of spearmen (5 units broken to 6 and a commander). Kastor had had a brigade completely destroyed, while much of the household brigade had also been destroyed. Taking this into consideration the battle was declared a Hardenburg victory, though a close one, with heavy losses on both sides.
Grand master Pietr had won the first battle of the campaign, which, while being close, was nevertheless decisive. Having taken Pfungzig the merchant council in Hardenburg would be sure to allow (through financial support) the Prince's invasion in support of the Von Alptraums. It was too early to tell which way the war would swing, but the men of Hardenburg could now be hopeful it would not end before it had started.
Having been wounded in the first action, a few weeks before, Kastor had had a bad day, despite early success in beating back the Black Bear's supported charge, the battle had gradually swung against him, and now he was being forced to retire. It was a blow, but it would probably not decrease his support among the nobles, and may even increase it amongst the western urban population. However the door had been open for a Hardenburger invasion of the east which may well see an increase in support for the Von Alptraums amongst the rural peasantry of the east.
After the victory outside Pfungzig, the Hardenburger marines invested the town, while Kastor and his force headed back along the road towards Bieswang. Meanwhile the Grand Army of Hardenburg, having crossed the river and awaiting the fall of Pfungzig, set out for Grezstadt: the home of the knights of the Black Bear...
by B
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