Accidental encounter

French and German forces meet unexpectedly in the forests of Alsace

The sun was already well past its peak. German forces were struggling forward through areas of forest, intent upon making the town of Wintzenheim before dark. There had been no sign of the defending French forces they had been briefed to expect. It was now a simple march, but the division commander, a cautious man by nature, had decided to deploy in a more cautious manner as he edged forward, less and less sure that nothing lay in front of him. The stream to the west of Wintzenheim would form a natural defensive boundary for the evening allowing the already footsore infantry a chance to east and rest. As troops deployed to make the last kilometres of their day's march, word came back that French troops had been sighted.

The scene is set for this fictional encounter in which a French and a German division collide in an encounter in heavily wooded landscape. The game was fought between Jon and Robin in January 2020, using Jon's 10mm armies. The game was of course fought using the Great War Spearhead rules.

The battlefield as seen from the south, the French forces entering from the west (left) table edge, the Germans entering from the east (right) table edge.

The German plan, with three regiments heading west, while a fourth regiment acting as advanced guard had managed to get further forward, seeking any French forces in the area . It was to enter on the German left (the bottom of the photo) as a flank march on turn 3. The 3rd regiment was held back in the centre as a reserve, just in case French force should appear.

The forces begin to close

French artillery advancing to take up positions in support of their infantry

German infantry advance

77mmm field guns advancing in support of their infantry, intent on getting up close and personal with the enemy

Overview after turn 2

The German division pushes forward.

The German left, advancing on Wintzenheim

The German advanced guard regiment enters from the German left (upper left of the photo)

The position on the German right

The forces facing off across the stream

First shots

The German right settled into defensive posture. The German commander anticipated action on his left

However the French commander committed his reserve regiment, supported by a brigaded artillery regiment, in an attack on his left, towards the German right

The German forces organising themselves in order to begin the assault on the French right

Artillery regiment 'brigaded' on table to support the German assault. We had to use Turkish models to proxy as Jon didn't have enough german guns painted

French divisional cavalry (Cuirassiers) waiting in reserve.

The firefight begins on the German right

French infantry suppressed by direct artillery fire

Opening shots against the German left

German command of the right flank regiment

The German flank march begins to push forward against the French right, advancing two battalions to the stream

German left flank infantry pushing ahead

The intensity of the firefight grows

The advancing German left flank attack comes under fire, with 2 companies eliminated

However German fire begins to hit the French forces at the 'angle', that point where their flank is refused, and their position turns back at right angles

Fire supporting the german left flank attack strengthens

The French assault on the German right can be seen approaching at the extreme right of the photo, but it tracts heavy fore form the defending infantry, and the two batteries of 77mm guns firing in direct support.

The intensity of fire coming down on the French assault is clearly seen here.

Meanwhile the volume of German fire coming down on the French 'angle' on their left can be seen with the gaps appearing in the French position

But not without cost as the German infantry take casualties

The German right is under a lot of pressure, taking casualties

The small wood at the centre of the right flank German regiment's defensive position ... two infantry companies have been eliminated, and the position is tenuous with only a HMG company occupying the terrain. The MMG company now needs to advance tot he edge of the wood to be able to fire.

The left flank firefight is also not a one sided affair. The infantry company being supported by the field gun battery is eliminated in the firefight. There is a reserve company behind that is ready to advance to the firefight

The French troops in the 'angle' under extreme pressure now

The German left flank assault is putting pressure on the French right

The German reserve is committed, but not in support of the left flank assault as had been anticipated in the deployment, but to shore up the right flank.

Faulty asset allocation and deployment has meant that a regiment of 77mm guns has been sitting in the forest in reserve, when it could have been used more effectively giving support throughout the battle. It now has to make its painful way out in order to give support to the reserve regiment.

Darkness was descending, and all thought of further action had to be abandoned. The German right was vulnerable, while the attack on the left could easily 'run out of puff'. Who knows how the action might develop with the dawning of the new day.

This was our first game in quite some time, so we deliberately kept it small. Not all of the division assets were deployed. Interestingly we both opted to deploy all of our artillery on table, most of it in direct support of the infantry regiments. The effectiveness of field guns against troops in woods was clear before we even began, despite the time that had elapsed since we last played.

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse