Assault at Feuchtsting Heights

  • Assault at Feuchsting


    After weeks of preparation the Franco Spanish alliance launched a major assault against the Germanic confederation positions.


    Weeks of victories in minor skirmishes had given them the feeling that the Germanics were ready to be ousted from their defensive lines.


    L’Cul led the Franco Spanish assisted by Spanish second in command Capitain Manuel U’snavy Ufarte, the Spanish commander Capitain Jose Fernando de Sagras y San Miguel being absent from the battlefield for several weeks. The Franco Spanish were joined in the action by their barbary ally Sheik Yahmuni who was keen to take the opportunity to loot the Germanics supply chain.


    Unfortunately for his allies L’Cul’s ‘weeks of preparation’ seemed to entail him partying and gathering up copious amounts of brandy rather than actual military preparation. A bit like an 18th Century Boris Johnson except not bothering to conceal the booze in a suitcase.


    For their part the Germanics were led by the ever optimistic Count von Wulfenbuttal. It take a special sort of leader to remain ever confident when every action points to imminent collapse but von Wufenbuttal was a specialist in the triumph of hope over experience- almost to the point of delusion.


    His allies were the doughty Prussian Luchs the younger, a commander with a family history of dying chained to his artillery and the Austrian Baron von Schnitzel. An aggressive commander who somehow seemed to struggle to ever get near enough to the enemy to be aggressive.



    The Germanics lined their defensive positions on a low hill line and awaited the assault. Von Wulfenbuttal on seeing all the other forces taking a battery of heavy artillery decided he’d take two batteries, he couldn’t be seen to be out-artilleried by all these other upstarts. In fact his assembled forces seemed to comprise artillery and cavalry. That was his sort of force, none of this infantry shenanigans. This did have the effect of causing the Prussians to need to lend him some of their infantry. A decision which would cost them later in the battle.


    Selecting the tallest hill Von Wulfenbuttal set up his battery and surveyed the scene. This was the way to fight a battle.


    On the Franco Spanish side things didn’t start well. L’Cul took to the field in an inebriated state and as the first of von Wulfenbuttal’s cannon balls flew overhead he fell from his horse and had to be escorted from the field. His troops promptly decided that with their commander absent they would put on a minimum display required and then leave the field which they did in their entirety.


    On the right flank the Spanish marched forward gamely and the Austrians clung on to their hill line defences. In the end the assistance of von Wulfenbuttal’s batteries swung a close run action in favour of the Germanics.


    The Prussians however were having a tougher time of it. Sheik Yahmuni’s barbaries had managed to sneak forward pre battle and launched an effective skirmishing action which in combination with their artillery saw off the Prussian cavalry and guns. True to family tradition Luchs was the last man at the guns.


    The barbary light cavalry managed to reach the Prussian lines where, out of sight, they rested up for a while (who needs to fight formed infantry) before heading off to raid the Germanics baggage train.


    Von- Wulfenbuttal had his cavalry intact at the end of the action and rather than helping his Prussian or Austrian allies seemed content to have them do a sort of dressage activity below the hill where his guns were situated.


    With the Germanics holding two out of the three defensive positions it was a clear victory for them and for once von Wulfenbuttal’s hope did actually triumph over the collective Germanics experience.

  • it seemed to be the absence of Spanish donkey Mounted officers that lost the allies the battle.......and obviously L'Cul abandoning the gun.....clearly death or promotion has no meaning for him!!