"Favorite Battle from the Austro-Prussian War?" Topic

Which is your favorite battle from this war?

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Langensalza

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Gitshin

Battle of Trautenau
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Small enough to easily game, battle had some ebb and flow to it.

Trautenau or Nachod.

Langensalza!

Langensalza for me too, but if you're looking at the main campaign I'd have to say Nachod by a very slim margin. One of the things I like about the campaign is that all the battles are very gameable.

We recently played the Gitschin scenario from the Wyre Forest Gamers site; wfgamers.org.uk using a Fire & Fury 1866 variant for rules. A very good scenario to try as we found both sides get to be attacker and defender at various stages of the scenario. The Prussians only have half their force on table at the start compared to the Austrians who had everything on table (less some Saxon reinforcements that were scheduled to arrive late in the day).

In our game the Prussians maintained a tenuous hold on table as the Austrians launched an all out attack. This defence was only possible as the Prussians moved first and managed to secure defensive positions in the towns close to their initial deployment area. Waves of Austrians attacked their positions but still the Prussians held. It would of course only be a matter of time before the Prussians were pushed off table.

Fortunately for the Prussians, the rest of their units arrived just in the nick of time from the Prussian right hand table edge to prevent a total collapse. The arrival of these fresh Prussians units meant that the Austrians now had to re-deploy to meet the threat. The initiative had passed from the Austrians to the Prussians. If Gitschin fell then the Austrians would be cut off from any line of retreat. The Austrians, now on the defensive, put in a strong performance comparable to the Prussians at the start of the game.

Due to time constraints we had to finish the game with the Austrians managing to just about hold their own against the Prussians. But it would have been interesting to see if the Prussians could have taken Gitschin and thereby prevent the Saxon reinforcements arriving. Could the Austrians break through the Prussian defences at Gitschin and escape off table or would the Prussians cut off this line of retreat forcing a mass Austrian surrender? Think I may still have the scenario notes based on the one found at the Wyre Forest site if anyone is interested (will though have to check later today to confirm if I did keep these notes).

Ezza

Langensalza – One of those end of dynasty things coupled with the British Monarchy connection. Plus I used to live in the old Kingdom of Hanover and remember being entranced as a youngster at the Bomann Museum in Celle wich holds the old Hanovarian Army collection.

The whole war is fascinating, and I had a very enjoyable Langensalza game with Bruce Weigele at HCon 2 years ago; it's interesting to play relatively second-rate Prussians against the Hanoverians.

Along with several other posters, I think Tratuenau and Nachod provide the best game.

I'm surprised no one mentioned Custozza, which is pretty much a cluster file system check, but would provide some entertaining skirmish possibilities, especially Pulz's stereotypical impulsive cavalry charge.

One of the sad realities facing wargamers is that the Austrians put up such a poor effort and the war lasted only 6 weeks. Imagine the choice of battles we might have if the war had lasted 6 months or a year!

The Austrian Strategy was not planned or implemented well. The Austrian army tended to fight pretty well. It's very difficult to win when you are faced with the needlegun AND other Brigades or Corps that could help win a battle either never arrive or do so piecemeal. Think about an extra half Corps of Austrians at either Trautenau or Nachod. Or even if the Corps had all been committed at the same time. Likely the Prussians would have been routed. Sets up a very different Strategical situation for Moltke.

I believe that that the Austrians have a better chance to at least halt the Prussian offensive and force a political settlement than the French do later. The Prussian Army is not the finely honed weapon it is later in 1870 when facing the Austrians.

Thanks,

John

Munchengratz for me, after all having your victorious flank attack getting bogged down in a brewery and being good for nothing is so gamable….

Otherwise for balance it has to be Trautenau.

Konnigratz.

Lissa.

Trautenau is my favourite. And, of course, Custozza!