TD Campaign Game 1 (OHW #4)

Pre-battle situation and Game set-up

As reported in the previous post, Brigade A was despatched by General Karloff towards Vizalves, to tackle the force camped nearby. For this game I used two equal brigade size forces exactly as illustrated in the Portable Napoleonic Wargame. The battlefield was based on Scenario 4 of Neil Thomas's One Hour Wargames, Take the High Ground. (The game was basically the same as my trial game Take the Village - I even put the village on the hill). The hill and the village of Santa Theresa in Isolamenta were the objective; at the end of Turn 10, or when both sides reached exhaustion point (EP), the side in complete control of the hill would win the day. 

Map showing the first encounter in the Twin Duchies Campaign

Game

The defenders had two units already in position on the hill; the rest of the brigade were to arrive by the road (distinguished by the line of trees (imagine they run in a straight line from North to South please)).

Opening position 

Brigadier Albertos (Yellow) sent one battalion of infantry up the right flank to annoy the arriving defenders, but concentrated the bulk of his force on the objective.

Turn 2 - heavy fighting around the hill

Turn 4 - Casualties on both sides and a cavalry melee beyond the hill

Turn 6 - Violace's troops cling on to a corner of the hill

Turn 7 - Both sides reach Exhaustion Point but Brig. Albertos has his objective

Despite determined resistance, Violace's Third Brigade was defeated and must fall back and find a defensive position to stop the town of Vizalves being over-run.

For Brigadier Albertos, a Pyrrhic victory (?) perhaps, but reinforcements are on the way and he must soon push on to his main objective, controlling the road North.