Putschdorf, the Sixth!

But whilst the situation on the Rotenburg right flank looks increasingly precarious, Saxe-Peste still has plenty of fight left in him. If the Nabstrians can place pressure on the Rotenburg flank, so Saxe-Peste can do the same to Rumpfler!

(Above) The Rotenburg left flank infantry advances to take on the cavalry and light troops guarding the Nabstrian right. The Nabstrian hussars chafe at the bit. 'Let me charge!  Damn your eyes!  Let me charge!', shouts von Pfanenstiel. Rumpfler, however, is too experienced a soldier to allow his cavalry to throw themselves headlong into fresh enemy infantry.

Instead, (below) deciding not to waste time volleying, he maintains his aim - the crushing of the enemy flank. It is time to charge!

Badly disrupted, the isolated Rotenburg battalion succumbs to a bayonet attack by twice its number of Nabstrian troops. (Below) The Rotenburgers rout. And so, with much splashing and cursing, the Nabstrian infantry finally manage to clear the swamp – Rumpfler has held his nerve and his attack looks like it may regain its lost momentum!

As the brave Rotenburg flank guard finally succumbs to the pressure, the Nabstrian infantry begin to pour murderous fire onto the elite Rotenburg cavalry. (Below) 'We’re facing the wrong way!  We need to charge those scoundrels!' shouts the commander of Rotenburg's Honevell's Horse. Riders tumble to the ground.

(Below) Saxe-Peste holds his nerve, however. Pushing onwards with his remaining troops, he brings the enemy light troops and cavalry within range of his muskets. If the Nabstrians wish to volley into his cavalry, then Saxe-Peste can now reply against theirs!

Whilst the Rotenburg army's morale is now under threat, Saxe-Peste hopes that a little luck with his firing, and one more march to place his infantry on the flank of the Nabstrian lines, might just be able to pull his chestnuts out of the fire!

Putschdorf, the Fifth!

Volleys are exchanged. The fighting becomes desperate as Rumpfler attempts to crush the Rotenburg flank. Saxe-Peste's troops continue to resist, but their musketry fails at crucial moments to have a decisive effect. (Below) But what’s this? Under punishing Nabstrian volleys, a key Rotenburg unit breaks under the pressure, enabling the Nabstrians to close up…

Nevertheless, the Rotenburg troops continue to put in their fire. Both sides deliver lethal volleys against one another.

(Above) Then, after severe pounding, the lead Nabstrian unit breaks as well! But the concentration of Nabstrian troops at this point in the line means that there are plenty of other battalions behind. O’Leary’s mercenaries (in red) suddenly find themselves taking up the lead…

(Above, at the top) Taking a risky break from rallying his troops, Saxe-Peste continues to manoeuvre the rest of his line towards the Nabstrian forces. If they can move quickly enough, they may be able to bring themselves onto the flanks of the Nabstrian infantry, as well as bringing the enemy cavalry and artillery under musketry fire. But the situation is difficult. The previous loss of the infantry battalion has split the Rotenburg line into two portions, compounding Saxe-Peste's command and control difficulties.

(Above) Eventually, the Rotenburg unit in the swamp breaks and runs. (Below) The Rotenburg flank is now covered only by a single Rotenburg infantry regiment, and a considerable quantity of horses backsides.

Putschdorf, the Fourth!

March! March!  Into the Marsh! With a squelch and a splash the Nabstrians plunge straight into the bog! What is Rumpfler thinking?

Well, while the unit on the left flank fires on the retreating Rotenburg cavalry, Rumpfler is determined to keep his formation and simply exert inexorable pressure on the Rotenburgers.  He is sure that if he just keeps moving forward that he will be able to outflank and fire on the Rotenburgers, bringing overwhelming numbers to bear.

(Above) Saxe-Peste carefully manoeuvres his flank unit to cover his line.  With the Nabstrians splashing about in the marsh, they won’t be able to fire on his men. Since the Nabstrian infantry are packed into a narrow frontage, the Furst orders his own infantry forwards. A Rotenburg infantry battalion is pushed forwards to a point in front of the marsh that makes it impossible for the Nabstrian troops to clear the bog without also engaging the unit in combat (with all the disadvantages that that entals). The remainder of Saxe-Peste's infantry begin to manoeuvre with the eventual purpose of swinging onto the flank of the Nabstrian infantry.

(Above) But what’s this?  The Rotenburg unit in front of the marsh, instead of holding firm suffers a terrible bout of confusion and marches straight forwards into the boggy ground!  How could this have happened?  Saxe-Peste practically gave the order to the Colonel himself! Which might, of course, have been the root of the problem.

(Below) With the Nabstrians still floundering about in the marsh, Saxe-Peste orders up the rest of his infantry. Volleys begin to thunder across the field…

The Nabstrians certainly have the advantage in numbers – their battalions loom threateningly through the musket smoke – but those numbers mean nothing when the leading battalions are stuck in a swamp. Saxe-Peste's plan to block Rumpfler's advance seems to be working…