Terra Ferra

The World of Terra Fere a wargame campaign

User Tools

Site Tools


attack_on_the_watch_tower

Attack on the Watch Tower

Leo Hagemeister was pleased. If all went well he would be the commander history would remember as turning the Kellerite position. He had no illusion that he had been chosen for any particular skill but simply the happy circumstance that his was the regiment on the extreme right of the Hoysee line. The Grand Duke was not particularly pleased as he had wanted to lead the attack but was persuaded that he was best mounting the diversion further south. The Kellerite forces held the ridge in front of Kliene-hoysee. Both sides trying to build up reinforcements. It was this desperate race which had hatched this plan. If Hoysee could seize the end of the ridge overlooking the entrance to Kliene-hoysee port with siege guns which were at this moment making their way to the front the flow of reinforcements to the semi besieged Kellerite troops could be cut or at least give Hoysee an advantage in building up troops.

He viewed the ridge line. Kellerite troops moved around in view their positions hugging the top of the ridge. Near the end of the ridge the stump of an old medieval watch tower. The plan was simple the Duke would start a bombardment with most of the readily available artillery on the centre of Keller’s position. It was expected that this would pin at least for a while Keller’s main reserves. After an hour his 1st Battalion would start the attack, not directed at the tower but as if they where trying to turn the whole position. This it was hoped would draw the local reserves. Only then would the 3 companies of Mountaineers from the Hoysee reserve brigade start their assault on the ridge near the watch tower.

The dull rumble of cannon fire sounded to the south. Finally he ordered the advance. Immediately the plan seemed to falter as the 1st were tardy getting of their start line. This meant the mountaineers began the attack alone. Erbsalzer Schonbein commanding the mountaineer noticed and settled into a firefight with the ridge-line. Soon the regular battalion was advancing. As the battalion drew level with the ridge a counter-attack by a company of Kellerite infantry was beaten back but with heavy loses. The commander of the Kellerites had not been fooled by the lack of determination on the part of the mountaineers and had reinforced the ridge-line. The troops there had withdrawn from the exposed front of the ridge and now occupied the reverse negating the Hoysee range advantage.

Reinforcing the ridge had however meant the 1st outnumbered the troops attempting to turn the position as loses mounted but a clear advantage emerged for Hoysee the mountaineers launched their delayed charge disaster struck the Keller defenders as the local commander and his superior became casualties. With the heart knocked out of them the kellerites began to withdraw towards the town. The battle was over.

attack_on_the_watch_tower.txt · Last modified: 30/04/2020 08:09 by mikep