Game 2 vs later Hungarian - Britcon, 10th, 11th and 12th August 2012
The second game I met Peter Kershaw, using a later Hungarian army. Peter's army was very diifferent from Tom's one. He used an all mounted version made almost all by light horses, with a Cuman and a Golden Horde allies.
I attacked, and this was the table:
My river was lost, and I was in the deepest and barer pustza. Last but not least, there was mud. My Serbian would fight almost 50 enemy Lh with a -1 to CF.
I decided for a defensive approach, anchoring to the table edges to avoid to be outflanked. The Serbian was deployed with a frontage of three elements and with the task of staying one move behind the front line. I would eventually use the corps for a very late charge, if tactical conditions were good.
Hungarian Pips were terrific, and Peter used them very well, bringing his army to the left
I pulled back the exposed wing, using the gentle hill to my rear as a last ditch defence
The Hungarian kept manouvering, and this is what I faced on the second turn. Three corps attacking from an offest angle my exposed left wing, with lines of reserves. My right corps was facing empty space, and the Serbian could not support the CiC command. A masterful manouver, I was going to be screwed, fighting with a 1 to 3 ratio.
I was forced to move also the IHdO in line. I had a terrible feeling, the game was going to be a real mess for me.
The Hungarian didn't want to give me time to react and immediately charged. In the meantime I sent the Crimean Tartars and The Qapukulu out to engage the enemy rearguard.
Hungarian wave attack
On the far right, I marched to contact catching some enemy skirmisher
I started to take losses, and had to engage ILhF. My CiC, in a situation so difficult, charged in the middle of the enemy pack. Very dangerous, with so many hungarian reserves and overlaps the opponent could explot.
The armoured sipahis made havoc in the enemy lines, hungarian casualties were heavy.
The Hungarian had committed all his two lines of Szekelers, but could not stop the ottoman CiC.
Qapukulu were dispersing the enemy rearguard on the far right flank
Now the Hungarian was losing the initiative. The attacks from light horses were stopped, and the attritional combat saw the Sipahis gain the upper hand. Peter committed his only heavy cavalry avalaible, from the Golden Horde corps. This had a negative consequence. The Golden Hord 2ME troops were in the way of the Lh if these wanted to feign flight. To avoid losing several szekelers as spent, the Hungarian didn't triggered it.
The Serbians now were sent into the fray.
The Tartars were positioned in front of the Ottoman CvS to stop its deadly attacks.
With a last charge, the Ottoman broke the Szekeler corps and the ME transmission carried away all the enemy army. With the dust settled, I had lost 7ME from the right wing, just 0,5 short from being disheartened and under 10%. A 25-0 win.
The scoring was not fair imho. My opponent plan and initial execution were outstanding. The main problem his army had was the lowish BP. The Hungarian could not survive a long and tough cavalry melee. Once I protected well my flanks he tried a frontal assault, and after an initial success he was grinded.