June 18, 1757 Battle of Kolin

 

First battalion of the Prussian Guard (IR15/I) being overrun by Austrian cavalry for the third time of the day.

It is interesting that two great battles were fought on the same day in June (June 18th), albeit in different years: 1757 for the Battle of Kolin and 1815 for the Battle of Waterloo. In the grand scheme of history Waterloo was probably the more noteworthy battle and had a greater impact on western European history than did Kolin. 

Here are some links to websites that have information about the battle. The best site is the Obscure Battles blog - I mean it is downright fantastic and well worth the look. Everything that you would want to know about Kolin is here. The Kronoskaf site is also very good while the Wikipedia link provides a minimal overview of the battle.

Battle of Kolin - Wikipedia

Obscure Battles -Kolin

Kronoskaf - Battle of Kolin

I have war-gamed the Battle of Kolin more times than I can remember and usually the Austrians follow history and win the game. I can think of only one time when the Prussians have won Kolin in a wargame.

Here are some pictures of the Kolin game played at Chez Fritz a few years ago. The Austrian and Prussians  fought to a draw this time. I suppose that one could opine that a "draw" favors the Austrians? All figures shown are Minden Miniatures. The buildings were made by Herb Gundt. I have also provided the link to the full report of this game that I posted on my blog on June 21, 2015.

Kolin Wargame in 2015

Croats defending Krechor village

The Prussian army marches down the Kaiserstrasse

Hulsen's advance guard is deployed and ready to kick off the game,

Austrian division of Sincere marches to reinforce the position at Krechor.

Austrian artillery drops trail on the Krechor Hill near Chosenitz

Hulsen's Prussian advance guard has captured Krechor village and advance
towards the Oak Wood where they encounter the Austrian division of Wied.

Seydlitz leads the Prussian cuirassiers in counter-attack.

A grand cavalry melee develops on the Austrian right flank near the Oak Wood.
Austrians on the left, and Prussians on the right.

Treskow's Prussian brigade reinforces Hulsen's advance guard and take control of the Oak Wood.
Wied's Austrians have routed, but Sincere's division arrives on
Krechor Hill, but are vastly outnumbered by the Prussians,

Here are some links to earlier posts about the Battle of Kolin that I ran as a solo play test in May 2015.  The game was the prelude to the game that we fought on June 21, 2015. This solo game resulted in a Prussian victory. Honestly, I played it straight and didn't favor the Prussians. When I play a solo game, each turn I ask myself what type of move best favors the Austrians and what type of move best favors the Prussians. This generally results in a balanced and unpredictable wargame.

Battle In The Oak Wood     (May 14, 2015)

Grand Cavalry Melee At Kolin  (May 10, 2015)

Hulsen's Advance Guard Attacks Krechor  (May 9, 2015)

So Happy Kolin Day everyone! A great day for Austria and a bad day for Prussia.