Having
to fight against more-and-better Cavalry is a tough ask, especially if
the Cav have good fire support, as both you and Brett have noted.
Squares
(equals slow the game down here, while you win elsewhere), or a solid
line of overwhelming firepower (equals try and win where he is also
trying to win, which is higher risk and higher reward, and relies on his
accepting the challenge) are still the only answer, which means... you
really have to do something else as well to keep the Artillery off the
squares.
First, know
that hindsight and risk-taking alternate options are easy. None of this
is a criticism. But there are a couple of options that might... might,
help.
1. As you noted,
more terrain, not less. Smaller and higher quality armies can generally
maneuver better, and having many obstructions can create narrow lanes
where the quality matters more and the numbers less.
Note
that this is predicated on a comparison between your army and his - you
didn't know his, but you did know yours was particularly small and
elite.
I would say your first conclusion was excellent, and a good lesson learned.
2.
Attacking aggressively. Having first turn and double moves free of
interference can really allow you to define the shape of the battle, who
fights where and first. This is particularly true of smaller armies who
really want to pick their fights against a larger army and not allow
the larger army the initiative to bring their mass to bear. Its also
true of infantry armies (and by corollary, armies that aren't infantry
dominant but are out-cavalry-ed). My all-but-Cavalry-less US army almost
always chooses a 6 option despite the disadvantages, because squeezing
the enemy's table space is worth more than the considerable
disadvantages to that option plus the advantages of the other options.
Do
you think that your two infantry divisions could have smashed his left
division and turned into his centre pretty easily? I do. The question
then is how to keep the rest of his army off your back while your elite
Infantry crush his conscripts. The challenge is losing the rest of the
battle slowly enough while winning that battle fast enough. And its not
necessarily easy, but better than willingly setting up the fight he
wants.
I do note that
having chosen a probe, with 2 divisions starting off table, you were
basically unable to do this. I am definitely aware that the enemy
blocking certain options also contributes to choices made!
IMO
I think your second conclusion is probably wrong, though adding a
redoubt definitely helps.
Sitting on defense will give him the
initiative and time, and allows him to use his Artillery to maximum
effect on your small army and attack only with the troops he wants to in
the places he wants to.
Defense
has a place, but generally it needs an aggressive follow up - absorb
his blows SO THAT you can counterattack with these fast reserves in this
manner after, etc etc.
One
question must always be asked. How am I going to break the enemy army?
If you don't have an answer/plan to/for that, then what are you there
for? Go grab a beer, or equivalent, instead.
Given
the terrain and posture setup, I would have deployed between the towns
anyway, with Lights in reserve and the Cav reinforcing. So I think your
third conclusion is right, even though the second is, IMO, wrong.
The
other conclusions are predicated on defense, so I'll just reiterate
that allowing him to chose between options just gives him the best
option, and time to do it the best way.
Love the Hoth picture narrative! It is always tricky taking on an
enemy who has cavalry superiority.
When I was reading that you were
moving your LC across to take on his heavies, I winced though. That is
what Django would have wanted, easy kill LC units coming to him. The
LC should have been getting well away from the HC, or at least circling
it wide to threaten flanks and force the Prussian division to break up.
The answer to a Panzer division (ie shock cav division) is a square.
If the enemy cav has good shooting support (like Django did), then as
you pointed out, squares can get into trouble.
The best response then to
a panzer division is a solid line of good infantry with artillery
attachments. Advance to 6MU slightly offset and try to concentrate
medium range fire on those small cav units. Yu should be able to get 4
dice against 1 unit. See if you can get a disorder. You will force the
enemy to assault, or start trying to CMT back out of 6MU. Once he his
HC is spent, then maybe you can being your LC out to play
