The Dawn Raid

Pablo Stromboli has crept up under cover of darkness to surround a small village where Franz Homberg has his troop billeted. As the sun begins to rise they attack, aiming to burn the village down.

Homberg's men, most of them are still asleep as the fight starts.

Stromboli's attacking force.

Stromboli has most of his strength to the South of the village but has sent his light cavalry to surround it.

Homberg has a unit of commanded shot standing guard and his artillerymen woke early and are enjoying breakfast beside their gun.

Stromboli closes in and the defenders fail to react.

The light horse reach the buildings at the North of the village and get out their flint boxes.

The swordsmen in the North East house try to get into action but panic (double ones on their activation roll) and they burn with the building.

Reiters charge the gun crew but find them a tougher foe than expected.

Homberg's swordsmen and the second unit of command shot tumble out into the street as reinforcement arrive for Stromboli (double six for an activation).

The reiters shoot at the artillerymen.

Then the light cavalry charge them.

Both fall back disordered.

Homberg attacks Stromboli's unit.

Causing a panicked withdrawal.  

Homberg's reiters rush from their building and leap into their saddles.

Stromboli's unit withdraws further.

Stromboli's reiters launch a disastrous attack on Homberg's.

And fall back in disorder.

The pikemen try their luck against them but do little better.

Stromboli's other reiters caracole against the swordsmen.

Causing them to waver and fall back. 

But their charge is ineffective.  

A second building goes up in flames.

Homberg's reiters continue their run of success.

And the commanded shot finally hit someone.

Things are looking quite good for Homberg with so many of his opponents wavering.

But then the reinforcment pikes hit him.

With his unit reduced to half strength he still manages to beat off the reiters.

Double ones on activation see Homberg's reiters temporarily retreat.

And all Stromboli's wavering units rally.

The reiter's return and unload their pistols into the pikeman trying to set fire to the building.

Causing a panicked withdrawal.

And the reiters charge in.

Homberg tries to drive off the reiters facing him but it's a terrible mistake.  With all his men cut down around him he flees.

This prompts a morale check for the rest of his units, half of whom waver.

To the North of the village the commanded shot wreak havoc on the light cavalry.

Both sides are battered but still standing as Homberg's men rally. 

More good work from the commanded shot, making up in part for their inactivity at the start of the fight.

If they had been this good earlier things would be very different now.

A light horseman decides this isn't worth the pay and resigns from the army.

And some pikeman have the same idea, turning and running away.

A third house goes up on flames.

The remaining light horsemen decide enough is enough and charge the commanded shot who fail to evade.

The artillerymen finally return to their gun as the village burns around them.

The light horse press their attack but not without loss to themselves.

The sole survivor throws down his arquebus and heads for the hills.

The reiters fire on the pikemen who have formed close order in front of them.

Causing them to panic and break ranks where they become vulnerable to a charge.

The artillerymen fire their one and only shot of the game, scoring a hit.

And prompting a morale check, which cause Stromboli's surviving reiters to abandon their attempt to set light to the final building and flee.

The last light horseman are shot out of their saddles.

Pistol fire puts paid to some more pikemen.

Stromboli signals a general withdrawal and the fight ends.

Stromboli gains six honour for this battle, Homberg gets two for his men having saved a building.  

Looking back at the fight the loss of a unit of swordsmen in the first building burnt followed by Stromboli gaining reinforcements should have made it a walkover for Stromboli.  He won by the victory conditions but the battle felt like a victory for Homberg's men.