Battle of Nykarleby 24.6.1808 - Report completed!

The Finnish (Swedish) push continues!

Finally the snow has melted in northern Finland and the Finns are encouraged after the victory in Revonlahti. Now Adlercreutz, Von Öttern and Von Döbeln were marching and circling the small town of Nykarleby in order to take out the Russian forces there...

Read on to find out if the Russian managed to escape from the clutches of the attacking Finnish forces... 

This time I didn't paint any miniatures for the game, but instead built and fine tuned some Sarissa Precision buildings for this and the coming battles:

Scenario & OOB

Scenario was pretty simple, as the objectives dictate:

Finish objectives:

• ·       Destroy / capture as many Russian units as possible. Any wavering unit from a broken company losing a melee will surrender and be removed from the table
• ·       Honor given for
•     5 points for winning the game=  destroying / capturing at least half of the Russian units
• ·       1 point for each Russian unit destroyed / captured (the player destroying the unit)

Russian objectives:

• ·       Keep alive and/or evacuate more than half of the units
• ·       Honor given for
•    5 points for winning the game as above
•    2 points for each unit evacuated
•  point for each Finnish unit destroyed

Battlefield map with Russian deployment areas marked. Russian evacuation point was on the left edge of the separate piece of the battlefield. Moving from the main battlefield happened from point F to point G. Finns attacked from D-D, BB and Von Döbelns reinforcements from E.

Finns had a clear advantage in numbers, OOBs were as follows:

Player 1. Commander: Von Öttern, total 22 points (played by me)

·       Deploys on B-B

·       2 companies of Österbotten’s regiment infantry (2 X 12 models, 8 points)

·       1 company of Nyland’s regiment infantry (12 models, 4 points)

·       2 Companies of Nyland’s jägers  (2 X 6 models, 6 points)

o   Veterans

·       1 X  6 pdr cannon (4 points)

Player 2. Commander: Adlercreutz, total 28 points (played by Joonas)

·       Deploys on D-D

·       2 squadron of Nyland Dragoons (2 X 6 models, 8 points)

·       3 X  6 pdr cannon (12 points)

·       2 companies of Tavastehus regiment infantry (2 X 12 models, 8 points)

Player 3. Commander: Von döbeln , total 24 points (played by me)

·       Deploys on E after half an hour of gaming

·       6 companies of Björneborg’s regiment infantry (6 X 12 models, 24 points) 

Player  1. Commander unknown 22 points (played by Antti)

·       3 companies of Russian infantry (3 X 12 models, 12 points)

·       2 units of Russian Jägers (2 X 6 models, 6 points)

o   Veterans

·       6 pdr field cannon (1+6 models, 4 points)

Player  2. Commander Yankovich 26 points  (played by Juha)

·       3 companies of Russian infantry (3 X 12 models, 12 points)

·       2 units of Russian Jägers (2 X 6 models, 6 points)

o   Veterans

·       6pdr cannon (1+6 models, 4 points)

1 unit of Cossacks with lances (6 models, 4 points )

Early stages

Lieutnant (recently promoted )Johan av Gadd deployed his forces to the battlefield in an orderly manner. Boys from Österbotten and Savolax regiments were on high spirits - Finns had won first victories over Russians after several months of retreats. Jägers formed a skirmish screen to the front. Soon the enemy was sighted.

View to Russian positions in the middle of the battlefield. 

Joonas documenting.

In the west(?) Adlercreutz (aka Joonas) deployed his mighty force to attack. Artillery and infantry was thrown to the fore in order to soften the enemy before the assault... (once again loving attention was given to make the battlefield look good!)

Russian deployment - still in control of Nykarleby

Rapidly my forces proceeded to secure the hill in front of the Russian evacuation route...  good position indeed!

Adlercreutz batallion also made good progress - both cavalry units

were sent to a flanking move. This would have been fine, but the over enthusiastic commander

had joined the dragoons on the right and hence was away from commanding the rest of the batallion!

Adlercreutz's forces advancing towards the town

On "my flank" exchange of fire started as first Russians pushed towards the road. My jägers dropped two of them

Russian perspective

Dragoons hosting the commander take casualties from the sharp

shooting of Russian jägers

While Cossacks stay hiding...

Battlelines clash in "my flank", my Finns have the advantage of numbers, 

but Ruskies have a good position in the cover of the woods...

Reinforcements arrive

Russians start to feel the pressure in Nykarleby as they the proud banners of the Björneborg (Pori) Brigade arriving to the battlefield (in the left).

Nyland Dragoons push forward towards the bridge, that is the only escape route for the Russian forces still in the town...

Cossacks charge the newcomers, whom skillfully have closed their formation...

And hence are capable of pushing the cossacks back, even if they lost more in casualties!

In my flank (the smaller separate board) my numbers start to tell and first Russian unit is taken out of action!

This is good as more enemy troops pour in from the main battle

Fire from Björneborgare takes out the Russian cossacks (their famous commander McDonald is possibly severely wounded?)  and they forward, because the Russians are already slipping away!

My jägers "secure" the Russian evacuation route

Battle climax

Middle of the battle was at hand and Russian forces were rapidly (almost in panic) leaving the town as Finnish forces closed in from all directions. It seemed that only the cannons were left to secure the retreat.

Luckily also Adlercreutz (aka Joonas) takes a hint / comes to his senses and rides 

towards his forces to retake the control.

Dragoons take hot lead from a Russian cannon and move back to take some cover.

The reinforcement batallion (Björneborg) try to catch up with the fleeing Russians...

Another perspective

More Russians pour in to "my flank" but none has escaped due to my steady 

fire driving them back. Chaplain Munter has joined a unit of Savolax jägers and urges the

for heroic deeds! They close on the enemy hiding in the woods.

Last of the Russians have been driven from the town.

Retreat!

Some of the houses are on fire, lit by the retreating Russians - damn them!

With righteous wrath fueled by the sermon from Chaplain Munter

my Savolax Jägers charge and beat the Russians in the woods - huzzah! 

End stages

Situation started to look a bit desperate as my Finnish troops secured the evacuation road

and the Russians just can't get their remaining numbers to bear...

Russian second in Command Antti ponders the situation

And as the Russian command deems the battle lost they
hand over their swords (rulers) as the sign of surrender!