Introduction: Before I begin, my primary source for this scenario is an article from The Foreign Correspondent newsletter, written by Ralph Weaver. I gained additional tips for gaming this battle from Mark Hannan's article in The Gauntlet, a solo wargaming periodical. I wish to thank both of these authors and hope they don't mind me summarizing their efforts. Historical Battle: The battle of Kjaer resulted from the Prussian assault on the Danish island of Alsen. When Prussia and Austria invaded Denmark in February 1864, the Danes fell back to their defensive line, the Dannevirke. The Prussians broke through in mid-April resulting in a Danish retreat to the island of Alsen. Both sides agreed to a truce in April but the June peace conference was a failure. During the truce, the Danes fortified possible landing sights on Alsen. The Prussians were working on their preparations, too. Hostilities resumed on June 26. On June 29 at 1:45 AM, the first Prussians boats loaded with troops rowed across Alsen Sound and swept away the Danes that occupied the beaches. The Danish commander, Major General P.F. Steinemann decided to counter-attack and ordered the 2nd Infantry Brigade (3rd and 18th infantry regiments) plus the 6th Infantry Brigade (5th and 10th infantry regiments) located on the South side of Alsen to advance North toward Kjaer. Meanwhile the Prussian commander, General Manstein, advanced his division of two brigades toward Kjaer also. The Prussians established themselves around Kjaer by about 3:00 AM. The Danes staged a two prong attack with the main effort directed at the hamlet of Bagmoose. However, the effects of the Prussian needle-gun were telling and the Danish assault withered off. The final blow came when the Prussians reinforced the battle with two more infantry brigades at 5:30 AM. Facing these odds, the Danes retreated south. Altogether, the Danes including defending against the earlier Prussian landings lost 216 Killed, 462 Wounded and 1878 taken prisoner with 536 missing. Most of the prisoners were taken during the Prussian amphibious assault. Prussian losses were light, just 84 killed, 281 wounded and 7 missing. Though the Danes retreated, the war would soon be over. On July 11, Sweden protested the Prussian-Austrian occupation of Denmark and started to mobilize. Facing the Swedish threat, a peace treaty was signed on July 26 with Denmark giving up the provinces of Schleswig, Holstein and Lauenburg. The Forces: Prussians: Infantry Division Manstein, General Manstein Brigade Roder, General Roder 4th Brandenburg Infantry Regiment, Colonel Count von Hacke 8th Brandenburg Infantry Regiment, Colonel von Kamiensky Brigade Goben, General Goben 2nd Westphalian Infantry Regiment, Colonel von Alvensleben 6th Westphalian Infantry Regiment, Colonel Stoltz Division Assets: Dragoon regiment and six batteries of artillery Danes: 1st Division, Major-General P.F. Steinemann 2nd Brigade, Colonel Kauffmann 3rd Infantry Regiment, Lieutenant-Colonel H. W. Mathiesen 18th Infantry Regiment, Major Lunbye 6th Brigade, Colonel Bulow 5th Infantry Regiment, Major Myhre 10th Infantry Regiment, Major W.E.S. Gedde There is no mention of supporting artillery or cavalry. Note: A Danish infantry regiment had two battalions, each of around 800 men. Prussian regiments had three battalions of around 1000 men each. Setup Position the forces as shown on the map. The Prussians start in the vicinity of Kjaer with the Danes deployed south of the village. The battle started at 3:00 AM and ended at 5:30 AM when the Danes retreated caused by the arrival of Prussian Reinforcements. Victory Conditions The Danes win a tactical victory if they take the village of Kjaer. Given the situation, it is impossible for the Danes to gain a strategic victory. If the Prussians hold Kjaer, they win a tactical victory. The Prussian's gain a strategic victory by holding Kjaer and exiting three infantry regiments off the south part of the map. The optional Prussian reinforcements of two infantry brigades arrive at 5:30 AM. Fight the battle for about twelve turns. Gaming the Battle For Danish figures, I use Adler 6 mm ACW troops wearing kepis. For 15mm Danes, 19th Century Miniatures has a small range. Write to them at 346 River St., Coopersville, MI 49404 for a free catalog. These guys retail at $20 for a bag of 100 figures. Barring that, if you don't want to paint a Danish army, French Franco-Prussian War troops will work if you don't mind them wearing historically inaccurate red trousers. However, French Guard Mobile troops would be perfect wearing a very similar uniform. There are obvious sources for Prussian figures. In your rules, treat the Danish leaders as terrible and most of the Prussian officers as average. The Danes were armed with a muzzle loading rifle and the Prussians as most of you know used the needle-gun. Most Franco-Prussian war rules will work. I used Principles of War rules that I reviewed in issue #1 of this newsletter. When I gamed Kjaer, having thirty infantry "units" in each of my armies, I let each unit represent a company. To even up the scenario, I gave the Danes some artillery batteries plus a calvary unit. If you don't have as many figures as I do, fight the battle at a battalion level. Feeling the Danes would be hard pressed counter-attacking and facing the deadly effects of the needle-gun, I left out the Prussian reinforcements. Boy, was I right when I fought this battle! Once the Danes were in range of the needle-gun, they were slaughtered in two hours of game time. I hope those of you who game the Franco-Prussian war try this scenario. Better yet, paint a Danish army! Related Sources for The Second Schleswig War Review: The Second Schleswig War (book) The Second Schleswig War: Gaming Tips -Finis- Back to Clash of Empires No. 3/4 Table of Contents Back to Clash of Empires List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1998 by Keith Frye This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com