Chapter XLI: Krummenhennersdorf

Prelude

As Pomulius's Army marched head long down the Plauen-Brünzow road on a few days, they found Quedlinburg's army marching north to intercept them. Pomulius expected this and indeed, this was what he wanted. By June 6th, near the village of Krummenhennersdorf, both armies would run into each other around mid-day and start the "dance" that was typical before many battles of this era. This "dance" was trying to secure the ideal local terrain for such at battle and could last for days as each side tried to outwit each other. Pomerlane was famous for this and usually got out of this "dance" on the better side, as shown by the encounter at Diamond City the year before with Pomuranus.

However, this dance would only last until the end of the day, as Pomulius himself under a banner of truce approached the Imperial Army to meet with Quedlinburg himself that evening. As some minor skirmishes took place near the Fuchswald and the Ederberger, the two commanders met with each other atop Krummen Hill. Both men knew each other well, having fought together numerous times and both had a great amount of respect for each other. Both of them also represented the ideal Pomeranian in many eyes; Brave, Disciplined, Industrious, Frank and standing strong without self-pity. "Der Alte Feldmarschall" welcomed the Prince with full honors and invited him to join him at his table for dinner that evening alone. The Prince accepted and the two had a long conversation, not about the battle but about life since they last met.

Pomulius, however, at some point told the Graf that

"Marschall, you know why I am here this evening, no?"
"Ja, my Kamaraden, that I do know... You would like to settle this affair honorably tomorrow on the field? While it would be to my advantage to not oblige for weeks until the Prince of Greifswald arrived... I am a man of honor who sees another man of honor before me. It is my duty as a Pomeranian and as a friend of both you and your father to grant this to you." Quedlinburg said with a great amount of respect in his voice.
"Danke, Graf Quedlinburg, but it would not be fair without stipulations on my behalf to you for your generosity as the Greatest Pomeranian this nation has ever seen."
"What did you have in mind?"
"Simple, to avoid the future suffering of our people in what would be an imminent defeat for me, should I lose this battle, I will surrender myself and the rest of my army to you under one condition: That we would be under your custody and not that of the Prince of Greifswald. Should we win, we shall set your prisoners free and attend to the wounded before continuing our march."
"Should a stalemate emerge?"
"That is a defeat for us, not being able to drive you from the field is a defeat for us no matter the losses."
Quedlinburg takes a moment to gather his thoughts, before stating "Pomulius, the Prince of Greifswald is my master now, and I do not have the authority to put you and your men solely under my custody."

Pomulius would try to persuade Quedlinburg to allow this, but the old man would not budge. Reluctantly, Pomulius accepted the Graf's terms.

Before retiring to his own lines for the night he told Quedlinburg "Tomorrow will be a horrible day for our people, regardless. Many lives will be lost but may the fight be honorable and may the best man win!"
Quedlinburg nodded and said "Truly, may the best man win. Godspeed, my friend. We may be enemies on the field, but I will always be a friend of you."

Dispositions going into the battle.

Pomeranian Plans

Pomulius rode back to his camp as the sun started to set. There, he would meet with his wing and divisional commanders and debriefed them of the situation. With the local map having men sketch out and the rough locations of the enemy army located, Pomulius devised a plan of attack. He in his approach to meet Quedlinburg noticed that the Imperial Left Wing was more exposed than the Right due to the terrain and that by massing large formations on the left with pinning attacks elsewhere, he could likely break this flank.

Stationed on the left flank of Krummen Hill, the division of Innhausen und Knyphausen will be attacked in force as well, to prevent it from flanking the attack. Krummen Hill dominated the battlefield from its center and right, but it was shallow on the left flank of it. He would roll up the entire Imperial line from there. Aside from the two other divisions stationed on the Imperial Left, the division of Innhausen und Knyphausen will be attacked in force as well, to prevent it from flanking the attack. It was a risky plan that would be noticed by Quedlinburg and countered, but Pomulius understood it to be the best plan he could make.

At Dawn the next day, a mist had rolled into the valley between Brauner Hill and Krummen Hill, which Pomulius saw as a sign of good fortune from Pomu. He gathered his forces on the Left and gave them a stirring speech.

Loyal sons of Pomeranian and the Divines! Today is the day where the fate of our country, our lands, and our families shall be determined. Victory today on the hills and fields that surround us shall bring us salvation from the horde of the rogue Prince of Greifswald, who seeks to destroy us as he did the Syrenians. It will not be an easy fight, for we are facing one of the greatest sons this land has ever produced, Graf Quedlinburg himself. But do not fret, for it is an honor to meet such a worthy opponent and much glory will come to you in triumphing over him! There are no finer soldiers in the world than the men of this army, and today we shall show the world this once more. Pomu is on our side, and I expect every man, from the drummer boy to all of the commanders, including myself to do fulfill their duty. Let us determine to die this day and we shall conquer! FOR POMERANIA AND POMU!

Pomulius' Battleplan.

Imperial Plans

Quedlinburg understood that with the smaller army and given the situation, he had no reason to attack but rather react to the enemy's plan. That of course didn't mean he wanted to remain idle either. The Krummen and Brauner hills dominated the battlefield, and Quedlinburg understood this well, organizing his main defense on the face of the former of these hills. However, he also understood that the Ederberger, overlooking Krummenhennersdorf was the ideal place to launch an attack from for both sides. He held off putting men there the day before because he feared it would lead towards an unfavorable battle there, where he would have to march men through the nearby village under artillery fire from Brauner Hill to reinforce this position that was could not be held without depleting his Center and Left. Thus, he planned to have his right wing advance the next day to take this hill and the nearby Müller woods. Furthermore, he planned on moving the Division of Quidersbach, with the support of the Garde Division to take Luchs Mill in the Center. Luchs Mill was on a small hill next to the Forbach Stream and from it, any advance along the Center could be countered. While these movements would be made, Quedlinburg would have his left and center hold their positions until it became clear what the enemy planned to do. Quedlinburg did not believe that an all-out assault on his left was likely, given how open the terrain was to artillery fire from Krummen Hill and Grünerhill. He believed that Pomulius would likely place all of his cards on taking the estates, Luchs Mill and the Ederberger given that his artillery could properly cover these areas and that the terrain here was less flat and open. He couldn't have been more wrong in his assumptions however.

When Dawn came, Quedlinburg observed the mist in the valley and along the Forbach, which was worrisome as it could cover any advance in this region, so he ordered that the Garde Division, to remain in reserve just in case. He didn't believe that the battleplan of Pomulius would change and when he saw the Pomeranian Left begin to advance, he believed he was correct.

Quedlinburg's Battleplan.

The Battle Begins

At 600hrs, Pomulius ordered a general advance by his pinning forces while he moved up the reserves into formation for his grand attack. Artillery began to fire from both sides around this time as well, and the battle had officially started. By 640hrs, Pomulius's attack on the left was ready to begin and the men started advance in order through the mist.

In the meantime, Quedlinburg's own movements were put into action at 630hrs. At 715hrs, he rode to the Ederberger to meet with his favorite son and commander of his Right, Heinrich as his men reached the hill. The father and son, both looked over the field and saw the enemy movements. The old Marshall was worried that he did not see the bulk of the enemy forces and realized immediately that they must be approaching from the left flank. He explained to his son the danger of such a move in the mist. After some deliberation on his part, Heinrich proposed a plan of action on the right that would involve the storming of the Estates. He believed that an attack here would force any effort on the left to be abandoned. Suddenly, a cannonball came flying in from the Mayer Heights towards them. After ricocheting off the ground, it bounced up and torn Heinrich in half as he was just about to finish explaining his plan to his father. Covered in the blood and guts of his favorite son, the old man was shaken for a second before he cleaned himself off with the help of his aides.

"Are you alright master" the aides asked him in near unison
"Quite fine, the battle must go on." said Quedlinburg stoically

He then handed over command on the right to Fredrik Magnus Stenbock and returned to the Center to immediately prepare for what the attack he could feel coming on his left.

Early Engagement at Luchs Mill

Around 745hrs, the divisions of Quidersbach and Köttwitz meet each other at Luchs Mill. Quidersbach reached the mill first but was soon met by Köttwitz's division approaching the Mill from the nearby Brauner woods. Inside the Mill, men from the 21st Archducal Infantry Regiment from 6th Brigade took up positions while the rest of the division formed a line on the nearby fencing. Artillery was lagging behind and it would take more time to get them into position.

At 755hrs, Köttwitz immediately ordered his men to rush forward into the cover a small dip in the terrain, halt and form into battleline. He also took the grenadier companies of his division and combined them into an assault unit that he planned to throw directly at the mill itself. On his flank, the men of Anton von Mansfeld's division were lagging behind but would also be forced into this engagement as the enemy at Luchs Mill would threaten his flank.

After forming up, at 810hrs Köttwitz order his men forward without waiting for his own artillery to form up and was met with a devastating volley of musketry, after 10 minutes of fire between both sides, Köttwitz order his men back while artillery was brought into position for the next assault. It was also at this time that Mansfeld had moved up enough to realize the problem at Luchs Mill. Mansfeld rode over to meet Köttwitz and Marchwitz, who had arrived to diagnose the situation. All three men agreed that they both would need to attack at the same time to drive the enemy from this key position so they could continue their forward march. At 835hrs, Quidersbach's artillery arrived in position and began to open up on the Pomeranian artillery that faced them. This was a mistake on Quidersbach behalf, because the more numerous Pomeranian guns on Brauner Hill were able to suppress these guns rapidly. Finally, at 848hrs in the midst of the artillery duel both Mansfeld and Köttwitz launch their combined assault. After firing a volley, the Pomeranians stormed the Mill Complex and a fierce melee would emerge between both sides that lasted 15 minutes. By 905hrs, however, Quidersbach had been pushed back from the mill itself and had formed a second line along the Mill Road. The 21st Regiment, in its valiant defense of the mill, lost half of its strength.

Regrouping their men, Mansfeld and Köttwitz would have to wait till artillery support came up to advance any further, as the guns on the Kummen Hill would tear them apart.

Fight at the Ederberger and the Müller Woods

Around 830hrs, the Imperial Right came into contact with the approaching Pomeranians. Stenbock's old division, now commanded by Carl August Björklund, came into contact with the Lübbenau's Cavalry near the Mülller Woods and forced the troopers back after a minor engagement. In the woods themselves, at 850hrs they would meet the rightmost brigade of Kitzingen's Division, the 19th Brigade. The outnumbered Pomeranians put up a stubborn resistance against Björklund's division, driving off 2 charges by the Elirians before being forced back at 920hrs.

In the meantime, the rest of Kitzingen's Division tried to assault the Ederberger. Being outnumbered, Kitzingen tried to turn the situation to this advantage by sheer concentration in his attack, using both of his remaining brigades to break through the center of the Elirians around 905hrs. Met with devasting cannon and musketry, the men pressed on and charged up the hill, Kitzingen leading. A bloody melee ensued after the Elirians fell back and other regiments and battalions from the other brigades countercharged into Kitzingen. Rallying his men to press forwards, Kitzingen was mortally wounded when two musket balls hit him in the lung and the thigh respectively

As their commander was rushed to the rear, the Pomeranians broke at 935hrs and retreated towards the estates. Both sides would suffer greatly from this engagement at the Ederberger and the Müller woods, but the Pomeranians came out worse for wear, losing some 1/3 of the total men of Kitzingen's Division. They would rally and set up defenses at the Müller and Brauner estates.

While the infantry engagement was ongoing, Lübbenau and Lagercrantz were heavily engaged in a cavalry dual northeast of the Müller woods. The outnumbered Pomeranian Cuirassiers and Hussars were to stop the more numerous Elirian Cavalry and force a stalemate that both sides would withdraw from around 950hrs.

Stenbock had won the battle on the right, and now sought to exploit this local victory by hopefully turning it into one that would affect the rest of the battlefield. He would rest his men for 2 hours before launching his next move.

The Pomeranian Main Attack starts

After a 3-hour march through the foggy mist, the Pomeranians emerged on the Imperial Left with great force. Quedlinburg had moved Lichtenstein's remaining cavalry and the Garde Division to the Grünerhill in preparation for this onslaught, and had the Grenadiers from his younger son, also named Friedrich, detached as a reserve and started to move some guns as well. Developments at Luchs Mill had however prevented him from doing pulling back more guns and men and he still felt he was in great danger on this flank of being outnumbered. When the Pomeranians came out at 1012hrs, his fears were confirmed, and he rode along his whole flank shouting encouragement to his men

"Here is the enemy, let us give them hell boys!

Pomulius was pleased with the results of the battle thus far, all things considered as he prepared for a general attack. The Center had done well against the forces they met and forced them back, effectively pinning the forces in front of them. His own Left, while in disorder, had done well to at least prevent the Imperials from taking forces from that flank. He was confident that they could hold long enough for the battle to be won but sent a message to Ziertheim, his wing commander informing him that he should at his prepare to move Köttwitz to counter any threat.

With his own artillery now in position at 1025hrs, general advance was ordered. Artillery fire quickly came upon both sides, maiming scores of men with solid shot and counter battery fire erupting in return. The Pomeranians march forwards with their renown discipline and zeal. The first engagement on the left came between the irregulars attached to F.P. Mansfeld's Division and the Division of Innhausen on Kummen Hill at 1042hrs. By 1055, the Mansfeld's division was in position for their attack but waited for their friends to be in position before commencing it. They took cover behind a small stonewall in the meantime from the artillery fire. At 1107hrs, Langenau and Alsfeld were in position and also took cover where they could and then at 1117hrs, the whole line was in position and prepared ready for their assault. With more Pomeranian Artillery opening up to cover them, the signal was given and like clockwork, the Pomeranians rose up and began to march forwards. They were meet immediately by the Imperial artillery which remained silent after Mansfeld had reached cover. Solid shot torn apart the ranks, but the Pomeranians closed up and pressed on fearlessly. The Imperial Artillery would start to suffer from counter battery fire after their opening shots on the Pomeranians, but Quedlinburg continued to bring more guns over in an effort to stop the advance.

On the far left, the Cavalry of Lichtenstein met with the Cavalry of the son of Pomulius, the young but promising Pomiticus and a deadly engagement between the riders emerged at 1115hrs. At 1120 hrs, Mansfeld had reached musket range opened up on the division of Innhausen, who replied with volleys of their own. Soon after, the rest of the line was fully engaged with each other. The Elirians were not much match for the Pomeranians, suffering as the Pomeranians were able to use their superior training to get off more volleys off and use their greater numbers to inflict great losses on them. When it seemed like the Elirians might be ready to break around 1155hrs, the Pomeranians fixed their bayonets and prepared for an all-out charge that would break the Elirian lines.

Mid-day actions in the Center and on the Imperial Right.

As the action on the Left was starting to heat up, Köttwitz was ordered to withdraw his division to the Müller estate while Kitzingen's former divsion, now under Otto-Pomu von Plauen withdrew to the Mayer Heights. As these maneuvers were undertaken, Anton Mansfeld, who had been transfered to Ziertheim as Marschwitz was ordered to take command on the Pomeranian Right after the wounding of Caan, prepared to launch his diversionary attack on the center around 1030hrs.

As he advanced towards Kummen Hill under heavy fire, he quickly ordered a withdraw back to the Mill when he saw that the Division of Von der Tann drawing up before him for an attack. Köttwitz's withdraw had allowed the Center's Commander, Pontus de la Gardie to march the division of Quidersbach towards the main action, or at least to form a second line on the flank of Quidlinburg the Young but also wanted to retake the Mill to force attention away from the heavy fighting on his left. At 1045hrs, Von der Tann would lead his division forward from the front towards the Mill under heavy fire from guns at the Mill. By 1115hr, Von der Tann had reached the Mill Road and ordered his men to fix bayonets, fire off one volley and charge when the signal was given. Ten minutes later, with a mighty shout, the Division arose and marched forwards into a hail canister shot and musketry that tore sections of their ranks open but delivered their own volley before charging headlong at Mansfeld's division. Ziertheim had moved a Cuirassier regiment up to support them and sent them in on the right flank of Mansfeld, causing havoc in the Pomeranian ranks. The fight for the Mill would be a brutal one, with it changing hands 5 separate times over the next 3 hours until more cavalry was brought up at 1335hrs that sent the Pomeranians into a withdraw from the Mill. Both sides were so exhausted from the fight Von der Tann could not capitalize on his victory. Both sides lost around 1/3 of their men during this fight.

While the struggle for the mill was underway, Björklund launched an assault on the twin estates at 1220hrs. Originally, he was to be supported by the division of Christiansholm, but two of his brigades were sent to the left at 1100hrs under Quedlinburg's orders and Stenbock decided that the depleted brigade that had been hit the hardest by Kitzingen should not join in on this assault. He would however be joined by the cavalry of Lagercrantz, who were ordered to assault the depleted and demoralized forces under Plauen on the Mayer Heights Björklund's assault was met with great artillery fire and Björklund himself was hit in the heart by a musket ball shortly after the assault began, replaced by Sven Persson. Persson in turn was mortally wounded almost as soon as he took command when a cannon ball from the guns on the Mayer Heights torn off his right leg. At the same time, Lagercrantz's cavalry was repulsed with great losses by Plauen's men, formed into squares. Lagercrantz also was wounded during this action and would be captured by Plauen's men. Command fell to Magnus Stenbock, brother of the Right Wing's Commander.

With a command crisis emerging and the initial assault being driven back easily, Ziertheim ordered his men back. It was clear that there was no point in this fruitless assault. By 1300hrs, fighting would die down on the Right as both sides were exhausted, and any other assault would be worthless.

Climax

Returning to the main battle on the Imperial Left, the Pomeranian charge broke through the division of Horn af Åminne on the Grünerhill and nearly did the same to the division of Königsmarck too, had it not been for the personal courage of Königsmarck, who rallied his men and ordered a counter charge into the face of the Pomeranians. Here, Königsmarck's Division engaged itself in a brutal struggle with the Divisions of Langenau and Alsfeld. K.J. Mansfeld also launched an assault but was quickly turned back by the superior forces of Innhausen, backed up by artillery and returned to his previous position. Mansfeld would be wounded, and command of his division fell to Karl-Pomu von Dennewitz, while Innhausen himself would be concussed by a cannonball and his division would now be commanded by Johan Karl von Manstein.

Rushing along his line to regain control of the situation after Horn af Åminne's division was routed, Graf Quedlinburg gathered the Garde Division and personally lead the Garde Cavalry in a counterattack that stalled the Pomeranian advance before he was forced back. At 1205hrs, The Garde Infantry on the other hand moved forward on the flank of Königsmarck and charged into the flank of the Pomeranians engaged with Königsmarck and forced them back for the moment. The Garde Infantry pressed forward but were now would be met with a Cavalry charge from the Pomeranian Reserve Cavalry and forced back. The situation was truly dire on the left at this point, but the Left's commander, Wrangel managed to rally parts of Horn af Åminne's division and gathered the Garde's to attempt to regain control of the situation with Quedlinburg at 1215hrs. Königsmarck's Division had regained its organization but was on the verge of breaking as the Pomeranians prepared to launch another charge with the combined forces of 3 whole divisions at 1245. Pomulius knew that this was crucial, and his presence was need and rode Infront of his lines as musket balls flew around him shouting

Charge men, for God's sake, charge!

He was wounded by a musket ball in the army and his hat was shot off, but the Pomulius took no notice. It was do or die and he was ready to die. With great enthusiasm and renewed energy, the Pomeranians struck forward once again. This time, their charge was even more devasting and Königsmarck's Division broke. Königsmarck himself was wounded but refused to come off the field and rallied what he could. The Garde infantry held firm however and did not budge from their position.

But all seemed lost at this point when Lichtenstein, victorious against Pomiticus, emerged in the Pomeranian rear and launched a charge into the Pomeranian rear that halted them right then and there. Lichtenstein did not break the infantry, but this would be the turning point of the battle, as he bought 15 minutes for the line to be reformed along the Krummen Hill with reinforcements filtering in. It was now 1310hrs and Pomulius had quickly realized that the battle was likely lost at this point but was still determined to fight on. After reforming his men, he once again led them forward but this time the Pomeranians were met with dreadful amounts of cannon and musketry. They would never make it to the Elirian Line.

End of the Battle

As men were cut down around him, Pomulius continued to lead bravely and recklessly forward. He gave orders himself for volleys to be fired and had musket balls bounce of his breastplate in the process. But the losses began to pile up around him and officers were being cut down too. It was then that Wrangel, in an equally act of audacity, rode up to his line and shouted

Brave Elirians! Victory is at hand and so is great glory! For the Empress, FOLLOW ME!

Like a wave, the Elirians charged towards the Pomeranians, who were growing increasingly exhausted and unsettled by the fighting. As soon as the Elirians met the Pomeranians, the entire line broke. Pomulius tried his hardest to rally his men but would have his horse killed underneath him and would himself be wounded and captured. The Elirians pushed the back the broken Pomeranian ranks from the hill but were halted by Pomeranian Cavalry soon thereafter. Both sides were too exhausted by this point to fight anymore and the battle came to a close with the final shots being fired around 1400hrs.

Aftermath

Pomulius, wounded several times, was not in any threat of death and was brought before Quedlinburg after being treated for his wounds. Marschwitz was now in command of the army and understood what his master wanted if the battle was lost. He rode under the flag of truce to the Imperial camp and offered the surrender of his army should their safety be guaranteed at 1600hrs. Going to deliver his sword to Quedlinburg, he found that his master was seated with Quedlinburg.

Pomulius: "Ah, Herr Marschall, this is my loyal friend Marschwitz, I believe you have met before, no?"
Quedlinburg: "Yes, yes we have, good to see you Marschwitz. Join us for dinner after such a brutal battle."
Marschwitz: "No time for that, I have come to offer our terms for surrender." Hands them to Quedlinburg along with his sword
Quedlinburg reads the terms and says, "Keep your sword, I assume the army understands what is going on?"
Marschwitz bows his head out of gratitude "Thank you, Herr Marschall. They do and are ready as Pomeranians should they be granted safety from your master"
Quedlinburg looks at him with a smile, "From my Master? He has no intentions of doing harm to true Pomeranians"
Pomulius with a relaxed look says, "Graf Quedlinburg promised us that the Prince of Greifswald will not do anything to us nor our army."
Marschwitz looks puzzled but salutes saying "Aye, I will return and bring the men with me."

As the Pomeranian army came to the camp to lay down their arms, Pomerlane himself arrived in camp of to find his own generals, and the Pomeranian Generals in feast. At the head of the table, was Quedlinburg and Pomulius himself. Everyone arises to bow but Pomerlane waves them off and tells them that is not necessary

Pomerlane approached the two, somewhat surprised "Might I ask, Herr Marschall what is going on?"
Quedlinburg with a stern look remark "Master, this is the Prince of Salzwedel-Stormfury, a good friend of mine. We fought a bloody battle today and he honorably surrendered to avoid more bloodshed."
Standing up and bowing, Pomulius says "It is an honor to meet one of the greatest sons Pomerania has ever produced, Prince of Greifswald."
With a stoic expression, Pomerlane replies "Likewise, you have fought well, Prince of Salzwedel-Stormfury." He then turns to Quedlinburg "I want both of you to follow me to your personal tent Herr Marschall, to discuss things in private"

They would proceed to the tent, and brief Pomerlane on what happened that day. The Pomeranians had come off the worse, suffering 16,000 casualties but the Elirians did little better, losing up to 14,000 themselves. Many generals and officers were killed or wounded during the battle and many units were depleted of men. For example, the 14th Archducal Infantry Regiment lost 463 of its 778 men during the fight, leaving it the size of a half of a battalion. Pomerlane praised Pomulius for his bravery that he showed, and the two men would later leave the tent to talk for several hours later that night. As it turned out, they had a lot in common and a friendship was started between the two former enemies.