The third day of the campaign passed without encounters. The weather having cleared, but the 4th day, the fog was back again and 3 attacks were carried out on different parts of the map. Due to the fog blancs were used to indicate possible positions of troops in the tabletop games.
Battle of Venets:
It was another strange battle because of the fog. 2 Ottoman
infantry brigades and 2 cavalry brigades awaited an attack while the infantry
and artillery where in field works looking out for the enemy. The flanks were
covered by the cavalry. The Russian attack was carried out by 3 infantry
brigades and 1 cavalry brigades. The Ottoman artillery in a redoubt in the
village was taken by surprise when 3 battalions emerged in line one after the
other from the fog. Their fire was therefore unfocused, without effect. On the
Ottoman left flank, 5 Russian line battalions emerged from the fog close to the
medium Ottoman cavalry. The cavalry attacked and drove some of the Russians
back at the cost of some losses. But the Russians came again. In repeated
battles both sides suffered losses, but in the end the weakened cavalry had no
choice but to leave the field. On the Ottoman right side a very different
picture. There, a Russian cavalry brigade came out from the fog. The Ottoman
cavalry there launched an attack and destroyed a dragoon unit and the supportig
dragoon unit was driven back. The Cossacks who followed behind, wisely kept their distance.
In the center, the Russian infantry attacked and captured
the battery. Then the Ottoman skirmish unit was driven from the field with
flags and being to close tot he table edge. An irregular infantry,unit trying to stop the Russian advance was
destroyed. The Ottoman commanders chose to retreat to Sjoemen.
Battle of Alfatar:
Alfatar was defended by 2 Russian brigades with a total of 2 grenadier battalions, 3 line battalions and a horse artillery battery. The Ottoman irregular infantry and a unit of Janissaries stormed the redoubts on the Russian left flank. After heavy fighting with many casualties of men and officers, the Russian line infantry was driven back and took cover in the buildings of the town, but also came under pressure there. The Russian right flank was more successfully defended by the grenadiers. Where one of the four “new army” units of the Ottomans was destroyed. However, the pressure mounted and cavalry threatened to outflank the Russian flanks on both sides. Whereupon the Russians hastily retreated to Dulovo.
A third battle in Ion Corvin was not carried out with a
table top game due to its small size, but with dicing only. There
an Ottoman infantry brigade of Modavian
exiles and a cavalery brigade attacked 2
entrenched Russian brigades. The attack
carried out without much conviction was broken off after one charge, only the
Ottomans suffering losses.
