VILE STAGONIAN VICTORY at OFFENBACH!

Stagonian General Baron Gaspar du Vile was feasted this evening in the Burgomeister's hall in Offenbach after the stunning victory over Frankzonian forces outside the town's defences.

The battle began as the rains let up at mid-morning, the Earl of Flynn had defused the tensions from the past two days and appeared to have established a modus-operandi between the Frankzonian camp and Offenbach. Within the hour Stagonian troops marched off the west roads and into formations within artillery range of the Frankzonians whom began firing at them immediately.

With the rains continuing on and off for the next two hours the Frankzonian guns boomed out.

General Leopold remained near the town edge and the Works at his command site while the Offenbach Militia Battalions rushed to the improvised barricades. News was brought to General Leopold that a rider group bearing a white flag was approaching the Hesse-Offenbach Marching Band near the fort, Conductor-Colonel Korngold took the Stagonian emissary at his word and with a section of men and subaltern as escourt the ADC of General du Vile was brought to General Leopold's presence. His message was one of neutrality. Stagonian troops would not molest or attack Offenbach or the Soweiter League forces if they did not attack Stagonian ones first. General Leopold accepted this message and sent the ADC back with the news that Soweiter forces would hold in positions behind defences and so long as Stagonian troops did not approach these defences nor fire at Soweiter troops so too would they hold their fire. This message was passed to those on the barricades and the ADC was escourted back thru the Hesse-Offenbach Marching Band lines.

Meanwhile the agreement made earlier with Frankzonia was also taking place, all the Frankzonian cavalry was being led to the south of the fort into the open ground so that they would fall on the flank of the vile Stagonian troops. Also the artillery barrage was being answered in kind with the Frankfurt Guild Militia Battalion taking the brunt of the fire.

Mercenary troops were also ascending the heights north of the fort, pushing back Frankzonian jagers and causing a response from the Foot Longs 2nd Battalion whom were climing the opposite side of the hill in a race to the top...Prinz Robert Axe won the race and began pouring fire into the Foot Longs 2nd Battalion, who also began to fire back, this musketry rang out for an hour while the cavalry race to the south was coming to an end.

Frankzonian Hillary's Hussars were into line first, then HC Reiters; the Hussars charged into the Elite von Kirschstein Kuirassier routing them (amazingly!), but Hillary's Hussars were themselves routed by the Jailler Hussars, whom were ruthless in pursuit and scattered many squadrons, while managing to recover themselves from a wild pursuit before HC Reiters were able to blast at them from pistols and carbines.

The cavalry positioning continued, with only Benzler Dragoons holding the lines for the Stagonians permitting the blown Hussars and shaken Kuirassier to recover. Frankzonian cavalry was content to 'follow-up' and continue pistol shooting at the Hussars and Dragoons while the distant Elite Vinny's Vincibles formed up into battle line and moved to flank position.

Stagonian cavalry recovered first, while in the north the IR O'Duffy was routed, being reduced from 6 companies to less than one which was ragged and shell-shocked after standing taking fire from Frankzonian batteries for close to three hours! These were the three hours that political officers Graf Adolf von Voss and du Vile argued over the meaning of the word 'advance'!

Not waiting for the Frankzonians to get into position the Benzler Dragoons charged into the heavy cavalry of HC Reiters. It was a gamble by the Benzler Dragoons, but it paid off, though not without penalty, as both formations of cavlary lost at least a full squadron in the melee, with the Benzler Dragoons coming out the better for it, vile Stagonia then kept the momentum and followed up the charge with a lively pursuit that shattered another squadron of HC Reiters.

While the cavalry charge was finishing, Brigadier Prinz Robert (the) Axe finally succeeded against the Foot Longs 2nd Battalion, it took both the Poulardes (plump chickens) and Formies Rouge (fire ants) to take the north hill, but at long last; 5 hours actually; he was standing alone atop this hill with a fresh battery of artillery ready to pour fire and destruction into the ranks of the Foot Longs 1st Battalion.

Aware now that his cavalry was going to be outnumbered, Brigadier Shlidelisht changed tactics and prepared his elite Vinny's Vincibles to move south, beyond the range of the blown vile Stagonian cavalry. He sent word to General L'Haugen Bienz, to the effect that the south was not secure, the cavalry would need a day to rest and re-organize, he Brigadier Shlidelisht would take an alternate route across the river to the south, then re-form with the remaining Frankzonian troops outside the city of Frankzonia, as defence of the great city must remain a priority, whatever gains were to be had here in Offenbach were now only of secondary importance. Brigadier Shlidelisht essentially told General L'Haugen Bienz that this battle was over and it was a loss.

General L'Haugen Bienz knew of this first hand as he could personally see the battery of artillery setting up on the great hill to his left, Offenbach troops had only manned their defences, they did not seem to do much more than take up space.

Perhaps he should have simply stormed the town and blasted that fort himself...as he had wanted to do two days ago!

Time for lost opportunity was gone, as were the Foot Longs 2nd Battalion, Frankfurt Guild Militia Battalion, and apparently Hillary's Hussies!

General L'Haugen Bienz wasted no further time in the deepening gloom of a fresh downpour and the shadows of night upon them he ordered the general retreat, vile Stagonia would have to pay for this victory yet!