Baltic Independence Wars: German Offensive at Cēsis 1919 AAR

So I was finally able to meet up with my friend Art at one of the local hobby shops, where we put my Baltic Independence Wars miniatures through their first battle.  This was a fictional encounter set during the 1919 Battle of Cēsis using the Contemptible Little Armies rules. Estonian and Latvian forces (me) scrambled to prevent German Freikorps and Landwehr (Art) from seizing a critical rail station. The Baltic nationals were ordered to hold on until the last man.

The civilians had already fled ahead of the advancing armies, so the area was quiet other than a few hastily abandoned sheep.

The Estonians and Latvians launched a three prong attack. Two veteran units rushed to the station with an armored car in support. A unit of quickly raised recruits headed for the woods, while heavy machine and artillery teams pushed their equipment into place.

The center prong consisted of two regular infantry units who would work their way through the village and try to slow the German advance before pivoting into the far end of the station.

At the other end of the village, Cossacks galloped at top speed around the pending clash in order to flank the advancing Germans.

The Germans went with a two prong attack. As their Freikorps artillery and heavy machine guns teams maneuvered into place, Landwehr infantry and cavalry advanced through the cemetery and around the woods. A Freikorps stormtrooper squad ran towards the station, with a flamethrower equipped pioneer team in support. 

The second prong consisted of two Freikorps infantry squads who worked their way through the pasture towards the village.

The German stormtroopers managed to reach the station first, and moved into the freight depot area.

The Baltic veterans continued their advance, while the Latvian armored car opened fire on the advancing Landwehr cavalry. Unfortunately, they failed to cause any injuries. 

The other Baltic infantry continued their push through the village, highly aware of the German heavy machinegun being set up at the other end of the station.

The two squads of Freikorps infantry spotted the Cossack cavalry racing towards them and managed to kill two of the riders.

However, the Cossacks quickly closed the distance and slashed one of the infantry squads to ribbons as their Kameraden rushed to help. 

At the station, Baltic infantry exchanged fire with the stormtroopers inside the building. They failed to injury any of the Germans and sadly lost a few of their men.

Landwehr rushed to join the stormtroopers and pioneers in the station, but two members were killed by the Estonian heavy machinegun.

Baltic forces entered the passenger end of the station and contested control of the building.

Fearful of the armored car's twin machineguns, the Landwehr cavalry veered into the woods, where the raw Latvian recruits scrambled to set up a firing line.

The second Friekorps squad joined the melee with the Cossacks, but they also were no match for the slashing sabers and wild horses.

Back in the woods, luck was with the green recruits and they caught the Landwehr cavalry by surprise, killing half the unit. The survivors ran off in a panic.

The Estonian machinegun team also managed to pick off another of the Landwehr infantry before they made it to the safety of cover.

With the German machinegun now assembled and looking for targets, the Estonian infantry took shelter along the station while the Latvians hid behind a cottage.

The Estonian artillery took a shot at the Freikorps troops in the freight deport, but failed to dislodge them.

Just as the German field artillery crew were preparing to launch their attack on the station, the Latvian armored car drove up and gunned them down to the last man.

On the other side of the station, the Freikorps stormtroopers charged out of the station and brutally attacked the Estonians. The Latvians decided to risk machine gunfire and rushed to assist their allies.

At the other end of the village, the bloody battle between the Cossacks and Freikorps raged on.

Meanwhile, Germans and Latvians charged at one another along the station platform. 

The armored car moved up, hoping to support the infantry, but was disabled by the German machinegun.

Though the Latvians managed to join the melee on the other side of the station, neither Baltic unit was a match for the ferocity of the Freikorps stormtroopers.

As the German machinegun team started attacking the Latvian recruits, they were unaware the surviving Cossacks were rushing up behind them.

Back at the station, the German units defeated the Latvian veterans. All that remained were the Estonian veterans holed up in the passenger hall.

The Cossacks reached the machinegun crew and cut them down. The surviving Latvian recruits in the woods were now free to take potshots as the Germans swarming the station.

The stormtroopers began their assault on the passenger hall...

...While the pioneer squad on the other side began stealthily maneuvering their flamethrower into place.

Luckily the Estonians managed to drive off the stormtroopers and launched a successful counter-assault against the pioneers before the flamethrower could be used.

At the same time the remaining Cossacks arrived and finished off the last of the stormtroopers.

With that, there were only a few ragtag German Landwehr and their officers left on the table, and they were forced to flee.  The Estonians and Latvians had succeeded in their mission to hold the station, but at a terrible cost. It was a really close battle that could have gone either way at multiple points, and Art and I were on the edge of seats until the last round. Overall, a really fun and exciting game.