Avoiding overcommitment/disengaging

I've noticed in my first few tries (so far) at divisional command in MP that I tend to become fully committed on one of the flanks, and am often unable to effectively withdraw and change my direction of advance. Does anyone have tips regarding this?

I'm far from the master of disengaging though I think my issue is more identifying when I should. Disengaging is also quite difficult and so I often over weight the cost of withdrawing and get myself stuck into a sunken cost fallacy.

Beyond the difficulties of identifying when a reposition should be done. Doing it is of course its own beast. If you have any cavalry in your division they will be extremely useful if not mandatory for the maneuver. If you don't have cavalry it would be suggested to request some. The tactics for the maneuver are quite simple though. Use the cavalry to put the enemy in square, move back towards cover/height/away. Leap frog cavalry and army hopefully while shooting them with your guns. Eventually they will be dissuaded in following from the casualties you put on them, or you'll be far enough away that they'll find someone else to attack or just hang out.

As far as what buttons to hit I find putting brigades on the Hold At All Costs stance will get them to go where you want them while only reacting to enemy that are VERY close and even then they will refrain from advancing towards the enemy. But other than that its just a matter of baby sitting everyone and making sure they get away. You could TC a brigade commander and move them that way too which also requires baby sitting.

As with much of strategy and tactics, perhaps the most useful trick for withdrawing in the face of the enemy is being prepared to do it. If you have 2 artillery batteries you could position one a few hundred yards in front of one where as you withdraw the enemy gets close to the front guns, takes some close range shots, and then you withdraw the front guns, while the second line of guns covers as you pull back further and you can leap frog this way. However this requires a good path of terrain so the key is really to be very aware of your surrounding terrain and what options you have if you have to pull back.

What Ehey said. When the time finally comes I simply TC every battalion and march them away! I'll perhaps keep 1 or 2 TC'd battalions under my immediate care and work these as a rearguard.

What Ehey and Digby said.

And both have done it recently. Ehey played Viet Cong-style Austrians With his cav in a PvP scenario design of Mikos design. I had to do it in a recent scenario under Eheys command on Kelheim map and Digby did so nicely at my behest during the recent ‘Kobyashi Maru’ on the Kelheim map. In fact Digbys well-executed disengagement (supported by Vince) was a bright spot in that scenario, which gives you an idea why the overall engagement was a fruitless endeavor.

I actually enjoy opportunities to disengage (as opposed to collecting survivors at a rendezvous point which is a different tactical and emotional situation entirely) because it is challenging. And often creates an opportunity.


Cavalry is nice to have as a screen. It is not always available. Depending on conditions I might actually advance a brigade as rear guard and use ‘short getaway’ buttons and TC to increase distance between my units and threats as quickly as possible. Then will hand control back to brigade commanders giving them a far off destination to get their brigades moving with cohesion. At that point I will repeat equivalent type of process with rear guard — perhaps using a single battalion as the final rear guard to let the brigade retreat depending Upon conditions. Sometimes at that point the AI has retreated them in disarray because they have already been ripped to pieces.