Albacete Campaign – French Victory

Battle of Riopar 8 September 1813

The photo shows the wargames table at the end of the battle.   The Spanish artillery and two of the three infantry brigades are in retreat.  The third infantry brigade is trying to cover the retreat of the rest of the corps.

Casualties have been light.   The Spanish have lost 800 infantry casualties.   The Italians have lost 100 gunners and 3 guns.

Campaign map 9 September 1813

On the left 3^rd Spanish corps has abandoned Riopar and its depot

It is retreating south towards Calasparra, the garrison is moving east

16^th Italian corps has entered Riopar and taken the depot and supplies there

This looks like a convincing French victory over the Spanish.

But things are not always as they seem.

The effect of campaign casualties is not obvious, but can have a major impact on both victors and the defeated.    Most campaign casualties are replaced, providing that the corps can break contact, avoid further fighting and resupply.

First, and most important, all casualties can be replaced except for the first 10% in each brigade

Infantry brigades within a corps can move all casualties, except 10%, to another brigade.   This results in one brigade having heavy casualties, but the rest only 10%

Gunner casualties are replaced first, then cavalry and then infantry.

This means that any brigade which suffers casualties will have at least 10% for the remainder of the campaign.    The effect of this is minus one on all morale and combat tests.   In effect an elite brigade become an average one.  An average brigade becomes a conscript one.   A conscript brigades becomes very vulnerable for the remainder of the campaign.

The loss of gunner and cavalry casualties are particularly damaging in any campaign.   But in one set in southern Spain they can make the difference between victory and defeat.

The Spanish Army have a lot more infantry than the French.    They have more conscript brigades, and are slightly less effective for morale and combat.   They have less cavalry than the French, and their troopers are conscript against French average.   Their gunners are the same quality as the French.

So the French rely heavily on their better and more numerous cavalry.   They are also outgunned in numbers and equal in quality of gunners.

At Riopar the Spanish lost 800 infantry.   This has reduced two brigades by 10%.   One is an average brigade, the other is conscript.  Both will remain reduced for the remainder of the campaign

The Italians lost 100 gunners and 3 guns.   This is 10% of their corps artillery.   None of these casualties can be replaced for the remainder of the campaign.   The effect is minus 1 on morale and combat tables.

The Spanish Army has four corps.   Each corps artillery has 1000 gunners and 30 guns.   This gives them a total of 4000 gunners and 120 guns

The French Army has three corps.   Each corps artillery also had 1000 gunners and 30 guns.   They now have 2900 gunners and 117 guns.

The effect is not just numbers.   Each time the Italian artillery fire they will have minus 1 for a hit.  Each time they test morale they will also have minus 1 to pass.  In wargame terms this is a significant disadvantage.

So the Italians may have won the battle of Riopar, but it may have been a pyrrhic victory