Rosenheim Campaign – Day 14

Campaign Map on 16 October 1813

In the north 2^nd and 3^rd Austrian corps have taken Holzkirchen

Both corps halt to regroup and resupply from the Bavarian depot there

9^th and 10^th Bavarian corps have routed off the map and are out of the campaign

In the south all remaining Bavarian supplies are held at Bad Tolz

The town is defended by 11^th Baden and 12^th Bavarian corps

Oudinot is desperate to secure the supplies and move them west

To do so he must hold the town for 24 hours

Schwartzenberg is determined to complete the destruction of the Third French Army.

He orders 1^st and 4^th corps to attack Bad Tolz and destroy the enemy

Battle of Bad Tolz

Schwartzenberg wants to compete the destruction of Oudinot.   He is not particularly interested in either Bad Tolz or the supplies held there.

He orders 4^th corps to attack the village to the south, and swing north to cut the road behind Bad Tolz.   The battle opens with a cavalry melee, which the Austrians lose.   This causes the two infantry brigades supporting the attack to panic and rout.   By mid-morning half of 4^th corps is running away.

Schwartzenberg now orders 1^st corps to support 4^th corps.   The renewed attack breaks 12^th Baden corps, who retreat with heavy casualties

However 11^th Bavarian corps continues to hold Bad Tolz, and completes the withdrawal of the supplies.  

Campaign Notes

Both armies start the battle with heavy casualties from the earlier fighting.   Consequently both sides have brittle morale, and any rout is likely to spread throughout any nearby brigades.

For this reason Schwartzenberg has decided to ignore the strong walled town of Bad Tolz, and concentrate on the enemy holding the village to the south.  He orders 4^th corps to take the village. The battle opens with a cavalry melee, in which both brigades have 10% casualties.   The Austrians are heavy cavalry, and charge the Bavarian hussars.   The odds are in favour of the Austrians, but the dice are not.  They lose and rout.

There are two infantry brigades in support of the cavalry.   One has 10% casualties, the other 20% casualties.   As the cavalry rout they must test their own morale.  Both fail.   Both Rout.   4^th Austrian corps have now lost half of their infantry and all their cavalry.

Fortunately things are going better for 1^st corps in the north.   Most of the Bavarians are within the walls of the town.   A small force of one infantry, one cavalry and the corps artillery are deployed to hold the area north of the town.   Again the Austrian cavalry charge the enemy cavalry, but this time they win the melee.   They retire out of range of the Bavarian artillery to hold the Austrian right flank.   The remainder of 1^st corps is ordered to support the attack on the village.

Heavily outnumbered the Baden corps hold their ground.   The area between the village and the town is so crowded with troops that it is difficult for the Austrians to use their superior numbers.   They recall their cavalry and send them against a militia brigade.   The Austrians roll two dice and get two ones!   The cavalry fail to charge home, and make the traffic jam even worse.

Eventually the Austrians withdraw broken infantry and cavalry and replace them with relatively french infantry.   They smash the remaining Baden infantry.   However it takes them until move 12 (nightfall) to do so.

The Bavarians have held the town all day.  They have achieved their objective of removing all of the supplies held in Bad Tolz and have suffered only minor casualties.  

They have won the battle

But the Baden corps has joined the rout.   Only one Bavarian corps is left to face the four battered Austrian corps.   They are safe for the moment, but further retreat is unavoidable.