Merida Campaign Phase

Map of Spain

This map shows the location of the four army groups in Spain.  

Each square is a military district.  

Nine squares is a military region.  

The stars show the location of previous campaigns fought in Spain. 

The colour of the star indicates which side won.  

The white star shows the location of Merida

This map shows the current location of the four armies.
The colour of stars indicated which army has won the previous campaign phases.    

Map of South Spain

This map shows the location of the French and Spanish army.  

Each square is a military district.  

Nine squares is a military region.  

The stars show the location of previous campaigns fought in Spain. 

The colour of the star indicates which side won

 

There are three regions in Southern Spain

Lisbon Region (on the left) is held by the Portuguese army

Valencia Region (on the right) is the held by irregular Spanish forces        

Seville Region is the disputed area in the middle

 

This map shows the current location of the French and Spanish armies

Seville Region

This map shows the location of the French and Spanish army. 

Each square is a military district.  

Nine squares is a military region.  

The stars show the location of previous campaigns fought in Spain. 

The colour of the star indicates which side won

 

This map is used for strategic (planning) movement.

 

Merida/Toledo District

This map shows the campaign area

It covers the area between Merida and Toledo

The district border is in the middle of the map

 

It shows the location of each French and Spanish corps.

It also shows depots and detached brigades

Each square is a 2x2 foot scenic square.  

Nine squares is a wargames table.  

Nine squares is also a military district.   

 

This map is used for tactical (daily) movement

 

The Spanish objective is to hold the city of Merida

The French objective is to defeat the Spanish army

Comments

This is the 84^th campaign phase since the 1813 campaign started in April 2009

It is the 12^th campaign phase since the campaign was last revised in June 2020

The last revision resulted in new maps showing military regions and districts

This is also the second campaign phase since the introduction of nine corps per side instead of six

The increased armies has required considerable change to the administration of the campaign

It is still being play tested, but after one campaign phase had greatly improved the wargames resulting from the campaign

 

The major change is supply and depots.

There are twelve towns on the campaign map, the same number of corps in the previous order of battle

Until now one town supplied one days supplies for each corps

Now that there are nine corps per side the depot has to supply the extra three days per side

This has required new supply rules to avoid the administration becoming too complicated

 

In the previous campaign, set in northern Germany, this worked well

However in Spain there is the additional complication of guerrilla groups.

Their function is to attack French garrisons and convoys

The garrisons remain the same, but the number of convoys has increased

Consequently the rules for the guerrilla has had to be rewritten.

 

The main change is that each guerrilla band will be able to attack one day in three

The other two they will be moving back to their village, resupplying and regrouping

 

I want the guerrilla to have an influence on the campaign, but not to dominate it

The rules have been simplified to allow for more guerrilla attacks than previously

Each time a depot is attacked the French will be unable to gather one days supplies

An attack on a convoy will only affect the French if the guerrilla are able to capture it

All casualties, both French and Spanish, will automatically be replaced by the respective field armies

This means both guerrilla bands and French garrison will always be full strength

But for each casualty one brigade in the respective field army will lose 10% casualties

 

As always, these new rules will be revised at the end of the campaign phase.

End of Goslar Campaign

Goslar Campaign Area

There were six battles fought, the Prussians won four and the French just two.

 

The campaign objective, the city of Goslar, was held by the French throughout the campaign.  

But by the end of the campaign Blucher has taken Osterode and routed Third French Army and outnumbered the French three to two.

Brunswick Region

There have been three campaigns in the Brunswick Region since the Sixth Campaign began

in September 2020.  

The French won two and the Prussians just one.

Of the 17 battles fought the French won ten and the Prussians seven

Europe

Since the 1813 campaign began in April 2009 there have been 16 campaign phases fought in Northern Europe between Napoleon and Blucher.  

The French won eight and the Prussians also eight.

 

Comments

At first sight this campaign, which began two years ago, was unusual in that Napoleon was beaten by Blucher.

In this current campaign the French beat the Prussians two campaigns to one

They also won ten battles and the Prussians only seven

However throughout the whole 1813 campaign, which began 13 years ago, both sides won 8 phases.

 

The French have the Imperial Garde corps, which has better quality troops than any of the Prussians corps

However when both armies are compared the number of elite brigades is similar.

 

One of my objectives in planning the 1813 campaign was that both sides should be equal

The campaign is designed to provide interesting battles to wargame.

So it was important that formations like the Imperial Garde should not win every battle

It would be possible, but a lot of work, to determine how many of their battles they did in fact win

But the fact that the French and Prussians each won eight phases seems to indicate that  I was reasonably successful.

Goslar Campaign Day 7

7 June 1813 – Northern Germany – Day 7

 

French retreat and abandon Goslar and Liebenburg

In the north French abandon Liebenburg

In the centre French abandon Goslar

In the south Prussians occupy Osterode

Prussians win Goslar campaign

 

Comment

 

Before the battle of Osterode things were looking bleak for Napoleon.

However he still held the three western towns of Leibenburg, Goslar and Osterode.

Both armies were weary after six days of hard fighting

However the French had taken the brunt of the damage.

 

Murat’s report made it clear that he had suffered a dramatic defeat at Osterode

Half of Third Army was in rout, the remainder in retreat.

 

Napoleon issued orders for First Army to hold Goslar and Second Army Liebenburg

Murat was to rally west of Osterode and prepare to counter attack

 

However on the morning of 7 June he received reports that the entire Prussian army was advancing

Blucher ignored his low supplies and heavy battle casualties

He could clearly see that one more push would force Napoleon to retreat

At first light he led his entire army west towards Goslar

 

Even Napoleon now had to admit defeat

His army was outnumbered three to two

His right flank had routed

If he tried to fight again he would almost certainly lose the entire French Army of the North

He ordered a general retreat and abandoned Goslar and Liebenburg

 

The Prussians had won the Goslar campaign.