Ratisbon Campaign - Battle of Nittendorf

 

 

 

Campaign Map

8th Bavarian army, commanded by Marshal Mortier, attack Nittendorf
2nd Austrian army, commanded by General Klenau, defend Nittendorf

The Bavarians lost the first battle of the campaign and retreated east
The Austrians lost the second battle of the campaign and retreated west
The winner of this battle will determine the direction of the remainer of the campaign.

The Bavarians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery
The Austrians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery

Table at start of battle

Both armies on the table at the start of the game
Austrians nearest to the camera, Bavarians far end of table


There are three objectives and the Austrians are deployed on all three
Large woods on the left, small woods in the centre, bridge on the right
The army which occupies at least two at the end of 12 moves will win the battle
The river can only be crossed using one of the three bridges

Bavarian CinC has taken command of cavalry and infantry from 22 and 23 corps
Austrian CinC has taken command of artillery and infantry from 4 and 5 corps

Table at end of battle

On the left 24th Bavarian corps have taken two of the four wood sections.
6th Austrian corps have three corps have withdrawn from the woods
However they have three infantry brigades ready to defend the two southern sections
One infantry brigade, the cavalry and artillery are all in rout
Neither side has taken all four wood sections so the result is a draw

In the centre 23rd Bavarian corps have taken the woods
5th Austrian corps have abandoned the woods and withdrawn to Nittendorf
The Bavarians hold the woods and secured the objective

On the right 22nd Bavarian corps have secured both ends of the bridge
Marshal Mortier commands half of the corps on the left bank
Wrede commands the other half on the right bank
4th Austrian corps have withdrawn to Nittendorf
The Bavarians hold the bridge and secured the objective

As the Bavarians hold two of the objectives they have won the battle.

The Bavarians have lost 1 infantry and 2 cavalry casualties (600 men)
The Austrians have lost 10 infantry, 3 cavalry and 2 artillery casualties (4500 men)
There are five Austrian brigades in rout and only one Bavarian brigade

Summary
This was a disappointing game for the Austrian commander (Jan)
They had some early wins, but had poor dice throughout the game
By the end of move 10 it was clear that the Bavarians had won.

Battles with rivers are always a challenge, for both attacker and defenfer
The defender has to deploy his army first and must decide how to hold the river
He must hold both ends of the bridge, and usually deploys two infantry brigades on each side
The problem is where to put the cavalry and the artillery
Normally the army commander takes command of one side of the river

The attacker then has the option of whether to match the enemy deployment
This is the safe option, and just let the dice decide which side wins
I prefer to use my cavalry against the enemy artillery

Large woods are also becoming a problem, mainly because they take so long to capture
I have always used three or four sections of woods to make a large woods
One infantry brigade can be placed in each section
The attackers deploy to take the two nearest wooded sections
However the defenders can then retreat to the two further sections
The attackers then have to redeploy to attack the remaining two sections
There is never enough time to do so, particularly if artillery support is required
Not sure what the answer is, perhaps reduce large woods to two sections

Ratisbon Campaign Day 3

 

18 September 1813 – Southern Germany – Day 3

The French attack Nittendorf
7th French army – regroup at Dingolfing
8th French army – attack Nittendorf
9th French army – occupy Bad Abbach

The Austrian defend border
1st Austrian army – observe on border
2nd Austrian army – defend Nittendorf
3rd Austrian army – retret to Kofering

Situation

In the north 7th Bavarian army is regrouping at Dingolfing after their defeat at Prettendorf.
1st Austrian army has redeployed along the Landshut/Ratisbon regional border.
They have been ordered to hold there until the battle for Nittendorf has been decided.
If the Austrians win again, the whole army will advance into the Landshut region.
If they lose they will have to retreat to the west.

In the centre 8th Bavarian army is following the invasion plan and attacks Nittendorf.
The town is defended by 2nd Austrian army, who have completed their deployment at the border
They occupy a strong defensive position west of Nittendorf along the border.

In the south 9th Bavarian army occupy Bad Abbach, having won the battle on 17 September.
3rd Austrian army is retreating to Kofering, where they have been ordered to hold.
They have been told to prepare to counter attack should 2nd Austrian army hold Nittendorf.

The battle at Nittendorf will decide whether the Bavarians continue to invade Ratisbon region.
Should they lose the battle the whole army will have to retreat east into Landshut region.
In that case the Austrians will almost certainly pursue them

Ratisbon Campaign - battle of Abbach

Campaign Map

9th Bavarian army, commanded by Marshal Ney, attack Bad Abbach
3rd Austrian army, commanded by General Mervedt, defend the border

The Bavarians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery
The Austrians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery

Table at start of battle

3rd Austrian army is nearest to the camera
8th corps is in the centre holding the inn to the left of the main road
7th corps is to the right of Bad Abbach and 9th corps to the left

9th Bavarian army is at the far end of the table

There are three game objectives, all in the centre of the table
Woods on the left, Inn in the centre and hill on the right
The side which holds at least two at the end of 12 moves will win the game

Table at end of battle

On the left 27th Bavarian corps attack the woods held by 9th Austrian corps.
The woods are divided into four sections, and each can hold one brigade.
The Austrians quickly withdraw to the two southern sections
Their artillery dominate the south west section, and do so throughout the battle
They are supported by infantry and cavalry preventing a Bavarian attack to the left of the woods
The Bavarians advance between the woods and the inn, which is time consuming

Ney takes command of the cavalry and artillery of 25th corps, between them and 26th corps
26th corps attack the inn in the centre, supported by Ney and the reserve

Merveldt takes command of 7th corps cavalry and artillery, to counter Neys reserve
The Bavarians attack and take the inn, and hold it until nightfall

The hill on the right is not suitable for cavalry or artillery, and becomes an infantry battle
Both 25th Bavarian and 7th Austrian corps devote three infantry brigades to the task.
A prolonged skirmish and melee combat results in the rout of the Austrian infantry.

At nightfall the Bavarians hold two of the three objectives and win the battle.

Summary

This was another hard fought battle, with both sides suffering heavy casualties
Jan and I both have a thorough knowledge of the rules and tactics which work well
Neither make any glaring errors anymore, so it is usually down to the dice.
In this game we both had our fair share of good and bad dice, which makes it interesting

The infantry combat on the hill was particularly interesting, with three brigades per side.
Each had one grenadier brigade, one light brigade and one line brigade
The grenadiers are good at melee, but not in the skirmish role
The light have a skirmish advantage, but are poor in melee.
The line are average at both skirmish and melee.

We draw a chip to determine the sequence of movement for each turn.

On broken ground such as a hill, skirmish range and charge range are both 4”
Both players used their skirmishers against the enemy grenadiers or line
However they had to fire first, or would be at a disadvantage when the enemy charged

The Austrians had more luck in moving first, and won defeated all three Bavarian brigades
In doing so they lost their own light and line brigades.

The CinC sent his only infantry, a conscript brigade, to support the attack on the hill
They managed to charge the remaining Austrian grenadier brigade whilst disordered
Thus the Bavarians took the hill using a brigade with poor skirmish, melee and fire ability.

It was a relief that the Bavarians won this battle, a defeat would have forced a general retreat.
They have won one battle, and the Austrians the other, so the third battle will be critical…
If the Bavarians win they are back on course and will advance towards Ratisbon.
If the Austrians win the Bavarians will have to retreat west towards Landshut.

A great campaign so far, that first defeat really threw a spanner in the Bavarian works

Ratisbon Campaign Day 2

17 September 1813 – Southern Germany – Day 2

The French attack Bad Abbach
7th French army – retreat to Dingolfing
8th French army – observe border
9th French army – attack Bad Abbach

The Austrian redeploy on border
1st Austrian army – regroup on border
2nd Austrian army – redeploy on border
3rd Austrian army – defend Bad Abbach

Situation
In the north 7th Bavarian army retreats to Dingolfing following their defeat at Prettendorf
1st Austrian army regroups on their side of the Landshut-Ratisbon border
This Bavarian defeat is a serious setback to the their campaign objectives
1st Austrian army is ordered to prepare to follow up, but to await developments in the south.

In the centre 8th Bavarian army hold their ground and wait to see what the Austrians will do
2nd Austrian army is ordered to concentrate on the border and await further orders

In the south 9th Bavarian army is ordered to attack Bad Abbach as planned
It is anticipated that if they can take the town it will deter any Austrian attack in the north
3rd Austrian army move 7th and 8th corps up to join 8th corps on the border
The Bavarian attack has been expected and is no suprise

Despite his defeat at Prettendorf, Marshal Massena is determined to press his attack.

If he can win at Bad Abbach he is convinced that Schwartzenberg will not attack in the north He has now lost the advantage of suprise, and each battle will now be a little harder to win

Battle of Prettendorf

Campaign Map

7th Bavarian army, commanded by Marshal Massena, attack Prettendorf
1st Austrian army, commanded by General Schwartzenberg, defend the border

The Bavarians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery
The Austrians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery

The first battle of the campaign is north of the river Danube, where 7th Bavarian army are ordered to attack the border town of Prettendorf

1st Austrian corps have one corps on the border as an advance guard. The remaining two corps are in reserve either side of Prettendorf.

Table at start of battle

The three Bavarian corps are deployed at the top of the table
2nd Austrian corps is deployed in the centre either side of the woods
1st Austrian corps is to the right of Prettendorf and 3rd corps to the left
All corps will move at the start of move 1

There are three battle objectives, all in the centre of the table
Hill on the left, woods in the centre, farm on the right
The army which holds at least two at the end of 12 moves will win

Table at end of battle

3rd Austrian corps hold the hill on the left
Three Bavarian brigades attacked the hill, all three were defeated
One Austrian brigade was routed, but rallied and returned
Infantry and artillery to the left of the hill were not engaged

20th Bavarian corps has taken the woods in the centre
Austrian supports either side of the woods were routed
Two Bavarian brigades took the woods after determined fighting

1st Austrian corps hold the farm on the left
Infantry supports to the left of the far m have been routed
The garrison has suffered 20% casualties, but holds firm

Summary

This was a hard fought battle which was decided during the last move

Games are often decided by which side has the luck to move first.
Or by good or bad dice at a critical time in the attack or defence
In this game both sides had equal amounts of good and bad luck
This made for a fast moving, unpredictable and very enjoyable game

The Austrians deserved to win, but it is not a good result for the campaign
The attacking army (Bavarian in this case) need to win two of the first three battles
This will force the defending army to withdraw and allow the game to move forwards
It will allow one of the battles to include the city, which is the campaign objective

If the attackers fail to drive the defenders back, they will have to retreat instead

Ratisbon Campaign Day 1

16 September 1813 – Southern Germany – Day 1

The French attack in the north
7th French army – attack Prettendorf
8th French army – observe border
9th French army – observe border

The Austrian defend border
1st Austrian army – defend Prettendorf
2nd Austrian army – defend border
3rd Austrian army – defend border

Situation
The French are deployed to the left of the Landshut-Ratisbon border
Their campaign objective is to take and hold the city of Ratisbon
There are three French armies each of three corps
7th army is in the north at Dingolfing
8th army is in the centre at Reisbach
9th army is in the south at Muhldorf

The Austrians are deployed to the right of the border
1st army is in the north at Prettendorf
2nd army is in the centre at Nittendorf
3rd army is in the couth at Bad Abbach
Each army has one corps on the border and two in reserve

The campaign opens in the north with the French attack on Prettendorf

Start Ratisbon Campaign

 

Munich Region  - battles fought  in previous campaigns

Our next campaign phase is set in southern Germany.

This is the 93rd campaign phase since the 1813 campaign started in April 2009.
It is the 25th phase of the revised campaign started in June 2020
And the 5th set in the Munich Region.
This map shows the 25 previous battles fought in this Region.
The French won 11 and the Austrians won 14.
Ratisbon is the Austrian district headquarters
Ninth French (Bavarian) army are concentrated at Landshut
They have orders to take and hold Ratisbon

 

Typical Bavarian Corps

Ninth French (Bavarian) army is commanded by Marshal Massena
It has three armies, each of three corps.
Each corps has four infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade and corps artillery

Typical Austrian Corps

The Austrian army is commanded by General Schwartzenberg
It also has three armies, each of three corps
Each corps has four infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade and corps artillery

Ratisbon campaign map

Comments

This is a fictional campaign loosely based on the historical 1813 campaign in Germany.
The maps are functional and fictional, again loosely based on real maps
They are designed to be transferred to the wargames table
Each map square is a scenic 2x2 foot square
Nine squares make a table 6x6 foot

I have always liked the colourful uniforms of the Bavarian and Austrian armies.
They make a pleasant change from the dark blue Prussian and French in north Germany
Or the green Russian and dark blue French in central Germany.

We are fortunate to have a permanent wargames room, and take 6 or 7 days to fight each battle
During this time I often take a few minutes to admire the table and consider my next move.
More than once I have been tempted to move a brigade in danger because I overlooked a threat
But so far I can honestly say that I have not given into such temptation.