Cordova Campaign – Battle of Cordova

Battle of Cordova – table at start of game

Both armies are full strength at the start of the game
Each army has three corps
The Spanish have 12 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry and 3 corps artillery
The French have 9 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry and 3 corps artillery
The French infantry are better quality, the cavalry and artillery the same quality

There are three game objectives
The centre bridge on the left, the hill in the centre and the hill on the right
The Spanish occupy each objective with one corps

The French start the game on the south bank of the river Guadalquivir
They can only cross the river by using the four bridges and one ford
To do so they must cross in column of march

Cordova is the main Spanish supply and administrative city
To win the campaign the French must occupy the city

End of move 12

St Cyr takes command of half of 42nd Italian corps on the right bank
Roussard has command of two elite brigades on the left bank
St Cyr pins the Spanish on the right bank, Roussard attacks on the left bank
The Spanish are quickly routed and the Italians secure the left end of the brigade
The Spanish rally and counter attack, but are routed once more
However their artillery on the right bank fire on the Italian infantry causing heavy casualties
Both brigades retreat out of artillery range, leaving the Spanish in control of the bridge

In the centre 41st Polish corps cross the river and attack the hill in the centre
The Spanish reinforce the hill and fight despite heavy casualties
Abbe moves his infantry from the centre to reinforce the hill
A desperate Polish attack takes the hill as night falls

On the right 40th French corps advance on both banks of the river
Spanish dragoons charge and rout the French dragoons
Despite this the French infantry attack and take the hill.

At nightfall the French hold two of the three objectives and win both the game and the Campaign

French have lost 8 infantry, 3 cavalry and 1 artillery casualties (3600 men)
Spanish have lost 16 infantry and 2 cavalry casualties (6600 men)

French have 3 brigades in rout
Spanish have 11 brigades in rout

Comments

Despite the heavy Spanish casualties this game was in doubt until the end of the final move.
At the start of move 12 the Spanish were in possession of all three objectives
A prolonged infantry melee was fought on both hills, and was in debate right to the end
The Spanish only had to have one brigade on either hill to win the game and campaign
However their three critical dice rolls to decide the outcome were 1,1 and 2
It was a much more tense and uncertain game than the final casualties would indicate.

Cordoba Campaign – Day Six

14 September 1813 – Southern Spain – Day 6

French attack Cordoba
13 French Army regroup at Muriano
14 French Army attack Cordoba
15 French Army retreat to Baena

Spanish defend Cordoba
1 Spanish Army withdraw from campaign
2 Spanish Army defend Cordoba
3 Spanish Army occupy Espinar

Battle of Cordoba opening positions

14th French Army commanded by Marchar Saint Cyr attack Cordoba
2nd Spanish army commanded by General Elio defend Cordoba

French have 9 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery
3 infantry and 1 cavalry brigades are detached to protect lines of supply

Spanish have 12 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery

Cordoba is the regional capitol and the main depot of 2nd Spanish army group.
The side which occupies it at the end of 6 days will win the campaign.
It is the large town at the top centre of the table

There are three game objectives
The bridge on the left, the hill in the centre, the hill on the right
The side which occupies at least two objectives at the end of 12 moves is the winner

The Spanish army are deployed on and around the three game objectives
The French army are deployed south of the river Guadalquivir
The river is unfordable and can only be crossed using one of the five bridges

Comments

Cordoba is the campaign objective, and the French must take it to win the campaign.

Both armies are deployed on the table at the start of the battle. However the French are on the wrong side of the river Guadalquivir, which they must cross using one of the five bridges. If the Spanish can pin them near the river they will have no room to deploy and any set back will probably result in total defeat.

To win the campaign the French must take Cordoba, which is the campaign objective. So far the Spanish have won three battles and the French only two. There is a lot riding on this battle for the French commander.

Cordova Campaign – Battle of Montilla

Battle of Montilla – table at start of game

Both armies are full strength at the start of the game
Each army has three corps
The Spanish have 12 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry and 3 corps artillery
The French have 9 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry and 3 corps artillery
The French infantry are better quality, the cavalry and artillery the same quality

There are three game objectives
The woods on the left, the hill in the centre and the villa on the right
The Spanish occupy each objective with one corps

The French start the game on the table, but out of artillery range of the Spanish
One corps is allocated to attack each game objective
The CinC has taken command of the corps artillery of 43 and 44 corps
He has placed this reserve between the two corps to support either as required

End of move 12

On the left 46 Westphalian corps advance against the woods
Their cavalry charge and rout the Spanish cavalry and then threaten their artillery
The Westphalian infantry and artillery deploy to attack the front two sections of woods
The Spanish cavalry, and the infantry in the front line, withdraw to the rear wood sections
The Westphalian infantry quickly occupy the southern section of woods
But their cavalry and artillery have to redeploy to threaten the northern woods
The Westphalian attack takes three wooded sections, but are unable to take the fourth

44 Baden corps are supported in their attack on the hill by the reserve artillery
The Spanish gunners on the road withdraw to the rear of the hill/pass
The Baden infantry take the left hand hill, but are unable to take the right hand one
Once more the Spanish have held part of an objective

43 French corps are delayed by having to cross the hill to reach the villa
This allows the French reserve artillery to redeploy to support their attack
The villa is a strong defensive position, and the French need to attack more than one side
However the Spanish artillery and cavalry make this impossible
The French reserve artillery cause casualties to the garrison
The French grenadier brigade then attack the villa and rout the garrison

The French have only taken one of the three objectives

The Spanish have lost 4100 casualties to just 900 French
There are also four Spanish brigades in rout and only one French
But the Spanish have managed to hold part of two objectives

The French have only taken one, and thus lose the battle

Comments

The new balance between the French and Spanish armies seems to be working well
Being outnumbered in infantry the French cannot afford to take any risks
They must win the cavalry and artillery battle before commiting the infantry.
However the Spanish gunners and cavalry are just as good as the French

The Spanish held the forward locations, supported by cavalry and artillery
Their infantry were safe behind the objectives

The French deployed to attack the front line, and the Spanish fell back to the second line
This meant the French had to advance and redeploy, which wasted precious time
There are only 12 moves to each battle, and this does not allow time to redeploy

The Spanish deserved to win this game

Cordova Campaign – Day Five

13 September 1813 – Southern Spain – Day 5

French attack Montilla
13 French Army occupy Muriano
14 French Army regroup at El Carpio
15 French Army attack Montilla

Spanish defend Montilla
1 Spanish Army retreat and leave campaign
2 Spanish Army retgroup at Cordoba
3 Spanish Army defend Montilla

Battle of Montilla opening positions

15th French Army commanded by Marshal Augereau attack Montilla
3rd Spanish army commanded by General Del Parque defend Montilla

French have 9 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery
3 infantry and 1 cavalry brigades are detached to protect lines of supply

Spanish have 12 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery
12th corps has been disbanded to bring other three corps up to full strength

Comments

Having lost the battle of Muriano 1st Spanish army have two choices
They can occupy the city and accept a siege
Or they can retreat, abandon the city and leave the campaign.
Having lost 5700 men, against 2500 French, they have no choice but to retreat.

If the result had been more even I would have allowed the Spanish to accept the siege
The campaign is designed to produce a series of battles to wargame
In the past I had considered allowing siege, which happened quite often in the Peninsular
However they are better suited to a solo campaign than to this type of campaign.

In the past I have been tempted to run a siege as a project, but have always resisted the urge.
It would require a lot of preparation and I don’t have any suitable figures
I have not painted a single figure in 20 years, and doubt if I still have the skill and ability to do so
I could run the siege as an abstract paper exercise, but that does not really appeal to me
Finally it would detract from my long running campaign, and I am reluctant to allow that

So for the present I will have to accept one side retreating off the map at the end of the phase.

Cordova Campaign – Battle of Muriano

 

 

Battle of Muriano – table at start of game

Both armies are full strength at the start of the game
Each army has three corps
The Spanish have 12 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry and 3 corps artillery
The French have 9 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry and 3 corps artillery
The French infantry are better quality, the cavalry and artillery the same quality

There are three game objectives
The farm on the left, the woods in the centre and the hill on the right
The Spanish occupy each objective with one corps

The French start the game on the table, but out of artillery range of the Spanish
One corps is allocated to attack each game objective
The CinC has taken command of one cavalry brigade between 37 and 38 corps
This will allow him to use it in support of either corps

 

End of move 12

The French plan is to pin the Spanish corps on the left
37 corps will only attack the hill if their artillery can weaken the enemy
38 corps will open the battle with their attack on the woods
39 corps will attack the farm when their infantry are in position

On the right the French gunners lost 10% casualties as they deployed
This meant they could not engage the enemy gunners
The French CinC led the guard grenadiers against the Spanish lancers
But lost the melee and was out of the game for 9 moves

In the centre the French attack was threatened by the Spanish lancers
They had to form one brigade into square to protect their flank
The attack on the woods was surprisingly a success
But only because the Spanish rolled a poor dice at the critical point

On the left the French had to wait for their infantry to cross the hill
But they quickly took the farm, and routed most of 2nd Spanish corps
But they were too far from the centre to affect the outcome there

The French hold two objectives, the farm and the woods
The Spanish hold one objective, the hill

French have lost 5 infantry, 4 cavalry and 1 artillery casualties (2500 men)
Spanish have lost 13 infantry, 2 cavalry and 3 artillery casualties (5700 men
There are 8 Spanish brigades in rout and 3 French
The French win the battle

Comments

Despite a poor start, the French managed to win the game
But it was largely due to luck, with good dice at the right time

The lower quality Spanish infantry was also critical
Their better quality troops were in the front line and performed well
But when they were routed their poor quality reserves usually went with them
They often rallied, but were too far in the rear to help in the final two moves

A really enjoyable game, particularly for me as the French player
After a terrible start the dice moved in my favour at the critical tests

Too soon to say how well the new order of battle will work out
The dice had too much influence to determine how well the balance worked

Cordova Campaign – Day Four

12 September 1813 – Southern Spain – Day 4

French occupy El Carpio
13 French Army attack Muriano
14 French Army occupy El Carpio
15 French Army regroup at Espinar

Spanish defend Muriano
1 Spanish Army defend Muriano
2 Spanish Army retreat to Cordoba
3 Spanish Army regroup at Montilla

Battle of Muriano – Move 12

At nightfall the Spanish lose the northern section of the woods
In doing so they lose the battle

The French hold two objectives, the farm and the woods
The Spanish hold one objective, the hill

French have lost 5 infantry, 4 cavalry and 1 artillery casualties (2500 men)
Spanish have lost 13 infantry, 2 cavalry and 3 artillery casualties (5700 men)

There are 8 Spanish brigades in rout and 3 French

The French win the battle

Comments

A new order of battle had been introduced at the start of this campaign phase.
The Spanish outnumbered the French in infantry and artillery
The French outnumbered the Spanish in cavalry, and their infantry were better quality
After three games it was clear that the balance was not right, the Spanish were too strong

Unusually I changed the order of battle in the middle of the campaign phase
The Spanish would have 12 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry and 3 corps artillery
The French would have 9 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry and 3 artillery
The French infantry would be better quality

The game worked well, as it might be expected to for the first test game
However the dice were very uneven, so it is difficult to estimate how well the balance worked.

The French had to attack and to do so with fewer infantry brigades
They would have to find an advantage to have any chance of success
Both sides had the same number of cavalry and artillery, and both were the same quality
The French would have to take some risks to weaken the Spanish infantry

The French artillery deployed within range of the Spanish infantry and artillery.
This meant that the Spanish gunners could fire first, and they did so
They required six on 1D6 to cause casualties – they rolled one six
The French battery which received casualties failed their morale and routed
This was not a good start.

Fortunately for the rest of the game both sides received their share of 1 and 6
Usually at the worse possible time, with 1 for critical morale or combat tests
But being evenly divided the two armies it made for an interesting game

There are a maximum of 12 moves in each game
At the end of move 10 it looked like the result would be a draw
The French has the inn on the left, and the Spanish the hill on the right
Each side held half of the woods in the centre.
If the game ended there the Spanish would have won
However that roll of one I mentioned came at just the wrong time for Spanish
During move 11 there was a melee, both sides suffered casualties
The French rolled two and were Shaken, but held their half of the woods
The Spanish rolled one and routed, abandoning their half of the woods.

A very tense game, but also very enjoyable as these “close run things” are

20 Years living in Spain

Jan standing in what would be our swimming pool 

On 18 March 2006 we arrived in Parcent to start our new life in Spain.   We had both finished work during the previous week, handed over the keys to our house in the UK on 17 March and caught the boat to Santander the same night.

14 months earlier we had selected the house of our choice and put down a deposit.   So many people wanted to buy in Spain in 2006 that there were not enough houses to go around.  So most had to buy “off plan”, which meant that the house was not built yet.   You would put down a deposit and the builder would start building.   At each stage you would pay the costs of work completed until the house was finished and you paid the final amount.   This system was largely responsible for the many properties which were never completed and buyers lost everything when the builder disappeared.  Fortunately that did not happen to us.

The advantage of buying “off plan” is that you had a large say in the design of the property.   As a result I was able to extend the floor plan to include a wargames room with a walled off area to store the figures and scenery.   As you can image a lot of consideration went into this project.

 

First walk with Costa Blanca Mountain Walkers

Our first priorities on arrival were to organise the wargames room and join the Costa Blanca Mountain Walkers, a local walking group.    We had to wait for our removal van to arrive with our furniture and boxes of models and scenery.   But within a week we had joined the walking group and were exploring the many beautiful walks within an hour of our new house.  Walking had always been one of our passions, with Wargaming being the second.

Walking was very popular here long before we arrived.   The CBMW had been formed in 1985 and was well established by the time we arrived.   Most members were British, but with large numbers of Germans and Dutch.   Unfortunately hardly any Spanish, who are not really interested in organised group walking.   They offered three walks each Wednesday and Saturday, and all were free to attend.  It was not unusual to have 50 or more on a particularly popular walk.   So it was not long before we had built up a wide selection of friends.

 

Our new wargames room

By the end of April my wargames room was complete and ready for the first game.   We had a 6x6 foot table built and extensive shelving for our collection of 28mm, 18mm and 6mm figures and scenery.   I had also completed 26 2x2 foot wooden scenic squares to allow me to create a wide range of table top battles.

We tried to recruit local wargamers to form a wargames club, which we had done in the UK for many years.   But there was little support, and eventually we decided to restrict our games to just the two of us.  

For a couple of years we played “one off” games, using the three different scales of figures and scenery to add variety to our games.   At the same time Jan started making scenery in the three scales to cover different areas and to build up our existing collection of commercial buildings.   This project would last a couple of years.

By 2008 I was getting bored with “one off” games.   I refought all of Wellington’s battles in the Peninsula, and then tried to do the same with the campaigns of Napoleon.   Wellington worked well, because I had a lot of maps and information available, and also they were relatively small battles.   Napoleon proved much more difficult, and I soon abandoned that project.  

But it did prompt me to create a fictional campaign based on 1813.   It would allow me to use all of my wargame figures, and all of our scenery.   The campaign took many months to create, and the first battle was fought in August 2009   The campaign has run non- stop since then.   I recorded the campaign on a blog, which gave me another long term interest.   At present we have fought 523 battles as wargames.

I have always been aware that our two main passions are Wargaming and hill walking, but when we moved to Spain I started a blog to keep friends and family in the UK up to date with our life here.    This has led to a third, and equally time consuming, passion – namely blogging.   But that will be the subject of a future post.