Sunday 24 March 2019

Albacete Campaign – Set Up


Campaign Map on 7 September 1813
This map shows the location of each corps and independent brigade on the evening before the campaign starts.   It also shows the supply depots for each army.

There are four corps in the Spanish field army
In addition there are nine militia brigades, one for each town

The French also have four corps

Both armies start the campaign at full strength
Each French corps has four days supplies
Each Spanish corps has three days supplies

The initiative to start the campaign lies with the French
The Spanish cannot retreat and concentrate until the French start their attack

Fifth French Army
The French have three corps
Each has 4 infantry, 1 cavalry and 1 artillery brigade

In addition there is a reserve corps of 4 infantry brigades
These will supply the garrisons of captures towns and protect lines of supply

The total field army is 16 infantry, 3 cavalry and 3 artillery brigades

Spanish Army
The Spanish have four corps
Two have 4 infantry, 1 cavalry and 1 artillery brigade
Two have 3 infantry and 1 artillery brigade

The nine militia brigades form the garrison of each of the nine towns
They can only leave the town when it is occupied by the French
They then become a guerrilla brigade
They must still operate around their original town

The Spanish have 14 infantry, 9 militia, 2 cavalry and 4 artillery brigades


Campaign Notes

The French army has been reduced to three full corps and one reserve corps
The reserve corps has four infantry brigades, but no cavalry and no artillery
Their purpose is to provide garrisons for four French depots
If more depots are required one of the corps must detach an infantry brigade as garrison

The aim is to reduce the fighting ability of the French army.

They have the element of surprise at the start of the campaign
They must take advantage of this by hitting the forward Spanish corps hard
It is important that they badly damage at least two of the four Spanish corps
It is also important that they do not suffer too many casualties themselves

The French have less infantry and artillery brigades than the Spanish
Their only advantage is in cavalry.
They must try to avoid either cavalry or artillery casualties in the early battles

French and Spanish gunners are both average quality
French cavalry are average, Spanish cavalry are poor
French infantry is slightly better than the Spanish regular infantry

Supplies will be a particular problem in this campaign
Each depot will collect sufficient supplies each day to feed one corps for one day
To resupply the corps must be within three squares and not move that day

The further the French advance the more difficult their supply problems become
Their original depots will soon be too far away to resupply the advancing corps
To establish a depot in a captured town the corps must provide a garrison
This must be a full strength infantry brigade

As each town is captured its Spanish militia garrison become a guerrilla brigade
Each can attack any isolated French garrison or supply column
To count as support a French corps must be within one square of the town

6 comments:

  1. You certainly put a lot of thought and planning into these campaigns Paul, and the map is excellent.Gives a very realistic background to your battles. Have you ever deviated into other periods or are you strictly a Napoleonics man?

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  2. Hi Lee

    Thanks for your comments.

    The campaign has developed and improved over the years, and each campaign phase builds on the lasts. So it mostly runs itself.

    We did try Ancients way back in 1972, using Airfix Romans and Ancient Britons. But it did not last long. In fact it took longer to paint than it did to tire of playing.

    It has always been Napoleonic's, and I can't see that changing now.

    But I do envy folk like yourself who have a wide spread interest.

    best regards

    Paul

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  3. Another beaut set-up for a campaign Paul. I'll follow the resulting battles/games with interest. It seems to be a challenging task for the French!
    (Are there periods other than Napoleonics?!! :) )

    I am wondering, do you and Jan always take one side or the other, or do you take different forces in different campaigns?

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  4. Hi James

    Thanks for your comment

    We have always been strict Napoleonic period only. We did dabble with Ancients many, many years ago. I enjoyed painting the Airfix Romans and Ancient Britons, but we could never get interested in the period.

    Jan does not take part in the campaign itself. I explain the background to the wargame when I set it up but that is the full extent of her interest in the campaign. Usually she takes the side which is defending in the current campaign phase. This is because I prefer to carry on the campaign direction on to the wargame table. So she probably plays more defensive games than I do. But if the campaign calls for her army to attack she is happy to do so.

    best regards

    Paul

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  5. That's an interesting way to 'choose' sides. It makes it somewhat random then, I'd guess and mixes up who is whom a bit?

    (Having read your discussion with Lee above, my comment about Napoleonics was meant to be a funny one. Unfortunately, it fell flat! :) I like to refer to myself as a "chauvinist"—in the original meaning of the word!!)

    All the best,

    James

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  6. Hi James

    Sorry I missed the joke, but it is quite easy to do on the internet (as I have found to my sorrow in the past).

    I have two hats in the campaign. With the map campaigh I write orders for both sides, and consequently tend not to be not too worried about who wins a battle. The campaign design directs the flow. When corps run low on supplies they have to move within supply range and halt to resupply. As the campaign develops this greatly reduces the options of the two commanders.

    On the wargames table it is completely different. We both want to win each battle, and the game takes over. Because we both know the rules so well, most games are decided by the dice. We may start each game with a "clever plan", but they rarely last longer than the first lucky 6, or unlucky 1.

    regards

    Paul

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