2 April 1813 –
Southern Germany – Day 3
By the end of today all 12 corps will be reduced to one days supply
In the north 7th Bavarian army retreat having lost the battle
of Bayerbach
1st Austrian army occupy Bayerbach
In the centre both 8th Bavarian army and 2nd
Austrian army attack Branau
In the south 3rd Austrian army retreat having lost the battle of Eggelsberg
Battle of Branau
at start of game
The fortified city of Branau dominates the centre of the
table
It is unoccupied at the start of the game
Entry is only possible through one of the four gates
Both commanders took command of a reserve of two brigades
each
They carried out the battle for the city, which ended
with the Austrians in control
The Austrians won the battle fought north of the city
The Baden corps lost four brigades in rout and retreated
The battle south of the city was a draw
But the Bavarian corps had to withdraw having lost the
city and northern wing
The Bavarians lost 4100 men and four brigades in rout
The Austrians lost 2600 men and one brigade in rout
Comments
Both armies were close to the city at the start of the
game.
Neither side had any advantage in numbers or fighting
ability
Both created a reserve of two infantry brigades to fight
for the city
The result was a fast and enjoyable wargame, which was decided by the luck of the dice. Both sides had an equal share of good and bad dice. But the Austrian good dice came at the right time, the Bavarian at the wrong time.
After three days and four battles the campaign has now reached an interesting stage. Both armies are low on supplies and should pause to resupply and reorganise.
However although both armies appear to be in a similar situation it is not necessarily the case. A lot depends on the exact distribution of casualties in each corps. Also the ease with which each corps can resupply, the distance from the nearest depot and how many days supply in that depot can make a huge difference.
And finally the balance of these circumstances may make it advantageous for one army to risk a battle, and the possibility of running out of supplies, to gain a temporary advantage.
Until I update the campaign map, orders of battle and supply status I will not know
Thistlebarrow,
ReplyDeleteYet another interesting situation, with the Austrians appearing to have the advantage ... but not such a decisive one as to assure them of victory.
The next couple of days look like being very interesting.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob
ReplyDeleteThis campaign phase has reached the critical stage very quickly. I think this is largely due to the new larger armies, and the separation of the three army boundries. This has resulted in battles being fought each day, rather than a couple of days movement between battles. At present I quite like this faster flowing type of campaign, though I do miss the lack of manoeuvre before battle.
regards
Paul