22 April 1813 –
Southern Spain – Day 2
Spanish guerrillas attack the towns of La Roda and Pozo
They are routed at Pozo but undecided combat at La Roda
15th French army take the town of Valdepenas
But 3rd Spanish army is allowed to retreat with minimum casualties
Battle of
Valdepenas end of move 8
3rd Spanish army has only one cavalry brigade
They make full use of the hilly terrain to provide cover
The French cavalry attack and rout both artillery brigades
They then redeploy their artillery to pound the garrison
But the Spanish withdraw before they complete their redeployment
Comments
The French advance leave their rear areas vulnerable
The Spanish guerrilla are quick to take advantage
They are routed at Pozo with the loss of 10% casualties
The attack on La Roda is undecided and no casualties
Despite their lack of success the guerrilla attacks are
not in vain
When a garrison is under attack they cannot collect
supplies
This will have a gradual effect on the main French army
Guerrilla attacks are decided by the roll of a1D6 dice
1 – rout with 10% casualties
2 – retreat with no casualties
3 – draw no casualties
4 – draw no casualties
5 – occupy town no casualties, garrison retreat no
casualties
6 - occupy town no
casualties, garrison rout with 10% casualties
Third Spanish army has only one cavalry brigade
Their infantry are also mostly poor quality
But their gunners are all trained
The infantry are well protected by the hills and the town
But their guns are exposed, to cause as much damage as
possible.
The French send their cavalry forward to attack the
gunners
In the north they are met by a militia cavalry brigade
They hold their own in the first round of melee, causing
casualties.
But they are routed in the second round.
The French win the battle as expected.
But their commander fights a very cautious battle, to
avoid casualties so early in the campaign.
As a result the Spanish are allowed to retreat.
French casualties will reduce their combat ability for
the rest of the campaign.
In addition they will have to detach infantry brigades to
hold any towns taken.
And, most important, the further they advance the longer
and more vulnerable their lines of supply.
So though they have won the first two battles the outcome
of the campaign is still very uncertain.
Thistlebarrow,
ReplyDeleteAn interesting action in that it shows that not all battles have to be decisive affairs. It seems that the French victory has given them a slight advantage, but the fact that the Spanish managed to get away and their partisans have hampered the French opportunity to resupply leaves the campaign in an interesting situation. I must admit that if I was the French commander I’d try to use a ‘bite and hold’ strategy, ensuring that my supply lines are well protected whilst trying to tempt the Spanish to attack when I have the advantage.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob
ReplyDeleteAt this stage of the campaign the French have an advantage, particularly in cavalry. So they need to be aggressive to take the three border towns. But they must do so without taking too many casualties.
Once they have done so their supply routes become longer, and more vulnerable to guerrilla attacks. To counter this they have to detach infantry to garrison the captured towns. Meanwhile the Spanish are falling back on their own depots.
So the Spanish have little incentive to attack the French, at least in this early stage of he campaign.
At least the French are well on the way to achieving their initial objective.
best regards
Paul