Halle Campaign in Central Germany

 

Campaign map of Germany

There are three campaign areas in Germany
In the north First French Army Group and the Prussian army
In the centre Second French Army Group and the Russian army
In the south Third French Army Group and the Austrian army
This is the eleventh campaign phase to be fought in Germany

Campaign map of central Germany

There are three regions in central Germany
Dusseldorf region is the reserve area for Second French Army Group
Dresden region is the reserve area for the Russian army
The campaign is fought in Erfurt region

There are nine districts in Erfurt region, each one a campaign phase
The area from Nordhausen district to Halle district is the campaign area for this phase

Campaign map for Halle phase

This map is used for campaign movement and resupply
It shows the location of the nine French and nine Russian corps
It also shows the movement of supply columns.
There are 12 towns on the map and each one is a possible battle/wargame
Each town has 9 squares, and each one is a scenic square on the wargames table

Example of a Russian corps

Wittgenstein has nine corps under his command, all are Russian. All nine corps have four infantry brigades, one cavalry brigade and corps artillery. Russian artillery are more powerful than the French, but their cavalry weaker.

Example of a French corps

Davout also has nine corps under his command. There is one young guard corps, five French corps and one Polish, Italian and Vistula. The non French corps have more conscript troops than the French ones.

Comments

I always think of central Germany as the least interesting of the five campaign areas. In north Germany there is Napoleon and the Imperial Garde. In south Germany the very colourful Bavarian and Austrian armies. In North Spain Wellington with British, Portuguese and Spanish corps. In south Spain the colourful, but not very effective, Spanish army, plus of course the bands of irregular guerrillas. By comparison there are the all green uniforms of the Russians and the equally uninspiring blue of the French.

However once the campaign starts this superficial view is quickly forgotten. Once on the wargame table the large number of troops is impressive, and the tactical problems of attack and defence renders all else secondary.

We start the new campaign during the hottest part of the year here in Spain. With temperatures of 34 to 40c we have to suspend our normal weekly walking group, and our whole daily routine changes dramatically. We get up early most at 0700 so that we can do an hour’s walk. That leaves us another hour to do our outdoor tasks, and finish by 0900. It is too hot to attempt much outdoors for the remainder of the day. So our Wargaming becomes more important than ever. We are fortunate to have a permanent wargames room which is the coolest part of the house and we spent an hour or so gaming most days.

I also tend to spend more time working on the campaign than during the rest of the year. I often have a special summer project, and this year is no different. I am updating all of the wargame maps, which keeps me busy for a couple of hours each day. I will post an update on the blog when I have something to show.

Review of Santander Campaign

 

Battles fought during the Santander campaign phase 

The campaign covered the period 19 to 25 July 1813, and took seven weeks to complete.   It was set in northern Spain and provided six battles to wargame.  Campaigns set in Spain include guerrilla activity, and this has proved one of the most difficult things to get right.   It also included a new method of deciding who won the game, namely three game objectives set in the middle of the wargames table.

Getting the balance right in Spain has always been difficult.    In northern Spain it is British v French, and in southern Spain Spanish v French.   Historically Wellington always outfought his French opponent in battle.   He often had to retreat, even when he had won a significant battle.   This was caused by the strategic situation in Spain, where the French greatly outnumbered the British army.  

Regional map of Europe

The regions shown in this map are my fictional military regions, which has no historical basis.  The map is designed to divide Europe into five campaign areas, each of which has 27 military regions, each of which is a campaign phase.  

The whole campaign is designed to provide wargames in which both sides have an equal chance of winning.   The campaign has now produced 92 campaign phases and 482 battles to wargame.   Every single battle has achieved the major campaign objective that both sides should have an equal chance of winning.

This has proved particularly difficult to achieve in northern Spain.    It is generally accepted that Wellington was the best commander in Spain, and his army superior to his French opponents.   Certainly he won most, if not all, of the battles he fought.   He often had to retreat either before or after a battle, but that was due to strategic rather than tactical reasons.   Throughout the Peninsular War the French outnumbered Wellington’s army.   Whilst Napoleon would accept large numbers of casualties, Wellington has to avoid a major disaster at all costs.

Throughout the 14 years we have been running this campaign, getting the balance right in Spain, and particularly in the north, has proved one of the most difficult problems.  

Our latest solution is to allow the British element of Wellington’s army to be better troops than the French.   However each corps has three British and one Portuguese infantry brigades.    The Portuguese are graded as low quality troops.   This is unfair from a historical point of view, but necessary from a wargame one.

Wellington has two British armies and one Spanish.   The Spanish are generally low quality troops, though each of the four corps has one average infantry brigade.   On the wargames table this means that on the wargames table Wellington has to protect his Spanish army, as he also had to do at Talavera.

Another major factor in our Spanish campaigns is the guerrilla bands.   In our campaign each of the 12 cities and towns has a garrison of one Spanish infantry brigade.   When the town is taken by the French that brigade becomes a guerrilla band.   The more towns they capture, the more guerrilla bands attacking their lines of supply.   The outcome of such combats is decided by rolling one D6.   The guerrillas need a roll of 6 to take the convoy.   In this campaign, for the first time, they were particularly lucky and caused critical problems for the French.   In fact largely due to their success the French had to retreat just as they were about to capture the campaign objective of Santander.

The second big change in this campaign was creating three game objectives to determine the winner of the game.   These were villages, farms, hills or woods.  One was situated on each of the three middle terrain squares.   The defender usually occupied them at the start of the game.   The attacker has 12 moves to take at least two of the three.   This has prevented the defender from slowly retreating throughout the game, forcing the attacker to deploy to attack only to find the defender out of range.   It has worked very well in this campaign, and I have high hopes of it in the future.

Santander Campaign – Day Seven

 

Campaign Map

 
French forced to retreat to river Ebro due to lack of supplies
Siege of Soncillo abandoned

10 French army – retreat to Laredo to resupply
11 French army – defend river Ebro
12 French army – retreat to river Ebro

1 British army – rally and hold Santander
2 British army – hold Medina
3 British army – raise siege of Soncillo

Guerrillas
All brigades stood down to rally, regroup and resupply

Comments

The French won the wargame of the battle of Santander, by taking two of the three game objectives. However Wellington still holds the city of Santander and the villa on the main road east of the city. To take the city would require a second day of fighting, this time to take the villa and then the city.

10th French army group was reduced to one days supplies per corps when they started the battle of Santander. By nightfall they were out of supply. The campaign rules state that any corps out of supply must immediately retreat to its nearest supply base. Each corps would also lose 10% of one corps for each day they were out of supply. Soult therefore had to order an immediate retreat to Laredo.

This left 11th French army group (in the centre) with an exposed flank, and open to attack from both 1st and 2nd British army groups. They were also down to two days supplies for each corps and the supply situation was becoming critical. Soult ordered them to retreat to the river Ebro, but to hold the west bank of the river.

In the south 12th French army group had laid siege to Soncillo for two days, and the garrison was running short of supplies. Wellington had ordered 3rd British army group to prepare to attack and raise the siege. He now ordered that attack, in the knowledge that the French would not dare to risk a battle with the other two French army groups already in retreat. Soult ordered them to also withdraw to the river Ebro and hold the west bank of the river.

This is the first time that guerrilla activity has had such a dramatic effect on either of the campaigns in Spain. There are nine active bands in this campaign. They have a maximum of 3 days supplies, so they can attack a convoy once every three days. In a campaign which normally lasts 6 days, this means each one can attack twice.

When they do so the outcome is decided by rolling 1D6. They need to roll six to capture the supplies and rout the convoy escort. This means the immediate loss of those supplies. On the next day the same number of supplies are received at the main depot, in this campaign that is San Sebastian. They then have to be moved to the army group concerned.

Each corps has a maximum of four days supplies, but these are reduced when they are moving or fighting. It is not unusual for a corps to be reduced to one or two day’s supplies at the end of a battle. If they capture a town, they also capture the supplies held there. This is usually sufficient to keep them going in the latter stages of a campaign. However in this case they failed to do so, and suffered the consequence.

I am quite pleased that this campaign has shown that with more than average luck the guerrilla can have a decisive effect on the outcome. I would not want it to happen too often, but the chances of rolling so many sixes are pretty slim.

Santander Campaign – Day Six

Campaign Map

Day 2 siege of Soncillo
Battle of Santander
British occupy Medina

10 French army – attack Santander
11 French army – rally and regroup
12 French army – siege of Soncillo

1 British army – defend Santander
2 British army – occupy Medina
3 British army – hold Soncillo

Guerrillas
13 brigade – attack convoy, capture 9 days supplies, escort routed
14 brigade – attack convoy, routed with 10% casualties
16 brigade - attack convoy, fail, retreat no casualties
21 brigade – attack convoy, routed with 10% casualties

Battle of Santander – End of Move 2

Once more the French have to cross the river Ebro, this time to reach the city of Santiago which is the campaign objective. The British army hold a position just in front of the city, which consists of woods on the left and right and a villa in the centre. All three are game objectives, and the winner will hold at least two of the three.

The French send their cavalry, supported by artillery and infantry, to secure three bridgeheads. British cavalry move forward to threaten them, but do not attack.

The French move forward, with the first attack against the Spanish held woods on the left. The Spanish fight hard, and gain an early advantage, but are eventually driven from the woods. They attempt a counter attack, but it is quickly repulsed.

2nd British corps holds the villa in the centre. They are never in any danger of losing the villa, not even when the Spanish rout on their right.

1st British corps holds the woods on the right, the woods itself held by the Guards brigade. The French attack is supported by artillery from 29th corps. The British are forced to withdraw, leaving the guards in the woods. With artillery fire from both corps they eventually withdraw. However as soon as the French enter the woods the British guards counter attack. After a close fought melee the French finally take the woods.

With two of the three game objectives securely held by the French they have won the game.

French have lost 5 infantry and 2 cavalry casualties (2200 men)
British have lost 6 infantry and 2 cavalry casualties (2600 men)
Spanish have lost 2 infantry and 1 cavalry casualties (900 men)

Comments

10th French Army Group have suffered extreme loss of supplies due to Spanish guerrilla activity. At the start of Day Six their three corps are down to just two days supplies each. Marshal Soult has a difficult decision to make. He can attack Santander and hope to end the campaign with a great victory. Or he can order 10th Group to retreat to Sarautz, where there are nine days supplies have just arrived from San Sebastian. He orders 10th Group to attack Santander. At the end of the day they will have just one days supplies. But the supplies from San Sebastian will arrive the following day

Whilst he is attacking Santander the supply convoy from Sarautz to Laredo, with nine days supplies, is attacked by 13th guerrilla brigade. The escort is routed with 10% casualties and the supplies are captured.

The French have clearly won the first day of battle. However the British hold the approach to Santander and the city itself. A second day of battle is required to determine who will hold the city, and thus win the campaign.