The Battle of Peinne

25 September 1813 – Hannover Campaign – Day 2

French advance to the border
Prussians attack Peine

The Prussians occupy Celle and attack Peine
1st Prussian army – occupy Celle
2nd Prussian army – observe Lehtre
3rd Prussian army – attack Peine

1st and 2nd armies move to border, 3rd army retreat
1st French army – advance to border
2nd French army – advance to border
3rd French army – retreat to Soltau

Table at the start of the battle

French are deployed at the top of the photo
5 corps occupy the hill in the centre of the table
4 and 6 corps are either side of the town
All three corps may move at the start of move 1

Prussians are deployed at the bottom of the photo
7 corps on the right
8 corps in the centre
9 corps on the left

The three game objectives are in the centre of the table
Woods on the left, hill in the centre, farm on the right
The army which holds at least two objectives at the end of 12 moves will be the winner

 

Table at the end of the battle

On the right 7th Prussian corps are in firm control of the farm.
4th French corps have been forced to retreat to the woods
Their grenadier brigade launched a last minute counter attack which failed
Two infantry and one cavalry brigade are in rout (blue stars)

Both army commanders have taken command in the centre
Yorck has captured the right hand hill with half of 8th corps
The other half has captured the left hand hill
5th French corps have withdrawn to Peine where they have rallied
Victor holds the area between the town and the woods with three brigades
Two infantry and one cavalry brigades are still in rout behind the town

On the left fighting for the woods continued until the last move
The Prussians took the woods by move 8 (of 12)
6th French corps counter attacked and took two of the three sections
At the start of the last move the Grenadier brigade had just taken the last section
A badly damaged, but well placed, Prussian brigade counter attacked
They caught the grenadiers in flank and routed them, taking back one section
Two French brigades were in position to attack the right hand wood section
Before they could attack they suffered casualties by supporting Prussian artillery
One French brigade routed, the second attacked the woods
Despite 20% casualties the Prussian brigade won the melee and held the woods

At nightfall the Prussians held two game objectives, the third was still in dispute
Consequently the Prussians won the battle.

French lost 11 infantry, 2 cavalry and 2 gunners (4800 casualties)
Prussians lost 6 infantry, 1 cavalry and 2 gunners (2700 casualties)
7 French brigades were in rout and 3 Prussian brigades

Comments

The second battle of the campaign was a more convincing win for the Prussians. They clearly held two of the three battle objectives, and were clear winners

The French had suffered almost twice as many casualties
However numbers alone can be misleading.
As often happens, the game was won (or lost) in the last 4 of 12 moves

The first four moves are usually getting in position and preparing to attack

The next four are artillery and cavalry trying to achieve an advantage for the attacker
It is during the last four that the infantry attack and hold, or lose, the objectives

This game was no exception to that general rule
The infantry skirmish and melee actions are very dependent on the dice
The attacking army usually attempts to take two of the three objectives
If the CinC has created a reserve this is often now committed
So the attacker may well have an advantage in the final two moves

If is during moves 11 and 12 that most casualties occur
The winning side has easy pickings are the losers break and retreat
This is why the casualties are often very one sided

In this game the French appeared very strong on the left and right on move 10
They were well placed to counter attack the farm and the woods
Both sides rolled both good and poor dice during those two moves
But the Prussian good dice came at the right time
The French were less lucky.

Another tense and very enjoyable wargame.

Battle of Celle

24 September 1813 – Northern Germany – Day 1

The campaign opens with a Prussian surprise attack on Hannover district

The Prussians are deployed to the east of the Hannover-Brunswick border
They are out of sight of the French, but are concentrated ready to attack
1st Prussian army – attack Celle
2nd Prussian army – observe Lehtre
3rd Prussian army – observe Peine

The French are deployed to the west of the Hannover-Brunswick border
One corps from each army is deployed on the border
The remainder are in reserve for ease of resupply
1st French army – defend Lehtre
2nd French army – defend Peine
3rd French army – defend Celle

Table at start of battle

French are deployed at the top of the photo
HQ, 7th and 9th corps are in and around the walled town of Celle
8th corps is in front of the town either side of the main road

The Prussians are marching towards Celle at the bottom of the table
Blucher has taken command of half of 2nd corps on the left of the main road

There are three battle objectives
Woods on the left, hill in the centre, village on the right
The army who occupy at least two objectives at the end of 12 moves will win the battle

French HQ, 7th and 9th corps cannot move until the start of move 2

Table at end of battle

On the left the late arrival of 9th French corps allowed the Prussians to take the southern half of the woods, and their cavalry and artillery forced the French to deploy north of the woods. They continued to hold the woods throughout the battle.

8th French corps occupied the hill in the centre at the start of the battle, and bore the brunt of the Prussian attack. 2nd Prussian corps advanced between the woods and the hill, supported by Blucher with cavalry and artillery from 1st corps. Two infantry brigades stormed and took the hill. However a late counter attack by the grenadier brigade from 8th French corps took it back in the closing moves of the battle.

On the right the French occupied the village before the 1st Prussian corps could reach it. Murat took command of the village and 7th corps cavalry. His independent command played a major role in holding the village throughout the battle.

Comments

The late arrival of two of the three French corps allowed the Prussians to attack all three objectives before the French could fully deploy. This allowed them to take the woods on the left and the hill in the centre. The village on the right was further north, and the French occupied it before the Prussians could.

By move 8 the Prussians held the woods and the hill, and were deployed to attack the village on the right. They only needed to hold two of the three objectives to win the battle, and that outcome seemed to have been achieved.

However the attack on the village was foiled by Murat’s bold counter attack. He held the village with two infantry brigades, and the cavalry in support. As the Prussians approached the village he led the French dragoons forward. The Prussian hussars charged to hold them, but lost the melee and routed. The dragoons then charged the nearby artillery, forcing the gunners to seek shelter in a nearby square and the attack Prussian infantry to halt and form square. The Prussian attack was in disorder and the village held until the end of the game.

On the hill in the centre two Prussian infantry brigades had routed the two French brigades and secured the hill. 8th French corps had been soundly beaten and three of the four infantry brigades were in rout. The northern end of the hill was very narrow, and only one Prussian brigade would deploy there, which they did facing north towards the retreating French infantry. The defeat of the Prussian attack on the village allowed 7th French corps to send their grenadier to retake the hill. They managed a flank attack on the Prussian brigade, which was an automatic rout. The supporting landwehr brigade failed their morale test and also routed. During move 12, the last of the game, the French grenadiers took control of the hill.

At the last moment victory was snatched from the Prussians by this daring counter attack.

The French have lost 12 infantry, 2 cavalry and 2 artillery casualties (5200 men)
The Prussians have lost 6 infantry, 1 cavalry and 1 artillery casualties (1000 men)

Despite winning the battle the French are in a very dangerous position, and in no condition to fight a second day. They have lost twice as many casualties as the Prussians and their centre has gone. As night falls Murat orders a general retreat and abandons Celle.

This ws a really enjoyable game, even for me as the Prussian commander.

Hannover Campaign Introduction

 

1813 Campaign Map

 

The next phase of our campaign is set in Hannover in Northern Germany, where Napoleon faces Blucher.   Each army has nine corps divided between three army groups.   Blucher has invaded Hannover district from his base in Brunswick.    His aim to take the French base in the city of Hannover.   They will fight six major battles to determine whether he is successful or not.

This is the 100^th campaign phase since the campaign started in April 2009.   It has run non stop since then, but has had six major adjustments.   These have been caused by changing the campaign from solo to PBEM, and then back again.  And also when game play suggested a major rewrite of the orders of battle.   Another reason was the creation of new campaign maps.   I find it difficult to think of a suitable word to describe each of these “campaigns”.   The overall title is the 1813 campaign, and each stand alone campaign is called a phase.   But I struggle to come up with a title for the six reorganisations.   I am considering coalition, which was how the historical Napoleonic campaign is divided.

 

Sixth Coalition Campaign Map

The last major reorgination, or “coalition”, was when I redesigned a whole series of maps for northern Europe and Spain.   This abandoned any effort to recreate the physical and political maps of the area, and replaced them with military Regions and Districts.   Names of cities and major towns were used, but no attempt to recreate actual terrain or even rivers.  

This is the 26^th campaign phase of the Sixth Coalition, and the map shows the location of winner of each of those phases.   It is the sixth phase set in Northern Germany, where t he French have won three and the Prussians two.   Blucher is hoping to make that three each with this phase.

  

French Old Guard

French Imperial Guard

The aim of the campaign is to allow me to use all of the model soldiers in my collection, plus all of the buildings and scenery.   This would include all of the command figures, including Wellington and Napoleon.   It would also include the famous Imperial Guard, both Old and Young Guard.

The campaign is designed to provide enjoyable tabletop battles, where both Jan and I would have an equal chance of winning each one.    So there is no room for brigades of “supermen”.   This creates a problem with Napoleon’s Old Guard, or Wellington’s Riflemen.   When used their metal representations on the table must have a flavour of the original, but must not give too much advantage to the player commanding them on the table.    This has been an ongoing problem since the start of the campaign, and has resulted in many minor adjustments to their combat or morale advantages. 

Even more of a problem is when Wellington or Napoleon is defeated on the wargames table.   It is a strange fact that whilst I can accept a completely fictional representation of Europe, I find it hard to accept that the Old Guard can be defeated by a Prussian militia brigade on the wargames table.  

It is ok in the heat of a wargame action, but I sometimes pause when writing the battle report.   I found it hard to justify, to myself, how a cossack brigade could defeat the horse grenadier brigade.   I doubt very much whether anyone reading the report would give it a second thought, and indicates how all of us serious wargamers must come to terms with enjoying our tabletop battles whilst still trying to recreate a feel for the historical battle itself, and in particular how much we must be prepared to compromise.

Ratisbon Campaign Day 7

22 September 1813 – Southern Germany – Day 7

The French occupy Ratisbon
7th French army – occupy Lappersdorf
8th French army – occupy Ratisbon
9th French army – occupy Kofering

The Austrian retreat east of the river Danube
1st Austrian army – abandon campaign, retreat east
2nd Austrian army– abandon campaign, retreat east
3rd Austrian army – abandon campaign, retreat east

Summary

On 16 September Marshal Massena crossed into Ratisbon District with orders to defeat the Austrian army and capture their main depot in the city of Ratisbon.

The Austrians won the first battle at Prettendorf, but were forced to retreat when the French won the next two at Abbach and Rittendorf. The Austrians redeployed in front of Ratisbon, but were defeated at Kofering, Lappersdorf and Ratisbon itself.

The Austrians crossed to the west bank of the river Danube and abandoned the campaign. This left Massena the winner of the campaign

The campaign started on 27 May and ended on 15 July 2026

Comment
So the campaign ends with the Austrian army in full retreat, and the Bavarian army in possession of Ratisbon. At this point is all seemed so predictable, with Massena winning five battles out of six. It is easy to forget that after the first battle it looked like he would be forced to abandon the campaign and retreat himself.

It is also easy to forget that each battle was a hard fought wargame, and that all could easily have gone either way. With our rules on move 10 the outcome is often in the balance, with either side likely to win. Then one player is lucky and either moves first, or rolls a 6. This then has a knock on effect resulting in a seemingly overwhelming victory. It is unfortunate that in this campaign the Bavarian side seems to have an unfair share of that luck. But when Wargaming each battle that was not the way it felt.

Looking back we have had six enjoyable and challenging wargames, which is the whole aim of the campaign. The winner of the campaign is less important than both players having an enjoyable experience playing the games.

21 September 1813 - Battle of Ratisbon

 

Campaign Map

8th Bavarian army, commanded by Marshal Mortier, attack Ratisbon
2nd Austrian army, commanded by General Klenau, defend Ratisbon

The Bavarians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery
The Austrians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery

Ratisbon is the campaign objective

Table at start of battle

8th Bavarian army are furthest from the camera
22 corps on the right, 23 corps in the centre, 24 corps on the left

2nd Austrian army are in the centre between the city and the Bavarians
6 corps on the left, 5 corps in the centre, 4 corps on the right

There are three game objectives
Farm on the left, woods in the centre and bridge on the right
The army who holds at least two of these at the end of 12 moves will win the game.

 

Table at end of battle

Summary

On the left 24 Bavarian corps have taken the farm
6 Austrian corps have retreated to the hill to the left of the city

In the centre 23 Bavarian corps have occupied the woods
5 Austrian corps have retreated to Ratisbon

On the right the bridge over the river Danube is still in dispute
22 Bavarian corps have taken the east end of the bridge
4 Austrian corps still hold the west end of the bridge

Having taken two of the three objectives the Bavarians have won the battle

The Austrians have lost 16 infantry, 1 cavalry and 1 artillery casualties (6,600 men)
The Bavarians have lost 7 infantry and 3 cavalry casualties (3,100 men)


6 Austrian and 3 Bavarian brigades are in rout

Ratisbon Campaign Day 6

 

21 September 1813 – Southern Germany – Day 6

The French attack Ratisbon
7th French army – occupy Lappersdorf
8th French army – attack Ratisbon
9th French army – hold Kofering

The Austrian defend Ratisbon
1st Austrian army – abandon campaign, rereat east
2nd Austrian army – defend Ratisbon
3rd Austrian army – regrjoup east of Danube

Situation
In the north 7th Bavarian army have occupied Lappersdorf
1st Austrian army have withdrawn from the campaign

In the centre 8th Bavarian army have orders to attack Ratisbon
2nd Austrian army have orders to defend the city

In the south 9th Bavarian army have occupied Kofering
3rd Austrian army have withdrawn from the campaign

The Bavarians have already won the campaign.
1st and 3rd Austrian armies have left the campaign and cannot return
However the Austrians still hold Ratisbon, the campaign objective
The capture of Ratisbon is largely symbolic
Even if the Austrians win this final battle they will have to retreat

20 September 1813 - Battle of Lappersdorf

Campaign Map

7th Bavarian army, commanded by Marshal Massena, attack Lappersdorf
1st Austrian army, commanded by General Schwartzenberg, Lappersdorf

The Bavarians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery
The Austrians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery

Table at start of battle

7th Bavarian army are furthest from the camera
19 corps on the right, 20 corps in the centre, 21 corps on the left

1st Austrian army are in the centre between the town and the Bavarians
1 corps on the left, 2 corps in the centre, 3 corps on the right

There are three game objectives
Farm on the right, small woods in the centre, large woods on the left

The army who holds at least two of these at the end of 12 moves will win the game.

Table at end of battle

Summary
On the left 3rd Austrian corps hold the woods and have done so throughout the battle.
21st Bavarian corps lost their artillery to counter battery fire
Despite this they pressed home their infantry attack, but failed to take the woods
Without artillery support they were forced to withdraw out of artillery fire.

Both Massena and Schwartzenberg created a cavalry reserve in the centre left
For most of the battle they observed each other, but did not engage
Towards the end of the battle the French cavalry advanced and charged
Both sides lost one brigade in rout, leaving the reserve brigade to decide the melee
The Austrians lost and routed, however the Bavarians failed their morale test and also routed

In the centre the Austrian infantry were forced to retreat from the woods
However their artillery prevented the Bavarian infantry from taking possession
It was only after the cavalry melee that the Austrian gunners were forced to retreat
The Bavarian infantry then took and held the woods

On the right three Bavarian brigades attacked and captured the farm
Austrian grenadiers counter attacked, but were outnumbered and forced to withdraw

At nightfall the Bavarians held two of the three objectives and won the battle.

Ratisbon Campaign Day 5

 

20 September 1813 – Southern Germany – Day 5

The French attack Lappersdorf
7th French army – attack Lappersdorf
8th French army – regroup Nittendorf
9th French army – occupy Kofering

The Austrian defend Ratisbon
1st Austrian army – observe on border
2nd Austrian army – regroup at Ratisbon
3rd Austrian army – retreat east of Danube

Situation   
In the north 1st Austrian army have orders to defend Lappersdorf.
7th Bavarian army has orders to attack Lappersdorf

In the centre 2nd Austrian army is regrouping at Ratisbon.
8th Bavarian army is regrouping at Nittendorf.

In the south 3rd Austrian army has left the campaign and retreated east
9th Bavarian army has occupied Koffering.

The Bavarians have secured the southern flank and occupy Kofering
3rd Austrian army has retreated east of the river Danube.

Ratisbon Campaign - Battle of Kofering

Campaign Map

9th Bavarian army, commanded by Marshal Ney, attack Kofering
3rd Austrian army, commanded by General Merveldt, defend Kofering

Losing the first battle at Abbach disrupted Ney’s campaign plans
By winning at Nittendorf he regained the initiative and is back on track
A victory at Kofering will give him command of the border towns
It will also force Merveldt to retreat to a new defensive line at Ratisbon

The Bavarians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery
The Austrians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery

Table at start of battle

Both armies on the table at the start of the game
Austrians nearest to the camera, Bavarians far end of table

There are three objectives and the Austrians are deployed on all three
Farm on the left, small woods in the centre and hill on the right
The army which occupies at least two at the end of 12 moves will win the battle
The river can only be crossed using one of the three bridges

Bavarian CinC has taken command of half of 25th corps between the hill and the farm
Austrian CinC has taken command of half of 8th corps between the woods and the hill

Table at end of battle

On the left 27th Bavarian corps have occupied the farm
9th Austrian corps have held the farm throughout the battle and suffered few casualties
They have been forced to withdraw because the rest of the Austrian army is in retreat

In the centre 26th Bavarian corps have occupied the woods
8th Austrian corps were forced to withdraw when they lost their artillery
They have suffered light casualties and redeployed in front of the town

On the right Ney led the infantry attack on the hill resulting in a convincing victory
All three Austrian infantry brigades were routed with casualties of 20-30%
The Austrians continued to hold the area to the right of the ridge
However they also retreated in line with the infantry.

Summary
The attacker must expose his artillery if he is to gain an advantage over the defender.
The guns deploy at long range of the enemy infantry and cavalry.
Before they can open fire they receive enemy artillery fire
They must achieve a roll of six using 1D6 to hit enemy gunners
This is considered an acceptable risk, and usually results in the defenders retreating out of range
The attacking artillery then manhandle forward to force another retreat.

The usual answer to this is cavalry, which has the same charge range as long range artillery
The cavalry advance half a move and the gunners roll 1D6 to determine what they will do

1 or 2 - gunners rout with 10% casualties
3 or 4 - gunners must stay with guns and fire at close range
5 or 6 - gunners can fire at close range, or seek shelter within 4”

If the gunners evade the cavalry can complete their charge or half disordered.
If there are cavalry supporting the artillery, they are at a severe disadvantage

The attacking player has a maximum of four moves to soften up the enemy with artillery
He must then send his infantry forward to avoid running out of time.

There are 12 moves in the game and the distance to the objectives is about 4 infantry moves
Two moves are used to advance into artillery range and deploy
Four moves of artillery fire leaves four moves to reach the objective
There is then only two moves to win the infantry combat and capture the objectives

If the artillery fire fails to cause enemy casualties it is much more likely the attack will fail.

Ratisbon Campaign Day 4

 

19 September 1813 – Southern Germany – Day 4

The French attack Koffering
7th French army – advance to Prettendorf
8th French army – occupy Nittendorf
9th French army – attack Kofering

The Austrian defend border
1st Austrian army – observe on border
2nd Austrian army – defend Nittendorf
3rd Austrian army – retreat to Kofering

Situation
In the north 1st Austrian army has retreated to Lappersdorf.
7th Bavarian army has occupied Prettendorf.

In the centre 2nd Austrian army has retreated to Ratisbon.
8th Bavarian army has occupied Nittendorf

In the south 3rd Austrian army has orders to hold Kofering.
9th Bavarian army has orders to attack Koffering.

The thrust of the Bavarian campaign has been restored.
They have occupied the three border towns of Prettendorf, Nittendorf and Bad Abbach.

The Austrians have been forced to retreat to Lappersdorf, Ratisbon and Kofering.
They must hold Ratisbon in order to win the campaign

Kofering is the first of the three battles which will decide the winner of the campaign.

Ratisbon Campaign - Battle of Nittendorf

 

 

 

Campaign Map

8th Bavarian army, commanded by Marshal Mortier, attack Nittendorf
2nd Austrian army, commanded by General Klenau, defend Nittendorf

The Bavarians lost the first battle of the campaign and retreated east
The Austrians lost the second battle of the campaign and retreated west
The winner of this battle will determine the direction of the remainer of the campaign.

The Bavarians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery
The Austrians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery

Table at start of battle

Both armies on the table at the start of the game
Austrians nearest to the camera, Bavarians far end of table


There are three objectives and the Austrians are deployed on all three
Large woods on the left, small woods in the centre, bridge on the right
The army which occupies at least two at the end of 12 moves will win the battle
The river can only be crossed using one of the three bridges

Bavarian CinC has taken command of cavalry and infantry from 22 and 23 corps
Austrian CinC has taken command of artillery and infantry from 4 and 5 corps

Table at end of battle

On the left 24th Bavarian corps have taken two of the four wood sections.
6th Austrian corps have three corps have withdrawn from the woods
However they have three infantry brigades ready to defend the two southern sections
One infantry brigade, the cavalry and artillery are all in rout
Neither side has taken all four wood sections so the result is a draw

In the centre 23rd Bavarian corps have taken the woods
5th Austrian corps have abandoned the woods and withdrawn to Nittendorf
The Bavarians hold the woods and secured the objective

On the right 22nd Bavarian corps have secured both ends of the bridge
Marshal Mortier commands half of the corps on the left bank
Wrede commands the other half on the right bank
4th Austrian corps have withdrawn to Nittendorf
The Bavarians hold the bridge and secured the objective

As the Bavarians hold two of the objectives they have won the battle.

The Bavarians have lost 1 infantry and 2 cavalry casualties (600 men)
The Austrians have lost 10 infantry, 3 cavalry and 2 artillery casualties (4500 men)
There are five Austrian brigades in rout and only one Bavarian brigade

Summary
This was a disappointing game for the Austrian commander (Jan)
They had some early wins, but had poor dice throughout the game
By the end of move 10 it was clear that the Bavarians had won.

Battles with rivers are always a challenge, for both attacker and defenfer
The defender has to deploy his army first and must decide how to hold the river
He must hold both ends of the bridge, and usually deploys two infantry brigades on each side
The problem is where to put the cavalry and the artillery
Normally the army commander takes command of one side of the river

The attacker then has the option of whether to match the enemy deployment
This is the safe option, and just let the dice decide which side wins
I prefer to use my cavalry against the enemy artillery

Large woods are also becoming a problem, mainly because they take so long to capture
I have always used three or four sections of woods to make a large woods
One infantry brigade can be placed in each section
The attackers deploy to take the two nearest wooded sections
However the defenders can then retreat to the two further sections
The attackers then have to redeploy to attack the remaining two sections
There is never enough time to do so, particularly if artillery support is required
Not sure what the answer is, perhaps reduce large woods to two sections

Ratisbon Campaign Day 3

 

18 September 1813 – Southern Germany – Day 3

The French attack Nittendorf
7th French army – regroup at Dingolfing
8th French army – attack Nittendorf
9th French army – occupy Bad Abbach

The Austrian defend border
1st Austrian army – observe on border
2nd Austrian army – defend Nittendorf
3rd Austrian army – retret to Kofering

Situation

In the north 7th Bavarian army is regrouping at Dingolfing after their defeat at Prettendorf.
1st Austrian army has redeployed along the Landshut/Ratisbon regional border.
They have been ordered to hold there until the battle for Nittendorf has been decided.
If the Austrians win again, the whole army will advance into the Landshut region.
If they lose they will have to retreat to the west.

In the centre 8th Bavarian army is following the invasion plan and attacks Nittendorf.
The town is defended by 2nd Austrian army, who have completed their deployment at the border
They occupy a strong defensive position west of Nittendorf along the border.

In the south 9th Bavarian army occupy Bad Abbach, having won the battle on 17 September.
3rd Austrian army is retreating to Kofering, where they have been ordered to hold.
They have been told to prepare to counter attack should 2nd Austrian army hold Nittendorf.

The battle at Nittendorf will decide whether the Bavarians continue to invade Ratisbon region.
Should they lose the battle the whole army will have to retreat east into Landshut region.
In that case the Austrians will almost certainly pursue them

Ratisbon Campaign - battle of Abbach

Campaign Map

9th Bavarian army, commanded by Marshal Ney, attack Bad Abbach
3rd Austrian army, commanded by General Mervedt, defend the border

The Bavarians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery
The Austrians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery

Table at start of battle

3rd Austrian army is nearest to the camera
8th corps is in the centre holding the inn to the left of the main road
7th corps is to the right of Bad Abbach and 9th corps to the left

9th Bavarian army is at the far end of the table

There are three game objectives, all in the centre of the table
Woods on the left, Inn in the centre and hill on the right
The side which holds at least two at the end of 12 moves will win the game

Table at end of battle

On the left 27th Bavarian corps attack the woods held by 9th Austrian corps.
The woods are divided into four sections, and each can hold one brigade.
The Austrians quickly withdraw to the two southern sections
Their artillery dominate the south west section, and do so throughout the battle
They are supported by infantry and cavalry preventing a Bavarian attack to the left of the woods
The Bavarians advance between the woods and the inn, which is time consuming

Ney takes command of the cavalry and artillery of 25th corps, between them and 26th corps
26th corps attack the inn in the centre, supported by Ney and the reserve

Merveldt takes command of 7th corps cavalry and artillery, to counter Neys reserve
The Bavarians attack and take the inn, and hold it until nightfall

The hill on the right is not suitable for cavalry or artillery, and becomes an infantry battle
Both 25th Bavarian and 7th Austrian corps devote three infantry brigades to the task.
A prolonged skirmish and melee combat results in the rout of the Austrian infantry.

At nightfall the Bavarians hold two of the three objectives and win the battle.

Summary

This was another hard fought battle, with both sides suffering heavy casualties
Jan and I both have a thorough knowledge of the rules and tactics which work well
Neither make any glaring errors anymore, so it is usually down to the dice.
In this game we both had our fair share of good and bad dice, which makes it interesting

The infantry combat on the hill was particularly interesting, with three brigades per side.
Each had one grenadier brigade, one light brigade and one line brigade
The grenadiers are good at melee, but not in the skirmish role
The light have a skirmish advantage, but are poor in melee.
The line are average at both skirmish and melee.

We draw a chip to determine the sequence of movement for each turn.

On broken ground such as a hill, skirmish range and charge range are both 4”
Both players used their skirmishers against the enemy grenadiers or line
However they had to fire first, or would be at a disadvantage when the enemy charged

The Austrians had more luck in moving first, and won defeated all three Bavarian brigades
In doing so they lost their own light and line brigades.

The CinC sent his only infantry, a conscript brigade, to support the attack on the hill
They managed to charge the remaining Austrian grenadier brigade whilst disordered
Thus the Bavarians took the hill using a brigade with poor skirmish, melee and fire ability.

It was a relief that the Bavarians won this battle, a defeat would have forced a general retreat.
They have won one battle, and the Austrians the other, so the third battle will be critical…
If the Bavarians win they are back on course and will advance towards Ratisbon.
If the Austrians win the Bavarians will have to retreat west towards Landshut.

A great campaign so far, that first defeat really threw a spanner in the Bavarian works

Ratisbon Campaign Day 2

17 September 1813 – Southern Germany – Day 2

The French attack Bad Abbach
7th French army – retreat to Dingolfing
8th French army – observe border
9th French army – attack Bad Abbach

The Austrian redeploy on border
1st Austrian army – regroup on border
2nd Austrian army – redeploy on border
3rd Austrian army – defend Bad Abbach

Situation
In the north 7th Bavarian army retreats to Dingolfing following their defeat at Prettendorf
1st Austrian army regroups on their side of the Landshut-Ratisbon border
This Bavarian defeat is a serious setback to the their campaign objectives
1st Austrian army is ordered to prepare to follow up, but to await developments in the south.

In the centre 8th Bavarian army hold their ground and wait to see what the Austrians will do
2nd Austrian army is ordered to concentrate on the border and await further orders

In the south 9th Bavarian army is ordered to attack Bad Abbach as planned
It is anticipated that if they can take the town it will deter any Austrian attack in the north
3rd Austrian army move 7th and 8th corps up to join 8th corps on the border
The Bavarian attack has been expected and is no suprise

Despite his defeat at Prettendorf, Marshal Massena is determined to press his attack.

If he can win at Bad Abbach he is convinced that Schwartzenberg will not attack in the north He has now lost the advantage of suprise, and each battle will now be a little harder to win

Battle of Prettendorf

Campaign Map

7th Bavarian army, commanded by Marshal Massena, attack Prettendorf
1st Austrian army, commanded by General Schwartzenberg, defend the border

The Bavarians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery
The Austrians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades and 3 corps artillery

The first battle of the campaign is north of the river Danube, where 7th Bavarian army are ordered to attack the border town of Prettendorf

1st Austrian corps have one corps on the border as an advance guard. The remaining two corps are in reserve either side of Prettendorf.

Table at start of battle

The three Bavarian corps are deployed at the top of the table
2nd Austrian corps is deployed in the centre either side of the woods
1st Austrian corps is to the right of Prettendorf and 3rd corps to the left
All corps will move at the start of move 1

There are three battle objectives, all in the centre of the table
Hill on the left, woods in the centre, farm on the right
The army which holds at least two at the end of 12 moves will win

Table at end of battle

3rd Austrian corps hold the hill on the left
Three Bavarian brigades attacked the hill, all three were defeated
One Austrian brigade was routed, but rallied and returned
Infantry and artillery to the left of the hill were not engaged

20th Bavarian corps has taken the woods in the centre
Austrian supports either side of the woods were routed
Two Bavarian brigades took the woods after determined fighting

1st Austrian corps hold the farm on the left
Infantry supports to the left of the far m have been routed
The garrison has suffered 20% casualties, but holds firm

Summary

This was a hard fought battle which was decided during the last move

Games are often decided by which side has the luck to move first.
Or by good or bad dice at a critical time in the attack or defence
In this game both sides had equal amounts of good and bad luck
This made for a fast moving, unpredictable and very enjoyable game

The Austrians deserved to win, but it is not a good result for the campaign
The attacking army (Bavarian in this case) need to win two of the first three battles
This will force the defending army to withdraw and allow the game to move forwards
It will allow one of the battles to include the city, which is the campaign objective

If the attackers fail to drive the defenders back, they will have to retreat instead

Ratisbon Campaign Day 1

16 September 1813 – Southern Germany – Day 1

The French attack in the north
7th French army – attack Prettendorf
8th French army – observe border
9th French army – observe border

The Austrian defend border
1st Austrian army – defend Prettendorf
2nd Austrian army – defend border
3rd Austrian army – defend border

Situation
The French are deployed to the left of the Landshut-Ratisbon border
Their campaign objective is to take and hold the city of Ratisbon
There are three French armies each of three corps
7th army is in the north at Dingolfing
8th army is in the centre at Reisbach
9th army is in the south at Muhldorf

The Austrians are deployed to the right of the border
1st army is in the north at Prettendorf
2nd army is in the centre at Nittendorf
3rd army is in the couth at Bad Abbach
Each army has one corps on the border and two in reserve

The campaign opens in the north with the French attack on Prettendorf

Start Ratisbon Campaign

 

Munich Region  - battles fought  in previous campaigns

Our next campaign phase is set in southern Germany.

This is the 93rd campaign phase since the 1813 campaign started in April 2009.
It is the 25th phase of the revised campaign started in June 2020
And the 5th set in the Munich Region.
This map shows the 25 previous battles fought in this Region.
The French won 11 and the Austrians won 14.
Ratisbon is the Austrian district headquarters
Ninth French (Bavarian) army are concentrated at Landshut
They have orders to take and hold Ratisbon

 

Typical Bavarian Corps

Ninth French (Bavarian) army is commanded by Marshal Massena
It has three armies, each of three corps.
Each corps has four infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade and corps artillery

Typical Austrian Corps

The Austrian army is commanded by General Schwartzenberg
It also has three armies, each of three corps
Each corps has four infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade and corps artillery

Ratisbon campaign map

Comments

This is a fictional campaign loosely based on the historical 1813 campaign in Germany.
The maps are functional and fictional, again loosely based on real maps
They are designed to be transferred to the wargames table
Each map square is a scenic 2x2 foot square
Nine squares make a table 6x6 foot

I have always liked the colourful uniforms of the Bavarian and Austrian armies.
They make a pleasant change from the dark blue Prussian and French in north Germany
Or the green Russian and dark blue French in central Germany.

We are fortunate to have a permanent wargames room, and take 6 or 7 days to fight each battle
During this time I often take a few minutes to admire the table and consider my next move.
More than once I have been tempted to move a brigade in danger because I overlooked a threat
But so far I can honestly say that I have not given into such temptation.

New Orbat for Southern Spain

 

French v Spanish corps

When I updated my 28mm collection for the last time back in 2004 it was in preparation for our retirement to Spain. I knew the size of our proposed wargames room in our new house, and I knew that the wargames table would be 6x6 foot. My new collection would include all of the major, and many of the minor, Napoleonic armies. Each major nation would have four corps, each of 4 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade and corps artillery. Infantry brigades would be 8 figures and cavalry brigades 4 figures. Each corps would be 32 infantry, 4 cavalry and 4 gunners.

I cannot remember why I made an exception for the Spanish army, but I have regretted it ever since. They would have two corps of 32 infantry, 4 cavalry and 4 gunners. The other two corps would not have any cavalry, and would have a guerrilla brigade in place of regular army.

Before I moved to Spain I had planned that the maximum game we would fight would involve all four corps. The scenery was 2x2 foot squares, and three corps could fit comfortably with one in each square and one in reserve.

There are five areas in our campaign, each with nine corps per side, as follows:
North Germany French v Prussians
Central Germany French v Russians
South Germany Bavarians v Austrians
North Spain French v English
South Spain French v Spanish

The first four have always worked well, with balanced armies on each side. However I am constantly changing orders of battle or campaign system for south Spain. This is mostly due to the inbalance in the actual figures.

I have tried many local rules over the years, but none have been really satisfactory. The problem is always too great an advantage for either the Spanish or the French on the wargames table. Whilst I want to keep a “Spanish feel” to the wargames, my first priority is to provide an enjoyable wargame.

My latest adjustment is to reduce the cavalry for each army to two brigades each, with similar combat ability. There are three corps artillery per side, and both have the same combat and morale ability. The Spanish are stronger in infantry, but not such good quality. The Spanish have 12 infantry brigades the French have 9. The French infantry have slightly better morale, melee and skirmish ability.

                                    Morale      Melee      Musket      Skirmish

1st French brigade      class A      class A      class B      class C
2nd French brigade      class B      class B    class B      class B
3rd French brigade       class B      class B    class C      class 

1st Spanish brigade      class B      class B      class C      class C
2nd Spanish brigade    class C      class C      class C      class C
3rd Spanish brigade     class B      class B      class C      class B
4th Spanish brigade     class C      class C      class C      class C

Class A is plus 1
Class B is no change
Class C is minus 1

End of Cordoba Campaign

 

Battles fought during campaign phase

The Spanish won the first two battles at Montoro and Espinal, but suffered heavy casualties which caused them to retreat.

The French won the third battle at Muriano, which secured the border area and allowed them to advance towards the campaign objective of  Cordoba.

They also won the fourth battle at El Carpio, which forced the 1^st Spanish army to retreat and abandon the campaign.   The French now held the northern part of Cordoba region.

The fifth battle was fought at Montilla in the south.   The Spanish won, and pursued 15^th French army back to Baena.   This was a serious set back for Marshal Suchet as it exposed his southern flank.   He must decide on a prompt attack on Cordoba to end the campaign before General Giron could march north.

The sixth battle was for possession of Cordoba, which was the military base for the Spanish Army of the South.   It  was also the campaign objective.   If the French lost they would have to retreat back into Jean region.   This was the hardest fought battle of the campaign, and the outcome was in doubt right to nightfall.   For a time it looked like the Spanish would win, but their luck deserted them as night fell.  

The French took Cordoba and won the campaign.

The campaign started on 9 January and ended on 28 April 2026

A new order of battle was introduced for this campaign, giving the Spanish four corps in each army against three in the French armies.  This proved too great an advantage for the Spanish, and the order of battle was adjusted after three battles

The French and Spanish would have three armies of three corps. However each French army would have to detach three infantry and one cavalry brigades to guard their lines of supply. This would leave the Spanish with 12 infantry brigades in each army and the French 9 infantry brigades. Both sides would have three corps artillery and two cavalry brigades. The cavalry and artillery would all be trained. The French would have slightly better trained infantry, particularly grenadier and light brigades. The revised order of battle worked very well for the last three battles of this campaign, but that is too few battles to properly test the revision. Unfortunately we shall not be back in southern Spain until we have fought a campaign in each of the other four campaign areas.

Cordoba Campaign – Day Seven

15 September 1813 – Southern Spain – Day 7

French occupy Cordoba and win campaign
13 French Army occupy Muriano
14 French Army occupy Cordoba
15 French Army occupy Espinal

Spanish abandon Cordoba and lose campaign
1 Spanish Army withdraw from campaign
2 Spanish Army withdraw from campaign
3 Spanish Army retreat to Montilla

Comments
The Spanish retreat from Cordoba allows the French to take the city,
which is the campaign objective. In doing so they win the campaign.

In the north 1st Spanish army has already abandoned the campaign
In the centre 2nd Spanish army retreat from Cordoba means they have also done so
In the south 3rd Spanish army abandons their pursuit of 15th French army
With the loss of Cordoba they are in danger of being surrounded
They retreat to Montilla, and will eventually also abandon the campaign