Landshut Campaign – Day 3

Campaign Map

Austrians attack Muhldorf
1st Austrian army – regroup and resupply
2nd Austrian army – occupy Reisbach
3rd Austrian army – attack Muhldorf

7th French army – regroup and resupply
8th French army – retreat to Landshut
9th French army – defend Muhldorf

End of battle of Reisbach

The Austrian plan was to pin the French on their left, ignore the town and attack on their right. To achieve this general Merveldt took command of 2 infantry brigades from 7th and 8th corps, plus artillery from 7th corps. They were deployed on the left bank of the river Danube.

The remainder of 7th corps was on the right bank of the river. They would pin a similar sized Bavarian force near the main bridge

8th corps would deploy in front of Muhldorf. They would not advance on the town until Merveldt had delivered his attack between the town and the river.

9th corps would deploy on the left and occupy the nearest half of the pass. They would attack in support of 8th corps.

The plan worked perfectly. The French had to keep most of 26th corps in and around the town. They held the town throughout the battle, and only retreated when 25th and 27th corps were forced to do so.

The Austrians won the battle.

The French lose 5 infantry, 6 cavalry and 2 artillery casualties (2800 men)
The Austrians lose 3 infantry, 3 cavalry and 1 artillery casualties (1600 men)


Comment 

It has taken a long time to determine the best tactics to attack a strongly held town.

I soon found that with a maximum of 12 moves per game an attack on the town itself ran out of time, even if the attackers did well.

In this game I commanded the 3rd Austrian army, the attacking side. The defending army had to deploy first, with the Austrian troops arriving on the table at the start of move 1.

A glance at the table will show that the weakest part of the French defence is between the town and the river. Both the centre and Austrian left have hills which delay the attacker.

The only problem for the attacking player is the river Danube. It can only be crossed by one of the three bridges. The French had left two infantry and one cavalry brigades to hold the bridge. I did the same. But I put two elite brigades, to give me an advantage. One was a jager brigade, who could skirmish across the river and support the main attack on the left bank

As always, things did not go smoothly for the Austrians. Artillery plays an important part in the attack, and particularly with my new rules. 12 pdr guns require 5 or 6 for a hit against enemy artillery. Both the French and Austrian guns on this flank were 12 pdr. With the opening shot the Bavarian gunners killed 10% of the Austrian gunners. Worse still the Austrians lost their morale test and had to retreat shaken. It would take three moves to rally and bring them back to their abandoned guns. This delayed the attack by three moves. However the actual attack went well and the Bavarians were forced to retreat.

On the opposite flank the Austrians were less successful, but they did eventually force the Baden corps to withdraw.

With both flanks gone, the garrison had to retreat without firing a shot.

Wargame Rule Review

 

It is seven months since I did a comprehensive rewrite of our wargame rules. During that time we have fought almost 15 wargames, more than enough to have discovered whether they work or not.

My objective was to create a fast moving game with a distinct feel of Napoleonic battles. I wanted to remove as much checking of plus and minus factors for combat and morale as possible. But most important I wanted to introduce a strong element of chance. My wife and I have wargamed together for more than 50 years. We are fortunate to have a permanent wargames table, so we game at least three or four days a week. So neither of us make any significant tactical errors, and both can anticipate what the other will do in most circumstances. This can lead to very predictable wargames. And one error, or one bad run of dice, can determine the outcome of a game.

I wanted to retain the roles of artillery, cavalry and infantry. But I also wanted the game to be decided by the infantry. This balance can be difficult to create, particularly in the early stages of writing rules. It is often only with extensive play that the weakeness can be seen. I have found this to be particularly so when using commercial rules sets.

The key to all of this would be the use of just one six sided dice for all combat and morale tests. There would have to be a minimum number of plus or minus adjustments. This is essential to cater for class of troops, supports, casualties and command. Particularly in my order of battle where troops are classed A, B or C for both morale, skirmish and musket fire. I have taken great care to create complicated orders of battle for each of my five campaign areas. I feel it is important for all armies to have historical national characterises. But also to give all armies a reasonable chance of success, even the Spanish.

With just one dice it was easy to control the eventual outcome. A roll of 1 would mean disaster, a roll of 6 would mean Prussian landwehr infantry could defeat French Imperial Guardsmen. But, of course, it must not happen too often.

I am very pleased with how our new rules have developed. They give a distinctive Napoleonic feel to our games (at least in our opinion). Equally important they allow the battle to develop and reach a conclusion within the 12 moves (equal to 12 hours in the campaign) maximum

The result of casualties is particularly pleasing. When a brigade has a “hit”, which is 10% of its strength) is must test morale. It deducts 2 points for the hit and for being disordered. However it gains 1 point if supported by a formed brigade within 4” and another 1 point if the corps commander is within 4”. It also gets 1 point if elite or loses 1 point if conscript. The dice is then thrown and with the following consequences:

5 or 6 – pass morale
4 - disordered
3 – retreat full move disordered
2 – retreat full move shaken
1 – retreat full move in rout

However it is relatively easy to rally shaken or routed brigades, providing that they roll a good dice. But if they retreated they then have to form up and move back to their original position on the table.

The overall effect is a much more fluid wargame than we have ever experienced. An attack or defence can crumble with just one roll of 1. Using previous rules this would have resulted in certain defeat for the side which rolled the poor dice. But in these rules it is quite possible to recover, but it will take two or three moves.

It is great fun to play a wargame which is so unpredictable. It means that the outcome of a game can change right up to move 11 or even 12. We are both very pleased with the new rules.

Landshut Campaign – Day 2

Campaign Map

7th French army retreat to Esenbach
1st Austrian army occupy Dingolfing
2nd Austrian army attack Reisbach


1st Austrian army – regroup around Dingolfing
2nd Austrian army – attack Reisbach
3rd Austrian army – hold Bad Abbach and resupply


7th French army – retreat to Esenbach
8th French army – redeploy in and around Reisbach
9th French army – redeploy in and around Muhldorf

Start of battle of Reisbach

The Austrians have the advantage of all three corps starting the battle closer to Reisbach. The Bavarians have one corps in the town, but the other two are four hours (moves) in the hills behind the town.

The main Austrian attack is in the centre against the town itself. 6th corps race to secure the hills to the left of the town, and 4th corps the hills to the right of the town.

24th Baden corps arrive in time to hold the road to the left of the town, thus depriving the Austrians from occupying the high ground. 22nd Bavarian corps does the same to the right of the town.

5th Austrian corps is allowed to deploy their artillery within close range of the town, supported by their jager and grenadier brigades. Despite this formidable attack force, the garrison hold out for a considerable time. They start to withdraw when both brigades have suffered 20% casualties. The elite Austrian brigades immediately storm the town and rout the retreating garrison.

On the right 4th Austrian corps finally take the hills after considerable fighting. By then the town garrison has abandoned the town, and 22nd Bavarian corps is ordered to retreat.

On the left there is very little fighting. Both sides deploy on their own side of the hill, neither are prepared to suffer the likely casualties should they attempt to advance over the hill. 24th Baden corps finally retreats when ordered to do so.

The French suffer 5 infantry and 3 cavalry casualties (2300 men)

The Austrians suffer 4 infantry and 4 artillery casualties (2000 men)


Comment 

From the battle casualties it would appear that neither side has suffered sufficient casualties to warrant a French general retreat. However 4 of their 18 brigades are in rout. The rout of the Bavarian garrison with 20% each spreads to the two intact infantry brigades in support. There is no chance for the French to attempt a counter attack to recapture the town. With the loss of Reisbach there is no point in suffering further French casualties, so the retreat makes sense.

The light casualties on each side appear to leave both armies relatively intact, however numbers do not tell the whole story.

The French have lost 3 cavalry casualties spread over two corps. One of these casualties will be replaced, but this will leave two cavalry brigades with 10% casualties each for the rest of the campaign. The Austrians have suffered no cavalry casualties, this will give them a strong cavalry advantage in future battles.

But the Austrian losses are far more significant. They have lost 4 artillery casualties spread over all three corps artillery. Again one casualty will be replaced, but this will leave all three batteries with 10% casualties in future battles. The French have lost no artillery casualties

In counter battery fire 12 pdr require 5 or 6, 9 pdr require 6, 6 pdr cannot hit at long range. The French have one 12 pdr and two 9 pdr. The Austrians have one 12 pdr, one 9 pdr and one 6 pdr. Of the three only the 12 pdr will be able to hit at long range, and will require a 6. All three French batteries will be able to hit at long range.

In this campaign the Austrians are the aggressors, which means that they have to attack and the French can sit in defence. An attacker must suppress the enemy artillery to have any real chance of success. This can only be done by their own artillery or their cavalry. The Austrians will have to use their cavalry in risky charges against the French gunners. If they fail the infantry are unlikely to succeed without any cavalry or effective artillery support.

The next battle between 8th French army and 2nd Austrian army is going to be very interesting indeed.

Landshut Campaign – Day 1

Campaign Map

                                             

The campaign opens in the north

1^st Austrian army attack the northern border town of Dingolfing.

  

1^st Austrian army – attack Dingolfing

2^nd Austrian army – hold centre, east of border

3^rd Austrian army – hold south, east of border

 

7^th French army – in and around Dingolfing

8^th French army – hold Reisbach

9^th French army – hold Muhldorf

Start of battle of Dingolfing

Most of the French are deployed west of Dingolfing

This is for ease of supply

19^th Bavarian corps in reserve the top right

20^th Bavarian corps in and around Dingolfing

21^st Bavarian corps in reserve top left

 

The Austrians are deployed out of artillery range

1^st corps on the right

2^nd corps in the centre

3^rd corps on the left

Austrians win battle of Dingolfing

1st Austrian corps attack through the woods on the right

Schwarzenberg has taken half of 2^nd corps to support this attack

They break 19^th Bavarian corps and then swing left to outflank the town

 

2^nd Austrian corps artillery fire on the town, supported by half the infantry

Only when the garrison is weakened, do the infantry advance and skirmish

No attempt is made to attack the town until the defenders withdraw

 

3^rd Austrian corps have orders to pin 31^st Bavarian corps

Their artillery are deployed on the right

The intention is to create a gap between the woods and the town

Towards the end of the battle their jager brigade enter the woods

 

By nightfall the Austrians have taken the town and broken the French right

With half of his army in retreat, Massena orders a general retreat.

The French have lost 12 infantry, 3 cavalry and 1 artillery casualties (5100 men)

The Austrians have lost 2 infantry and 2 cavalry casualties (1000 men)

 

Comment

Normally we accept the outcome of each wargame, no matter how it affects the campaign

 

This goes back to the PBEM campaign, when it seemed like cheating not to do so

However it does seem silly to ruin a whole campaign phase, just because of bad dice rolls

 

And this can happen more often with our new rules which rely heavily on the luck of the dice.

 

This game was a good example of how things can go wrong.

 

Each campaign phase is based on one side crossing the regional border to attack

It is important that the attacker wins the first three battles, or at least two of them

Otherwise he has to retreat and the campaign is at an end

The campaign should provide six battles, one for each town

So one which produced just one or two would be disappointing

 

Therefore the first battle of a campaign is particularly important

A defeat for the aggressor makes it hard to justify the winner retreating

If it is the third battle, and the attacker has won the first two, it retreat is reasonable

 

The first time we wargamed Dingolfing everything went wrong right from the start

On move three the Austrians had advanced within artillery range

The first shot fired by the Bavarian gunners (rolled a 6) hit Austrian gunners.

The Bavarians failed their morale test (rolled a 1) and they routed

A nearby infantry brigade had to test, failed (rolled a 2) and also routed

Without artillery that Austrian corps would find it difficult to continue to attack

 

To recover the situation they ordered their cavalry to charge the enemy guns

This is always risky, particularly if the guns have their own cavalry support

The Bavarian gunners hit the charging cavalry (rolled a 4)

The cavalry failed their morale and halted disordered

The Bavarian cavalry charged and caused more casualties

The Austrian cavalry failed their morale test (rolled 3) and also routed

The Austrian corps now had no cavalry or artillery, and only three infantry brigades

 

The Austrian attack moved to the opposite flank

They had a 6 pdr gun, which cannot hit enemy artillery at long range

So once more their cavalry was sent to removed the enemy gunners

They received fire at short range (rolled 5) and had to test their morale

They rolled 1, and routed without any help from the Bavarian cavalry

 

Meanwhile the other two Austrian corps artillery were firing on the enemy gunners

Counter battery fire requires a roll of 6 for a hit, 5 or 6 for 12 pdr guns

The Bavarian 12 pdr battery in the centre rolled 5, which was a hit

The Austrian gunners tested their morale (rolled 1) and routed

 

At the start of move 6 the game was half way through

The Austrians had lost two artillery batteries and two cavalry brigades

It was clearly impossible to continue to attack

It was bad enough that the aggressors had lost the first battle of the campaign

Worse still their cavalry and artillery would start all future games with 10% casualties

 

It is really important to accept setbacks in a wargame, particularly dice

Otherwise what is the point of Wargaming?

However this defeat would, in effect, end the whole campaign phase

 

We solved the problem by accepting that Jan had won the wargame

But we would ignore the rest and refight the wargame for the campaign

The battle report above is the result of that refight

The Austrians won, as they needed to do

 

However we both felt very guilty “cheating” the campaign!

1813 Campaign – Landshut Phase

 

Map of Europe

This map shows the location of the five campaign areas. 

Each square is a military region.  

The current location of each army group is shown.  

The stars show the location of previous phases.  

The colour indicates which side won.   

 

This is the 89^th phase since the campaign started in April 2009.  

It is the 15^th in the sixth revision which started in June 2020 

 

The white star shows the location of Landshut

 

Austrian corps

On paper all five of the campaign areas are very similar.

Particularly the three areas in Germany

 

Each army has nine corps, each of four infantry brigades, one cavalry and corps artillery

 

The aim of my campaign is to produce battles which result in balanced wargames

This has resulted in armies of different, but balanced, abilities

That is the reason I choose 1813, because by then all armies has similar combat abilities

 

Napoleon’s Grande Armee had been destroyed in Russia.

It was replaced by a mostly conscript and poorly trained army

Allied commanders had learned hard lessons, which resulted in better led armies

 

Despite all of this, each of the five campaign areas has a different look and feel

In the north Napoleon and his old guard is engaged with Blucher’s dark blue Prussian army.

 

Central Germany has the stubborn, green coated Russian army

The south with its more colourful Austrian army is my favourite, at least visually.

I know many wargamers moan about masses and masses of plain white uniforms

But half of my Austrian army are Hungarian, with their light blue trousers

And on all the white jackets highlight the varied facings

 

Bavarian corps

Their opponents are called “The French Army of Southern Germany”

But in fact they are entirely Bavarian and Baden brigades.

 

The light blue (cornflower blue?) of the Bavarian infantry stands out on the wargames table

 

Long before I grasped the complicated subject of Napoleonic uniforms I had admired the Bavarians

They were the first German troops I added to my French army

Long before I had corps and brigades, I had a group of them to lighten the dark blue of the French

 

Many years ago Jan and I spent a couple of annual holidays in Bavaria

We have always enjoyed hill walking, and it would be hard to find a more beautiful area to do so

 

And the fact that it was also the scene of major Napoleonic battles added to its attraction

 

My main interest was the main conflict between French and Austrian armies

It was then that I discovered how important the Bavaria was as a major element of Napoleon’s armies.

 

During our second holiday we visited the military museum in Innsbruck

I was fascinated by the diorama of the battle of Bergisel.

Bavarian troops fought in the mountains with the irregular troops of Andreas Hofer

I would have loved to collect a Tyrolean army with their pitchforks and odd collection of muskets

 

Very similar to the Spanish guerrilla bands who add so much to my campaign phases in Spain

 

But unfortunately at that time there were no suitable wargame figures available

And now that they are easily available I have long passed my painting phase

Having painted figures every day for more than 30 years, I have not lifted a paintbrush since 2006

 

That was when I completed my last major replacement project using mostly Front Rank 28mm figures

 

I have no interested in taking up painting again, and doubt that I could do so with my poor eyesight

 

So my battles in southern Germany will be restricted to the regular armies of Bavaria and Austria.

Campaign Orders of Battle

 

11^th French Corps 

The detailed orders of battle on the 1813 Campaign Diary were designed to allow the ten players in our PBEM campaign to understand the combat ability of the corps under their command.   The number of corps used, and the brigades in each corps, has changed over the years.   But the basic four infantry brigades, one cavalry brigade and corps artillery have remained the same.   As have the class, firing and skirmish ability of the infantry brigades.

To illustrate how it works I have chosen a standard French corps.   Elite corps like the old and young guard would have a higher proportion of elite troops.

11 French corps – General Albert (Average)

25 infantry brigade  CA     FB      SB

26 infantry brigade  CB     FC      SB

27 infantry brigade  CC    FC      SB

28 infantry brigade  CC    FC      SC

11 cavalry brigade   CB     dragoons

11 corps artillery      CB     9 pounders

The corps commander is Average.   Were he Gifted he would be more effective, but less so were he Poor.   His main role is to issue orders to the brigades under his command, and to do so he must be within 12”.   He can also add to their morale test providing that he is within 4”.     So each move he must be positioned within 4” of those brigades most likely to have to test their morale during the next move, yet still within 12” of all of his brigades.   A difficult task and often one will have to be sacrificed to achieve the other.

Each infantry brigade has (C) class, (F) firing ability and (S) skirmish ability.   A will add plus 1 to the combat or morale test, C will deduct 1.   To melee a brigade must be in base contact, to skirmish within 4” and to volley fire within 2”.   25 brigade is the best within the corps.   If 27 brigade were an enemy they would be at a disadvantage in melee or volley fire, but would be even in a skirmish fight.

Cavalry brigades also have class types, but not skirmish or firepower.   However the type of cavalry does make a difference in morale.   Heavy cavalry are more effective than light cavalry, both against infantry and other cavalry.   Lancers are the most effective against infantry, but the same as light cavalry against other cavalry.

Artillery again have types of class.   However I have abandoned the complicated tables in most rules depending on distance and weight of ball fired.   I have 12pdr, 9pdr and 6 pdr.   All have a maximum range of 12” and all a most effective range of 4”.   12pdr receive plus one and 6 pdr minus one.   A 9pdr firing at either would a dice roll of 6, a 12pdr 5 or 6.   The 6pdr cannot hit other artillery at more than short range.  

In addition to the above, casualties have a major effect on morale and combat effectiveness.   Casualties from all combat are 10%, and these results in minus 1 on morale or combat tests.   Each additional 10% results in a further minus 1.   During the campaign corps can reduce casualties by halting within supply range of their depot.   But the final 10% remains for the duration of the campaign.   So an elite brigade which receives 10% casualties in their first battle will become the same as a B class (or average) brigade.  And they will remain so throughout the campaign.

The position of each corps on the wargames table is dictated by their location on the campaign map.  At the start of the game each player needs to consider the morale and combat effectiveness of each of his three corps.   It would be unwise to order a corps with considerable battle casualties to attack one with no casualties.   However each army commander can take brigades from his three corps and form an army reserve.  This can be used to support the corps tasked with the main attack.  Or alternatively placed in a central position to support a weak position.

It is also important to deploy each corps so that the best infantry brigade will be in the right position to lead the final attack.   It is easy to overlook these details when faced with a table full of figures when the artillery, cavalry and infantry all have to be placed in the best position depending on their role.   But the player who gets the initial deployment right in this respect will stand a much better chance of winning the game.

However, as always, the dice is master.  The best planned attack will still fail if the dice rolls a one.   A poorly planned one will often succeed if it is a six.

These rules will not suit everyone.  But they have worked well for Jan and me.   And since April 2009 our 1813 campaign has provided 459 enjoyable wargames of battles provided by the 88 campaign phases spread throughout Germany and Spain.

Campaign Orders of Battle

Map of 6 corps armies

A few months ago I decided that I would like to increase the size of the tabletop wargames from two to three corps per side.  My wife Jan and is my only wargame opponent, and games can get a little predictable given that we play a few moves almost every day.   This would give us a larger army to command and a wider choice of tactics and options.

My wargames are derived from my 1813 campaign, so the order of battle is the same for both.   There are five campaign areas, each with one French and one allied army.  So there are ten orders of battle.  

Each army deploys on a map with 9x9 squares.   Each army has an operational area of 3x9 squares, with two corps in each area.   Photo 1 shows the campaign map for the battle of Arevalo, which is the white star bottom centre.

Wargame with 2 corps per side

Photo 2 shows the same battle on the wargames table.   You will see that there are two corps per side, each corps has four infantry brigades, one cavalry brigade and corps artillery.   Each corps occupies one of the three scenic squares, so there is a lot of space to manoeuvre.

Map of 9 corps armies

To increase the number of figures on the table, I had to increase each army from six to nine corps.   Photo 3 shows the campaign map for the battle of Avila, the three white stars top right.   You will see that each army has three corps, occupying one square each.   So the new nine corps armies occupy the whole of the nine squares from top to bottom.

Wargame with 3 corps each side

Photo 4 shows the battle of Avila on the wargames table.   The whole width of the table is occupied by the three corps – British at the top and French at the bottom.   There is less room for manoeuvre, but more opportunity to create reserve under the commander and take advantage of any initial success in any of the three corps areas.

So far so good.  But I had not appreciated just how much work was involved.   The figures were already there, but the orders of battle all had to be rewritten.   There are two orders of battle, one for each campaign and a more detailed one for the campaign blog.     

It was relatively easy to add the new corps to the existing casualty sheets which are on my computer and used to record battle casualties.   These are not available to view on the campaign blog, and consequently have less detail.   

However there is also a more detailed order of battle shown as part of the campaign blog.   This is designed to explain to anyone interested how the various armies are organised and what the capabilities of each brigades are.   Given the size of the campaign there are a lot of brigades and each had to be rewritten.   This was designed to allow players in my PBEM phase of the campaign to determine the exact combat ability of each of their brigades.

In addition I like to include photographs to illustrate the complicated orders of battle.   When I set up the campaign I arranged each army of two four corps on the table and photographed them.  It would be a huge job to do the same for the new orbat.  So I photographed each corps on their storage stands.   The effect is not so impressive.  But given that I now appreciate that probably no one, or at least very few, bother to look at the campaign orders of battle I wanted to reduce the work load.  

I am reasonably happy with the result, and at least I feel that I have made some effort to illustrate the whole order of battle.   Even this limited effort took about three weeks, which I consider enough given the very limited general interest.

If you would like to see the end result you will find the ten new orders of battle here http://1813pbemcampaigndiary.blogspot.com.es/