Game 109 : Battle of Ocana : November 19th 1809

 We're in the Peninsular. This, I thought, was a new game but I found out we played it 3 years ago, albeit at a vastly reduced scale. This time we fought the game to our usual scale. 

It is French v Spanish battle. We also introduced some new rules and a change to how we treat the Spanish. The Spanish army outnumbered the French army, in all arms, by about 5:3. Spanish Infantry and artillery were treated as normal line infantry, mixed with some Seasoned troops and some Militia. The Cavalry were generally Militia types.

Villages became built up areas that were as laid out. You had to move and fight through a village, it was no longer just a feature called a village. This was an interesting experience. It worked and villages became a new complex problem for both sides to either hold or seize.

This shows the battlefield from the Spanish right to Ocana. The Spanish had picked open terrain, with Ocana in its centre, to deploy and face the French. The Spanish right was heavy with 3/4 of their cavalry. The French would try to defeat this cavalry, as the French cavalry was generally higher quality, and then turn the Spanish right. This was exactly what happened historically.

On the Spanish centre/left, it was really an infantry fight. Taking villages becomes even more protracted than it used to take using the standard rules. In the context of a Peninsular battle, the new system does give a better feel to the overall comabt.

The French, me, got too adventurous on my advance and exposed my infantry flank to a cavalry charge. Fortunately for the French, the relatively poor Spanish cavalry, easily unformed on the in approach, were unable to exploit the French mistake and bounced! Brows mopped all round for the French infantry!!

The French assault on their right advances with the affect of a steamroller. Some Spanish units were standing, some were retreating after suffering significant losses from French artillery. 

The French infantry eventually break into Ocana itself. The Spanish are now being forced back in all areas and their left is not far from potential collapse under attack from French all arms and now flanked by the French. We will repeat the battle next time, I will then be Spanish and Graham will be French. 

The battle had the right feel and both sides actually used the deployments and tactics used historically. The new rules worked well and the new way of defining the Spanish troops regards class etc also worked well.

 

	Play Test 1
French Formations	Losses %			Spanish Formations	Losses%
	Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery		Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery
SOULT				Arzeiga
Sebastiani				Zayas	24	-	25
Leval	14	-	0	Lacy	2	-	0
Werle	2	-	8	Vigolet	3	-	42
Paris	-	5	17	Giron	6	-	25
				Castejon	17	-	100
Mortier				Zerain	7	-	67
Girard	6	-	0	Jacome	14	-	0
Gazan	19	-	0	Copon	18	-	38
Beauregard	-	4	17	Bemuy	-	19	29
				Rivas	-	14	4
Milhaud	-	21	8	March	-	31	33
Desolles	3	20	4	Ossorio	-	20	21

The casualty table is above and losses were heavy for such a scale game. We'll see what happens next time!