Game 97 : Battle of the Katzbach August 26th 1813

 

This battle pitched Marshal MacDonald against Blucher. It was also fought in foul weather, rain occurring a lot of the time with affects on movement, musketry and artillery fire. The armies are reasonably matched and we use some form of variable morale reflecting the troops of the year and theatre.

This is from the initial action on the French left. Some time was spent with forces of both sides taking time to get to grips, but the ebb and flow of battle was soon to be upon everyone. The above village changed hands at least three times.

Further in the centre, the French advance to secure the actual river line to facilitate movement between areas as the river bisects the battlefield in two. The village here was held by the allies throughout the battle.

The first cavalry clash on the French left. It was a fairly bloody affair with the French receiving high casualties, but not broken. Back to the infantry slog.

Remaining on the French left, each side commits two Divisions of infantry to the village combat. The French would win this combat decisively, but trying to make progress further into enemy lines was to prove disastrous.

Another view of the same action. I've now also changed the camera mount to get longer shots.

A long shot along the battlefield. The French are on the right of the picture. It seems to give a better "feel" for the action along the whole front.

This is the same idea, a long shot taken from the other end of the battlefield with the Allies on the right hand side.

The battle still rages unabated on the French left. The Allies are assaulting again. To put things in more context, we must have played about 35 turns. Most of that was fought in some type of "rain" mostly light but sometimes heavy.

Disaster befalls the French. In the centre of the pic is a Prussian Dragoon Regt (I think) that has broken a French column, then rallied and will charge along the flank of the French front. Its a race to see if the French Generals can extricate their Divisions with order changes! They succeed, but not before some horrible losses.

French Formations	Losses %			Allied Formations	Losses%
	Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery		Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery
MACDONALD				BLUCHER
Souham	-	71	38	Sacken
Brayer	43	-	33	Vasiltshikov
Delmas	19	-	41	Lieven	0	-	0
Albert	6	-	14	Neverosky	2	-	14
Ricard	11	-	8	Tschaplitz	-	8	21
Marchand	4	-	0	Karpov	-	15	-
Lauriston	-	17	23	Yorck
Maison	30	-	8	Steinmetz	21	0	28
Rochambeau	25	-	23	Mecklenburg	9	28	31
				Horn	19	17	3
MacDonald	-	22	55	Hunerbein	21	11	16
D’Henin	16	-	17	Jurgass	-	12	33
Charpentier	19	-	8	Scmidt	-	-	34
Sebastiani				LANGERON	-	-	6
D’Hurbal	-	24	0	Sherbatov
Exelmans	-	27	33	Tallisin	50	-	11
St Germaine	-	6	8	Bernodossov	43	-	31
				Alsuviev
WEATHER 35 turns				Udom	31	-	0
				Rudsevich	36	-	0
				Kapzevich
				Urussov	35	-	20
				Turtshaninov	10	-	2
				Korff
				Pantschild		31	44

As with all previous battles, any losses at 30% or higher mean that the formation is combat ineffective. Losses of 40% or higher really mean the formation is wrecked. When we called the battle, the Allies still held their front line and were pressuring both French flanks. The French army would retire, there would be no Allied pursuit.

Here we have the "rogues" gallery. 10 players for a week of gaming, including the bottle of Port. A very civilised time was had by all. Next battle, a surprise new one staying with the Napoleonic theme.

Game 96 : Battle of Lutzen 6th Sept 1813

 

The Allied armies descend from the heights onto a dispersed French Corps, trying to defeat it piecemeal. It sets the scene for the last battle before the armistice in 1813.

As usual, I will leave the reader to find a map and follow the action. The Allies begin by transiting the heights into the plain below and fall upon the French. The French start with Ney's Corps with his Divisions deployed across the whole plain, effectively each Division is isolated. The above shows Russian columns, a whole Corps, launching themselves in the central villages.

Being caught cold and with no immediate reinforcements, the result takes some time but is predictable. The French are forced from the central villages.

On the Allied right, Russian Cuirassiers advance quickly trying to gain ground. There is a single French Light Cavalry Brigade in this area. This will be very one sided if contact is made!

As the battle progresses, the French right is heavily reinforced, including the Guard Cavalry, and the French launch their own assault on the Allied left.

The Russian infantry in the centre, having cleared the initial villages, tries to swing around to their left to engage the French right. The French centre has been hammered but has extricated itslef and is now reforming.

The French Guard Polish Lancers execute the first of four lethal charges. They overrun a battery and continue into the Russian infantry behind.

In the Centre, both sides are using squares to try and provide stability. Russian and Prussian Heavies are seen advancing from the top right. Out of shot are the French Guard Cavalry to the right. Not a place for infantry to be wandering around until the horses clear!!

The French Guard Cavalry is regrouping and Marmont's Corps is released to attack the Russian left which is defended in the first instance by a Grenadier Division.

As the battle draws to a close, the French Reserve Heavy Cavalry arrive, en masse, on their left flank. The Russian Cuirassiers, in one of the early pics, deploys to face this flank threat. A huge melee unsues which ends with a draw. 

The allies are now being pushed on both flanks and a recovered Ney is leading a counter-attack in the centre. We have played about 34 turns and we the call the battle. It is very much a historical outcome. The initial Allied gains are reversed by French numbers, but the French infantry is vulnerable in the open as they have a lot of lower quality troops. Throwing massed columns at villages, for them, is easier that trying to contend against combined arms in the open. So, Armistice time!!

French Formations	Losses %			Russian Formations	Losses%
	Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery		Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery
Mortier				Baggovut
LeFebvre	-	15	0	Ziethen	-	26	17
Walther	-	0	8	Pirch	13	-	33
Demouster	5	-	0	Klux	13	6	44
Roguet	0	-	39
				Yorck
Ney				Hunerbein	17	-	0
Souham	81	-	25	Horn	19	33	0
Montmorand	27	-	22	Steinmetz	15	32	56
Girard	12	-	34	Berg	0	5	0
Ricard	11	-	0	Kasatschkosky	22	2	50
Marchand	9	-	0
Labossiere	-	44	-	Winzingerode
				Wurttemberg	8	-	0
Bertrand				Trubetskoy	-	19	25
Morand	0	-	9	Winzingerode	9	25	22
Marmont				Konovitzin
Bonet	14	-	0	Tormassov	2	20	24
Frederichs	14	-	3	Gallitzin	0	7	35
Compans	6	-	10
				Army Artillery	-	-	8
MacDonald	-	0	0
Fressinet	5	-	19
Gerard	0	-	0
Charpentier	2	-	0
Latour-Maubourg
Bruyere	-	0	4
Chastel	-	27	-
Bourdesoulle	-	14	-
Doumerc	-	1	-

I have listed the casualty sheet where you can readily see some of the severe losses formations suffered. Souham suffered catastrophically as battalion after battalion got ridden down by Allied Cavalry.

Rogue's gallery is above. I don't normally do this, but Iain looks as if he has received a drill order from a Sergeant Major. Or maybe Anne was looking stern as she took the pic.

Iain is at it again, something must be happening stage right!!! Or he may be in need of liquid alcohol sustenance!!   Next battle is 1813, Katzbach, when we hope our Austrian contingent can travel.