Aspern Essling, 21-22 May 1809, refought 6 September 2024

 The next BBB Napoleonic battle is Aspern Essling.  Here's how Mike and I got in early September refighting what was, in history, Napoleon's first defeat (according to the Austrians!).  Napoleon has captured Vienna, but the Austrian army is on the other side of the Danube and needs to be brought to battle.  Napoleon has built a bridge over the Danube and has a bridgehead on the far side.  He needs to bring the Austrians to battle and have a dramatic victory, one that would knock the Austrians out of the war.  He is dependent on this bridge, which the Austrians are trying to destroy.  So part of the game depends on how fas Napoleon can get his troops across the battle and into action.

Here is the map:

The French start with almost nothing on the table.  The Austrians have numerical superiority, at least to begin with, but as the troops are passive and with only a CinC and General of the Reserves to move things along, there is a good chance that they take too long to get to the action!

Set up and initial moves:

I've played this game before, so set up as near as I could and pushed into Aspern.  The Austrian infantry to the right on the road have failed to move...

Slow moving Austrian reserve Grenadiers - the orange blobs denote "not passive".

Move 2

On the Austrian right, the French rushed defenders to Aspern and the mighty white Juggernaut moved in.

In Essling, the French took up residence as the advancing Austrians just failed to launch a co-ordinated heavy attack, moving instead in piece-meal fashion.

On the left the biggest unit, Hohenloe's IV Corps, threatened but didn't actually move ar all.

Move 4

On the Austrian right the French were evicted from Aspern and things were going well for the Austrian juggernaut.

In the middle the Austrians closed on Essling, but still at a glacial pace and in an unco-ordinated fashion.

On the Austrian left IV Corps are still not in contact, having failed to move much more than 6 inches in 3 moves.....

A little later...

The Austrians hold on to Aspern, but the extreme right flank in the woods is getting attacked by the French re-inforcements.

In the centre the Austrians fail to close on Essling in force and the French shore up their position.

Move 5

The Austrian centre, troops advancing on Essling

A little later, going in piecemeal doesn't get the critical mass needed to take Essling.  

On the Austrian left, IV Corps proceeds to move at glacial pace...

On the right, the French left hook through the woods develops and the Austrians struggle to counter it.

Turn 6

On the right flank, the Austrians hold against the French left hook through the woods

In the centre the French lose Essling!  However, the Austrians fail to charge home against the mass of French.

On the left IV Corps make sure that they miss the battle by failing to move again.  Their troops are badly needed!

Turn 8

By turn 8 things were not going well for the Austrians.  The French retook Aspern and started to grind the Austrians around Essling down.  The Austrian centre could hang on, but were taking casualties faster than the French, whose reinforcements were getting across the bridge.

IV Corps finally got into action, but it was too late.

ENDEX

On Austrian turn 9 it was clear that it was time for the Austrians to retreat.  Despite having taken Aspen & Essling, neither had been held.  There were simply not enough troops with fight left in them to continue the battle.

Thoughts

Mark has written an excellent scenario which I had played before in Oxford and Leeds 1 & Leeds 2.  So, I thought that a Archduke Charles I knew what I was doing.  Well, even if i did, I didn't get the die rolls needed to close with the French when they were weak.  Mile's excellent left hook stretched my right wing and I gambled by leaving Aspern empty for a move, confident that I could get back.  Yup, that didn't work!  In the middle I couldn't get there fast enough with enough troops.  On the left....  well that assault never really took off at all.

Despite losing it was a great game, well done to Mike for getting a decisive win.  My troops all got an outing and it was nice to field the whole army with more to spare.  

On to Wagram!

Eckmuhl - 22 April 1809 - refight 24 August 2024

My regular opponent Mike and I are fighting our way through Mark Smith's Napoleon's Bloody Big Battles scenario book.  We are now in the Danube valley for the three major battles of Eckmuhl, Aspern-Essling and Wagram.

For Eckmuhl, Mike took the French & Allies, I took the Austrians.  Mark and I played this a few years ago at his house and I provided the Allied models for this game - Bavarians  and Wurttemberg - as well as my extensive Austrians.  

Let's start with the map....

The Austrians have pushed Davout out of Regensburg, just off the map to the North.  The Austrians have sent their army in a long column towards Eckmuhl, and are strung out on the Eckmuhl - Regensburg road.  Archduke Charles is operating on a heady cocktail of out of date intelligence & wishful thinking.  Davout retreats!  All is well!

However, with better intelligence and a clearer strategic picture, Napoleon has realised that if he can pin the Austrians at Eckmuhl, he can strike into their extended columns.  

For this game the Austrians are mainly passive, reflecting their cumbersome command & control systems.  Unlike the French & Allies, with loads of active Marshals, the Austrians only get General Rosenberg, Commanding IV Corps.  No other Austrian Commanders are modelled.

So, with passive troops, only one General and strung out along the road, I was not starting from a great position.

Start positions are here:

North end of the table.  Orange counters denote "passive".  Mike is scrutinising the scenario!

South end of the table.

Close up of Rosenberg defending the southern tip of the Austrian advance.

A couple of shots of my wagons.  These feature in the game as the Austrian logistics train fled to Regensburg and greatly hampered the use of the road.  

They spent the game moving slowly north, but didn't get off the table...

Turn 2

At the end of turn 2 the French had broken into Eckmuhl in the south.  

North end of the battlefield - Austrians are heading south, but passivity and no generals means that this is an uncoordinated effort.

Turn 4

In the South, the Austrians fail to form a coherent defence.

Austrian grenadiers hold the line, but it's not enough.  Austrian IV Corps gets ground down and the Austrians start moving north...

North & central battlefield - the Austrians had moved to the south, but far slower than the French.  They stopped the French advance but could not destroy them with firepower or close assault.

The wagons keep trundling north....

Turn 6

The Austrians are being pushed back in the west (far side of the table).

Slightly different angle shows my crumbling defence line, still hampered by passivity.

Panning to the left, it looks good, but the Austrian middle is not in good shape and these troops could well get cut off.

Turn 8

By this point it was over for the Austrians - the French continued to push them North and slowly eroded the Austrians.  The Austrians fought well, but they never caused enough casualties to break the French.

It was at this point that we agreed Mike had won.  The scenario is a tough one for the Austrians - they don't have a lot of initiative, they are strung out and the French can push.  

I really enjoyed the game, it was nice to get some troops out who had not seen daylight for a couple of years and my wagons got to block the road.  

I hope that this inspires you to see if you can do better than me (and Archduke Charles) on the day.

Friedland 14 June 1807 - refight 2nd August 2024

A week after losing really badly at Eylau I once again donned the hat and cloak of Napoleon to fight the next battle in Mark Smith's "Napoleon's Bloody Big Battles" scenario book.  See here for more on these scenarios.  Mike hosted me in his wargames room in sunny Ilkley and battle commenced.  

Firstly, here is the map:

I was on the left of the table and Mike was to the right.  Here are the initial dispositions:

The French left

The French right.  The brave Russians have advanced as far as the bend in the river.  In the background is Friedland, with an impassible river on two sides and a Lake and a stretch of impassable river on the other.

Russian Turn 2 - French reinforcements head left

In the centre the Saxons & French assault Bagration's troops.  If Saxons are your thing, see my 1809 army here

By turn 3 things are hotting up.  In the centre the reinforcements shift left, whilst an infantry unit backed up by the Imperial Guard push towards Friedland.  

To the left Mortier has lined the ridge and the French cavalry are heading towards the extreme left hand river crossing objective.

Meanwhile, Ney is in the Sortlack Forest, wishing for some sort of road to get him out and adding a little impetus to getting the traffic jam sorted.  Overall the French are swinging left whilst pressurising the defenders of Friedland.

By turn 5 French plans are going well, if a little slow.  On the right Ney exits the Forest and moves to the centre.

In the centre the French cover Friedland and continue to shift their troops to the north of the Muhlen Floss.  The Russians defend the trees to the left and reinforce Friedland.

On the French left Mortier bombards the trees but bides his time.  His infantry, supported by K Cavalry, advance towards the extreme Russian right.

A little later....  French assaults go in to the middle of the Russian line.  Ney's infantry head for Friedland at top speed.

Mike shifts his Russians as the French assault on the centre pushes in his line.  French weight of numbers begin to tell as more fresh Frenchmen pile in.  Mortier provides flank cover at the right end of the wood.  On the extreme left the French and Russians standoff, neither side prepared to risk an assault.  In real life both side's skirmishers are probably trading food and drink...   

About turn 7 Ney's Corps infantry has moved into combat range of Friedland and driven off the Russian artillery defending the town.  One unit of Ney's cavalry has taken a big loop to go to Sortlack and claim that village for France.

On the left the extreme left is static, the French have broken the Russian line and are facing the Friedland defenders over the Muhlen Floss.

Here's another photo of the centre, before the assault.

Here's the French going in with the Russian defenders getting flanking fire across the Muhlen Floss.  The Russians get pushed out of Friedland and lose enough VPs for a French win.

The final French move in close up.  The Guard cavalry was made up of the Empress dragoons (who got a post here ) and the Dutch lancers (post here ).  Yes, I know they weren't there, but they are pretty and they need some time on the table.  It was nice to be able to field almost all of the French troops needed.

In conclusion:

Mike fought really well, made good use of cover and defended stoutly.  My dice rolling was better than Eylau and I won more firefights and hand to hands.  

The battle was in contention all the way through and delivered HQGE High Quality Gaming Experience - which is what we expect from BBB.  

Thanks to Mark Smith for an interesting and engaging day's fun!