Wagram - 5,6 July 1809, refought 20 & 27 Sept 2024

 Mike and I continue to plough through Napoleon's Bloody Big Battles scenario book - this brought us to the battle of Wagram.  In real life Napoleon, having failed to break out at Aspern-Essling, regrouped, built up his forces on the Eastern bank of the Danube and launched a further assault on the Austrians.  The battle was fought on the Marchfeld, a flat plain that was used by the Austrian army for large manoeuvres.  Having been there, it's flat!

Firstly, for the game, here's the map.

The French objectives are the string of villages from Aspern to Rosen.  The village of Deutsch Wagram was where the Arch Duke Charles established his headquarters.  The building still exists and is an excellent museum.   See links to transport here and dioramas here.  I was playing the Austrians and Mike took the French & Allies.

The scenario starts with the Austrians deployed from Gross Enzersdsorf to Markgraf.  The French juggernaut comes on between Gross Enzersdorf and Rutzendorf.

Set up:

End of turn 2  The French advance across the Marchfeld whilst the Austrians, hampered by passivity (-1 on movement) and a lack of suitable generals, move to engage.

End of turn 4  on the left, Davout turns the flank.

Most of the fighting was in the middle, with the French slowly pushing the Austrian defensive line back.  Archduke Charles was under pressure on his right, so tried to deploy his heavy cavalry there.  The Austrian's passivity and lack of Generals meant that the French could move faster and further each go.

Turn 6 by this point, the Austrian left had been compromised and the centre was thinly spread, with a solid wave of French building up.  The Austrians could no longer win, perhaps they could hold on?  Perhaps Archduke John could arrive to save the day?

The pile of Austrian dead on the square hill.  In later years, bits of equipment left behind would go to a museum....

Turn 8  Mike got into his stride now - rolling up my left flank, threatening Wagram itself (bottom left of second picture) and grinding down my centre.

Turn 9 saw the plucky Austrian defenders of Wagram ejected and reduced to spent status.

Turn 10  saw the Austrians still occupying a couple of objectives, but Mike had destroyed a large part of the Austrian army and had gained enough objectives for a win.

The dead pile says it all.

A couple of post battle thoughts:  

• Mike had handled the French well, using his greater chance of moving to stretch my Austrian line.
• The Austrians could not launch (or at least my die throws were not high enough) to decisively break any part of the French line.
• Once Davout had turned my left flank I was fighting on two fronts - which was far from easy.

Once again, a big thank you to Mike - for table, troops and lunch, also a big thank you to Mark for publishing an excellent scenario.

So, that's the Danube Campaign of 1809 wrapped up by the "Ilkley irregulars".  I've not done so well....

But hey, in three year's time it's off to Russia for a Summer holiday and the campaign of 1812, I'll also be the French!!   What could go wrong???

Troops are Baccus 6mm, rules are BBB & the Napoleon's Bloody Big Battles Scenario book.

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.