Lead

May 19 11 1:43 PM

Tags : :

Hope you enjoy this account of one of O and M's recent games.
Hagelberg 1813.
image
image
To start with I must shout out that all credits and plaudits for this game go to Orange who set up and planned all and who’s wonderful collection of figures and terrain you see below. No credit at all however should be given to him for being stupid enough to allocate me a huge superiority in enthusiastic units, Russian guns and full licence to use my best and most subtle tactical ploy……ALL OUT ASSAULT!!
image

ORBAT

FRENCH ARMY

CinC General de Division Baron Jean Baptiste Girard

1 Aide de Camp

Infantry Brigade Senegon

III/24th Legere (36 Line)

III/86th Legere (36 Line)

III/18th Ligne (36 2nd Line)

III/19th Ligne (36 2nd Line)

I/9th Westphalian (36 Conscript)

II/1st Croatian (36 Conscript)

Infantry Brigade Baville

III/134th Ligne (36 2nd Line)

VI/134th Ligne (36 Conscript)

III/72nd Ligne (36 2nd Line)

I/Saxon Ducal House Infantry (30 Conscript)

II/Saxon Ducal House Infantry (30 Conscript)

Cavalry BrigadeColonel Rafelis Saint-Saveur

13th Hussars (24 2nd Line Average mounts)

Escadron de Marche Cuirassiers (8 Conscript Average mounts)

Escadron de Marche Chasseurs (8 Conscript Average mounts)

Artillery Brigade

1st Co of 9th Ft Artillery (4 6pdrs Line)

16h Co of 9th Ft Artillery (4 6pdrs Line)

(All Generals and CinC rated as average)



PRUSSIAN ARMY

CinC GM Major Karl Freidrich von Hirschfield

1 Aide de Camp

Infantry Brigade Major von Langen

I/1st Reserve I.R. (32 2nd Line Enthusiastic)

II/1st Reserve I.R. (32 2nd Line)

III/1st Reserve I.R. (32 2nd Line)

Skirmishers (12 2nd Line)

Infantry Brigade GM von Puttlitz

IV/1st Reserve I.R. (32 2nd Line)

I/6th Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript Enthusiastic)

II/6th Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript Enthusiastic)

III/6th Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript)

IV/6th Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript)

II/7th Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript)

Skirmishers (12 2nd Line Enthusiastic)

Infantry Brigade Oberst von Boguslavsky

II/3rd Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript Enthusiastic)

II/4th Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript)

III/4th Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript)

Infantry Brigade Obslt. Von der Marwitz

I/3rd Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript Enthusiastic)

III/3rd Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript)

IV/3rd Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript)

Infantry Oberstlt. Von Reuss

I/4th Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript Enthusiastic)

I/7th Kumark Landwehr (32 Conscript)

I/Elbe I.R. (40 Line)

Cavalry Brigade (detatched)

3rd Kumark Landwehr Cavalry (16 Conscript Average mounts)

Cavalry Brigade Oberstlt. von Bismark

5th Kumark Landwehr Cavalry (16 Conscript Average mounts)

6th Kumark Landwehr Cavalry (16 Conscript Average mounts)

Artillery Brigade Cpt Chamboran

Russian Ft Artillery #26 (5 6pdrs 2nd Line)

(All Generals and CinC rated as average)

This scenario is a complete nightmare for the French. They are simultaneously attacked from two fronts. They are outnumbered and they are mostly conscripts. O however had a plan…in fact he said he had two…I was impressed considering that I would have only one in this situation and that would involve evoking the ‘run away fast’ order option reserved for only the most discerning of GdeB game players. His initial deployment centred around holding the ‘grassy knoll’ with his Legere and guns

image

whilst using Hagelberg to cover his right flank and Hussars to cover the left.
image

image

image

My orders were easy and simple…STEAMROLLER before he gets a chance to counter. The advance guard on the Prussian right was ordered to advance down the road with cavalry support…..

image

whilst von Bogus…. (great name) and von Reuss broke through the tree line en masse…..

image

and von Puttlitz worried the party going on in Hagelberg itself…….

image

Initial clashes appeared to be going well for the French. Their guns were raking the Prussian advance and the line was looking firm. Then inexplicably (I am sure he will comment later) O put into operation Plan ‘A’. This began by pulling out his artillery from the front line!!!......

image

image

covered by the Legere battalions shuffling into the gaps and a brave bold charge by the 13th Hussars on his left who promptly and soundly dispatched the 6th Kumark Landwehr Cavalry ….

image

and then pummelled into the III/1st Reserve IR throwing the Prussian right flank into complete chaos.

image

Baville meanwhile was holding Hagelberg under some extreme pressure

image

and for a brief moment I thought….hang on…this could get embarrassing.

Luckily my Conscript 5th Kumark Landwehr Cavalry decided to throw high and a seemingly impossible charge came off (huzzah!) catching the now faltering 86th Legere in line and in more than a spot of bother.

image

Things began to go down hill fast for O, his front line was now not secure and in immement danger of being overwhelmed. His guns were not yet deployed in the fall back position. His 13th hussars had to return to lines and reform allowing the Prussian right to regain momentum and then he lost Hagelberg. In a desperate attempt to cover the repositioning the 13th Hussars formed and bravely charged again! Thundering to glory they were undone by a lucky piece of double sixing as they passed one of my squares….(Sometimes the Gods smile) then sat about faltering and sulking for the rest of the game.

image

A general advance by the Prussians ensued and new battle lines were drawn up for both sides.
image

Baville however was holding up well and with some well executed counterattacks was exhausting von Puttlitz’s brigade. A timely reinforcement by the Prussian reserve however eventually broke the back of it and the French Right recule’d towards Klein Glein.

image.

The French second line was now pushed back to their previous evenings encampment…

image

and was set to play out a bloody dénouement when the French guns were caught in the flank by an unbelievably lucky piece of pursuing by my Conscript 5th Kumark Landwehr Cavalry.

image

It was all over and we retired towards a last glass of red burgundy as the French withdrew using the Saxon Ducals hiding in Klein Glein as a rearguard.

image

image

All hail O who stuck with this battle to the very end. He tells me he has a ‘New Plan’ already hatching for the next time……not sure how he could turn this one around without bringing in Hannibal Smith and the A-team.

image

Cheers

Maturin
Quote    Reply   

#8 [url]

Jun 16 11 1:52 PM

Now that the pain of defeat has subsided, I thought that I would add my tuppence worth to Maturin's account.

When I played Maturin, this was, in fact, the second occasion on which I played this scenario within a few weeks, both times as the French player and was well beaten both times.

The Prussian player has the advantage of numbers and position - i.e. the game starts off with the French right already turned - and it is difficult to see how the French player can win this one without a bt of serious luck (ie a big Prussian brigade breaks early on).

Being outflanked is a serious problem for the French player because it prevents him from holding a line with his guns - the only area where he has an advantage over the Prussian. My plan, therefore, was to fire off a couple of rounds and then pull back to a second line. The problem with that strategy, however, is that you concede ground very quickly and your troops are too crap to mount a credible counter attack.

Anyway, as things turned out, I couldn't hold the Prussian steamroller for long enough to establish that second line, with the Landwehr cavalry, in particular doing an awful lot of damage.

Its not a balanced scenario but it is historical and provides a very interesting tactical challenge for the French player. It also gives a real flavour of what the 1813 campaign was all about. Most units are conscripts, your star units are those that are graded line and well positioned artillery becomes paramount. In any event, if you get to be French at Austerlitz, Jena and Auerstadt, you have to take the rough with the smooth and be French in 1813 too!

O

Quote    Reply   

#9 [url]

Jun 16 11 2:15 PM

I should also add that, if the French player survives until turn 15, he gets to face 5 x 16 cossak units that turn up on the extreme right of the French table edge.

O

Quote    Reply   

#11 [url]

Jul 11 12 4:42 AM

Hagelberg 1813

Simply Splendid!

Wonderful also to see so much landwehr in action! Reaffirms why 1813 is such a great campaign to fight. Nice close up of your Duchal Saxons at the end.

I am interested to know how you insert the map into your post. I struggle with embedding photographs rather than a link. Is the method the same? I presume your map is .ppt?

Cheers,
Beresford

Quote    Reply   

#14 [url]

Jul 13 12 7:53 AM

John - as it happens the Hussars are indeed a Hickling purchase - one of his more attractive units.

Beresford - regarding the map, Maturin is your man. He knows how to do such things. I merely supply the toys!

O

Quote    Reply   

#15 [url]

Jul 16 12 9:32 AM

I am interested to know how you insert the map into your post. I struggle with embedding photographs rather than a link. Is the method the same? I presume your map is .ppt?

Beresford
yes ppt, but save as a single page .jpg (I then host through Photobucket).

Hopefully will soon post our latest affair up (Katzbach) where Dr Brown thrashed both O and myself by throwing enough double sixes in one day to have made a million if only he could have got to a Casino....
Cheers
M

Quote    Reply   
avatar

Rudorff

Brigadier

Posts: 1,141

#16 [url]

Jul 18 12 3:37 PM

M, there's spooky, Plunkett and I did the Katzbach last Sunday, with Plunkett playing the Frogs. He too threw way, way more than his fair share of double sixes, including 5 in the first 3 turns, including the 12lb battery firing canister Of course I then managed to get 1 general killed, 1 fled the field in panic and 1 got wounded twice in 3 turns. There won't be an AAR on that one anytime soon

Quote    Reply   
Add Reply

Quick Reply

bbcode help