Command Operations Center, LLC
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Command Operations Center, LLC |
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Indianapolis Wargaming with the Great Lakes Wargaming Coalition. We are a group of wargamers who love historical miniatures gaming in several scales and periods. In general the current Indianapolis, Indiana group conducts 8 to 10 major games a year with a short break during the summer for vacations. We fight at least one Ancient, one ECW, and one period Naval game a year but our primary focus is in the Napoleonic Period (1797 thru 1815) using 30mm (and the new larger 28mm figures) scale figures. Our schedule includes at least one very large game with several thousand figures the first weekend in June as the end of a campaign year. This June we fought the battle of Fuentes de Onoro as the end battle of our Spanish Campaign. Pictures and AAR from the recent game plus last year's Wagram game are below as well as pictures of the Aspren game from the year before. GLWC, as a group, has several large collections of figures in several periods. With the high cost of figures these days members of the group have the advantage of having access to these collections for games. New players have the opportunity to wargame in a new period or scale without having to make a huge financial or time commitment to build an army for themselves to game with. New members are also given the opportunity to learn the rules while participating in the group's games. You are invited to our next game which will be held on 19 November 2011. New gamers are always welcome. We use "Ulm to Waterloo" rules. These are our version of CLS Column, Line & Square , which is a set of tactical rules governing the actions of units on a miniature battlefield in the age of Napoleon. Our figure scale is 1 to 20. Our ground scale is 1 inch equals 20 yards and our time scale has one operation (there are two per turn) equal roughly 20 minutes. A gun casting represents 6 guns (roughly a battery) and building models represent 6 - 10 actual buildings. We remove casualty figures as a way of indicating the deterioration of a unit's combat effectiveness. All figures in the following pictures belong to members of our coalition. This link will lead you to a Unit Inventory of some of our Napoleonic period forces and this Link will take you to illustrations of some of those units. Anyone interested in attending a game can contact us at: glwc-indy@att.net Examples of our games... 2011 Year End June Game: Fuentes de Onoro. The Spanish city of Fuentes de Onoro sits on the border with Portugal. By design it became the scene of an excellent battle between Wellington and Massena, ...whose reputation was in dire need of revival. Our wargame was fought in two parts using over 3,700 figures. The initial set-up and first few turns would be gamed on Friday beginning at 1PM local time and extending into early evening. After a wonderful evening at the home of our host and some much needed sleep we resumed the game Saturday morning at 9AM with the fresh action of the 5th of May on the Fuentes de Onoro (tan) board and resuming the action of the 5th of May on the flanking (green) board. Might sound a bit confusing but it makes sense in gaming terms because during the actual battle the conflict in the city didn't resume on the 5th of May until the flanking battle was well under way, ...around 10AM. Wellington chose the hills between Fort Concepcion and Fuentes de Onoro behind the stream known as Dos Casas (two houses). He initially chose the light companies of 6 of his Brigades to defend the city supported by an additional battalion of foot. He defended his position with around 37,000 men. Massena advanced along parallel roads toward the Northern and Southern ends of Wellington's line. He intended to push through Wellington's position to relieve the fortress at Almeida as well as doing serious damage to Wellington's forces. He would attack Wellington's positions with around 48,000 men. The Map below illustrates Wellington's position in red and Massena's advance in blue. Allied forces were spread out along a line of more than eight miles but you can clearly see the concentration behind Fuentes de Onoro.
The fine Osprey reference book The Peninsular War Atlas by Nick Lipscombe played a major part in the development of this game, ...as were several other reference resources including Osprey Publishing's Fuentes de Onoro 1811, CAM-99 on the battle and the excellent series on the Portuguese Army: MAA-343, MAA-346, & MAA-358 which helped organize the large Portuguese contingent. Wellington against Massena by Buttery, The French Campaign in Portugal 1810-1811 by Pelet, translation by Horward, History of the Peninsular War, by Oman, Fortescue's History of the British Army, and Napier's History of the War all played their part in the game development. Unit strengths were adjusted and in some cases combined to allow them to be playable within our rules. MAP ONE
Our game was intended to roughly duplicate the battle for the city on both the 3rd and 5th of May and Massena's flanking maneuver of 5 May which caught Wellington by surprise and nearly cost him the campaign. We took some creative liberties with history to make the game work as can be noted on Map One. It is difficult to duplicate "surprise" in a historical wargame because most of the players know the history behind the game. In this case we had to force the Wellington player to follow history through game conditions. Dice rolls and off board movement served our purpose. Map One, the mini-campaign map, illustrates Fuentes de Onoro on the British left and Houston's 7th Division, the right flank of the British Army, around Poco Velho . You can also see the "fairly" historical position of Wellington's forces that were close to the city and gave him interior lines and an easy source of reinforcements. MAP TWO
Map Two illustrates how we set up the table to accommodate one of our player's physical condition shifting the town from the northern end of the board (actual position illustrated by Map One) to the southern end making it completely separate (in reality there was a space of several miles between the two battle sites). Map Two also indicates a movement path should the French players continue their flanking maneuver which occurs off board and the time/distance it takes to arrive on board again. In Picture One you can see the distinct board colors we used to make sure players didn't confuse where their figures could deploy since some of the contours matched. PICTURE ONE
A view of the table from the South near Nave de Haver showing the British and Spanish troops in the early morning of 5 May, 1811 on the green board, with the tan board to the left for physical playability reasons. Poco Velho can be seen in the upper right of the picture. Because there was a fair distance between the actual battle sites we used another game mechanic to simulate the distance represented by the board. Normally units are allowed to move in "route march" effectively doubling their movement but with potential severe penalties if they come in contact with the enemy. Route March was not allowed, except on the main road (without rut lines), during this game to help simulate the larger movement distances covered during the battle. View of the City of Fuentes de Onoro at the beginning of the game. In Pictures Two and Three below you can see some of the defenders positions. PICTURE TWO
PICTURE THREE
Many of the buildings used to make Fuentes de Onoro are manufactured by The Miniature Building Authority. The Battle for Fuentes de Onoro began on 3 May, 1811, with Fereys' First Brigade, part of the VI Corps, attacking with support from the cavalry of Fournier's Brigade. Our game began with the same premise but we discounted the early action deciding instead to turn to the late afternoon for our starting time after the fighting settled in. Picture Four illustrates Ferey's First Brigade initial advance. PICTURE FOUR
Here is the Order of Battle for the Fuentes de Onoro portion of Friday's game.
Map Three is a good approximation of the model town. MAP THREE
The player acting the part of Colonel Williams, in charge of the defense of the city, used Map Three to place his defenders within the set-up area indicated by the red line. The French set-up is indicated in blue. You will note there are 23 buildings, ...some single story and some multi-story. The number of figures that can occupy each building is indicated to the right of the map. For this game a 1:5 ratio of models to estimated buildings was used. As covered above our troop scale is 1:20. Ferey committed his cavalry supported second Brigade and Wellington sent in Nightingale's Brigade of three battalions as reinforcements, ...which is where our game begins. Later in the day Ferey would ask for reinforcements, as would the British commander, Williams. He would get a Brigade of Portuguese, under Howard, which you can see in the picture below. Ferey would get a battalion of converged Grenadiers from the IX Corps which in the historical conflict didn't participate until the 5th but we gave the French team the opportunity to purchase aid, ...for a price. PICTURE FIVE
You can see the head of a French column in the upper center of Picture Five with a view of the column of converged Grenadiers and a glimpse of Ferey's Light Cavalry support in Picture Six. As a result of their ability to fight their way through the town the French won the first day's fighting including occupying the Church at the close of combat. Historically the Church and the surrounding buildings were the scene of some of the most fierce fighting of the battle. PICTURE SIX
At the close of Friday's game (action of 3 May, 1811) the team with the most buildings occupied (French team) received a 50% return of the figures they lost during the day's fighting in Fuentes de Onoro. They would be placed on the board Saturday morning and could resume the fight on the 5th of May, game time. The team with fewer buildings (British team) received a 25% casualty return and any reinforcements Wellington committed, ...in this case the KGL. The Game resumes on Saturday. It is now the 5th of May, 1811... Historically Massena had deployed the IX Corps in front of Fuentes de Onoro on the 5th intending to keep Wellington in the dark for as long as possible about his flanking maneuver. In reality he did a very good job as units of the IX Corps made themselves appear as if they were the whole of his force. Not so for our wargame version due to several factors including lucky dice rolls, ...which will be covered later in this narrative. Here is the Order of Battle for the renewed attack against the city.
On the first turn of the Saturday continuation IX Corps advanced with the reinvigorated Hanoverian Legion (Red coated French unit that had suffered friendly fire casualties in the historical battle) in the lead. Pictures Seven and Eight illustrate the renewed combat in the town consuming reserves from both armies. You can see units of the KGL just arriving in the lower left of Picture Seven. PICTURE SEVEN
PICTURE EIGHT
Back to the flanking action (Green Board). While the city action (Fuentes de Onoro) was under way on Friday we began playing Massena's flanking action of the 5th of May. We knew this part of the game would be more complicated and take more time so we allowed the city fight to proceed at its own pace for however many turns it took to arrive at a decision and the flanking action to conduct two or three turns depending on how far the players could progress on Friday continuing Saturday. Map Four illustrates the French attack. Montbrun's Left Dragoon Brigade pushed through the Spanish at Nave de Haver on the first turn of Friday's game with only a few losses and the British Light Dragoon squadrons were no match for the heavies or their supporting lights in Fournier's Brigade. To Montbrun's right was Solignac and to his left and rear was Lipic, ...if he would move he would be valuable support. Solignac entered first deploying the head of his columns just on the board at the end of the first increment of turn one. He pushed skirmishing Legere forward while Mermet did the same on the next operation to Solignac's right. Mermet engaged the defenders of Poco Velho while Walther's supporting Cavalry screened the northern side of that village and pushed a squadron toward daylight (edge of the board in the corner by the North indicator). MAP FOUR
On the first turn Lipic didn't move at all... After Bessieres was found the Guard began to move and easily caught up with the Dragoons on the road continuing their flanking movement. Below is the French OB for their Left Flank, the units designated by Massena to flank the British position.
Houston tried to counter the French cavalry around Poco Velho with Slade's Dragoons but they were brushed aside with few losses by Montbrun's heavies. You can see this encounter on Map Five. Walther's Hussars swept all before them (almost) arriving in the rear of the 7th Division on the main road nearly unscathed at the end of turn three (last turn we played on Friday on the flanking board). A squadron of Walther's Chasseurs a Cheval escaped the fight with the Portuguese infantry and British cavalry to exit the board making the British players nervous.
A game condition gave the French the chance to pressure the British forces into falling back from Fuentes de Onoro if a specific number of "units" exited the board above 50% strength. Historically Wellington's line of retreat could be cut if enough French got behind him. This condition was designed to simulate the pressure Wellington would receive from that event. In terms of the overall game Wellington needed to have the information about the flanking attack by 9AM the 5th of May, game time, in order to get his Army redeployed in time to prevent Massena from turning his flank. We also didn't want to delay the second day's wargaming by allowing the flanking action take place and have the city board players sit around. As it happened in the game Wellington was able to force march the Guard's Brigade and the Light Division into a blocking position in time to prevent the French from achieving their objective by exiting the board with a specified number of units. You can see an indication of their movement on Map One (campaign map) at the beginning of this narrative. Map Five illustrates the French breakthrough at Poco Velho despite heroic Allied resistance. The defenders being overwhelmed by the force of the French advance as can be seen in Picture Nine. PICTURE NINE
Map Five also provides a glimpse of the advance of Walther's Hussars to a position behind the Allies line where they combined with Lipic Brigade's Guard Cavalry and support of Montbrun's Dragoons to destroy the KGL Hussars and capture Bull's Battery. The British player sacrificed his KGL Hussars and skillfully used the Horse Battery to eliminate the lead Guard Light Horse which prevented the French player from achieving his goal of exiting those units before the Allies were able to get reinforcements onto the board. The British player had some luck with his dice but his skill with his Horse Gun and formed light cavalry turned the tide. MAP FIVE
Map Five illustrates the path the Guard Cavalry and Dragoons took during their flanking maneuver, under Lipic, entering the board on the main road from the South. It should be noted the French player had to roll dice to determine Guard Cavalry participation in the attack. Historically Marshal Bessieres subtly withheld Lipic's Brigade at a critical time in the battle. We again used a series of dice rolls in an attempt at duplicating this difficulty for the French team. In this case Bessieres was found before he went on his infamous, in Massena's eyes, fortification tour. You can also see on Map Five the plight of the 15th Light Dragoon Regiment that was destroyed attempting to slow Solignac's advance. Picture Ten illustrates the unhampered advance of Solignac's right hand Brigade as it closes on the remnants of the 19th Portuguese Line. The 19th attempted in vain to stem the tide of the French advance along with the Brunswick Oels who were forced to fall back in skirmish order behind the Second Battalion (19th) square. The presence of all the French cavalry forced most of the Allied defenders to remain in moving squares. These squares were eventually destroyed by concentrated fire from several formed Legere and Ligne Battalions despite players attempts to screen them. PICTURE TEN
PICTURE ELEVEN
In Picture Eleven you can see the beginning of the end of the game. The French are forming for an assault on the Guards Brigade supported by the First Brigade of the Light Division. The captured Horse Gun is clearly seen in the center of the photograph. Its firepower combined with the French Horse Battery seen below the captured battery severely damaged the Guard Battalion you can see behind the Cacadores' screen. I should note for the purists that the one of Guards battalions you see in the game is not the unit that participated in the battle. Jinny Esten's collection, which was the source of most of the British figures used in the game, doesn't include the 3rd Battalion (Scots Guards). In our recreation the 1st & 2nd Guards fought to their death as did all of the Light Division with the exception of one of the Battalions of Portuguese Cacadores which did not make the board.
The French have just run out of time allowing the Guards Brigade and most of the Light Division to reach the table. There was still a chance if the combined assault of the assembled French could destroy the defenders but it would be a near run thing. Note the position of the guns. Under our rules they would have to move in order for the cavalry to charge the defending Allies. There wasn't enough time... If the French had been able to eliminate this blocking force in one operation (highly unlikely but possible) they would have been able to get enough units off the board to force the British to withdraw. It was not to be... The game was a British victory. The French were able to exit some light cavalry units but not enough to cause the British any dire consequences. Had the French been able to exit 6 units the British CE (potential combat effectiveness) would have dropped. It was, however, a costly victory for Wellington. He lost his Guard's Brigade, the Light Division, Houston's 7th Division, and most of the defenders of Fuentes de Onoro but, he was able to delay Massena's flanking forces and contain the attackers in the city. Historically Massena was replaced by Marshal Marmont several days later on 12 May 1811. Massena's career was basically finished though he did participate in later campaigns he never regained his position of trust in the eyes of Napoleon. Critical events in the game... First: The British Light Dragoon commander (player) at Nave de Haver was very lucky that the French player rolled an "attack". Historically the British and Spanish far flanking force was completely unaware they were faced by a Brigade of French Dragoons early the morning of the 5th. Both game commanders had to roll dice to determine what happened that morning in the fog and mist. It was possible for the two forces to avoid contact but as it happened in the game the French commander saw the Spanish (by rolling a 10+ on two dice) and attacked. The British survived contact and were able to send a courier to Wellington informing him of the flanking forces, ...thus allowing Wellington to send reinforcements just in time to prevent a French victory. Second: The player commanding Houston's Division around Poco Velho had a Battalion of Light infantry he could deploy on the road North that passed West of the woods/swamp between that town and Fuentes de Onoro. A unit so placed might have blocked the French light cavalry Brigade from reaching the 7th Division's rear. It provided the only units that were able to exit the board and the Brigade's Hussars captured a British Horse battery as noted above giving the French a real advantage in the fight against the Guards. A portion of this cavalry Brigade also destroyed a battalion of Portuguese infantry from Doyle's Brigade. Third: The player commanding the Light Cavalry Brigade historically commanded by LtCol. Arentschild did an excellent job preventing the French from breaking through his defense, ...holding one complete turn with a Horse Battery and a Regiment of KGL Hussars. This one turn prevented the French from making it to the edge of the board at the British reinforcement entry point thus preventing the British relief force from entering. At the time it didn't seem that important but it made all the difference in the game. His skilled use of formed cavalry squadrons against skirmishing French light cavalry and well placed canister rounds kept the battle close even though it did cost him his Horse Battery in the end, and that Horse Battery did go on to butcher the Guards, ...the win was worth the cost. Regardless the outcome a good time was had by all!
2010 year end game: Wagram, Austrian Left, ...2nd day. Archduke Charles' initial attack by Rosenberg's IV Corps in the very early morning of the 6 July 1809 did not meet with a great deal of success. Rosenberg's columns were pushed back from his advanced positions by Davout's Corps supported by Grouchy and Montburn. As he conducted an organized withdrawal Rosenberg maintained control of the town of Neusiedel with Swinburn's Brigade of Line and Landwehr and the rest of his Corps with most of the cavalry occupied and held the heights to the left rear of that town. The map below illustrates French game conditions for victory, the position of the French forces at approximately 10:00 AM, 6 July 1809, and when reinforcements arrive. Troop strength numbers are in actual miniature figures on the board. The wonderful Thunder on the Danube series by John Gill, Wagram: At the Heyday of the Empire by Hourtoulle, and the Osprey publication Aspren & Wagram 1809 were primarily used in the preparation of this wargame.
The photograph below was taken just before the beginning of the first turn. You can see the Austrian deployment along the crest of the Russbach plateau, the Russbach stream, the village of Baumersdorf in the right foreground and the town of Neusiedel in the right background. For this battle the French commanders were encouraged to use their favorite Divisional sized commands. The nearest French command is made up of a very well painted Division of Baden infantry in French organization (Tharreau's command), followed by and equally well painted mixed Division of Italians and French. Virginia Esten, in the left foreground, is the "Grande Dame" of our organization. She has been gaming with the group for 50 years and is still giving the best of her opponents fits on the battlefield. Her painted units are some of the best in the group, especially her Highlanders and command figures. Nearly fifty percent of our membership was present for this June's game where we added a new member contacted through the web.
Virginia Esten can also be seen in the photo below when she was much younger and the group was in its infancy. Almost all of us were much skinnier at that time.
The map below shows the positions of the Austrian forces and their strengths in figures. Ulm to Waterloo rules allow the Austrians 48 figure line, Landwehr, and Grenzer battalions. Austrian troop representation is roughly 1 to 40 for this game with units adjusted for playability while keeping the Brigade's organization as historical as possible. A defender, who is up hill from an attacker, has an advantage because of the hill movement penalty as well as a melee minus as long as the defender stands, which in this game wasn't a sure thing because of the Austrian team's poor dice rolls.
The picture below illustrates the initial attack of Tharreau's Division of Oudinot's Corps. For this game the commander of this force chose to use his Baden Division, made from a variety of manufacturers castings including some converted Suren "Willie" figures in the Regiment attacking the Austrian battery and the German battalion in support of the battery on the left flank of the battlefield. This attack was very successful and would prove critical to the French overcoming tremendous losses in valuable high point value (vulnerability) figures. The Badeners eventual capture of the field battery gave them 50 victory points. Turn two is just about to begin...
The picture below illustrates the Austrian left and their desperate attempt to slow the French assault on the ridge to the right. You can just see a division of Hussars past the battery and the tree as they attack a column of Italian and French infantry as they try to climb the ridge. The Austrians tried to counter attack with the infantry on the ridge but failed all their morale checks. In the panorama from the end of turn three below you can see the remains of the Austrian defenders and the Italian and French infantry that remained on the plateau providing the French victory points. The Austrian commander awaited Charles' arrival with his promised reinforcements.
The picture below is the opposite of the view above. The French right advances while the cavalry melee in the background continues. Left center you can see the Austrian Hussar division attacking the French central attack column.
The photograph below is a panoramic view of the battlefield at the conclusion of the third turn of the game. The Austrian cavalry has engaged and defeated much of the French cavalry of Montbrun and Grouchy due to the Austrian commander's good dice and the morale of the Austrian Hussars (see below). It is regrouping to face Morand's advancing infantry column. This game was designed to give the French a numerical advantage so they could attack the difficult terrain the bulk of the Austrian forces were defending. Ulm to Waterloo rules (a derivative of CLS) require a minimum of a three to two attacker figure advantage for a balanced game as the defender has an advantage in most cases. The cost (in troop vulnerability points) of taking the objectives would determine the winner. At this point in the battle any French units above 50% strength that had reached the top level of the plateau, as illustrated by the first map with French game conditions, gave their team a bonus (reducing the cost of losses) which played a critical part in their achievement.
The photograph below of the French left illustrates the end of the first Baden Brigade's attack and their remaining forces on top of the plateau the end of turn three. You can see Carcomelego's Portuguese column advancing in support of the second Baden attack column. The village of Baumersdorf is still holding up Frere's Division . The Austrian Right first line's morale did not hold against the attacking Badeners losing a battery in the process of defending the ridgeline.
The photograph below illustrates the battle in Baumersdorf where Italians and French of Frere's Division battled Hardegg's Austrian Brigade, whose Jagers can be seen screening the Austrian first line on the plateau.
In the photograph below you can see Colbert's French Light Cavalry brigade advancing in support of the attack against Homburg's Austrian infantry brigade. The Austrian infantry column you can see on the ridge, left center, were virtually destroyed by the combined attack as the battery in the picture fled in an attempt to reach a safer position. It was forced to retreat further as a result of poor morale.
During the ensuing battle two fresh divisions of Austrian Kurassiers (lower right of the picture below) arrived in time to save the Austrian center, and, in the end, allowed them to achieve a draw. Colbert's fine light cavalry Brigade was completely destroyed in the ensuing melee with the Austrian heavies as a result of a good guess by the Austrian cavalry commander...
The photograph below illustrates the second phase of the cavalry battle on the far French right (see aftermath in first picture above). Montbrun's lights have been driven off and the Dragoons of Grouchy are being engaged by Austrian Dragoons, Hussars, and Chaveuxlegeres in a swirling melee. Figures are by Scruby, Stadden, Suren, Front Rank, and Connoisseur. Austrian good dice (plus Hussar morale) and the advantage of a couple flank attacks saved them from being overwhelmed by the French heavies whose vulnerability requires very high melee dice (3 hits per figure in melee) to eliminate.
Below you can see the aftermath of the cavalry melee from Morand's viewpoint. The remains of a French Dragoon regiment can be seen in front of a Legere square supported by a battery and another square. The French were able to keep advancing behind a wall of squares that protected their right. Though the remaining Austrian cavalry made their commander nervous and did some damage it was not able to stop the French advance. Eventually the French were able to force the ridge to the left in this picture, but not soon enough for an advantage.
In the end the Austrians were able to hold on for a draw. The French lost enough expensive troops (Cavalry at 2 and 3 point vulnerability) and enough units attacking up the slope of the plateau to balance their terrain gains. The French also captured a battery worth 50 points, which brought the total point difference to 97, ...a very hard fought six turn draw. The remaining Austrians offered a salute to the gallant French.
Danube crossing of 20 May 1809. As you can see from the photo below the French are crowded onto Lobau Island with their Light Cavalry, under Lasalle, in the lead. More of his units are ready to cross from the eastern end of the island and can be seen center left in the picture. Molitor's Division is to the right of the picture with elements of the Guard intermingled with the remainder of Marshal Massena's forces on the island. A single bridge is currently operational to the Marchfeld that can be seen just behind the center Chasseur a Cheval regiment. In the picture you can also see a bridge train about to deploy for Molitor's Division. They will cross onto the Marchfeld, then move to Gemeinde-Au, the wooded area to the far right of the picture. This force has the task of taking Aspern through direct assault.
In the picture below you can see the small force of Austrians of FML Klenau's Advance Guard who are the initial opposing force to the French crossing. The Austrian command, historically, was very slow to react to Napoleon's move even though they were expecting it. In this game we condensed the space where the engagement took place as well as making some adjustments to the troop deployment time schedule in order to make a playable game of a protracted engagement. You can see two divisions (two squadrons) of Hussars for the Austrian left with a Regiment of infantry in adjacent Battalion Masse formations support the Jagers in the Brickworks. Two more divisions of Uhlans and a Cavalry Battery provide further support. More units will arrive throughout the 6 turns of the game.
The map below provides some incite into how our games work. This is what the French commander would know before the beginning of the battle. They see their forces and some of their opponents forces, ...but not all. In this game they know they will get more troops, ...but not exactly what they may be. They are given very clear victory conditions so they can make a plan of attack. As you can see from those conditions the French team will most likely win if they get units into Aspern, but they also have a good chance if they can get a number of units above the pink line just below Aspern on the map. The Austrians have a very good chance of winning if there are no French units in Aspern but their best chance of winning comes from inflicting as many casualties on their opponent as possible, and victory is assured if they can keep the French on the island of Lobau. The Austrian team has a large off board reserve that may be available if Charles will allow the local commander to commit them. In the picture below you get a better view of the Eastern side of Lobau island with the crowded right flank about to build its bridges allowing Lasalle's remaining Light Cavalry to get into the action. Massena's remaining infantry, backed by elements of the Guard you can see behind and above the Light Cavalry Regiment in the center of the island, is ready to advance as soon as more bridges are available. You can just see Napoleon in the bottom right of this picture next to the battery at the leading edge of Lobau. This photo also provides a good view of the series of bridges the French must defend from both the elements and the Austrians. The defense of the two main bridges was to prove a critical element in the game.
The remains of Lasalle's left flank Cavalry can be seen in the picture below. They sacrificed themselves so the infantry (in the upper center) could cross the only bridge and deploy in safety. The Austrian defenders extracted a heavy price for that French deployment space. You can also see Molitor's lead battalion begin crossing the stream that separates the Gemeinde-Au from the Marchfeld. The bridge train is about to build a second span as more troops begin to move forward.
While Marshal Massena's forces were advancing onto the Marchfeld French reinforcements advanced across the Danube. In the picture below you can see two regiments of French Light Cavalry followed by a Division of French Heavy cavalry crossing the heavy (can support heavy cavalry and artillery) bridge. You can also see the batteries set to defend the bridges and in the bottom left corner a boat sent by the Austrians to try to isolate the French forces by cutting off their avenue of supply and retreat. The defense of the bridges would prove to be a harrowing contest. The French commander in charge of that defense was able, through lucky dice rolls, to keep the flow of troops constant until after the Heavy Cavalry Division crossed before an Austrian attack was successful causing the flow of supplies and men to cease.
In the picture below, seen from the Austrian side of the field, you can see a Regiment of Austrian Heavy cavalry advance next to Aspern being supported by a division of Uhlans. It should be noted that armored cavalry has a vulnerability of 4 in melee, so it takes 4 hits (pips on the melee dice) to eliminate one figure making them very formidable on the battlefield in hand-to-hand combat. A regiment of Hungarian infantry has moved to defend the Gemeinde-Au. The Austrian left is about to erupt in a furious cavalry battle which the following picture will illustrate. This picture and the next offer a complete view of the Austrian attack.
Two regiments of French Chasseurs a Cheval supported by a Hussar regiment and two Legere battalion squares take on two divisions (two squadrons) of Austrian Hussars, two divisions of Chaveulegeres, and a regiment of Heavy cavalry. A division of Uhlans waits in support to their right rear.
The picture below is a view from the French side of the table was taken at the same time as the above two pictures. You can see Molitor's attack developing and the support for the French right flank developing. You can also see the beginning of a column of French Heavy horse from the bridge picture in the lower right as it makes its way to the front. This gives you an idea of how difficult it was for the French to bring their combat power to bear on the defenders. Although it should be noted the Austrian commander is being very aggressive as he attempts to push the French back.
In the end Molitor's four battalions attacking from the Gemeinde-Au were able to establish a foothold in Aspern. Victory conditions gave the French the win, because of reduced cost of casualties, if they were able to occupy any part of Aspern at the end of turn 6b with units above 50% strength. They were able to accomplish this with the white coated 75th Infantry Regiment you see below that was successful, first against a Hungarian Infantry regiment, then against a battalion of Jagers defending the town, and finally against the counter attack by two Battalions of German Infantry who tried in vain to recapture the buildings once the 75th was able to establish a foot hold. The game came down to a die roll on the last turn. FML Klenau had the ability to add a D6 die roll to any unit's morale to which he attached himself at any point during the game. When the attacking German Infantry battalion failed morale, by rolling a 3 on two dice, trying to enter the melee in the buildings the General rolled his die, ...only needing a 3 or better. After a brilliant aggressive defense, with fantastic die rolls, his luck finally failed and he rolled a two...... game over, French victory.
A bit of GLWC history: We began more than 35 years ago as an offshoot of Fred Vietmeyer's Fort Wayne, Indiana Midwest Napoleonic Wargamers Confederation. Fred's Column, Line & Square rules, first published in 1966, were the basis for their Napoleonic period wargames. Fred was lovingly considered a Francophile by many because his rules were heavily weighted in favor of Napoleon's legions. The original IMNWC group was divided into two camps, the French and the British. Campaigns and battles designed around the Spanish Peninsula wars from 1808 thru 1810 produced a limited range of contests which many within the group wanted to expand to include other campaigns and battles with the many combatant Armies of the Napoleonic Wars. Fred's rules severely penalized Armies other than the French which made gaming against his team difficult, and not very enjoyable for players with collections other than French. That eventually led to a schism with the Indianapolis players in the early 1970's whose Austrians, British, Russian, and Swedish collections were severely penalized under the CLS rules system's organizational charts. Hugh Reynolds, of the original trio who authored CLS, was part of the coalition who disagreed with Fred's organizational interpretations and the special capabilities of the French. Hugh became one of the original authors of the Indy group's rules which used much of Fred's system but were fair to all Nationalities based on the historical information available at the time. More AAR's (after action reports)... Battle of Bergfried, 3 February 1807. Prelude to Eylau. The first picture provides a view of the map used by players during the game as well as for the table set-up. The map and table are somewhat stylized to make the terrain easier to reproduce but the general features have been reproduced as well as the basic forces involved. The game was modified to include some "what ifs" allowing additional French forces to be included that were within easy distance of the actual battlefield and could have become involved if the commanders so designated.
All of the terrain was constructed from 1 inch thick white foam sheets to replicate the conditions of the battle, which was fought entirely in snow and during intermittent snow showers. Movement was severely restricted for both sides unless they were moving on the roads and even that movement was restricted. Above you can see a Regiment of Russian infantry supported by two batteries of artillery across the river from a town occupied by a French battalion. Below you can see the rest of the table with the remainder of the defending Russians deployed on this side of the river and another French force getting ready to attempt to cross the frozen river. The French were able to force the crossing at great expense to both sides.
Below you can see another view of the table from the French side of the river prior to the beginning of the battle. Our group's campaign years run from after the June (first weekend) game of one year to the June game of the next year. Bergfried was an important prelude to the battles of Eylau and Friedland in the 1807 campaign year.
Battle of Aspern, 21/22 May 1809... GLWC's 2009 end of campaign year battle that took place in June 2009. The Austrian Army attacked Napoleon's partially deployed Army in this very important battle that heralded the beginning of the end of French dominance on the battlefields of the period. In an effort to defeat the Austrian Army under the Archduke Charles the French, under Napoleon, crossed the Danube River near Vienna using Lobau Island as part of the beach-head and as an artillery support position for the troops reaching the north bank of the river. The towns of Aspern and Essling were to provide Napoleon's Army flank protection as they deployed acting like the bastions of a fortress with the ditch and dike that ran between the two towns acting like the curtain wall between the two bastions. Napoleon assigned forces under the command of Marshall Massena to take and HOLD Aspern, and it is this portion of the battle we recently refought. Charles deployed his attacking Army into several columns. Those responsible for taking Aspern were under the command of Generals Hiller, Bellgarde, and Hohenzollern. In the picture below you can see some of the Austrians deployed to the right of the picture and the French commander deploying his defenders into the church, which was a focal point of this battle in the early hours.
In the picture below you get a better picture of the Aspern defense and the dike and ditch that played such an important part in the defense of the French position.
The picture below illustrates a critical portion of the game as a unit of Austrian Hussars attacks the French field battery that was foolish enough to leave a flank that could be attacked. The French/Allied commander felt the firepower of the unit deployed in the Church's graveyard would prevent light cavalry from successfully neutralizing the gun position that could have eliminated many Austrian attackers. You can also see the Austrian attack columns of Bianchi's Brigade moving to assault the corner of the wall. Taking the church and the graveyard is critical to further attacks plus having a defensible position from which to maintain control of, or launch attacks into, the town. In the picture you can also see the French and allied infantry battalions defending the town as the massed column under Bellegarde advances to attack the ditch and dike that formed the effective curtain wall between the two bastions (Aspern & Essling).
The French defenders of the church are being reinforced by a battalion of Baden infantry. The picture below completes the view of the attack allowing the viewer to see the supporting artillery and cavalry that is working as a screen for the advancing Austrian columns.
The picture below completes the view to the left of the column attacking the church.
In the picture below you see action from the second phase of the battle after the Austrians have captured and reinforced the church. The Austrian command is going to wait to assault the town of Aspern until their left flank force is in position to attack all along the dike between Aspern and Essling.
In the picture below you see action from the reverse angle, taking into account the French positions in the woods and the remainder of Aspern.
In the picture below you can see a over anxious battalion of Austrian infantry getting ready to assault the ditch and dike before the remainder of their supporting troops are in place.
In the picture below you can see some of the French defending cavalry threatening the Austrian left at they prepare to assault the dike between Aspern and Essling. In the picture below you can see the French right flank getting ready for the Austrian heavy cavalry they can see just off the edge of the board in front of the two Austrian Infantry battalions in the lead of the extension maneuver. You can also see French reinforcements trying to stem the tide from Aspern.
In the picture below you can see the Austrian heavy cavalry force on their left flank, the attack developing along the dike, and a small counter attack by the French in the town. The defense of Aspern was heroic but ultimately failed as the Austrian Army drove the defenders back, both sides suffering heavy loss.
In the picture below you can see the Austrian Army finally move against the remaining defenders in a massive push against Aspern from two sides. You can also see the French elite reinforcements advance from Lobau Island against the center. The long struggle would continue for hours before the French would finally began to withdraw with a tactical, but expensive, victory.
Figure Scale Illustrations...
This first illustration above shows a "true" 25mm figure (the distance between bottom of feet and the eye) on the left, several slightly larger but still considered 25mm figures in between, and a "true" Rose 30mm figure on the right. The French Grenadier (2nd from left) is an old Garrison casting and the next unpainted figure is from Essex. The next two are Hinchliffe with the Bavarian figure an example of UK gloss finishing. The second figure from the right (French drummer) is a very modern Perry figure.
The illustration above shows the "true" 30mm Rose figure on the left. Then there are 3 Scruby 30+mm figures in the center and a Command Post 30+mm marching Frenchman in white casting. The two figures on the right are Suren "Willie" 30+mm castings including an original Dave Mort hand converted Bavarian infantrymen from a Suren Frenchman at the end of the line. You can see the thickness of the base makes a difference but most of the figures in this photo would be compatible, height-wise, within the same units.
The illustration above gives you a very clear picture of the real difference between 25mm wargame figures and 30mm wargame figures. The figure on the left is a Mini-Fig 25mm French Hussar. The figure in the middle is a Scruby 30mm Austrian Hussar and the figure on the right is a 30+mm Stadden French Hussar. The Mini-Fig. is from the 1970's, the Scruby the early 80's, and the Stadden was obtained in 2007 from the supplier who began reissuing the original Stadden and Suren lines in the late 1980's from Sweden available at Tradition of London.
I believe the 28mm figures above are from Front Rank, whose stateside importer is here. Our group has a large number of their beautiful figures represented within our collections. These are painted to represent the French 7th Hussars.
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