I though it would be a nice change to run a series of 1809 Danube battles. The 1809 Austro-Franco War is my favorite of the Napoleonic periods so I thought we could game the battles in the ‘1809 Danube Campaign from the Situation Room’ book by Ged Elliott. The first one is Abensberg.
We played at the Club on a 16 x 6 foot table and I reduced the Orbats by roughly 50%. The ratings of the French/Allied commanders was generally superior to the Austrians, especially the likes of Napoleon/Lannes. We did not have enough Bavarian/Wurttemberg troops so we subbed in Wesphalians and Dutch. Both sides were warned any Dissent would be punished…this was later referred to as ‘Terryism’ .. cute.
The Austrian players were Goldie, Keith, Al and SteveT. The French were Paul, Robert, Rob and StephenC. I briefly appeared as an Austrian commander at end of game.
The happy crew below.
The Austrians are on the left, the Bavarians/Wurtembergers on the right. The French have first move and Lannes will arrive on the road on the bottom right.
Well…..Lannes was meant to arrive…..Morand sent a foot battery on first with orders to move up to edge of woods and unlimber…..rolled an 11 and failed….Lannes used his re roll..and this was as far as the guns made it…Rob was both those individuals!
3 of the energetic Austrian Commanders……
Robert advances on Offesnestarten…..quite the mouthful that one. Goldie was defending this sector for Austrians. Building are 20mm ones I had Al print for me….28mm take up 2 much footprint on table for large 28mm games.
On Allied right flank Paul’s Bavarians faces Alan.
Robs French finally obey orders and move onto table.
Hiller(Steven) marches on from road on Austrian right flank towards Bavarians(had to use several unpainted buildings…my bad).
Goldie had positioned horse battery behind Off……..
Goldie apart from being Hohenzollern(3rd ArmeeKorps) was also Archduke Charles and he bought Louis and the Reserve(Keith) on at the center road of table.
Hiller floods across the table……Paul’s line are forced into square and the beautiful Front Rank Wurttemberg cavalry advance into the fray(my favourite period figures).
Robert takes Offen……
Paul throws the Wurt cav into battle……I was fully supportive…sadly didn’t go well.
Robert thew his Bavarian light cav across the table on a follow me in an attempt to bust up the massed Austrian guns…..in a truly embarrassing fight which resulted in massed laughter…they lost the hand to hand combat…and were destroyed……
Sigh…..
I had written down some troop responses to how I perceived each side would act……Dissent from the Austrians had presented the French with 2 Dragoon regts….the Austrian reserve arriving in the centre and not right resulted in a small addition to the Austrian forces. I would command these. Lannes arrived with 11 bttns, 6 regts cav(8 with the Dragoons) and 2 batteries. The Austrian reserve in the center should make their right to weak to hold Lannes.
There had been a cavalry fight in the open spaces….the Austrian Kuirassiers won and swept into the infantry….who held and the cavalry retired.
Nappy had arrived on Turn 3 with his personal guard of 2 regts of Cuirassiers. He moved along edge of table to assist Bavarians.
Robert ever the optimist sent another cavalry regt against the batteries.
Morand attacks the thin white line…..sadly they did not break it.
Nappys escort charged the landwehr who formed square…..that unit retired and the second one then charged the column……who lost combat but passed morale test and cavalry retired.
Below is … messy. Keith has sent 2 Grenadier bttns around the village to attack Roberts line….an earlier attack by 2 other Grenadier regts had resulted in their destruction…these 2 suffered the same fate. Keith is not getting my Grenadiers again! The skirmishers in the middle defeated the artillery as well. Paul had sent the Dutch/Bavarians into a line which was destroyed…a good round got the Allied troops.
Empty spaces after the last round of combats.
End of game and Bavarians are holding the center…they had done very well.
Hiller is turning the Allied flank at the end of the day……..
And that was that. Photos for other end were to blurry to use.
On the day I believe Austrians had the better of it…..a number of Austrian units were destroyed at the end but I give them a minor victory.
Scenario wise….I didn’t allow for the lack of depth on table enough and should have restricted the Austrians Corps not to advance in support of the Advance Guard forces so easily. This would have given the Bavarians the opportunity to be more advanced. Lannes non arrival was certainly unfortunate and I certainly allowed the Austrian to many batteries!
We live and learn.
Next battle is Eckmuhl next month.
Until then…Terry out.
