10th Jagers...and Some Other Bits...

This final full battalion of my Bavarian infantry division represents the 10th Jäger battalion.

Technically this was not a part of the 4th Bavarian Division. Both Bavarian corps  (and all Prussian corps for that matter) had a jäger battalion attached to the corps, assigned at the discretion of the corps commander. The 10th was that battalion for 2nd Bavarian Corps.

Like the 5th battalion, completed earlier in the year, this battalion was armed with the Werder rifle rather than the Podwils.

Also completed are seven stands of skirmishers - seven little vignettes.

Thus completes the infantry contingent for my Bavarian force, the 4th Bavarian Infantry Division. There is much action in the divisional barracks right now with the various battalions brushing up on their drill for a grand parade that will probably be held next week.

 

Great Paraguayan War Game

It has been more than two years since we were last in Paraguay (29 January 2023 to be exact) and I figured it was high time for those armies to see the light of day.

All of our games are multi-player affairs with three or four players a side. The negative of this can be that regardless of the scenario both sides  tend to line up on each side and simply play against the player opposite them. I decided to try something different to encourage manoeuvring. The problem here is that when using a regulated movement rate manoeuvring is difficult. Then I remembered that back in the 1980s we briefly played a set of rules called Empire. They used a concept of grand tactical moves that allowed for two movement rates - a relatively restricted rate for troops that were actually engaged, but a faster rate for those not engaged.

From what I remember the Empire system was quite complex, involving a flowchart. I wanted something simpler. Assuming that not being engaged was the prime factor to permit this free movement, what other factors could influence it? I came up with three factors: leadership, troop quality and whether the march column comes under fire. So my system is that brigades can test to make a March Move if the brigade is formed in a single march column and no part of the intended move will pass within 400mm of a visible enemy or within 200mm of a friendly unit that is engaged with an enemy. The test is pretty simple: roll 1xD6, add 1 for a bold general, subtract 1 for a cautious general, add 1 if half or more of the brigade is veteran or elite, subtract 1 if half or more is raw, subtract 3 if the brigade has been fired on in the immediate preceding player turn. If the result is 0 or less use normal moves, 2 or 3, make two March Moves, 4 or 5 make three March Moves and 6 make four March Moves. A March Move is 400mm for all types and ignores terrain except for rivers and impassable terrain. There are some restrictions around deployment, but a good command has potential to move 1600mm in a turn.

The game was set up with three Paraguayan brigades in a fortress in a gap between two rivers. Opposing them is a Brazilian and an Argentine division, each supported by a cavalry brigade, and a brigade of Uruguayans. The Allied start positions are shown on the map below. The Paraguayans could be positioned between the two rivers, but no further forward than the southern limits of the fortress.

So how did the game run?...well not at all as I expected! I thought that a successful strategy for the Allies would be to throw Argentine division to the west, across the western arm of the river to force the Paraguayans spread themselves and fight on two fronts while the larger Brazilian and Uruguayan force to struck the eastern arm. Meanwhile, the Paraguayans could not afford to sit back in the fortress - for one they couldn't all fit inside - so some sort of sally or spoiling attack was going to be a necessity.

The Paraguayans indeed planned a sally, but the Allies decided to consolidate east of the eastern arm and try to carry the fort from that direction.

The Argentine Division in its start position

A view up the table at the start of the game

One of the big guns

The Argentinians in their new position with the Brazilians beyond

The Brazilian guns in action

Above and below the Uruguayans keen to get into the fight 

Above and below, Brazilian guns beating back some Paraguayan cavalry

The Uruguayan artillery in action

The Brazilian infantry struggle to hold a position across the river

An Argentine battalion advancing

Above and below, in a desperate attack the Paraguayans drive back a Brazilian brigade

 

In the end the Allied attack ground to a halt. One Brazilian brigade was driven off, but their artillery broke up the Paraguayan attack. The other Brazilian brigade managed to hold on by the skin of its teeth, while the Argentine Division was roughly handled. The Uruguayans were hardly engaged, but used their march moves to switch from one side of the table to the other - twice - to cover collapsing Allied fronts. The Paraguayans took losses too, with three of their five cavalry units pummelled and four of their ten battalions either destroyed or in a bad way. The big guns, that looked so intimidating, had little effect, in part due to their forces masking their fire, and in part because they kept running out of ammunition!

Did the march moves idea work? I think so, if only to get troops into action quickly - although the Uruguayans dis use it very effectively to redeploy. Maybe there is a need to try it again.

The Last of the Line Battalions

This is III/14th Regiment Hartmann.

For some variety the officer was given an arm from the French command set, giving him a more heroic pose.

This completes Mallinger's 8th Bavarian Infantry Brigade...but that is a different parade

All that remains to be completed for the infantry of my Bavarian collection is one more jäger battalion and seven skirmish stands.

"Next"...!

Recruitment in Maillinger's 8th Bavarian Infantry Brigade continues at pace with a battalion passing through the uniform store at the rate of one every four days at the moment. 

This post highlights the arrival of III/11th Battalion (von der Tann Regiment), identified by its black facings.

To get a bit more variety in the unit I have altered the arrangement of the command stand, placing the officer and standard bearer in front, then two drummers and two riflemen behind.

At the current rate of throughput the whole brigade, and division for that matter, will be completed early next month, leaving an attached jäger battalion and some skirmish stands to finish my Bavarian infantry contingent.

6th Bavarian Jäger Battalion

The parade of Bavarians continues with a slight variation this time...green facings representing the 6th Jäger Battalion.

I like the way the vignettes can be built with these guys. It suits the jägers well I think.

The countdown to completion of the Bavarians is under way with one more jäger, two line battalions and half a dozen skirmish stands to go. Then at some point, before the end of the year I hope, there will be the divisional cavalry, artillery and some command groups.

Also based up at the same time is this Great Paraguayan War Argentine general who is starting a new career as a French cavalry brigadier.

It's Back to the Bavarians

This time there are two battalions of Bavarians to present: the III/5th...

...and III/7th.

But they look identical you say...well they are not...a few heads are turned in different directions and the officer in the II/5th wears a helmet and is holding a pistol whereas the officer of the III/7th is in the cap and carries a sword, the standard bearer is in the second rank in the 5th and in the front in the 7th...but yes apart from that they are very similar...and there are another four battalions to go that are also going to look similar.

The Royal Bavarian Army had a patchy history in 1870-71. They provided two infantry corps and two cavalry brigades to the German cause - perhaps 70,000 men, or one eighth of the armies that took the field in August of that year. Their organisational structure was pretty much the same as the Prussians in that each corps consisted of two divisions, each of two brigades each of six battalions, with a 'brigade' of artillery attached to each division and another formed the corps reserve. At lower levels the structure also matched that of the Prussians - in the field an infantry battalion had four companies,  a cavalry regiment had four squadrons and a battery six guns. There was a slight variation in the infantry company in that the Prussian standard was three platoons (zugs) one of which was designated the skirmish platoon, a Bavarian company had four platoons, one of which was a schutzen platoon.

At first the Bavarians were not the most enthusiastic allies, after all they had sided with Austrian in 1866 and fought against their new Prussian masters. Indeed the French were so convinced on the reluctance of the Bavarians and their fellow South German states (Wurttemberg and Baden) that one of their strategies was a sudden thrust into South Germany to rally them to the French cause. However, when the call for mobilisation went out all three South German states answered the call and were incorporated into the German Third Army under the Crown Prince of Prussia.

Bavarians troops were in the vanguard of III Army's advance when it commenced on 4 August. Early that morning von Bothmer's 4th Bavarian Infantry Division collided with a French Division at Wissembourg. They got themselves tangled up in the surrounding vineyards and fumbled the initial attack on the town. A further attempt was also repelled. Not until the Prussian V Corps entered the fray, blasting the place with 30 guns and driving a supporting regiment of Tirailleurs Algériens away from the railway station were the Bavarians able to take the place.

Two days later, at Worth, von Bothmer was again in action early, responding to the sound of gunfire and musketry to the south in the direction of V Corps. Bothmer ordered the leading elements of the Division into the Langensoultzbach Wood to strike the French at Froeschwiller. After a confused advance the leading four battalions reached the southern edge of the wood. There the woods gave way to a shallow valley extending 300 metres across to the northern edge of the Froeschwiller Wood. When the Bavarians attempted to cross the open ground they were met by a wall of Chassepôt fire from the wood opposite and enfilade fire from a field battery and a mitrailleuse battery on the crest above and scampered back to the safety of the wood.

Armed with the inferior Podwills rifle, the Bavarian line battalions struggled to compete in the face of the fire that drove out of the Froeschwiller Wood. In the smoke filled the forest these half-drunk South Germans - they had received no rations since the 4th, but were issued wine that morning - could make little sense of what was happening around them. Despite further reinforcements the Bavarians could make no headway and with no prospect of immediate support they had to hold on as best they could. Around 10:30 an order to withdraw, actually intended for V Corps, was received from Army Headquarters. The withdrawal was was conducted poorly by the Bavarians and many of them ran back in disorder, but despite the difficulty by 1130 the larger part of the Bavarian 4th Division had been successfully withdrawn out of range of the French.

No sooner had they returned to the left bank of the Soulzbach Stream than Hartmann, commanding II Bavarian Corps, received a message that V Corps was about to commence an attack on the heights in front of Worth and that the co-operation to the right by the Bavarians was expected. The 4th Division was ordered to re-cross the Soulzbach and advance again in to the Langensoultzbach Wood, but Bothmer’s Division was so severely disorganised that an immediate return to action was impossible. Nearly three hours would pass before these Bavarians would re-enter the action.

Not until 1300 did more Bavarians arrive on the field. These were from von der Tann's I Bavarian Corps. It was clear that von der Tann was no too appreciative of his new Prussian masters. He dragged his heels and the corps was deployed well to the rear. He ignored an order from the Crown Prince to attack. A second order was sent and similarly ignored as was a third. Not until an infuriated Crown Prince sent a forth messenger, a Bavarian officer attached to Army Headquarters, who was told, “Ride to your countrymen...and tell them the Crown Prince of Prussia orders them in the name of their King now at last to engage the enemy properly and drive them back; everywhere we see our troops advancing victoriously; they alone came to a stand still in the face of the foe!”. This time von der Tann complied and set Stephan’s 1st Division in motion towards Froeschwiller with the intention of turning the French left.

Stephan's attack was launched across the Soulzbach that had overflowed its banks after a heavy storm the night before. The French fire quickly drove them to ground in the open water meadows and the attack stalled. When two battalion of Zouaves drove down through the Langensoultzbach Wood, pushing the last elements of 4th Division before them, several French battalions from the Froeschwiller Wood stormed forward in support driving Stephan's battalions back across the stream. But the French attack was checked and they fell back. Stephan's units began to infiltrate the Langensoultzbach Wood in an attempt to flank the Froeschwiller Wood, but still they struggled to make headway.

Then, in a sort of “this is how you do it” moment, two battalions of Prussian infantry stormed across the stream and smashed in the apex of the French line in the Froeschwiller Wood. The French line began to collapse and the Bavarians were able to work their way through the Langensoultzbach Wood unopposed until they reached the far edge of the wood where their advance was fiercely resisted. However, the French position was compromised and they began to withdraw. With their front cleared von der Tann's Bavarians closed on Froeschwiller village and helped clear the last of the French from it. A small Bavarian force was involved in the pursuit before being recalled to camp.

The battle had cost the Bavarians 36 officers and 1,413 men, but more critically had shown flaws in the Bavarian leadership that would not be allowed to be repeated.

The next significant action for the Bavarians was on 30 August.  Von der Tann's 1st Bavarian Corps arrived in the heights southwest of Beaumont to find the French V Corps completely at rest in its cantonments. At that moment the Prussian VI Corps to the right opened an attack on the French. This time von der Tann did not hesitate and Schumacher's Second Division, supported by the cuirassier brigade, was ordered to attack. The Division drove forward and easily secured the road running west from Beaumont. But around 1430 a fresh French division appeared on Schumacher's left flank. Von der Tann brought Stephan's First Division up on Schumacher's left. The French fell back in disorder across the Meuse to Mouzon. Nightfall ended the action. The Germans had suffered 3,529 casualties (436 of whom were Bavarian), but had inflicted a loss of more than 7,500 men and 42 guns on the French. More critically the Germans had got between the French and Paris, effectively forcing them back on the fortress of Sedan and slamming the door shut.

Two days later, as a part of the Battle of Sedan von der Tann was ordered to take the town of Bazeilles that was held by General Élie de Vassoigne's Blue Division of Fusiliers Marin, formed from sailors and marines from the French fleet. The Bavarians were ambushed in the town resulting seven hours of vicious street fighting, during which French civilians actively fired on Bavarian troops. In retribution the Bavarian killed a number of civilians and torched the house from which shots were fired. The famous Alphonse de Neuville paining “The Last Cartridges” was inspired by an incident in this action. By day's end the whole village was in ruins. This bloody action cost the Bavarians 213 officers and 3,876 men as casualties and darkened their reputation in French eyes.

"The Last Cartridges"

The Bavarians went on to participate in the Siege of Paris. In October von der Tann was pulled away from the siege and sent with the I Bavarian Corps to the Loire where a significant French force was being raised with the purpose of raising the siege. Von der Tann took Orléans on 11 October, but having taken the place did nothing to pressure the French further. By early November the situation had changed dramatically and the French outnumbered him three to one. He abandoned Orléans and fell back on Coulmiers, a reasonable good position, and awaited attack.

The French attacked on 9 November. The first attack was launched at around 1:30 PM and managed to get close to the Bavarians who, despite their low ammunition, managed to beat them back with the support of close range artillery fire. A second attack was launched around 3:00, but the French commanders could not coordinate their attacks and the inexperienced French Garde Mobiles were driven off in disorder.

A third assault carried the village of Coulmiers, but the Bavarian line was not broken and von der Tann withdrew the Corps in good order around 4:00 unmolested by the French cavalry that had been positioned too far to the west to be effective. The Bavarians had held out all day with 20,000 men against 70,000 French suffering some 2,100 casualties and inflicting 1,500.

The Battle of Coulmiers, the only serious defeat suffered by the German forces in the war. It was also notable as the first time that the French artillery used impact fused shells and could complete on a more even footing with their German counterparts.

The Bavarian were involved in smaller roles in the rest of the Loire campaign.