Froeschwiller 1870

Yesterday’s regular Sunday wargame was a refight of the Battle of Froeschwiller (or Wörth) fought on 6 August 1870, more correctly the latter stages of the battle.

As background, two days earlier the German Third Army had attacked Douay’s isolated division at Wissembourg, killing Douay and forcing the remnants of the division to fall back to the west on Froeschwiller, where Marshal MacMahon concentrated the rest of 1st Corps.

The German cavalry failed to pursue and lost contact with the French, who they believed had retreated to the south. As a result the army was repositioned to face south and battle was expected on 7 August. However, during afternoon and evening of the 5th an increase in French activity on the Froeschwiller ridge drew the attention of the Prussian V Corps that held the right of the line. Activity on the picket line overnight prompted two early morning reconnaissances across the Sauerbach stream that flowed across the base of the Froeschwiller ridge. Both those reconnaissances were repulsed by superior forces and with instructions not to bring on a general engagement the Prussians withdrew.

But the stir that those reconnaissances caused had two significant consequences. First, MacMahon call his troops to arms  which made three French divisions, well supported by guns, visible on the ridge. Second, II Bavarian Corps that orders to support V Corps heard the commotion and engaged the French left, only to be roughly handled and pushed back out of the action. And here things began to snowball. The V Corps, feeling obliged to help the Bavarians brought up its artillery - all 14 batteries - on the parallel heights east of the Sauerbach and an artillery duel began. The French guns were easily driven off and sniffing victory Kirchbach, the V Corps commander, committed his rightmost division across the Sauerbach without any real support.

The German infantry were quickly contained and pinned in the town of Wörth and in the ditches, with their backs to the flooded Sauerbach and only saved from destruction by their artillery. Kirchbach appealed to the Bavarians for help, but they were too disorganised after their failed attack. Thankfully XI Corps marched to the guns and appeared opposite the French right, but their initial attack was also stopped on the eastern bank of the Sauerbach as Kirchbach's had been.

On the Froechwiller ridge MacMahon had three divisions of his corps in the front line with Douay's battered division (now led by Pellé) in reserve. He also held in reserve a division of  7th Corps that had only just arrived on the evening of the 5th and was without its divisional artillery. He also had the Corps' cavalry division, eight batteries of the corps artillery reserve, and a division of reserve cavalry. Additionally he hoped that one, maybe two, divisions from 5th Corps would arrive during the day. The morning passed with success for the French with all German attacks repulsed or contained. 

Early in the afternoon things changed. XI Corps extended further to the left and rolled up the French right. Lartigue's Division collapsed and was driven off in disorder.  The Germans moved to a general attack with four corps against MacMahon's remaining and now battered four divisions. It is here, about 2:30 in the afternoon of 6 August 1870, that the game starts.

The battlefield represents the area of the ridge between Elsasshausen and Froeschwiller where it descends towards the water meadows along the banks of the Sauerbach. The terrain is largely open, devoid of hedges and walls with a few small orchards near the towns. 

The game begins with Raoult's division in position along the ridge. Most of its units have taken some losses, but it is pretty much intact. One brigade of  Ducrot's division is to Raoult's left rear while the other brigade is engaged off table to the left. Conseil-Dumesnil's 7th Corps Division is to Raoult's right rear while Pellé's division, Bonnemain's cuirassier division and the artillery reserve are off table to the rear. With this force (in all 42 infantry battalions,  4 cavalry regiments, 12 field and 3 mitrailleuse batreries) the French must defend the ridge against the Germans.

By this stage the Germans too have suffered loses and of the eight divisions of Third Army nearby only three are fully organised and available to attack, with ample artillery. To represent the fire support that the Germans were able to provide from across the Sauerbach they can fire from off table as far a 1000mm on table, but at a slightly reduced rate of fire to on table units. In all the Germans have 38 battalions and 22 batteries and must drive the French from the ridge. Although they are weaker in battalion numbers their battalions are larger than the French battalions and two French divisions are already carrying losses.

Just after kick-off...

The Bavarians move forward

The French left moved to counter the Bavarian advance

At the opposite end of the field the XI Corps move on Elsasshausen

The Bavarians in perfect order...

...with the V Corps on their left.

Pellé's division has filled the gap between Raoult and Conseil-Dumesnil, and faces off against V Corps

The French Reserve artillery, all eight batteries appear, top centre on the table edge.

V Corps's advance is stalling...

Here come the cuirassiers...two brigades...four regiments...

The first regiment slams into the flank of a Bavarian battalion...and breaks it.

The second regiment charged another battalion that quickly formed square (yes there are instances of both French and Prussian units forming square in 1870)...and against the odds broke the square...!

They then broke through onto another battalion...

And broke it too!

The left hand Bavarian brigade was in a grim position and the other brigade, on their right, was under severe pressure  as Durcrot's Brigade pressed forward.

To the left of the German line V and XI Corps struggled to make headway

I originally set end time at 3:00 PM, but the game was at such a dramatic moment I let it run another half hour.

In the end the French held their position. Marshal MacMahon was very pleased...

Napoleonic Game

Today's game, postponed from two weeks ago, was a Napoleonic one. Set in  September 1813 with the French column falling back towards Leipzig where the Emperor is consolidating the army for the next phase of operations. However, as the column was moving west a sizable Coalition force has been detected advancing from the south on a parallel road, threatening to capture the vital bridge over the Mulde near Bennewitz. A French force consisting of three small infantry divisions and two cavalry divisions have been turned south to intercept this force and prevent it from interfering with the rest of the column crossing the Mulde.

The French begin the game on the northern edge of the table, up to 300mm in from the edge, but only need to deploy troops in view from the opposite side of the table. Initiative is weighted in favour of the Coalition (they roll 2 dice to the French 1 - the highest score moves first) once the first turn is completed the French player must place all his units on the table.

The Forces were:

French	Coalition
Infantry Division: 10 battalions, 2 light, 1 field, 1 horse batteries Infantry Division: 8 battalions, 1 field, 1 horse batteries Infantry Division: 8 battalions 2 field batteries Cuirassier Division: 3 Cuirassier regiments, 1 horse battery Heavy Cavalry Division; 4 Dragoon regiments, 1 horse battery Artillery Reserve: 1 field, 1 heavy batteries	Austrians: Infantry Division; 8 battalions, 2 field batteries Light Brigade: 1 Hussar regiment 1 jager and 1 Grenze battalion, 1 horse battery
	Russians: Infantry Division: 12 battalions, 2 light, 1 position battery
	Prussians: Infantry Division: 8 line, 2 reserve 2 landwehr battalions, 1 jager battalion, 2 field batteries
	Coalition cavalry: Division: 4 Austrian Cuirassier regiments, 1 Russian horse battery Division; 2 Russian dragoon, 1 Prussian Landwehr and 1 Prussian Cuirassier regiments, 1 Prussian horse battery
27 battalions, 7 Cavalry regiments, 2 light, 6 field and 4 horse batteries	35 battalions, 9 cavalry regiments, 7 field and 3 horse batteries

In addition each side had a reserve they could call on. Each reserve consisted of a brigade of guard infantry, a brigade of guard cavalry plus artillery. There were, however, restrictions on the reserves. Both sides had to decide before the commencement of turn 4 if they were going to call the reserve and if they did would roll 1 xD6 and if the score was 4,5,6 it would arrive on the table edge in turn 4 otherwise on turn 5. There was also a catch for calling that reserve that neither side was aware of (other than being told that there was a potential penalty). That catch was that the French guard was the rearguard of the column and the Russian guard was closing on them. If the French Guard was called and the Russians were not, the Russians are assumed to have driven the main French column and secured the Mulde bridge, winning the game. Conversely if the Russian guard were called and the French were not, the main French column was not pressured and crossed the Mulde, winning the game. If neither of the guards were called success was determined by who controled the three exit roads on the French northeastern side of the table.

The Terrain

 

The Game

My  plans for an eight player game were thwarted when two had to cancel and I had to play, where I had intended to umpire. Sadly one of those who cancelled was our regular war correspondent so I am drastically short of photographs.

The French deployed  their strongest division plus the cuirassier division on their right, with the other two divisions to the left and on the extreme left the dragoons. 

The Coalition forces deployed with the Russians in the left, the Prussians to their right and the Austrians on the extreme right. All their cavalry was to the right.

The Russians were quickly held by a sweeping movement by the French right, but were able to hold their position, despite appallingly bad luck with their artillery. The main coalition effort was by the Prussians supported by the Austrian artillery and cavalry. 

The French left, however,  was a hard nut to crack because it was difficult for the Allies to find away around the farm. The French commander in this sector, however, was convinced he was defeated from the start, yet he held onto his position until almost the very end of the game.

The Russians were always going to be in trouble, but a bit of bad luck on the French part let them hold on for longer than they should have, but in the end they crumbled, the Russian Guard was called and ordered to march right across the rear of the Coalition  position toward the left. The unengaged Austrian infantry also shifted left. 

In the end the left of both lines collapsed. The Prussians mauled but not beaten controlled the centre right while the Russian Guard and Austrian infantry formed up to face the largely intact French right.

But as the action came to a close, since the Russian Guard  had been called, there was no pressure on the French main column and they managed to clear the bridge. The rearguard, badly mauled as it was, has saved the day. The Emperor was pleased.

And so to the few pictures I managed to take...in no particular sequence...

Khartoum

Today I made up a foursome to play a game based on the storming Khartoum.

The scenario was taken from the Black Powder Blood on the Nile supplement (although the rukes being played were not Black Powder).

Khartoum was defended by three units of Egyptian infantry, one of Bashi Bazooks, several small units of citizen levy, three field guns and a Gardener gun.  A secondary force of one unit of Egyptian infantry and a gun occupied a smaller fort across the Nile. The attacking force consisted of four warbands: one (the Mahdi's) of four units, another three each of two units.

The game was always going to see the Dervishes storm the city, it was just a matter of how longbit would take. 

A view across Khartoum before the attack began

My command (above and below) were assigned to attack the separate fort

The remainder of the force sweeps forward against the main walls

  

My first attack against the fort - this attack was repulsed, but a subsequent one succeeded

The main force strikes the main wall like a tidal wave

Gordon is getting worried

Above and below, the main wall is stormed.

The Dervishes pour through the streets

My having taken the fort follow up on the routed Egyptians

Above and below, Gordon's anxiety grows as the defence collapses

Moments before the Dervishes came knocking on Gordon's door

In the end Gordon was captured. His fate is unknown at this point.

It was a good way to spend a few hours on a wet and windy Sunday.