The Battle of Neumarkt 24th April 1809, Refought Again (Part 1)

Following our resurrection of my old Battle of Raab scenario, the lads were keen to do some more Napoleon’s Battles games, so last week I dug out my old Battle of Neumarkt scenario.  I’d played this with the Carmarthen Old Guard in 2019 and said at the time that it would be a great one to replay, so a revisit to the battle was long overdue.

When we refought Raab for the second time, I did a fair amount of re-writing of the scenario, as I’d collected a lot more information about the battle since first writing it.  However, my Neumarkt scenario was written after I’d acquired John H Gill’s superb trilogy 1809: Thunder on the Danube (an absolute must-have in any Napoleonic book collection), so didn’t require any amendment or tinkering.

This game was fought at the Wargames Association of Pembrokeshire (WASP).  Andy James took the Austrians, Dave Llewellyn took the Franco-Bavarians and I avoided an inevitable defeat by umpiring.

As usual, the troops are 15mm models from my own collection, which is almost entirely made up of AB Figures models.  However, most of the Bavarian infantry and artillery here are Battle Honours figures (the 13th Regiment with pink facings is possibly the oldest unit in my collection, dating back to around 1988).  They were mostly painted by me, though Gareth Beamish painted most of the Bavarian infantry, the Bavarian cavalry, the Austrian infantry in charging poses and a few of the French units.

Above:  “A photo of the initial deployment would be a good idea…”  Yes indeed, but only if orientated with the map, you idiot…

Above:  Marshal Bessières reviews the Bavarian 6th & 7th Regiments outside the east gate of Neumarkt.

Above:  Another view of the Bavarian 6th & 7th Regiments.  Gareth Beamish painted these for me some 30 years ago, though I still remember the pain of painting those bloody flags… Thank god for laser-printers…

Above:  The Bavarian 13th Regiment deploys near Oberscherm, supported by Dobl’s 12pdr position battery.

Above:  The Bavarian 3rd Regiment deploys on the ridge to the west of the Leonberg.  As this unit represents a combined unit, incorporating the 3rd Light Battalion, I’ve represented it using Bavarian light infantry.  General Wrede, the senior Bavarian commander, can be seen in the background.

Above:  Caspers’ mounted light battery is deployed in a somewhat isolated position atop the Leonberg.  He does however, have a commanding view of the surrounding countryside from this position.

Above:  Preysing’s Bavarian cavalry brigade is resting on the west bank of the Rott, having been heavily engaged in reconnaissance duties.  Detached from Wrede’s division, they now come under the command of the French General Marulaz, whose cavalry are just arriving on the Landshut road.

Above:  General Molitor’s French infantry division, consisting of the 2nd, 16th, 37th and 67th Regiments, is bivouacked outside Neumarkt.  Here we see the 37th & 67th Regiments and an attached battery of horse artillery.  Marulaz’s cavalry are just out of shot to the right.

Above:  Molitor’s 2nd & 16th Regiments are bivouacked on the other side of the stream, to the north of the town.

Above: Jacquinot’s cavalry are deployed to guard the high ground on the right flank, near the hamlet of Strass.

Above:  FML Hiller’s Austrian forces begin to arrive; here the Hungarian 60th Regiment (belonging to Reuss-Plauen’s 1st Column) emerges from the woods, between Freiling and Hundham (NB there are two hamlets called Hundham on the map – one on the River Rott to the south of Neumarkt and another in the eastern corner of the map).

Above:  FML Vincent’s Avantgarde, consisting of the 6th Chevauxlegers, appears on a high hilltop to the east of the Leonberg.

Above:  Reuss-Plauen arrives at Hundham, at the head of his 1st Column, with Bianchi’s brigade (consisting of the 29th & 39th Regiments) following close behind.  However, with the 60th Regiment having wandered off into the woods, Reuss-Plauen’s first task will be to try to bring his division back under effective control.

Above:  In the centre, Kottulinsky’s 2nd Column arrive on the ‘ridgeway’ near Freiling.  The 8th Hussars are in the lead, followed by the 7th Grenze and a 6pdr cavalry battery.

Above:  Following closely behind is Hohenfeld’s infantry brigade (consisting of the 14th & 59th Regiments) and the two corps reserve 12pdr position batteries.

Above:  As the Austrian columns push forward, they are surprised to encounter absolutely no resistance!  To their complete shock, Bessières has opted to withdraw Wrede’s outposts to the far more defensible line of the River Rott!

[In game terms, Bessières had the option to redeploy Wrede’s forward infantry and artillery units up to 12 inches from their initial starting positions.  He opted to move them straight backwards and deploy them in column of march, facing the rear!]

Above:  However, this isn’t a full retreat.  The Bavarian 7th Regiment takes up position in the eastern half of Neumarkt, while the reinforced 3rd Regiment is ordered to defend the thick walls of the St Veit Monastery.

Above:  The Bavarian 6th and 13th Regiments however, along with the two Bavarian batteries, march back over Neumarkt Bridge, with new orders to take control of the riverbank north of the town.

Above:  Wrede finds a new vocation, directing the traffic on Neumarkt’s central roundabout…

Above:  Thanks to Wrede’s traffic-directing skills, the Bavarians are somehow able to avoid causing a snarl-up with Molitor’s French infantry, who are also passing through the town, intending to deploy to the south.

Above:  Molitor’s leading regiments exit the town and head for the southern bridges at Wolfsberg and (the other) Hundham.

Above:  Marulaz’s cavalry meanwhile, get stuck in the traffic-jam at Neumarkt.

Above:  Jacquinot’s cavalry are also heading for the west bank of the Rott and pass over the bridge at Wolfsberg.

Above:  An hour or so later, Molitor’s 67th Regiment have occupied Wolfsberg and prepare it for defence.  The 2nd Regiment do likewise at Hundham, while the 16th and 37th Regiments deploy in support on the west bank.

Above:  Jacquinot’s cavalry, having successfully passed over the Rott without incident, reform on the high ground to the west of Wolfsberg,

Above:  The French horse artillery also deploys on the western heights and covers the approach to Hundham.

Above:  Wrede and Marulaz have at last cleared the defile at Neumarkt and deploy north of the town.

Above:  Hiller and Reuss-Plauen meanwhile, have finally reached the crest of the vacated ridge and wonder when they are going to contact the enemy!

Above:  Kottulinsky’s 2nd Column passes Oberscherm and probes toward Neumarkt.

Above:  The 8th ‘Kienmayer’ Hussars report back to Kottulinsky that the enemy have all either withdrawn over the Rott, or have occupied the built-up areas guarding the bridges.  There is no work for cavalry here!  The Hussars, knowing that they are recently-painted and as-yet unblooded in a battle, breathe a sight of relief…

Above:  Weissenwolff’s brigade meanwhile, has somehow become separated from Kottulisnky’s 2nd Column during the night-march and arrives on a different road.  Nevertheless, they press on toward Sass and should soon rendezvous with Kottulinsky at Oberscherm.

Above:  Marulaz deploys his cavalry on the high ground north of Neumarkt, thus discouraging Vincent’s cavalry from attempting to establish a bridgehead over the Rott at Kinming.

Above:  At the southern end of the battlefield meanwhile, Hoffmeister’s 3rd Column has arrived, led by the 7th ‘Liechtenstein’ Hussars.  Hoffmeister follows close behind with the 6th Grenze and a cavalry battery, while Hoffeneck’s infantry brigade (the Hungarian 51st & 61st Regiments) bring up the rear.  Hoffmeister is affectionately known as ‘The Bear’ to his men, who shout “Follow The Bear!”

Above:  Hoffmeister’s leading hussars reach Sass at the same time as Weissenwolff’s infantry brigade.

Above:  Kottulinsky finally deploys his cavalry battery to engage the Bavarian 7th Regiment at Neumarkt.  The 7th Grenze push forward and deploy into skirmish-order in front of the town.  The first shot of what was meant to be a dawn attack is fired at around mid-day!

Above:  With the bridge at Kinming already dominated by and about to be secured the Bavarians, Hiller redirects Reuss-Plauen’s infantry toward Neumarkt and the monastery of St Veit.

Above:  The Bavarian 6th Regiment advances to seize the hamlet of Kinming, thus securing the fourth and final bridge over the Rott.

Above:  The Bavarian gunners open fire on Vincent’s Austrian cavalry.

Above:  Vincent’s men soon suffer the first losses of the day, as accurate Bavarian artillery fire bounces through their ranks.  With Bavarian infantry about to seize the bridge and hamlet of Kinming, Vincent orders his cavalry to withdraw to the Leonberg.

Above:  The reinforced Bavarian 3rd Regiment watch nervously from the monastery as a great mass of whitecoats emerges from the wooded hills.

Above:  Kottulinsky meanwhile, has fully deployed his 2nd Column for battle.  The cavalry battery and the 7th Grenze have already engaged, but now the two 12pdr position batteries add their fire and the effect is immediate!  Houses and defenders alike are smashed by the fresh barrage and the shocked Bavarians struggle to maintain their positions in the face of such an onslaught!

Above:  Kottulinsky wastes absolutely no time in taking advantage of the situation and drawing his sword, rides over to Weissenwolff’s freshly-arrived brigade and leads them into the town!

Above:  The Bavarians may have been disordered by the Austrian barrage, but they fight to the last and the combat in the town is grim, with little quarter offered or taken.  Molitor, observing that the Austrians are largely ignoring the southern crossings for the time-being, has presciently redeployed his 16th and 37th Regiments to support the Bavarians at Neumarkt.

Above:  For a moment, it appears as if the Austrians may be thrown back from the town, but Kottulinsky rallies them and leads his men all the way to the river.  The Bavarian 6th Regiment is utterly broken and the survivors flee in panic over the bridge!

[In game terms, the Austrians threw quite a few of their precious stash of re-roll markers into the fight.]

Above:  Although they have destroyed the Bavarian 7th Regiment, the Austrians are disordered as they occupy their new possession and the time is ripe for a counter-attack!  The Bavarian 13th Regiment holds the west bank of the Rott, but has also been disordered by the fleeing remnants of the 7th Regiment, so is in no position to counter-attack.  However, Molitor has anticipated this moment and drawing his sword, leads the French 16th Regiment forward through the town…

Above:  The French 16th Regiment, with Molitor at its head, charges heroically across the bridge!  Once again, the fighting is incredibly bitter, with both sides taking heavy losses.  However, Weissenwolff’s Austrians, including the famed 4th ‘Hoch und Deutschmeister’ Regiment, eventually manage to throw the Frenchmen back in considerable disorder.  Molitor himself suffers a serious facial wound, though his soldiers manage to escort him safely to the rear.

[In game terms, the Austrians had successfully deployed another stack of re-roll markers!]

Above:  To the south meanwhile, Hoffmeister’s 3rd Column deploys in front of Hundham.  Kienmayer’s II Reserve Korps has also now arrived at Oberscherm.

Above:  Kienmayer’s orders are to support Hoffmeister in capturing the bridges at Hundham and Wolfsberg, though with Kottulinsky busy leading the battle in the town, his reserve brigades are now causing traffic-jams!

Above:  Although Weissenwolff’s infantry have captured the eastern suburb of Neumarkt, they are now subjected to fire from Bavarian and French infantry and artillery and soon start to suffer a constant trickle of attritional losses.  Kottulinksy moves one of his cavalry batteries forward in an attempt to even the odds.

Above:  The bulk of Kottulinsky’s artillery however, is now otherwise engaged in reducing the monastery’s defences.

Above:  With the eastern suburb of Neumarkt captured surprisingly quickly, Reuss-Plauen turns his attention back to the monastery and the river-crossing at Linsing.

Above:  However, the artillery this time is failing to make much of an impact on those thick mediaeval walls and an imatient Reuss-Plauen starts to consider overwhelming the Bavarians through sheer weight of numbers…  “We can take ’em… Can’t we…?”

Above:  At the southern end of the battlefield, Kienmayer pushes his newly-arrived reserve batteries (another 6pdr cavalry battery and two more 12pdr position batteries) forward to bombard Hundham and Wolfsberg.

Above:  The line of the River Rott is a very tough nut to crack, though the Austrians do have a massive artillery superiority over the Franco-Bavarian army.

Above:  As the reserve batteries move into position, a single 6pdr cavalry half-battery opens fire and is already inflicting losses on the French 2nd Regiment defending hundham.

Above:  The Austrian cavalry can do little except wait in reserve for the artillery to open a gap and for the infantry to establish a bridgehead.  However, it’s already 3pm and the day is starting to slip away… As will the enemy if the Austrians don’t breach the river-line soon!

Above:  With the artillery failing to do much damage to the Bavarian 3rd Regiment, Reuss-Plauen decides that he can wait no longer and leads his men forward against the monastery!

Above:  With Vincent’s Austrian cavalry having withdrawn and with the Bavarian 6th Regiment having secured Linsing, Marulaz considers making a sortie with one of his brigades to support the beleaguered Bavarians at the monastery.

Above:  However, Marulaz needn’t have worried, as the Bavarians successfully beat off Reuss-Plauen’s assault without assistance!

Above:  While Reuss-Plauen reconsiders his plans, the Austrian artillery resumes its bombardment of the monastery.

Above:  At Neumarkt meanwhile, the attritional losses being suffered my Weissenwolff’s brigade are starting to become a worry.  Kottulinsky therefore orders Hohenfeld’s brigade and the supporting cavalry battery forward to engage the French 37th Regiment more closely across the Rott.

Above:  As expected, the Austrians soon gain the upper hand in the firefight, forcing the 37th to withdraw from the riverbank.  However, some good news is that General Molitor has returned from the surgeon and while his facial injury means that he has great difficulty in issuing orders, his blood-streaked visage is an inspiration to all!

Above:  Hoffmeister’s 3rd Column and Kienmayer’s II Reserve Korps (actually just a large division) are now ready to assault Hundham.

Above:  Kienmayer and Hoffmeister stand on the heights and watch as the final reserve battery deploys and opens fire.  Hofeneck’s infantry brigade, d’Aspré’s grenadier brigade and the two Grenze regiments wait for the order to advance.

Above:  On the northern flank, Generalmajor Preysing receives a dispatch from one of his patrols and sends it immediately to Marulaz; “Sir, I have the honour to report that a large column of Austrians is approaching from the north, on this side of the Rott!  They will be here within the hour!”

From the other side of the Rott, a cheer can be heard from the Austrians… “Radetzky is coming!”

That sadly, was where we had to leave our game.  Bessières’ precipitous withdrawal, while a sound tactical move, did mean that the game took a long time to really get going (though thank the Emperor for Napoleon’s Battles‘ generous march-rates…).  However, the final situation (see below) left us wanting more, so we’re going to re-convene this battle in a couple of weeks.  The Austrians finally seem to be in a position to force a crossing and the arrival of Radetzky’s column on the flank makes it even more interesting, but the time is already 1500hrs, which gives the Austrians nine turns in which to achieve their victory conditions before the arbitrary end of the scenario.

To be continued…